The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-08-22

have been surprised that one fea-
ture of the Japanese question has not
been more discussed. Is not the SUI
Dreme ruler of Japan the only one IN
the world who now bears the title OF
Fmperor? To be sure the klng o,
England is also Emperor OF lndla.
but he is not Emperor of the remain
der of the British empire. The EN-
neror of Japan has lineage. dating
hack into the very dim past; but has
not been always by descent from botn
tbe emperor and his first wife, by title
Empress" but frequently the. heir
has been the son of subordinate
wife or a concubine; as | believe the
nresent emperor is; but from a pro.
vision inserted in the constitution OF
the country not long ago, the heir 10
that throne hereafter will be in the
regular line of descent from the real
emperor and empress; no more OF
what we would call illegitimate chii, !,
dren recognized as heir apparent:
But what | started out to- say rs
that the present emperor is the only
one of that class of rulers lett IN the
world; he has not been such an aDso-
lutte ruler" as was he of Austria, or
the Gear of Russia, or as the All
Highest" William II, tried to be;
Japan has a we'll defined constitution;
but it is still youthful. Within the
memory of some still living. japan
was hermit nation" can Just re-
call when the news was pubhshed
through our country that Commodore
Perry had knocked at Japan's closed
door and asked that it be opened to
the world. My chaplain in the army
was a captains secretary on one OF
NPerry's ships, and often talked with
me about his experiences in 1873
when the expedition was there. Then
the emperor was held in theory SO
sacred that he was not burdened with
the government; but the Tycoon, or
Shotgun, leading prince and com.
mander of the army, was the real
ruler. By 1868 western ideas of gov
eminent had so much penetrated the
country that revolution overthrow
the usurping Shotgun government and
established the real emperor on the
throne. The Japanese have an acute
intellect; while it was closed coun-
try till 1852, in 1868 the new liberal
ideas prevailed. In 1871 l was living
in Connecticut and remember attend
ing the gradual ting exercises OF "a
nearby academy, and one OF the grad
uating essays was from Jap from
one Of the higher classes, who had
SO mastered English as to give an ex-
cellent account of the revolution. in
his country four years before. And
those nimble minded Japs had not
only renovated their government, but
were supporting provisional govern
ment, in the name of the real, almost
adored emperor, but were establish
ing schools and as soon as it was safe,
caused him to grant constitution.
The title Shotgun was the same as
commander-in-chief of the army, and
for long time the military caste had
really ruled, and the whole people
were saturated with the military idea
and no sooner was the new government
set going than an army and navy imi-
tating the western nations was begun
and fostered. And the German army
was the model; what that army and
navy came to be the world saw in the
Russo-J Japanese war, and it is more
than the right arm of the japanese
government at present; but mean
time liberal ideas have penetrated the
nation; Christianity is fast permeating
the people, and with its higher educa-
ton fro both men and women, many
of both sexes have been in European
and American schools, particularly il
ours. some of whom have occupied
and are now occupying the highes
civil offices and those of the army anc
navy; but the military party. with it:
autocratic ideas of the old time, i: