The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-13
JAPAN'S NEXT RULER.
rHE Young NAN WHO NAY SOON
TOUR THE WORLD.

t. Not SON Of the Emprcss-IIts
Mother Was one ct the Mikado's
Extra wiNes-His Popularity ana
Foudnes. Tor sport-Hts Father.
Advanced Ideas
From the New York Mail and Express
Rumors nov come sfrcsb that th, Mi-
kado ~ japan will leave Toxic for q tour
OF the world before me cherry blossoms
come next year. The rumors are ncgsist.
emit but those who know che habits of
the man Who rules In tho Land % the
Rising sun have doubts a. Co h.s leaving
homo 20 soon The Ankado Be- cmlucntly
4 man OF affairs iic Is deeply concerned
In an that affects the Welfare OF far
Eastern countries. Espeea has hc in.
teres,ed himself in Chiua. and, until be
secs somethiug approaching trustworth,
government established there. Dc un-
likely be viii allow himself the Journey
b. longs % cake
Harl-no-miya. The crown Prince. may
come in his fathers stead however. tie
has longed 10 come over ever since he
heard there was West % como 10. Haru-
uo-miyo Nas horn twenty gears ago and
according 10 Japauese counting. his age
Ia Il The calendar year 81 q child birth
Ia japan IS hts nrst year ana the next
calendar year Be- his second year
Untn be was ten years old Hsru-no-
miy8 thought he Was tho son Of the I'm
press Then some chatter about the pat
ace a. Aoyama told him who MS mother
Was-a peeress. one OF the four sipcrnu-
me aHaau mis- af q
ira wives are an Of Kugo fnmiies-thc
ancient court nobility descended from
younger sons 81 Mikados Haru-no-
miyn's mother H. countess % imperial
any very ancient blood.
Empress Never had "a child.
HAra-no-miya' mother had her home
within the Aoyama palace grounds,
complete establishment in its own house
and garden. as hsd tho three other coun-
tasscs By these Mlkado has had some
fifteen children. but Haru-uo- miya's "a al
most the sole survivor. the Empress.
whom h. so lous thought to he his moth
er. has not horne q child. This has SAD
dened her NE bat not onbittered 49, for
in japan, where woman's trials never end
such things make for sweetness and hu-
mility.
Since his discovery. Hau-no-miya has
seen his real mothcr at stated intervals
She had a hand IN tho discovery. perhaps
for even Japauesc Woman's Eelf-tbnegs-
ton may give way ln ten years time
The Empress. too had felt herself iu
false position throughout all that time
So there was relief for both the real and
the Official mother when Haru found ont
whose son h. really was Probably he
could hardly say which ~ tho two women
he loves bCftcr-venerAtcs would be more
In accord with the japanese idea They
may both he hts subjects one day, then he
may love them. now. being himself q sub
iecf flial picty dictates vencrltion a. the
attitude
Last spring Haru-no-mya married
bright young graduate Of the Princcsses
school in Toxic. She Will he tho one and
only wife of the next Aiikado. N both she
and her spouse have 20 ascend the throne.
whereas the present Mkado has four
Ills father. komei Tenuo, had twelve.
besides the Empress. as had been the
custom for ages. Indeed, the title OF
these extra wives signifies zone " me
twelve"
Many wives were for tho purpose Of IN
surfing an heir for. according % tho OH
japanese idea II was a Ericvous thing
10 leave 30 son 20 keep ones memory
green Tanism. and Confurianism. ana
shintoism teach as the supreme yirtne
reverence of ancestors Should mtn'
tho head Of q house. die without q son.
not only would he lose honor himself. b"
would also he guilty of ill-ue1iing the
whole line 81 his ancestors; Of irrever-
errc aud impiefy. IT. tho eyes OF HE
fellows DO would he as ono addicted to
sacrilcec and blasphcmy u has been the
custom in japan. then. for those that
could afford o. Ia have an extra WHO.
and where % was particularly important
10 have an heir TO bring home several.
Ia the Instance of supreme importance
tho need Of Crown Prince % imperi II
biood-custom from time immemorial has
allotted twelve. But new Japan says one.
Prince Regarded a. divine.
Haru.no-miya is an * eedingly popular
Prince. As eldest son Of tho Son Of HeaN-
en-. he has a prestige in the eyes or the
Mlka,lo's subjects that Is divine. The di-
vinity az the reignlng house in japan q
a fact IN japanese lives. No ono questions
II any more than hc doubts that IRE give
out heat Not "a prince 10 Europe these
DAYS has such devouuy loyal subjects, for
LOYALTY to the Mlkado is part OF the spirit
ual nfc Of Japan. Haru-no-miya D. the
nrst heir TO the Mikado's throne tho Jap
anese have ever been permitted 90 see.
and shey have seen much Of him with
some two Of ms Chamherlains and mil
ftar-y attendant. he has been about the
capitoi on al occasions Of public interest,
and. like other youngsters OF good birth.
he went 10 the Mobiles school six days IN
tho week Here be became che familiar
friend Of the best Of japanese youth
Like his august father. Haru-no-miya g
fond OF horses. and when tho races are
on at the beautiful course round tho lotus
pond IN Ucuo Park. one may surely hnd
INN there Even ~ younEstcr in short
trousers ne knew tho horses and some-
thing OF the riders. too. lie seemed 20