St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-03-26
AN ORIENTAL FIGUREHEAD.
Power and Personality of Japan'a
Emperor and His Standing
with His People.

seen the mikado of Japan closely. IL
spite of its wonderful advance in occi
dental ideas in recent years, Japan re
tains enough of it's orientalism to in.
sist upon a certain seclusion for it,
ruler, says the Kansas City Star. Nut.
suhita breaks away from his purely
oriental environment occasionally. HI
goes among his people incognito
While strolling through the streets Of
Toxic as a young man attired as q
common Japanese sailor, Mutsuhitc
encountered the first American he had
ever seen. Walking boldly up to this
son of Uncle SAM" the boy emperor
introduced himself as a young sailor
and, finding the American could speak
little Japanese, he poured forth q
flood of eager questions. The traveller
from the United States told the sup
posed sailor a wonderful tale of the
results OF American civilization The
imperial ambition received new stim-
illus, and that interview with an
American accomplished much for
Japan
MutsuhitO-tenwo,e emperor of Japan,
is the present representative of the
Oldest royal dynasty extant. He is
the 121st emperor of his dynasty,
which dates back in an unbroken line
2,555 years. He is the direct descend
ant of Ginmu, the Divine Conqueror, J"
who, according to Japanese mythol-
ogy. descended from heaven on the
white bird of the Clouds Ginmu's
first task in his NEUROLOGICAL role of
divine conqueror was the subjugation
OF the Amos, savage, wariike race,
whose descendants are still found in
the northern extremity of Japan. Hav-
ing subdued these fierce Amos Ginmu
proclaimed himself to be "Tenshi, .
the "Son of Heaven" and established
the still existing dynasty in 600 B. G.
1t is no exaggeration, therefore, to say
that through the veins of Mutsuhito-
tenwo flows the very bluest of blue
blood"
Personally, the emperor has a pleas
ant appearance. He is very tall for a
Japanese, almost six feet He is mus
cular and well proportional He has
a broad, high forehead, and, judged
by the most exacting standard of
manly beauty, no is a handsome SOW
ereign.
The mikado takes more interest in
the government than any of his prede-
cessors. He reads the papers and at
tends cabinet councils. He, takes all
the important American and English
He has astonished the up
per classes OF Japanese by knowing
something about the government of
his people.
The mikado lives in a palace built
in the American way, with steel
made in Pittsburg, Pa.
This was done to avoid accidents by
so common in Japan. :
Haruko, empress of Japan, was a
daughter of Japanese noble She is
"a years old, two years older than her
husband. Her name, Haruko, means
spring time"
In the mikado's reign the bands of
'eudalism that bound Japan to the
middle ages were broken a constitu-
ion was granted by him voluntarily;
he old social order of caste limita-
ions gave way to more liberal order
II equality; modern education, litera-
'ure, arts, science and industry were
Welcomed; the army and the navy
we're changed from the bow and arrow
tage to modern organizations. It was
'nly this remarkable advancement in
he reign of Mutsuhito that made It
possible for oriental Japan to be equal
o the task of a possible successful war
With Russia.