Arizona republican., 1904-05-12
The Mysterious Mikado.


 do," Stephen Bonsal, the newspaper correspondent, attempts in the May Metropolitan to satisfy a growing curi- osity of the public concerning the em- peror of Japan. Only partial success attends MT. Bonsars efforts, however for in reality he is able to tell us little about the personality of the war lord of the east" As the author puts it: "Of the mikados more intimate per
 sonality little is known, least of all by his own subjects. We hear that he is Ia hard student and we'll versed in mat ters of western science and civilization, but it is certain that he has never availed himself of the many opportun- ities that have presented themselves for an exchange of ideas on these sub- jects, except through the medium of
 third person, with any of the distin- guished statesmen of our world, from the day of the red earl's visit to Gov
 ernor Taft's more recent sojourn in the
 island kingdom
 Whether, in fact, the mikado is a
 mere figurehead for Japans energetic government, MT. Bonsal seems unable to answer, although he assures us that
 the present mikado has been the most successful man of his generation" This is true, doubtless, if we permit the emperor to typify Japan itself; for the rise of that empire from nothing to place among the mightiest powers Of the earth, all within forty years. is the greatest marvel in the history of mod ern times. What the mikado has had to do with this transformation it is i'm
 possible to say. On this point MT. Bonsal quotes Japan's great states men, Saigo, Okuma and Ito, in general terms as testifying to the wonderful genius of their imperial master. These
 elder statesmen have been on terms of
 more or less intimacy with their lord, the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, as he is proudly called, and each of these statesmen in his day has been the first servant or the guiding hand of Mutus nllO. dCCOIulIS lO llc pOlill Ol NleN Their testimony, MT. Bonsal informs us, coincides to the point of monotony. They agree that the mikado has invar- iably shown intuitive genius in fashion ing the political affairs of his people and in forging out the destiny of the empire But MT. Bonsal cautions us against accepting these tributes at theic face value. They, at least, are quite incapable of the indiscretions of west ern statesmen after they have been re- lieved of the cares of office and begin to enjoy themselves in writing for pub lication.
 The mikado had his first glimpse of the real world from which he had been fenced off. when, thirty-five years ago, | the civil war that had ragged so long in | Japan between the northern clansmen | under the shogun, and the southern | clansmen under the princes of Satsuma | and Choshiu, came to an end. Since | the year 1900 the mikados had lived, | not figuratively, but actually behind ! SCTtSnS, anu lIelT feet Hdu never ed the earth. Nothing of what went | on outside their beautiful prisons ever penetrated to their sacred ears. The | actual power of the government was in i the hands of the territorial nobles.
 It was at the close of the war men tioned that the world had it's first au- thentic glimpse of the present mikado. It was then that pale-faced boy, with | eyes, long accustomed to the ! subdued light of the inner palace. was foisted on the new era; in which, doubt less it was intended that he should play merely the part of a dummy. Having been for so long the bone of contention between such ruthless fighters as this civil war produced, the boy rnikado