Let it be remembered that the present Emperor succeeded to the Throne on the January of the year before the one (1868) on the third of November of which he became sixteen years of age. A civil war had placed him upon the throne, with something like the real Imperial power which had been withheld from his ancestors for so many generations. There was partisan strife and confusion of opinion and of counsel everywhere. Since his day, the nation has passed through one civil war, and two bloody and expensive foreign wars. Meantime, too, it has in a manner to astonish the civilised world, come forward into the rank of one of the nations destined to lead the world’s civilisation. Without laying any stress upon the traditional way among the Japanese of ascribing all manner of success and prosperity to the virtues of the Emperor, it is simple matter of historical fact that the patience, wisdom, and benevolence of their present ruler are, either directly or indirectly, responsible for the escaping of much evil and the securing of much good on the nation’s behalf. Japan has been guided out of the old era into the new by a very remarkable body of men; but among them all, there is probably not one who will not tell you in all sincerity, if he can be induced to speak freely and in confidence upon the subject, that, all things considered, His Imperial Majesty must be conceded to be the most patient, wise, and benevolent guide and supreme ruler of them all.
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes:
New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.
Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are mentioned, except for the frontispiece.
Punctuation has been made consistent.
Variations in spelling, hyphenation, and accenting were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.