The Washington herald., 1912-07-23
Mutsohito, Kaiser of the East.

Inc LIE story OF the emperor OF
Japan, who is reported to be at deaths
door, is the story of the new empire,
and there is nothing written in the an
nails of international romance to equal
it Just consider Here we have coun-
try the incarnation of feudalism to-day
and tomorrow standing for everything
that we associate with an enlightened
government Such is the startling
change that came over Japan when
Mutsohito, in 1867, as lad of fifteen,
succeeded TO the throne of the ancient
Samurai dynasty.
For centuries Japan with true East
ern phlegm, had lived under line of
emperors, mere hgureheads, bereft of
all authority, puppets of military die
tator-who, that has seen the "Mikado"
operette, does not remember the "Sho-
gun"-who in reality was the ruler. But
with Mutsohito the sway of the "Sho-
gun" came to an end. In the new era
of reform thus inaugurated the figure
of Marquis Hirobumi Ito stands out as
prominently as that of Prince Bis
marck in the creating of the new Ger
many. Still, it must be admitted, that
nothing short of the personal influence
of the Mikado ever could have achieved
without bloody civil war what was
done in 1880, when the absolute mon
archy was abolished once for all, and
constitution granted that is more lib
eral than that of some of the great
Western powers.
The first step taken by Mutsohito after
his coronation was to receive in audi
ence the ENJOYS of the foreign powers,
a thing that had been permitted never
before 1t filed the Japanese with as
tonishment, whose millions never had
seen the monarch nor heard of the
sacred person of the Mikado being "de-
filed" by being looked at by foreigners
Next he formed the imperial govern
ment, which heretofore had been re-
garded as something supernatural only,
on solid. material, temporal basis,
which accorded with modern ideas This
resulted in rebellion which, however,
soon was quelled, and it is significant
illustration of Mursohito's character
and shrewdness that the leaders were
not condemned to a "hari-kari' death,
but were given positions of trust un-
der the new regime.
Another important event of his reign
occurred when the feudals 'Damios," !"
the lords of the soil, had to yield their
feudal rights into his hands 'in order
to raise the national character by per-
petuating the Capitalization of power
in the imperial government" The re-
suits of Mutsohito's reforms and liberal
policy are known to-day the world over,
for modern Japan is world power.
Whatever has been the Mikado's share
in the regeneration of Japan there can
be no doubt as to his unique service to
japanese womankind, which he succeed
ed in raising to a dignity almost ap-
preaching that of their sisters in the
Occident, and this despite the fact that
the Mikado is exempt from the mar
riage laws laid down for his subjects.
His wife, who is her husbands senior
by eighteen months, is the first Japan
ese Empress that has been admitted to
a an Emperor's table. She has proved a
worthy helptneet in promoting the So
cial reforms which entitle modern Japan
to rank with the civilized nations of the
earth
1t is a popular error to- suppose that
the Emperor's name, Mutsohito, signi-
hes something that smacks after the
supernatural, just as the almost deifed
Mikado did formerly, who was kept
n such seclusion that no one ever was
permitted to see his face, but his init
mate family and the "Shogun," or tenn
poral ruler. For Mutsohito means moth
ing more than gentleman