Oct. 23.
Tx this very democratic period with all its levelling influences, the old feudal spirit of personal loyalty to kings and other rulers seems to be disappearing, though patriotism is just as intense now as ever it was, as the recent great war conclusively demonstrated. Speaking broadly, however, in the countries of the West men now give their faith and allegiance to ideas rather than to persons. The king or other ruler is regarded more vt less as a symbol of these ideas. In America and other republics the national flag is generally the symbol most loved and venerated. As to which is the better symbol, a person or 1 flag. opinions probably differ. A nation's feeling towards its monarch may change, and change surprisingly, as recently happened in Germany. The flag with all that it symbolizes is not subject to fluctuations of public sentiment. Still, it is an interesting question whether a flag is able to evoke quite the same devotion as a beloved king or queen, as in England; or the ruler of a country where, as in Japan, the ''divinity that doth hedge a king"' has not yet been lost. In Tapan the ampere held to he of semi-divine origin, thus being invested with "the halo of both spiritual and temporal power, These reflexions are suggested by the report which appeared in this paper of a criminal trial which occurred a few days ago in Japan. A captain of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.