It  says  in  part:  "Ye,  our  subjects,  be  fiHal  to  your
parents,  affectionate  to  your  brothers  and  sisters;
as  husbands  and  wives  be  harmonious,  as  friends
true;  bear  yourselves  in  modesty  and  moderation;
extend  your  benevolence  to  all;  pursue  learning
and  cultivate  arts  and  thereby  develop  intellectual
faculties  and  perfect  moral  powers;  furthermore,
advance  public  good  and  promote  common  in-
terests; always  respect  the  constitution  and  ob-
serve the  laws;  should  emergency  arise,  offer
yourselves  courageously  to  the  State;  and  thus
guard  and  maintain  the  prosperity  of  Our  Im-
perial Throne  coeval  with  heaven  and  earth.  So
shall  ye  not  only  be  our  good  and  faithful  sub-
jects, but  render  illustrious  the  best  traditions  of


64  THE   FAITH   OF   JAPAN

your  forefathers.  The  Way  here  set  forth  is  in-
deed the  teaching  bequeathed  by  Our  Imperial
Ancestors,  to  be  observed  alike  by  Their  De-
scendants and  the  subjects,  infalKble  for  all  ages
and  true  in  all  places.  It  is  our  wish  to  lay  it  to
heart  in  all  reverence,  in  common  with  you,
our  subjects,  that  we  may  all  attain  to  the  same
virtue."

This  rescript  is  read  in  all  schools,  both  pubKc
and  private,  upon  occasions  of  state,  and  sets
forth  kono  Michi,  the  Way,  as  "the  teaching  be-
queathed by  Our  Imperial  Ancestors,  to  be  ob-
served alike  by  Their  Descendants  and  subjects,
infalHble  for  all  ages  and  true  in  all  places."
This  claim  of  the  Rescript  escapes  the  charge  of
presumption  only  upon  an  appreciation  of  that
Michi  to  which  we  have  been  directing  our  atten-
tion. This  august,  most  influential  utterance  of
a  modern  sovereign  to  his  people  upon  the  sub-
ject of  personal  conduct  still  holds  up  as  the  ideal
for  this  and  for  all  generations  in  Japan  and  in  all
lands,  the  Way,  known  unto  the  Fathers  and
increasingly  known  through  the  experience  of
their  children.
