The death of Sir Ernest Satow severs another of the few links with the early days of foreign intercourse with Japan, Sir Ernest saw the various stages of progress through which Japan went 50 an unknown quantity 1 Power. In the days Exnest came to Japan—in 1868, the same year in which he took' his B.A—many attacks were made on foreigners and a number "of these were witnessed by him for example, the attack on Sit Mary Parkes, the British Minister, and his staff at Kyoto, Sir Ernest has recorded that, on this occasion, hho lost his nerve and turned his Pony round to run away, but, when warned, he regained his composure and stoicisni. He was aboard a warship when the Kagoshima forts were bombarded and also witnessed the seppuku, or self-slaughter, of a Japanese Government official who was responsible for instigating the murders of foreigners, a graphic and gruesome account of which is to be found in Lord Redesdale's Tales of Old Japan."
mny_were the plots directed against his life, but, by some chance or another, he escaped and came unscathed through the troublesome and turbulent period following the Restoration. Great were the services he renderd to Japan in the days when this country needed men of talent as well as of vision, and hho was personally acquainted' with all the great men of the Restoration, nearly everyone of whom has written his name in modern Japa ese history. Sir Ernest, it must be confessed, was not a lover of Japan. His services were loyally rendered out of a strict sense of duty, more because he felt that, in serving Japan, he was serving his own country. The Japanese Government in after years offered him the position of advisor, but he notes his reminiscences that he could never reconcile himself to accepting the pay of the Japanese.
The World's Meanest Man The world's meanest man—as the Japanese papers have stigmatize ed him—is now in a Tokyo police cell, charged with a series of crimes, amongst which is listed the stealing of money from a blind man, who had recently Jost the wife who supported him and their three small children. For days they had almost nothing to eat, until a neigh-hour informed a charity organization of their plight. 'The news-Papers were asked to acquaint the public with this sad case, and soon a sum of Y.50 was' collected. About a week Jater, a man in the orb of a Buddhist priest called on the blind man and said that the temple abbot had read of his case and had sent the priest to give him ¥.500, The blind man was overjoyed and fell on his knees, thanking Buddha and informing the priest that his prayers had at last been heard, The priest then handed a bundle to the blind man, "Here is the money," he said, and then, after a pauso:—"But where will you keep it? T think Til put it in the bank for you. Have you any more money?" The blind man had Y.A5 Toft out of what the papers had collected for him and, keeping a yen for the day's expenses, he handed the rest to the priest. The rascal was arrested not lor while drinking sake in a attached to the licensed quarters and proved to be an "old bird," with a special talent for preying on the helpless,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.