The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-03
BIRTH OF ROYAL BABE.
JAPAN DELIGHTED OYER COMING
 OF MAKADO'S CARMICHAEL.
First in 300 Years Not the Child of n Hnndmatd, Which Gives Additional Cause for Their Rejoicing


 In regard to Russia, have lately
 brought them very much to the front
 but another matter of different char
 acter from war or diplomacy is just
 now against the Land of the Rislne
 Sun This is no less an event than the birth of a grandchild to the mikado.
 In the child loving land of Japan
 where all children are welcomed with
 rejoicing, the birth of an heir to the
 throne would under any circumstances fill the hearts of the people with joy but when current belief exists that the emperor is of divine origin and his
 mission is a sacred trust handed down
 from father to son for almost 3,00C
 years, there is aded personal interest
 which separates this nation from all
 others of the world. 1 In the Kwan Pc, the court bulletin,
 which appears every morning and is
 distributed among the nobles, the an-
 nouncement of the birth was couched
 in the most formal and fgurative lan-
 guage, with poetic allusions to pine
 tree branches, flying storks, temple | priesteSses and other references to an- | cient Customs which to foreign ears
 seem to sound very mysterious and in | teresting.
 l There is a prevailing belief that the 1 white storks which nest in the brafch- Ines f,ft J,n in, f ,A,1D r,Ie never use the three topmost limbs when girl is to be born; they build there only in honor of boy After the birth of a baby they rise and with widespread wings fly far into the blue sky, carrying the messages to all Ja pan. This belief originated the belief for decorative purposes of the flying storl on articles intended for New York or other congratulatory occa- sions,
 To-day every house in Japan is dec orated with two Japanese flags crossed above a white lanter which bears the motto, Long Life to the Mikado \ Scarlet and purple tassels of congratu4 lation are swinging at every gateway, and all cities. towns and villages are holding public meetings where. again and again, the toasts are proposed of "Yenno Heika Ban-zai'' Nippon Yel- ko-ku Ban-Zai." dong live the mikado! long life to the land of the rising sunD
 Always the response is enthusiastic and prolonged shouts of "Ban-zai!' which means "ten thousand years of prosperity to the mikado."
 All schools are closed and the streets thronged with happy-faced children in holiday attire and clatering clogs and tinklings hairpins forming an accom- paniment to the wierd notes of "Kimi- gayo," with which the whole land is re- sounding.
 'Kimigayo' is the national song of Japan. It is quaint minor melody, the words of which were gathered with other troubadour songs and put into good form by the mikado who lived about one thousand years ago. It is sung at the present time with more heartiness than has echoed in its loyal words for many day, for this little prince is the first child fborn of an em- press for many generations.
 Not only the Japanese rejoice over this. The missionaries, ever since the last May of Crown Prince Haru and the Princess Sodako, have been offering up earnest prayers, and in the heavenly reply many of them behold a promise of the final abolition of the handmaid system.
 This system came into existence sev- era hundred years ago for the purpose of averting a threatened national dis | aster Probbaly nie- tenths of the Ja- | panese even to-day have an unques- toned faith in the divine origin of the | mikado and sincerely believe that were his line to perish the empire would at 1 once dissolve into nothingness and the people lose forever the power to recog- lize To avoid this calamity the hand maid system was originated.
 Tn very ancient times the expresses had large families of children put after the introduction of East In- Han civilization the old fashioned lealthful simplicity of court life was ost, and in succeeding generations the oval family was frequently so small hat the danger of it's becoming extinct became aserious consideration to the ntire nation. On account of the al- most universal faith in the peculiar importance of an unbroken mikado Iynasty such a calamity would most certainly have been disastrous and ir- 
 At this time rule was made, which radualy came into practice, that hould an empress be childless she night, with the aid of certain court of cials, select maidens Casually from ne to three in number) from certain oble families equal or nearly equal ln ank to the one from which the enl- ress Is chosen. This choice is invari bly, made from one of nine special ( antilles whose rank is next to royalty. nly the bluest of blue blood is d. owed to mingle with the divine strain mich flows in the veins of the mi ados. When children are born they belong f 1tirely to the empress. She guides, s lstructs and cares for them with gen. [ inc love and pride. The real mother ( ever has anything to do with the chill = ren, but she occupies position If ' onor until the death of the mikado, | fter which she retires to some quiet lace, where she is always looked upon z $ an honored widow. | Nevertheless the child of an empress 1 rings especial happiness to the people, I
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