give the Emperor an allowance sufficient to meet his actual needs, and the third,—­if the funds held out,—­to make him a magnificent gift.  This sentimental method of loyalty to the Emperor, however, is matched by many details of common life.  A sentimental parting gift or speech will often be counted as more friendly than thoroughly business-like relations.  The prosaic Occidental discounts all sentiment that has not first satisfied the demands of business and justice.  Such a standard, however, seems to be repugnant to the average Japanese mind.

The theory that all authority resides in the Emperor is also enforced by recent history.  For the constitution was not wrung from an unwilling ruler by an ambitious people, but was conferred by the Emperor of his own free will, under the advice of his enlightened and progressive councilors.

As an illustration of some of the preceding statements let me quote from a recent article by Mr. Yamaguchi, Professor of History in the Peeresses’ School and Lecturer in the Imperial Military College.  After speaking of the abolition of feudalism and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, he goes on to say:  “But we must not suppose that the sovereign power of the state has been transferred to the Imperial Diet.  On the contrary, it is still in the hands of the Emperor as before....  The functions of the government are retained in the Emperor’s own hands, who merely delegates them to the Diet, the Government (Cabinet), and the Judiciary, to exercise the same in his name.  The present form of government is the result of the history of a country which has enjoyed an existence of many centuries.  Each country has its own peculiar characteristics which differentiate it from others.  Japan, too, has her history, different from that of other countries.  Therefore we ought not to draw comparisons between Japan and other countries, as if the same principles applied to all indiscriminately.  The Empire of Japan has a history of 3000 [!] years, which fact distinctly marks out our nationality as unique.  The monarch, in the eyes of the people, is not merely on a par with an aristocratic oligarchy which rules over the inferior masses, or a few nobles who equally divide the sovereignty among themselves.  According to our ideas, the monarch reigns over and governs the country in his own right, and not by virtue of rights conferred by the constitution....  Our Emperor possesses real sovereignty and also exercises it.  He is quite different from other rulers who possess but a partial sovereignty....  He has inherited the rights of sovereignty from his ancestors.  Thus it is quite legitimate to think that the rights of sovereignty exist in the Emperor himself....  The Empire of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal. (Constitution, Art.  LXXIII.) ...  The sovereign power of the state cannot be dissociated from the Imperial Throne.  It lasts forever, along with the Imperial line of succession, unbroken for ages eternal.  If the Imperial house cease to exist, the Empire falls.”