Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-10-05

press
Toxic, Japan,-Secretary of War
Taft officially bade farewell to Japan
at 6.l5 Wednesday evening, and left
the brilliantly decorated Shimbashia
railroad station for Kobe amid the mr.
ing of an artillery salute and a great
display of fireworks. Omcials of the
government, including the heads of
war and navy departments, the staff
OF the American embassy and the mu-
niGpal officers of Toxic, assembled
on the platform to extend their best
wishes for the health and success of
the distinguished traveller during his
| tour around the world.
At noon Mr.. and Mrs. Taft, accom-
panied only by Brig Gen. Edwards,
and Frederick W. Carpenter, Mr.
Taft's private secretary, drove in an
imperial carriage, escorted by troop
of cavalry, to the emperor's palace,
with all the ceremony surrounding a
royal reception
l1llCl MS luC duulCllNt lOOul, dNIOll-
panied by Gen. Edwards Mr.. Taft was
greeted pleasantly by his majesty,
who invited the secretary to accom-
pany him to an adjoining room, where
they conferred in private, with the
aid of an interpreter, for 10 minutes,
after which they returned to the au-
dience chamber. Meanwhile Mrs, Taft
was received by the empress. Both
their majesties showed great cordial
ity in their reception of the Ameri
can visitors.
While no official statement of what
transpired at the private audience was
given out, it is understood that the
emperor expressed his friendliness for
America and his admiration of Pres
ident Roosevelt and that Mr.. Taft as
sured him that these sentiments were
reciprocated by the people of the Unit
ed States.
After the audience Mr.. and Mrs.
Taft called on the crown prince, Yos-
hihitO Harunomiya, and on Prince
Fushimi, the emperOrs cousin, who
visited the United States in 1904 and
made tour of Europe last year and
the early part of this year. They then
returned to the palace. On their ar
rival there Mr.. and Mrs. Taft we're
ushered into the banquet room, where
luncheon was served, the emperor
and empress sitting on one side OF
table, with Mr. and Mrs. Taft opposite
them. Gen. Edwards was seated some
distance away on Mrs. Taft's right and
Mr.. Carpenter was placed at the other
side of the table on Mr.. Taft's left.
The luncheon was most elaborate,
the banquet room being prOfusely dec
GRATED with American and Japanese
flags and red, white and blue flow
ers. The favors were of silver, eXquis-
itely designed
After the luncheon Mr. and Mrs.
Taft bade farewell to their majesties
and returned to the Shiba palace, their
headquarters, reaching there about
$50 p m.
Count Hayashi, the foreign minis
ter, called on Secretary Taft at
4 o'clock and had long conference
with him.
The Tafts carriage during the drive
to the Shimbashi railroad station was
preceded and followed by detachments
of cavalry and they were accompanied
to the station by the Japanese war
minister, Lieut.. Gen. Terauchi, and
and by Count Hayashi and other Of
ficials of the government.
Mr. and Mrs. Taft will spend part of
Thursday at Kyoto, visiting the tenn
plies and tombs there and will continue
their journey to Kobe the same after
noon.
The Minnesota will leave Kobe for
Nagasak at 10 p. m, Oct. 8.
The leading newspapers publish en-
thusiastic appreciations of the excel
lent results from the presence here of
Secretary Taft. The visit Is charac-
terized at most opportune and as re-
moving all doubts and apprehensions
in the matter of the relations between
Japan and the United States, and it is
the general feeling in Toxic that the
assurances of cordial relations, so for
chilly given by Secretary Taft in his
out-spoken utterances, were just the
thing needed at this moment.
The Yokumin Shimbun pays
high tribute of Mr., Taft's personal
ity and expresses its deep appreciation
of the confidence so widely inspired by
the American secretary. This paper
regrets sincerely the anti-Japanese ex-
pressions appearing in some American
journals and it will suggest an ex-
change of visits by journalists and
members of the legislatures of the
two countries, saying that such an
undertaking would undoubtedly prove
a powerful factor toward dispelling
the suspicious, misapprehensions and
the trite opinion held in America con-
cerning Japan