II. 
History and Religion. 
The Japanese have a history stretching back to 660 years 
before Christ. " Their ruling dynasty is the oldest in the 
world,'^ said a descendant of the ancient emperors ; " no 
other family line extends so far back into the remote ages 
as the nameless family of Mikados. Disclaiming to have a 
family name, claiming descent, not from mortals, but from 
the heavenly gods, the imperial house of the Kingdom of 
the Rising Sun occupies a throne which no plebeian has 
ever attempted to usurp." These Mikados are believed by 
the people to be descended from the sun goddess, and are 
called distant gods ^^"^ on account of their being reckoned so 
far above other men. The Mikados, or emperors, were like 
high-priests, and were accustomed to worship the deities 
held sacred, in the form of idolatry known as Shintoism. 
They are also supposed to intercede daily in their palaces 
on behalf of their people, being, as it were, the chief inter- 
cessors for them. The Mikados are viewed with no com- 
mon reverence, — as something more than mere mortals, — and 
indeed were, as a rule, kept from the view of the people. 
The condition of the people in these early ages was far 
before that of our forefathers, the Ancient Britons. During 
the reign of the Emperor Jimmu, who commenced to 
reign 660 years e.g., we are told that the country was 
greatly developed ; that he caused his soldiers to labour in 
agriculture, when not engaged in war; and that he him- 
