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Show ABOUT THE REAL MIKADO. Something Interesting About , the Being Taken as the Opera's Original. So much has of late been said, heard and seen, remarks an exchange, : about this gentleman or lady for few have known what to make of the personage that some . words of explanation must prove welcome to our many readers. The first mystery about the word is its pronunciation. We have heard it accented ac-cented half a dozen different ways. Webster Web-ster gives but one, and that one Mika'do. It is not Miky-doo the "a" has here its "old" Latin sound, and is spoken like the "a" in Alice or Harrison. . So the word is Mika'da. - Mikado is the imperial title of the sov ereign of Japan. The first ever honored with the name is believed to have been Jimmu Tenno, who began his reign 660 years before Christ. And in the twenty-five twenty-five centuries since.. 123 Mikados" have swayed the sceptre over the strangely intelligent in-telligent Japanese. The name of the reigning Mikado is Mutsuhito easily written, but not" so easily spoken. He was born in 1850 and became Emperor in 1868. He is the son of his predecessor in office, Komei Tenno, and through him he traces his descent in a line unbroken back to Tenno the First, who descended from the gods of his day. The word Mikado was not known to the ancients. It does not occur in any of the oldest Japanese documents. Now, however, how-ever, it is the best known name the worthy Emperor owns. But he is blessed with several minor titles, all of them indicative in-dicative of honor and power. He is "Judge of the World" (Kotie), "Heaven King" (tenno), "Son of Heaven"(tenshi). But Americans will for ever know him only by "Mikado," the name that has been so extensively popularized among them. - The etymiology and meaning of the word are variously stated by linguists of learning. Some derive it from "mika" (grand) and "to" (place) a grand place the palace of the ruler. And later by a figure of speech much used in eastern nations, the occupant of the grand place the Emperor. We prefer to think that its meaning, probably is similar to the Turkish title "sublime porte," and its true origin from "mi" (august) and "kato" (a gate). The present Mikado has broken away from many of the immemorial traditions of his kingly clan. Abandoning long-indulged seclusion, he appears in public dresses, eats rides, sleeps, and acts after the manner of European sovereigns. He condescends even to give audiences to members of the diplomatic corps, to his own officers, and to distinguished foreigners. for-eigners. Does the real Japanese Mikado resemble resem-ble much the one youhave seen on the stage? , . |