The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-07-30
PRINCE in NEW YORK
TAkEHlTo, COUSIN OF THE EMPEROR
OF JAPAN, ENvlES HIS VALET.


4 sweethssrt-Prinos Tells the story Of
ysmsEata, Who Left High Station 70
Wears Wallets Uniform.
!, Prince Takehito Of Japan held levee
the other morning at the Waldorf hotel.
New York They were talking In Jap
anese. Suddenly Saitow, master Of the
princes household, entered and Let him
self fall into soft armchair. Then they
talked in French. Meta" he said 10
his valet, "bring wine and cigarettes.
"Oh." said the prince. admiring the
serious impassability with which Meta
placed on the table several pretty Bohe-
milan glasses, THAT man Is happy What
president of an American railway COM
pany, what tenor, what prelate would
dare say no is happier than Meta?
Like you, Saitow, he has seen Sarah
Bernhardt, Felix Faure. Balfour, Lefty
Lind and all the modern celebrities.
Like you, he walks on carpets Of the
Savonnerie and takes his coffee from q
cup of Saxony ware Happy mani"
"It is true" said Saitow, his smile
making his little eyes smaller than
holes pierced by gimlet, "that after
the condition of professional beauty
in England that of valet is the hap
piest. You know our proverb-when we
say that we have wife, we mean that
wife has us.
"We haven't valet; he has us. On
my word of honor, mine succeeded in
making me paint the portrait Of hia
sweetheart"
"And mine," said Funaki, author of
successful symphony. "plays clarinet
in my house in spite Of me. and suffer
it"
"Mine." said one. "writes comic
dramas.
"Does he shine your boots?"
"Sometimes.
"You should be glad that he does
not make you shine his"
"Such things have happened" said
the prince. lone Of our great poets,
he continued, "has written books ex-
pressly to relate to Europe and Asia the
eccentricities Of his negro. That negro
was q fellow who knew how to make
his master shine his shoes. In Paris,
when the theaters sent box tickets. that
charming young man, whose name was
Abdullah, made his choice from the
package and took his girl to see vaude-
villa that tOuched his heart
"He was honest?"
"What do you take him for? When
his master sent him to creditor to get
money, he acquitted himself of his er-
rand scrupulously.
"He brought back the money!"
"On the contrary, 1t was Abdullah
who was brought back, three days later.
with bill for $40 for expense of nurs-
ing. He collected the money, but he
spent it. His master worshiped him."
81 can appreciate that, said Saitow.
marquis Ito's valet is something like
that. He has invented water which
makes the hair grow"
"Gentlemen, said Funaki, eve are
all convinced that the condition Of a
valet is the best in the world, and we
wouldn't have it, But whom could we
serve? Our lackeys wouldn't make
masters of themselves. Only we are
silly enough for that.
"My friends" said the prince, "do
not calumniate all humanity. know
man of wit who has the courage Of
your opinion.
"Tell us about him."
The prince arranged the pillows on a
divan and made himself comfortable.
"By caprice of fate my friend was
called Yamagata, like our heroic mar
shal. liked him. He was charming
fellow. I had made his acquaintance at
the house Of German noblewoman.
"Yamagata was % years old, q
dreamer, full Of systems and utopias
He placed the absurd not in his conver-
sation as others do, but in his life, al
great men do. He was learned and
wrote superbly But his maxim was
that personal responsibility is the source
of all human ills. and he declared that
there were only two good conditions in
this world, that Of woman and that of
q servant.
"As he couldn't become woman he
pursued the ideal of becoming valet.
'Ah, my dear Takehito, he would say,
when will / ever wear the livery of
liberty, independence, oblivion of good
and evil?'
Zone morning he came in transf1g-
ured. AT last, he said, 4 am happy.
You see in me the valet of M. Bischoffs-
helm, rich banker. said not word.
! caught his arm and ran with him to
the palace. We locked him up in room
and made him write memoir We'll
give you 81, 900 for it, said. DO as
you wish, he replied, some day or
other / shall be a servant
"The war came. lost all trace of
him. A month ago met him in Paris,
standing like statue at the door of n
coupe, wearing n pale blue costume,
with silver buttons and tan topped
boots.
1.-THE moral of this" asked Saitow,
sis what?''
''There ia no moral The moral at