there has been growing dissatisfaction with this state of affairs.  Some decades before Admiral Perry appeared there were patriots secretly working against the Tokugawa Shogunate.  Called in Japanese “Kinnoka,” they may be properly termed in English “Imperialists.”  Their aim was to overthrow the Shogunate and restore full and direct authority to the Emperor.  Not a few lost their lives because of their views, but these are now honored by the nation as patriots.

There is a tendency among scholars to-day to magnify the patriotism and loyalty of preceding ages, also to emphasize the dignity and Imperial authority of the Emperor.  The patriotic spirit is now so strong that it blinds their eyes to many of the salient facts of their history.  Their patriotism is more truly a passion than an idea.  It is an emotion rather than a conception.  It demands certain methods of treatment for their ancient history that Western scholarship cannot accept.  It forbids any really critical research into the history of the past, since it might cast doubt on the divine descent of the Imperial line.  It sums itself up in passionate admiration, not to say adoration, of the Emperor.  In him all virtues and wisdom abound.  No fault or lack in character can be attributed to him.  I question if any rulers have ever been more truly apotheosized by any nation than the Emperors of Japan.  The essence of patriotism to-day is devotion to the person of the Emperor.  It seems impossible for the people to distinguish between the country and its ruler.  He is the fountain of authority.  Lower ranks gain their right and their power from him alone.  Power belongs to the people only because, and in proportion as, he has conferred it upon them.  Even the Constitution has its authority only because he has so determined.  Should he at any time see fit to change or withdraw it, it is exceedingly doubtful whether one word of criticism or complaint would be publicly uttered, and as for forcible opposition, of such a thing no one would dream.

Japanese patriotism has had some unique and interesting features.  In some marked respects it is different from that of lands in which democratic thought has held sway.  For 1500 years, under the military social order, loyalty has consisted of personal attachment to the lord.  It has ever striven to idealize that lord.  The “yumei-mujitsu” characteristic has helped much in this idealizing process, by bridging the chasm between the prosaic fact and the ideal.  Now that the old form of feudalism has been abruptly abolished, with its local lords and loyalty, the old sentiment of loyalty naturally fixes itself on the Emperor.  Patriotism has perhaps gained intensity in proportion as it has become focalized.  The Emperor is reported to be a man of commanding ability and good sense.  It is at least true that he has shown wisdom in selecting his councilors.  There is general agreement that he is not a mere puppet in the hands of his advisers, but that he exercises