. The Far East and the new America; a picturesque and historic account of these lands and peoples, with the following special articles: China. mind, it is easy to imderstand the two distinct classesof citizens : the shizoku, patricians, or military class ; the heimin, civilians,or commoners. At the founding of Kyoto, the ancient capital, before thesupremacy of the sword had jjlaced in the front rank of [lOwer a rivaldynasty, the difference between the upper and lower strata of populationwas less marked. The subject lived nearer to his sovereign. But thiscondition gradually changed as the shogu
. The Far East and the new America; a picturesque and historic account of these lands and peoples, with the following special articles: China. mind, it is easy to imderstand the two distinct classesof citizens : the shizoku, patricians, or military class ; the heimin, civilians,or commoners. At the founding of Kyoto, the ancient capital, before thesupremacy of the sword had jjlaced in the front rank of [lOwer a rivaldynasty, the difference between the upper and lower strata of populationwas less marked. The subject lived nearer to his sovereign. But thiscondition gradually changed as the shogun grew in influence, vuitil thenumerous class comprising the tillers of tlie soil, the fisliermen, the JAPAN. 341 traders and traffickers of commodities, had nothing in common withthe aristocratic patricians who had assumed the reins of government byarmed force. The commoner came to know nothing of the ambition ofmilitary glory, of the pleasure of office, and pride in the dazzling cortegesof war. He even lost desire f<jr competition in the intellectual pursuitswliicli tend to elevate humanity, and he grew content to be as inferior in. TllK ?•liAUDKX OF THE LAKP:. mental capacity as his luuul)le dwellings were inferior to the impressivecastles of his superiors. Prior to the reign of Emperor Kwammu, 782-805 a. d., it had beencustomary for each succeeding ruler to select his royal residence whereverhis own convenience suited hhn. Thus the castle of the emperor wasnaturally chosen for liis royal palace, and in this way many towns became,in their turn, the site of the imperial government. Owing to the extremesimplicity of the royal train, this change of abode did not incur greatexpense or inconvenience. The life of tlie sovereign was little differentfrom that of his people. It thus happened that the capital itself was 342 THE FAR .EAST. subject to change, and even the imperial court was sometimes moved twoor three times during the reign of a single monarch. With the advance of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherbosto, bookyear1901
