The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12

might have been. The author makes
his philosophy OF history plain n
practical. not theoretic or confnsingIy
metaphysical:
with the Asiatic islanders something
entirely different occurred. one tribe. or
group of tribes. became dominant In japan
.Igiving the archipelago political UNITY.
argely by means OF dogma superimposeu
upon the aborigines by force OF arms Their
timple ancestral cult. when made an en-
CINE Of state, insured uniformity OF admin
istra,ion Then they proceeded not only
10 vine out the varied tribal histories but
to cover up all linguistic differences. In
The interests of centralized monarchy ov
h. revolutionary measures 81 A. i. ef'
. . . shut on from the continent as they
we're. within an archipelago In the distaht
seas. the process OF assimilating many
tribes into uniformity was as easy ana the
results as horoughgoing as In Britain.
These insular folk were not migrant
as were the Teutonic peoples; their
spirit was communal. not individual
istic; their polity was based on an
cestor worship. their golden age was
in the past. not the future. and where
"the Teutonic peoples desplsed. re-
jected and finally destroyed Roman
! civilization the Nipponese I o n
thousand years glorified China as the
mother of all nations and made her
civilization their standard. OF perfec-I
ton" The result IL u standard in
which Nogi. committing suicide TO foi-
low his master in death, is "A nero
typical Of the highest hopes and aims
of his fellows. with this state OF at
fairs Or. Grihis contrasts. giving con-
crete form to his defined principles or
differentiation. the spirit OF Lincolhs
Gettysburg address in which the Nv
ing are charged to continue the work
left unfinished 1t is upon such con-
| siderations as these hat the author
bases his history of Mikadoism as an
institution; the emergence OF the
house or tribe Of Yamato; the nam
ing of the headquarters of it's chief
Mikado. which may he either mika DO
awful place, or mi kado. honorable
gate or door, Sublime Porte: the m
terest. Japanese fashion, in the place,
the power. and not in the personality
of its cupan the change. in $40
A. D.. from the tribal, fcudal system
Of craftsmanship to an elaborate FORM
of government patterned after chi
nese institutions. with governors sent
from the capital. seat of the Mikado.
to rule over provinces. and the prog
ress Of the Office, through phases OF
alternating eNaltation and subordina-
ton. the conflict with the s~hogunate,
10 the present well defined imperial
. standing.
Mutsuhito. the Meiji Tenno. or son
/. Of Heaven of the Meiii Fra. was the
, son Of Komei. or Osahito, the last Mi
kado of Old Japan. who succeeded to
I the throne in March. 1876. komei
|, was the son of the Emperor Ninko,
5 who ruled from 1877 10 1916. Mntsi-
|, hi,o WAS invested with the reealia of
1 sovereignty, mirror, sword and crys-
tai sphere. January -, 1867: when
: Mutsuhito was born. November 3,
1892. the Mississippi. first national
steam propelled man-o'-war to cir
, cumnavigate the globe. was ready for
her momentous voyage. bearing the
= letter of the President of the United
I states to the Emperor Of Japan
: Commodore Perry and M%utsuhito,
each the initiator of new lines of in
/ %iiuence, ~c1nNurgine to what end?
/, Collision or coalition?
M~utsuhito's mother was the Lady
Mi no Tsubone. the second lady of
No'i'' = W. ~ - '''N ~ 49,
Empress. To guard against failure
. i'm the imperial line the Mikadn was
, permitted To have twelve ~concuhines,
, though the staff was seldom So large.
The Mikado's life VAS that of u pup
I pet: he was the symhol rath"r than
I the agent of imperial power. Mutsu-
hlto had special tutors. displayed a
fonducss for geography and history,
4 L,-l rI-r,al, I. ,..F,a,tn.,l =, Tho nnl
= IN spirit - Japanese "f Old Japan. be-
San early To inquire ~curiuuSly into the
circumstance nf the strangers who
I were beginning to csm" INTO his
\ fathers dumiriuns and Ia study the
. institutions of foreign lands. Dr Grlf-
i hS says:
+ may please Americans %" huuW tnaj
3D.. nrst foreigner To he eri.r't bv he
= hand IN hearty friendship hv Mu,~utit" was
a cen I"}-.c~ = Grant T"wolL hlm the
e Empcror II Japan ~hoWru d, special ri. nd
ship. hrcius'. owen mo-. tn#n ID -"lt,.r who
-" hared mii.ar1~'u, thl- ,..,Itr of men had
= shawn himself "a peace ,'t,r and pro'n",e r
- of concord. The two man mP ~ peace
II makers rather than a. commanders in
l chef
u Where the Japan e the books Is
i almost wholly Japan of the Samurai,
: with. as the author Terminates it,
! Something about art and !ncideats
concerning the geishaS and artists. -
' pr. Grit'is IN skotchjuE the political
history of the r,untrN under Mutsu-
hith, the work If popular uuilcation,
y Of doiUG away with feudalsm. of ac-
uuiriur international rec gnitiuu, @iNcs
though more perhaps lay Incidental
tugGestion tlltr lay direct description
- IT, De-.