The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-16
EMPEROR Of
THE JAPANESE
He Leads His People in the
Having of Photograph
Taken of Self.

The face of the emperor of Japan
| does not reject mis- age, says a writer
| in Town and Country. There are no
lines of care on his smooth forehead.
His turbulent reign of forty years has
not marred the serenity of his coun-
| tenance.
l saw him once driving through the
park at Yeddo, outside the imperial
grounds. He sat in an open victoria,
a detachment of cavalry preceding and
following the carriage. His face was
calm and serene. His piercing black
eyes stared straight ahead and his
dignified bearing was simple, yet i'm
pressive. The briefeSt glance revealed
a man of no ordinary mould.
The whites of his eyes were more
apparent than in the average Japan
of medium length, thicker than when
csc. His eyebrows were not as
straight as in the photograph, and his
strong chin was covered with beard
of medium length, thicker than when
ten years ago he summoned the best
photographer in Toxic, a pupil of
Taber of San Francisco, to the impe-
rial palace
Later l inspected a dozen prints
from the original negative. 1 protest
ed that the photograph was inaccu-
rate. | asked to see Other<pictures.
You will never see any Others" he
told me THE emperor has set his
seal of approval and his seal OF state
upon this negative. There are no
others and there will be no others.
The original is kept under lock and
seal. Only 1 may take prints from it
in the presence of officials and with
the emperor's permission"
limited that it was touched up. The
imperial photographers face became
a mask. g. -.,s
1T is a very correct likeness" he
replied suavely; though the emperor
is a trif1e older, he has not changed"
Those. who have met the emperor
recently say his face is much fuller
and more peculiarly japanese, for the
race tends to corpulency. His frame
is above the average height of his
subjects, His shoulders are broader,
and there is an appearance of
shared by the well-fed Official and
prosperous merchant
The emperor is not strenuous, sell
dom takes exercise as We understand
it, but his diet is simple, and he does
not indulge in strong drink. Of re-
cent years he is more frequently seen
outside the palace grounds and he is
peculiarly gracious to foreign diplO-
mats and the women of the official
colony
Matsuhito has led, not followed, the
elder statesmen and the progressive
Japanese in the adoption of Western
civilization. In his palace at Toxic
he has installed many European fur
nishings. His audience room is fitted
up with a chair and fiat top desk.
1t is there ne receives calls from his
ministers and officials of state, as
does the president of the United
States at the White House. He does
not sleep as do most of his 45.000.000
of subjects upon a mat-laid floor, but
upon an English bed His clothes are
mostly of English pattern, though in
the quiet of his family he dons the
Japanese robe and sandals. He wears
white linen shirts and starched col
lars, and eats at table much as
ours. having most of his food cooked
in European style. using silver fork
and a Sheffield knife.
Though a monarch of an Oriental
race. descended in direct line from
1,500 years of Japanese rulers, Mat
suhito has the general appearance of
an American gentleman, both in man
neTS and dress
The walled and moated park sur
rounding the White House of japan
is thrown open to the public. The pal
ace itself is reconstructed on modern
lines, is full Of large rooms and is
furnished with modern furniture
Vet, desnite all the evidences of
mcdernity. MatSuhitO is man of mys-
terry He is the incarna ton of the
Divine Being, heaven descended. di-
vine and sacred His hallowed throne
was established at the time when |
the heavens and arth SEPARATED. He is |
nre-e1ninent above all his subjects |
The law has no power to hold him |
accountable to it"