at one time, which is a sort of misuse of equality and fraternity. 'But to return to our discourse: all the arguments I have heard from you to-day remind me of an anonymous political pamphlet which I happened to glance at. It speaks of the necessity of unification and continuation of authority. It speaks of the advisability of non-dependency of the Ministry on the Chamber, and it speaks of the self-contradiction of the three terms. I almost suspect that the writer of the pamphlet is influenced by you, or you by him, or is it a coincidence?' --'No matter,' said the duchess lightly, and continued; 'I think there are no Socialists in Japan--at all events, not worth speaking of, as a party?' --'Very true,' I interposed. --'I thought so,' continued the duchess; 'Japan is not a country compatible with the ideas and doctrines of Socialism: she does not want it.' --'And yet, some points of her aspirations,' I said, 'deserve attention. It is the duty of an enlightened Government to anticipate the legitimate requirements of the lower classes, and to make the spread of dangerous doctrines useless.' --'And Japan does so, I suppose,' said the duchess. --'Well, we are doing our best,' I answered, 'more especially because the introduction of Western methods of progress tend to produce all sorts of evils, though, of course, the benefit derived therefrom is comparatively far greater in its way.' --'The freer a country is, the less it is likely to be disturbed by socialistic or nihilistic movements, you mean, I suppose,' said the duchess. --'It is not all, but something like it,' I said. 'England and America are free from those movements.' --'France is a free country,' said the duchess, 'and yet she labours under an overpowering influence of Socialism.' --'It seems true,' I said. --'You might say because she is too free, perhaps,' said the duchess. --'Or, rather,' I replied, 'she might be paying the penalty incurred during the ancient monarchy of the misuse of its power.' --'Maybe,' she answered. 'But I am far from believing in real power of that party. It is, of course, foolish to ignore an existence of such an element. They have, however, never been in office. Suppose they have formed a Government, what do you think will come out of it? At all events, I can never agree with some of their extreme views which, if carried out literally, would mean an abolition of the army and navy, the Government, even the State.' --'The subject is too intricate for me,' I said; 'I give it up.' --'At all events,' she replied, 'there being no socialistic party in Japan, as you say, is it not all the more strange that no cordiality seems to exist between Japan and the French Nationalists, whose notions and ideas resemble those of the Japanese.'