The New York herald., 1921-11-27

Japan so long ~ real men like ths
Crown Prince Hirohito ara appointed &c
supreme honor and ofico. Certainly 4
record and observation are exact Japan
never had. even In popular lore. an Inn
perial prince of moro democratic tastes
bearing and conduct OF life.
Born and reared In an era and at
mosphere in which the voice Of Japanese
democracy made itself heard. no heir 10
the throne has thus far so scRndaiixed
the purists at court and the stickler'
for etiquette In a land IN which the
forms OF stereotyped proprtety take
largely the place Of religion. In this he
follows his father. whose democratic
acts and sympathies In tho days Of his
physical vigor were famous In all the
land. In fact. without these august ex
amples one who knows the JAPANESE
well could hardly conceive OF tho actu'
aiity Of the popular demand for natura
rights which exists In japan to-day.
VIII this exaltation to the regency
this loading OF young man OF twenty
with responsibilities, make Hirohito more
or less democratic: will he be Willing
that the people, 65.Ooo.ooo OF them. shall
have more or less OF a voice and share
Of power? 1t is my belief that such
a step simply accelerates the movement
which, like ground swell OF the ocean
has agltated japan for fifty years past
What, in the japanese idea, Is a re-
gent? What has history to say?
AS bald fact three at least of Japa-
nese regents have been among the very
ablest men in all the nations history
They were Nokatomi. Hideyoshi and
NaosukA. In each case a wave Of civ.
ilization from the continent reached the
archipelago Of Nippon in A. ID. 645
1912 and 1859.
During the feudalism Of twelve cen.
turies figureheads multiplied. In ranl
and name they were high. in ability low
II was the able men Of inferior rani
who held the power and directed affairs
of state. Even now. In 1921 the major
ity of the House of Peers are rubber
stamps When l was in Japan, out o.
the nearly three hundred daimios--liter.
ally great names--who were feudal vas
sails or castle lords, not a dozen-and
met scores of them-were of any per
sonal Importance. ! am happy to say
that my daimio Matsudaira, Lord o.
Echizen, was q national leader OF emil
nent ability. It was he who encouraged
Yokoi. the first Of all japanese to sent
In 1866 whole companies Of young mel
as students to America. Among thes'
were his two nephews.
In the early centuries 1t became tht
acme Of Japanese statecraft to sink the
Importance Of the person in the insti
tuition. No one can understand much Of
the nations history who does not grasT
this idea and fact. The average Mikadc
became a figurehead. There has always
been in Japan a fear. almost amounting
to terror. OF personality. The throne
the Office, the name or the institution
was first and sometimes all. 1t was no
who's who' in old days. 1t was evel
who's what?" Hence so much monot
ony and shadow in Japan's history
energy when discernible character ol
person appeared. Hence also the inev
table dualism OF Government, with th'
substance Of power in the Shotgun, while
the Mikado was but a shadow In tn
imperial palace until the Western for
eigner came In 1859.
II Hirohito becomes more and NOR
person and less a verbal index O
office, that is, more Of man and les'
of puppet, he will nightly exalt hi
nation. At mention Of the era Of Taiko
1536-159S, the Japanese bosom SWELL
with pride. for during this time the fla.
and ships Of Japan were seen In man,
seas and her sons in Europe on embassy.
Even more did Japan's great regent
throw open wide the long sealed gate
of hermitage and reveal the pathwa.
to world power. True. the sham pa
triotism and the morbid mikadoism ol
which bureaucratic parasites fatten ant
the almost fanatical fear in high circles
of democracy have thus far prevente,
tho erection of his statue in Toxic
where it belonga So the bronze fac
of the artistic effigy of Ii, who In 1855!
most probably eaved Yedo from bonn
bardment by the English and French
fleets, was reared In Yokohama. /
stands on the hills overlooking tn
scenes of his triumph, Of Japan's re
nascence and of the results Of the fer
tilizing and friendly contact Of the West
In a word, each Of the lines or dy
nasties of Japan's regents. such as tn
Hojo Of 1333-1574. and the three indl
vidual power holders called regents
opened new eras of civilization. Hav
we any reason to think that the re
gency of a Crown Prince will raise tn
curtain upon still grander scene an
one that looks not to an island bu
toward the whole world? III he Il
his term of service lay solid founda
tions for the peaceful union. wit
mutual benefit. of the Orient and Occi
dent? 1t Is the hope Of millions i
Japan and by many II Is the proph
ecy that the new regent will effect muc