Smyrna times., 1895-01-09
What Japan Owes to Her Empresses,

The greatest empress of the Japan OF
the past conquered Korea, and through
it introduced into her country the civ
iliZatiOn and arts of Korea and China.
The empress of the Japan OF today has
written war-sOngs for her soldiers, who
have again invaded the country, and
who now aim to give to its people the
wonderful civilization which they have
acquired from (he Christian lands of
the West. These two women mark
the beginning of two great tras in
japanese history. They have lived far
apart, hut they are not unlike in char
actPr
The empress of Japan Is now forty
four ears OF age; she is the daughter
of one of the five noblest families of
the empire She has no imperial
blood in her veins, for the laws of
Japan provide that the empress shall
not come of the royal family, and the
daughters Of the mikadOs Of the past
have usually gone into the Buddhist
uunneries or have become prIestee4es
of the ShintO faith.
The Empress Haru Ko was brought
up il the strictesU seclusiou She had
classics, and was VerSed in all matters
of ceremonial etiquette. she could
serve tea according to the wonderful
rules of the Cha No Yu, and could
play excrutiating music on the SdmeSea
and gOtO. She had probably already
made herself noted for her ability as a
writer of poetry, but she knew absO-
lutely nothing of the great world of
modern civilization aud Of the won
ders which were to be introduced into
Japan.
She soon grasped, however, the won
derful change which was taking place
in the japanese Empire, and she joined
with the mikadO in pushing all kinds
of modern reform. Three years after
her marriage she gave an audience to
five young girls vino were starting out
to America to study Western civilZa-
tiOn from the standpoint of women;
and she has since organized charities
and schools, and inaugurated all sorts
of benevolent institutions. She has
large private income; but her grand
master of ceremonies told me that she
spent SO much upon charity that she
kept herself poor, and that she actually
went without things that she needed
in order to give more to her people.
HOW THE EMPRESS OF JAPAN DRESSES
In all things the empress sets the
example for her people. and not many
years ago she decided to adopt the
| Western sty le of dress. The question
/ of getting the measure Of the empress
was matter Of considerable moment.
! Her Majesty's form was too holy to be
handled by common dressmak er, so
a compromise was made by taking the
measure of the Countess Ito, the wife
OF the premier, who il of just about the
same height and shape as the empress;
and it was alter her form that the en-
press first dress was made. The cos
tune was not adopted until after long
discussion, and it was not until nearly
twenty years after her marriage that
she appeared in state in foreign clothes.
In 1885 she still wore the old Japanese
costume at one Of her garden-parties:
and this, as described by a lady who
saw her upon that occasion, consisted
of divided skirt of the heaviest scar
let silk under long, loose kimOno OF
dull hei0trOpe brocaded with cOnven-
tional wistara and the imperial crests
in white. She wore no outer obi, OF
sash, about The waist with the big bow
at the back, as is common to most Jap.
anese dresses, and her neck was wrap
ded high with surplce folds Of rainbow
tinted silks. She had long, square
sleeves of this heavy brOcade, and vou
could see many under-dresses of fine
white and scarlet six showing be
meath these
Her Majesty is every inch an en-
press. She is small and slender, aud
is what the japanese consider beaut
ful She has long, thin face, aud
her eyebrows have the pronounced
arch OF the willow leaf Her face i.
sad and rather pathetic, and it is more
often sober than laughing. At a receul
visit to the peereses' school she wore
dove -colOred silk dress and a dove
eOlOred Paris bonnet with a whit,
plume, and her tastes are, a. rule
modest and quiet am told that sh,
does not like pomp; but the customs 0
the country require that when sh,
moves through the city it must be in
gorgeous turnout and with large ret
inue. Her coach is magulicen
landau of red and gold. In front of i
rides a mounted soldier, who carries
purple silk flag with a golden chrys
/ anthemum embroidered on it, Behint
this man comes a cavalcade of soldiers
t and farther back is the empress, aC
cOmpanied by her court ladies' Fro,
8 "1he Empress Of JGpdn," in Demorest
= Magazine for JdnudrV.