The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-27
Observation-Disclosures
Sultan Aga Khan Now in America His Sacred
Attributes and Power in the Moslem World.

gion and his alleged inheritance of the
semi-divine attributes of his inustrous
ancestor is the present representative of
the family Of Confucius He bears the
hereditary title Of Yen Shing Kung,
which in English means Ever Sacred
Duke a dignity which was created about
the time of the Babylouian captivity of
the Jews, and which has been borne ever
since by the senior male descendant in
the direct line from Confucius. Not long
ago attention was called 10 the dukes
existence by the appearance Of an edict
in the Imperial Gazette, of Pekin, stating
that inasmuch as through wars, floods,
and Tabellions the lands granted for the
support of this dukedom had become
alienated and lost. the government has
decided To make to the present duke and
to the future bearers of the title an an
nual allowance equivalent to the sum
formerly yielded by the ducal estates
The duke is the seventy-eighth in direct
male line from Confucius, and, strange
10 relate. his face and figure offer
striking resemblance to the portraits that
the old craven stones still present Of the
founder Of that great school of philosophy
which TO all highly educated Cinnamon
stands in the place of a religion. The
duke. whose prestige is calculated 10 be
still further increased by the decree issued
just before Christmas ascribing divine
hOnOrs 10 COnfucius lives. like all his
scyenty-seven ancestors before him did,
at Kio Flu. in the province Of Shan Tung
and in the immediate vicinity OF his pal
ace are situated the tomb and the memo
rial temple of his illustrious ancestor. The
duke is pronounced by those who have
met him to be a most enlightened and
progressive patTiCian of the Chinese pat
tern, and TO such an extent interested in
things foreign that he is contemplating
sending one of his sons 10 an American
university While it is unlikely that he
has ever worn the swallowtails of West
ern civilization himself. there is very
fair prospect of his son and successor
becoming accustomed 10 that garb. if he
fulflls the intentions Of his father by be-
coming the inmate of one OF the great
American seats of learning.
Last but not least. among these TWEEN
tietb century inheritors Of sacred attri-
butes is the MIkadO. who has entirely
abandoned the garb Of his ancestors for
that of the Western world The religious
veneration with which he IS regarded by
his subjects is even superior to that en-
j0yed either by Aga Khan. by the Grand
Shereef OF Mecca. and by the Yen Shing
Kung or Ever Sacred Duke OF China
His people, those aggressive, irrepressible.
Up-tO-date and otherwise enlightened
japanese, hold him in such religious awe
that they do not even presume 20 mention
his name. II is far too hallowed 10 be
spoken or written while be lives, any
reference to it being regarded IN the light
Of rank blasphemy. Owing 10 this the
vast majority of his leges do not even
so much as know his name. that Of
Mutsu HitO, under which he figures III
American and European works of refer
ence. To them he is not a real man,
with human weaknesses. such as the Car
the Kaiser. or even the Pope, but an alb
stract ideal almost q god. In fact the
sentiments Of the japanese toward him
are almost iHCOmprehensible to Americans
and Europeans. Here we have men who
have achieved eminence even in Western
capitals, as princes Of the most modern
branches of science, and who decline to
accept Christianity on account Of its al
legged contradictions and absence of roa-
son and logic. yet retaining their faith
In their myths and legends of the pre-
Buddhistic era Of Japan. that claim for
the AIikado "a descent I'm an uubrOken
line from that sun goddess who was the
mother Of Jimnu. the first emperor Of
Dai Nippon, and the founder of this, the
most ancient dynasty I'm the world IL is
one Of those phases of the Oriental char
aCtCT shat are beyond the understanding
Of the white man. The sentiments of his
subjects toward him are those Of deeply
religious men toward their god rather
than the loyalty which the people Of Eu-
rope are content to award 10 their tenn
poraI rulers. Even the Marquis Ito. that
cynical, masteTful statesman, who has
been received and banqueted by nearly
every crowned head in Europe. from the
Car 20 King Edward, never dares TO
raise his eyes from the ground when con-
suited by his own sovereign. or enters
the imperial presence without trepida-
tion. That In spite OF an the Western
reforms which the AIikado has caused
Japan TO adopt since his accession TO the
throne, just forty years ago. he should
have succeeded in preserving uuweakeued
this feeling OF awe toward his person and
toward his throne and 10 have main
tanned uuimpaired the belief in his super
natural attributes on the part of japanese
who have had the advantage of the most
advanced teachings of the American and
European universities. furnishes convinc-
ing proof that he is the most remarkable
ruler of the twentieth century.
FN-ATT ACHE