The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-19

tXEARe seEpnAAr@ WINES 81 tHE Mlk&eS,
whom he has by the Japanese laws.
These ladies' have quarters Of their own
in the palace grounds, and their WI
special servants. They are never re-
ferred to by the officials inc the outside
world is not supposed TO know or to
recognize their existence. Her Majesty
has, It is said, the supreme place in the
Emperor's affections, and Prince Haru
regards her as lovingly as though she
| were his real mother.
The new palaces Of the Aikado, COM
pletea only a short time ago, cover. all
told. eight or nine acres, and are q
cious apartments, the most of which are
made up of buildings of one story, COW
cred with heavy tiled roofs. The build
ings are half Japanese, half foreign in
style. but many of them are fitted out
after the strict Japanese fashion, with
mating on the floors, and with neither
tables nor chairs. The private apart
ments of the Emperor and Empress are
of this character, and the Empress pre-
fers the floor to a bed for sleeping, and
is fond of getting ava from the cum
berous clothes and customs of our civili-
cation. Her special apartments consist
of three rooms opening out of each other.
and are of the same character as the
private apartments of the Emperor,
near BY. The woodwork of these rooms
is implanted, and the artistic effect of
the ragged logs and beams is striking.
TIL Empress has a separate suit Of
rooms for her toilet and wardrobe, and
when she takes her bot bath, as is the
custom with every Japanese lady one or
more times a day, she does it in the
oval wooden Japanese tub which has been
in use in the country for many genera
tons.
1t is in the throne room that the most
of the court functions are held. During
these the Emperor sits in a gilded arm
chair, under a canopy of red plush, on
q dais covered with red velvet carpet,
and the Empress stands on a platform
below and to the right of the throne,
with the imperial Princess and Prin-
cesses about her. This bringing of the
Empress to the front is one of the strik-
ing features of the revolution in Japan
in regard to Japanese women. In former
times the Empress was kept in the
background, but on the Inauguration of
the new Constitution, on February II.
1888, the Mikado placed his wife on a
level with the other royal eonsorts of
the world. Still she is a thorough Japa-
nese wife. She is the female head Of the
palace household, and she probably helps
the Mikado in many of his domestic
duties, she is proud of. doing things
which are ordinarily left to the servants.
Umbrellas and canes show but few
novelties this season. writes Frances E.
Lanigan in the Christmas Ladies' Home
Journal" "a favorite fashion in the
former is the securing of valuable
Japanese carved worries for the purpose
of mounting as handles. These are
united to the stick by a band of silver or
gold, on which the monogram or the
name and address of the owner is en-
graved in fine script. Buck horn is also
extremely fashionable for both umbrella
and cane handles, and an especially good
effect is gained by its use in combination
with gold mountings. In engraving,
monograms are a favorite style, although
the convenience of having the name and
address of the owner plainly marking an
umbrella makes its proverbial disappear
ance less likely, and is therefore in favor.
For the desk there is quite a bewildering
array. The stanp-boxes, p~en-trays, pa
per-weights, letter-clips and mucilage-bot-
ties are finished in duh silver and lac
auered SO as to prevent possible tarnish.
Leather of all sorts is very much in evil
dence. and elaborately-equipped dressing
cases and travelling bags invite the pur-
chaser with a long purse. Snakeskin
pocket=books. card cases and cigarette
cases finished in dull silver are for those
same purchasers. Tiny prayer-books of
snakeskin, with small silver initials across
the cover, are new. A pretty trife in
silver is a small oil-ean specially adapted
to the cyclist. The sides are fiat; upon
one is engraved a monogram and upon the
other a figure upon a wheel. This may
be attached to a silver key-chain and
carried comfortably in a mans pocket
49,.
The story is told of a little girl who
came to the conclusion not long ago that
she wanted a bicycle. She had always
been taught by her mother to pray for
what she wanted, and for two or three
nights in succession there was a good
deal about wheels in her applications.
So her father and mother put their heads
together to try and arrange to have the
prayers of the little miss answered. AT
ter q long discussion they agreed that a
tricycle. would be more suitable and less
dangerous for n of her age as well as
less expensive. A tricycle. was according
ly purchased, and the little girl found it
waiting for her one morning when she
got Up She seemed the least bit disap-
pointed when she saw it, but said moth
ing. Most of the day was spent inwheel-
ing about near the house, but when 1t
was time for her to go to bed at night
her fond parents were somewhat startled
to hear her begin her prayer as follows
"0h, Lord. don't you know the difference
between a bicycle and tricycle. ?~"-Indian-
apolis Sentinel
So
A stocking darner is among the re-
cent inventions for which busy mothers
will thank the inventor. The stocking
is placed between two pieces of metal.
The darning thread placed around tiny
pins at either end of the Instrument and
by placing the thumb on one side of the.
article a row of thread is raised, and by
pressing upon the other side. alternate