Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-02-06
JAPAN'S MIGHTY RULER.
First Disclosure Of the Private
Life Of the Mikado.
His Descent Traced in a Direct Limo from
the Gods Ills Daily Walk and Con-
Notwithstanding About
the Empress.

V0TSaHOH-SOIhetnInB ABOUT
the Empress.
Mr.. Frank G.. Carpenter, who is now So
journing in Japan, has obtained a privilege
never before granted to any one, namely,
an interview with the Court Chamberlain
concerning the home life of the Mikado.
''Twenty-five years ago." he says, IN a let
ter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ''it
would have been death to the Chamberlain
and Imprisonment to me. At that time it
was treason to name aloud the personal
name of the Millado. In writing it, it was
against the law to pen 1t in full, and one OF
the strokes or letters had to be left out. No
one except the wives of the Emperor and
his highest ministers ever saw his face
His divine features were never unvailed tc
the public gaze. Kept in the seclusion ot
his palace at Kiota, he was revered as q
god by the people, and when he went abroad
in the city he rode in a closely-curtalned Car
drawn by bullocks. His sacred feet never
touched the earth, and when he died it was
supposed that he would enter the company
of the gods. He was at that time the EN-
peror of Japan, but he was only nominal
Emperor. The Commander-in-C Chief of the
Imperial army, under the title of the Sho
gun, administered his affairs, and these
commanders-in-chi who succeeded one an.
other by hereditary descent, had for gener
ations usurped the real authority of the
Government, while they thus kept the
Mikado in a sort of glass case and held him
up as spiritual rather than a temporal
ruler. They managed his treasury, made
the laws, governed the country and ate uI
the taxes
This state of things went on for hundreds
l,l
it. The lords of this system became en-
ervated by luxury, and the chief officers un
der them, about twenty years ago, organ
lied revolution to give back to the Mikadc
his real power. The present Emperor was
then upon his throne. He was fifteen years
old. The revolution was successful The
Shotgun was overthrown and the Emperor
was taken by the revolutionists to Toxic
and declared Emperor in fact. This was the
beginning of the progressive movement in
Japan. The young Mikado came out of his
curtained seclusion, and before the court he
promised that changes should be made in
the Empire; that deliberative assembly
should be formed, and that all measures
should be decided by public opinion. He
promised that impartiality and justice
should be adopted as a basis of action, and
that intellect and learning should be sought
for throughout the world in order to estab
lish the foundation Of the empire. since
then many of the old customs haVe been
thrown away. Railroads, telegraphs and
schools have been established. intercourse
with other nations has been kept up, and
the Mikado rules the new Japan. If an
correctly informed, he is deeply interested
in its progress, and he looks forward
anxiously toward the opening rs the Parlia
~, %olr ox1lo fr1f
The Mikado has the bluest blood of any
ruler on the face of the earth. The present
dynasty of Japan runs back to the gods ani
his Imperial Majesty is the one hundred
and twenty-first Emperor of Japan. The
Japanese have their history and their my
thology, and the present Emperor come:
from Jimmu Tenno, who was the frs
Mikado and ruled Japan six hundred ant
sixty years before Christ was born. Thi:
man was . descendant of the sun GOODIES:
and Mutsuhitoj the present Emperor trace:
his descent directly from him. The presen
Emperor was born at Kiota, November
1859. He was declared heir apparent to the
throne when he was eight years old, and hi
succeeded on the death of his father in 1867
He was crowned in 1858 and was married a
the age of seventeen in 1863
His Imperial Majesty is now thirty-eigh
years old. Let me tell you how he looks
He is taller than the average Japanese, ana
his appearance is not half as imposing nov
as when he wore the rich Japanese cos
tunes and sat cross- legged on his mats o.
state He has u dark-brown cEfe-Gu-idi
complexion, and his eyes, which looi
through almond Sits, are of a brilliant
black. His hair is very thick and he part:
| it in European style. 1t is eoinhod well III
| from a good forehead and his Majesty:
| eyebrows have the decided arch which i:
! indicative of Japanese beauty. Hi:
nose is large and inclined to fat
the Japanese, aud his Maiesty's lip.
are thick. He is of medium size, ba
| is inclined to stoop, which l imagine
may come frou the earlier part of his life
having been speat in sitting upon the floor
| He wears mustache and chin IVhiskeps
| and these, like most of his race, are thin
The Court Chamberlain tells me that fol
| the past sixteen years ne has worn nothins
but European clothes, and he has to a large
| extent adopted European ways. His dres.
Is that of general of the army. and b.
] takes great pride in military matters. HI
reviews his troops several times a year, AR
| is thoroughly up in the organization of nj!
| armies. When he goes out TO ride he is al
ways accompanied By his Imperial Guards
and he has lately purchased several ney
State carriages which are the wonder OF
Toxic.
The Emperor of Japan is rich. He i.
| allowed S2,5o0 900 a year for his House
hold Department, and his private fortune il
large and increasing The Household De
| partment is as much part of the japanese
Government as is our Navy or War De
partment part of the United State
aoyernment. 1t hes to do with all matter
relating to the Imperial palace ans
| 70 tho Mikado It was al the roya
household department that 1 held m,
interview with the Court Chamberlain
We sat for two hours together and chattet
of the Emperor's habits. .sHis Majesty" sal.
he, sis a very stndious man. He rises earl,
| and breakfasts at seven or eight o'clock. III
pses the knife and fork n eating whel
| he takes foreign food, and he adopts tn,
chop sticks at his japanese dinners. HI
eats at table and sits upon chairs. 81
| varies his meals, sometimes taking foreigl
food and sometimes japanese. He is fons
/ OF meats, and has a weTl-trained Japanes,
cook to serve them for hIm. After break