"the Sunrise Islands."

Not many of the piipils will be so misseü from our high school as Mr. Norio Takechi, a youth of nearly twenty years who has been in the school but a few weeks past- and in this country but eighteen months- who starts tomorrow for his distant home in Japan in answer to an urgent suniinons because of the very serious illness of his mother. He was recalled by his grandfather. He has been a student at Ann Arbor, and expected to takeafull university course after the completion of his preparatory course in l.his city. But this summons changes his plans, and he will probably return to Ann Arbor for a post gradúate course after taking the course at the University of Tokio. During his brief stay in our city, by his bright, studious ways, his unfailing courtesy and manly demeanor, he has won the esteem and respect of all who have had the pleasure of meeting, and especially of his teachers and school-mates. He has made wonderful progreas in his studies during the eighteen months he has been in thn United States, as will appear from the following essay written for and read to the high school last Wednesday - he was a member of classes in the graduating grades - which contains much that will be novel and striking to the best informed of our readers. This essay has not been changed in diction or spelling, save as to one unimportant word, and was written in a remarkably legible yet free, rapid business hand : THE AIIKADO'S EMPIRE. The Empire of Japan is the name which is given to the long chain of more than three thousand islands extending between 24 degrees and 50 degrees north latitude, and from 124 degrees to 15G degrees east longitude. But these are included in four main ones: Yezo, Nihon, Shikoku and Kushin. lts climate varies considerably in different localities, one enduring the severest winter of the Arctics, others enjoying the perpetual summei of the tropics, but the average temperature is from 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the hottest summer to 10 degrees in the severest winter. The area of the empire is 148,742 square miles, and its population is 38,000,000. The surface of the empire is very hilly and mountainous, many of the mountains being volcanoes. Many of the mountains attain considerable hight; of these Mount Fuji is highest and well known to foreigners, rising 12,000 feet from the level of the sea. The area of the capital of the empire, Tokio, or, as it was called, Yedo, is 100 square miles, and its population is one inillion and sixty thousand. Ohzaka, the most imSortant inland commercial city, has over alf a raillion souls ; and Yokohama is the principal seal of foreign commerce. The soil of the Empire is exceedingly fertile; the country is thickly covered with luxuriant vegetation, consisting of the cedar, maple, mulberry, etc, and th waters abound in fishes which give us the marvelous productive fisheries. Gold, silver, copper, iron, coalandstone of various kinds are among our mineral productions. The country is especially rich in natural beauty. There are many kinds of fiowers, but no flower is more beautiful than the cherry blossom, which we cali "The king of flowers;" and none of them is more fragrant than the plum flower, which we cali the "Queen of flowers." Our ancient history is hidden in an impenetrable darkness. Some historian says our ancestors carne from Asia Minor after the scattering of people from the tower of Babel; othera say either from China or Corea. At the present time it is impossible to find out the truth, because the ethnologists do not agree in their opinions on this point. But it is beyond a doubt that one mightier tribe rose from the southern part of the country, and they proved the sharpness of their swords upon the aborigines, who were subdued, and formed the present Ino race in the extreme north of the country, and that this mightier tribe became an absolute ruler of the whole emoire and formed the present nationalities. But our reliable historical records began with the accession to the throne of the flist emperor, Zhimmu, C60, B. C. Since he laid the foundation of the present Mikado's dynasty we have reinained free and independent for twenty-five hundred and forty-nine years, and one hundred and eleven emperors and eleven empresses have ruled us in hereditary line. During this era many important events have taken place, but no one of them is more important for our progress than the war of 1804-67. After Commodore Perry in 1854 once awakened us from our deep Bleep of barbarism, the people were divided into two parties, one progreseive, which wished to open our country to foreign civilization, and the other the non-progressive, which had the opposite idea. At that time, for the enforcement of their opinions, one and all made ready for the war, saddling their horses, whetting their swords and loading their guns. At last these iuhartnonious opinious of the people buret into a war which lasted for several years and changed the empire into a bloody battle-field. The progressiVe party gained the victory and they tock the Mikado to the new capital of Tokio. This is the most important step in the development of the civilization of our country, and in the year 1867 wemarked