The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-02

ways had not yet got we'll into the en-
pire. Her Majesty wore at that time jap
anese clothes. and she followed, am told,
the horrible custom which prevailed
throughout the old Japan in that she
shaved off her eyebrows and blackened
her teeth. The idea is that a good wife
must show her devotion to her husband by
doing this, and to render it impossible for
any one else to admire her. Later on in
her life, however, Der Majesty changed her
ideas about this matter. and her eyebrows
have again grown out and her teeth are as
white as those of any American girl. She
is at the front of all movements for the
introduction of the Western civilization,
and she trowns on the old custom of teeth
blackening, and she is at the head OF all
things which are proposed to better the
condition Of Japanese women. She has
hospitals and schools, and she is one of
the most charitable of monarchs. The
Noble Girls School, founded by her at
Toxic, is like one of our best female COL
leges, and it is devoted to the education of
the young peeresses OF the empire. Her
Majesty often visits it. and she has the
girls call upon her at the palace. She is
q OF fond Of society, and she Is almost as
busy as the Emperor. She has her own
secretaries. and her time is taken up with
reading, study, receptions and charitable
work. She likes to ride horseback, and
she often takes ride through the palace
grounds. She is short rather than tall,
and is slender and petite. She has not the
very best OF health and was i'll during
great part of the summer.
There are a number of ladies connected
with the palaces in Toxic. who, like the
flowers in Gray's Elegy. are "born TO
blush unseen," though they do not waste
their sweetness on the desert air." / re-
fer to the secondary wives of the En-
peror. You hear nothing about these in
Toxic. and they are kept as much as
possible in the background. But from
time immemorial the Emperor has been
allotted a certain number Of secondary
wives or concubines, and there are. am
told. twelve of these in the palace grounds.
They have establishments of their own,
and are the daughters of MOBILES. The
Crown Prince is the son of one of them,
his mothers name being Madam Yanagi-
wara.
The Crown Prince was 16 years old last
September. he is a very bright boy, dark
faced and almond-eyed of the most pro-
nounced Japanese type. He is as straight
as an arrow and is fono Of military pur-
suits. and is an officer, l think, in the army.
He has been educated in the Mobiles
School, and he is learning English and
French. He has al establis hment of his
own inside the palace grounds, with his
own servants, guards and attendants. He
occasionally comes over and stays with his
father, eating dinner with him and some
times sleeping in his fathers quarters. He
does not look very much like bis father,
his face being rounder and shorter. The
Emperor is very dark and his features are
heavy and swarthy. He is taller than the
average Japanese and he has the fat nose,
the wide nostrils and the rathor thick lips
which you see all over Japan.
The removal of the court to Hiroshima
is causing great change in this, the big
gest city of Western Japan. Osaka, Kinto
and Kobe lie nearly a hundred miles to
the eastward. and Hiroshima is the big
town between these cities and Nagasaki,
which is on the extreme west coast. Hiro-
shima is the naval capital of Japan. ana
is one of the most beautifully located
towns in the world. 1t lies on the sea at
about it are filed with rocky islands II
is cut up by canals, and its sea view is
beautiful 1t has always been a great
manufacturing place, bu: l hear that It
has had great boom since the Emperor
moved into it. Wages have doubled and
modern methods have come in. BARRIERS
now charge cents instead of cents for q
shave. and the Japanese member of Par
lament who wants his hair cut in foreign
style has to pay II cents for it instead of
the cents which is the regular price.
Provisions of all kinds have gone up, and
the city is filled with concert troupes,
geishas and the floating population which
always hangs around a pleasure-oving
center. Toxic. the Japanese capital, has
been materially injured by the change and
the theaters are only half full.
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