The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-04-15
FUTURE MIkAD0.
Incidents In Little Prince Mic
chi's Career.
HIS HOROSCOPE CAST EVERY DAY.
Contrary to Custom OF Centuries, His
Hair Has Been Allowed to Grow.
Almond Eyes Eliminated by Sur
gery-Three Possible Wives Select
ed For Him-Entitlcd = Choose
Eleven Inferior Ones.

~ O-IOIN |
Eleven Inferior Ones.
They have a mighty atom in Japan,
for the future mikado is not quite
three years old, says the London Mail.
Grandson Of the present emperor, his
royal highness Prince Micchi is a
strong, healthy, lusty boy, whose
pranks are already ~chronicled and mar
rated throughout Japan, ever as are
those Of the youngest princes OF the,
English reigning house.
Japan is up to date in many things,
but in everything there is always Q
quaint blend of the oriental with the
western. The mikado Is not the q
bit superstitious and in spite Of early
influences, when he was taught poetry
| and the arrangement of flowers, pre-
fers everything about him to be Eu-
ropean. 1t is curious to learn, there
fore, that on the birth of Prince Mic
chi court astrologers were set to work
to cast the baby's horoscope. Indeed,
it has been done every day since. The
real fact is the people demand that this
| should be done. A horoscope had been
made for other royal princes for TWEEN
ty-five centuries, and every one in Ja-
pan was most anxious to know what
Fate had in store for the new baby.
It was a small matter, and both the
mikado and the crown prince gave
their consent to mystic rites and elab.
crate lamentations being performed,
though they have not the smallest be-
lief in the published results.
Before little Prince Micchi was six
months old a most elaborate imperial
seal had been made for his "use."
Here again the ancient customs Of ia
pan were too powerful for the new
western ideas. In the land Of the
chrysanthemum q mans seal is his
most important possession. Forgery
Of a seal is punished more severely
than robbery. Consequently baby
Prince Micchi's seal became q matter
at once of the greatest Importance. It
had to be different from that used by
his father. Special artists worked at
it for months before a suitable en-
blem was made. Now it is affixed to
everything worn or used by the prince.
The heir presumptive to the great
eastern throne has the distinction of
being the first baby Of the royal house
Of Jimmu Tenno who has been allowed
to grow his hair like an English baby.
Both his father and the mikado when
babies had their heads shaved daily by
their nurses. 1t is on record that when
the emperor was seven days old his
mother displayed her talent as a bar
Der by shaving her sons tiny head.
Then as the hair grew her chief de-
light was to experiment with various
designs to discover the most becom-
ing. Sometimes she shaved the top
and the rim and left a tonsure. some
times she left only the rim and some
times a scalp lock and two other locks
only. This went on for quite six years.
Although Prince Micchi has twenty
two of. the prettiest little japanese
nurses imaginable. they are not al,
lowed to practice their decorative ton
serial powers on the wee prince. Count
!. Kawaimura. a lifelong friend of the
crown prince. is superintendent of the
royal nursery. and he regulates mat
tiers in a very stern fashion for Prince
: Micchi's well being. Not even a silker
cushion goes into the nursery unless
the count has first seen it and has sci
his W mark of approval and the
princes seal to it. I.
: Soon after the princes birth meas
ures were taken to eliminate the "al
mond eye of his race. A painless lit
tie surgical operation was performed
An incision was made on the outel
, point of the baby's eyelids in 1
straight line for the barest part of al
: inch. The lashes were then drawn int
! shape and held firmly by a piece o.
chemically prepared sticking plaster
The wound healed in less than a week
and the effect now is that Prince Mic
chi does not look a bit like a son of thu
o eastern island empire.
The embryo Mikado Micchi's wed
ding is already under most serious dis
\ cussion, and quite three noble yOun.
ladies goo-gooing with might and mail
. in Flowery Land. nurseries have bee
selected as candidates for the futur
rulers partner in life. BY the tim
Prince Micchi wants a wife matter
may have progressed so much that b
will possibly be allowed to contract
love match. At present, however, tn
law forbids it. Prince Micchi's wifi
"a will be, maybe has been, selected froI
the daughters of the five highest fam!
q lies in the land. In addition he is ais
;. entitled to choose inferior wives to tn
number Of eleven from the best fam.
lies. and the position of such wives
recognized.
Curiously enough, custom will cor
denim Prince Micchi to buy his bride
q trousseau. At present he is not thinl
m ing much about the matter, but, accord
ing to an English paper published i
Kobe has for q long ftma heen in M!