the birth of New Japan. Although the emperor's power was merely nominal, our government has ever been an absolute monarchy. But when the new Emperor came to his throne, he proclaimed that changes should be made in the government ol our empire and everybody must starl forth to develop the best material for our progress. After this proclamation thousands of our students, leaving their )eloved familie in their native home, iave been traveling and studying hroughout the world in order to bring jack tbe best products of civilization "rom foreign cr.untries. This is the reason why we have progressed in civilization with greater rapidity than any other nation in the course of human records. Throngh the influenee of these persons who have studied the governments and constitntions of foreign ands, in the year 3878 the Mikado esablished provincial and town assemblies, elected by the people. and in the year 1879 he established as good criminal laws as any in tlie world, after the method and principies established in Europe and America. In the year 1880 ie promised that a National Assembly should be called in the year 1890. This promise has been fulfilled. On Feb. 11 of this year, (1889), pursuant to this proclamation, a constitutional form of government, modeled upon that of Germany, was fully established. The general provisions of bis constitution are as follows : The executive power is vested in the Mikado and his Cabinetof twelve persons. The legislativo power is vested in two bodies: first, the Peers, consisting of members of which onethird are hereditary, the other onethird are appointed by Mikado, and the rest of them elected by the people ; and second, the House of Representatives composed of öOO members elected by the people. The right of suffrage is ?iven to all male citizens over twentyive years of age who pay an annual tax of $25. While our Government has adopted the methods of western nations in the organization and administration of the public affairs, it has not neglected to improve the social condition of the people as far as education will do it. In 1887 we had 31,792 schools, of which three were universities, 63 colleges, 112 normal schools, 1,458 high schools, and 30,15(3 common schools. There is [no one of the higher schools where we cannot study some foreign language. The Imperial University, of Tokio, is the greatest, coutaining departments of law, science, literature, medicine, and engineering. lts teachers number 186, twenty of ihem being foreigners; and its students number 2,000. The means of spreading knowledge of our country is very good. Almost every city of 10,000 inhabitants has its daily and weekly papers. Especially in Tokio we have iwenty-eigbt daily papers, and over one hundred weekly and other periodicals. We are now enjoying every necessity and luxury of modern civilization. We have more than 600 miles of railway, and three steamship companies, having over 150 steamers. Houses and streets are lighted with gas and electricity. There are no villages where mail does not go; no country where telegraph wire does not run ; no harbors where steamers do not anchor. An army and navy is organized on the best systeni and furnished with the latest inyentions.. Improved methods of agriculure and manufacture are fast finding their way throughout the empire. There are three religions in our country ; Jtuddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism; but recent intercourse with foreigners has brought us under the light of modern Christian civilization and we are coming nearer and nearer to the Kingdom of Heaven. We do not have more than 100,000 Christian people in our country ; but Christian doctrines are making their way into the Paganism with great success. Although our empire is only as a floating leaf on the grand Pacific Ocean, we are now the most civilized people in Asia. When we think of our progress we must remember the good deeds which the people of the United States have done to our country. It was by their good offices that the doors of our empire, firmly closed by the feudal system, were opened and we could welcome the brightest light of civilization ; that we broadened our narrow minds by bringing ourselves into contact with the civilized nationa ; and that we rapidly increased our commerce and navigation by introducing the necessities and luxuries of the Occident. If we had not had the great influence of Americans, no amount of energy or thrift could have placed us in the great current of the world's civilization which, beginning in the famous and mighty stream of the river Nile, has flowed on through Phcenicia, Babylonia, Greece and Rome to modern Europe and America. At the same time we must be thankful to God that He hascaused the foreign missionaries to leave their more civilized homes and endure the trials of sea and of a foreign land, in order to redeem our island empire from the bondage of Paganism. In turn we must be the "Britons and Americans of Eastern Asia," and must carry the Gospel to Corea, China and Further India. (Since the above was in type, it has been learned that a second dispatch from Japan notified the student to remain here and continue his education, as his parent was better. - Ed. Register.)