The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-04-21
THE MIKADO'S CONSORT
Personality Of Harou-Ko, the
Empress of Japan.
PAssIoEArELY FOND OF HER LAND

No Sacrifice she would Not Make For
Her sabJects-Not strikinsIy Beau
tifuI, Very Modern In Appearance,
but Thoroughly orientaI-Adopted
Son Of Her Rival ana Is Fitting
Him to BECOME Emperor.
A recent issue Of the London World
contains an interesting sketch Of Ha-
rou-Ko, empress Of Japan. The writer
after remarking that in very far back
days there was an empress Of Japan
who was held in special love and rev
erence BY her people and that there
are latter day Japs who maintain that
this empress is now living in their
midst and has assumed the form Of
Harou-Ko, their mikado's consort
says
For q lady who lived SO many cen
turtles ago Heyou 10 is in appearance
quite startlingly modern, for her dress
es they are made In Paris or London
are always le dernier cri. and she
wears them as one born in the Rue de
Grenelle. Although not strikingly
beautiful, at least according to west
ern taste, her majesty has a singularly
fascinating face II is SO kindly, IN
telligent and expressive. It is a
strange face, too, one full Of subtle
contradictions and with lines that tell
diverse tales. $50 In spite OF her
Partisan toilets and OF her English
manners, the empress is thorough
oriental. with all the orientals rever-
ence for tradition and hatred OF
change. But she is passionately de-
voted to Japan. There is no sacrifice
she would not make for her own PEG
pie. Her great desire in life, indeed,
Is to be completely at one with them
in their hopes, fears and aspirations.
"Harou-Ko was born IN 1850. She
was daughter Of Prince Tadaka,
member OF one of the great noble fam
| HES from which the mikados are ex-
pected to choose their consorts. and she
was educated with a special view to
the possibility Of her becoming EN-
press. Her early days were spent at
Kioto, the seat Of the old Japanese
court, Where she lived as completely
cut of from the world as il she had
been in a convent There she stayed
until she was nearly nineteen, when
she was brought forth and married to
the mikado, who WIS some two Years
younger than she was. Youthful and
inexperienced as they were. the i'm
lperlal couple seem to have demeaned
themselves with great dignity, and
they soon became exceedingly popular
ut was a time Of great political ex-
element iii Japan the morrow of d
revolution; the old state Of things had
just been swept aside completely, and
considerable doubt prevailed as to what
the result would be, especially with SO
young a sovereign at the head Of az
fairs I'll was Il piece Of supreme good
fortune for Japan. therefore, that her
mikado had not only able ministers 10
help lin To rule, but a wise ana pru-
dent wife Is share bis burdens with
him.
TN spite Of the mikados devotion to
her Iarou-Eo has always been ID d
difficult position, for although she is
his chief wife and therefore empress.
SHE IS not IFS only wife and what y
still worse perhaps. she Is not the moth
ar Of his heir She has mo children, and
this I'll itself has always been q source
OF grief to her Luckily both for her
self aud her husband, however, she is
no Sarah, and as soon as she realized
that there was no chance Of her bearing
him a son she adopted as her own the
son of one Of her rivals aud devoted
herself beart and soul IN fitting him
for the future station, lavishing kind
ness on his mother the while.
The empress is a charming hostess,
and one Of lie entertainments she
gives every year the cherry blossom
garden party is surely one Of the most
charming Of entertainments. AS soon
Us the cherry trees are ia blossom in
yitations are issued for a court garden
party, and on the appointed day all the
great personages or Tokyo, statesmen
and diplomatlsts with their wives ana
daughters and every one else of dis
tincti0n, assemble in one Of the I'M
perial parks near the entrance, where
they await The arrival of the emperor
and empress. AT the approach Of the
imperial carriage they range them
selves on each side Of the Grande
alice; then they fall into rank behind
their majesties ana walk Id procession
around the park to admire the trees.
When they arrive at the tents where
refreshments are served, tile emperor
and empress hold sort Of informal
court They bid their guests welcome
and converse with those among them
to whom they wish to show special
honor.
"The empress IS always exqulsitely
dressed on these occasions and plays
her part as hostess with infinite kindh-
ness and tact. ale the present time
there ire neither garden parties nor
any other entertainments in Tokyo. for
! Iar0u-Ko's whole time Il devoted to
trying to relieve the sunerings Of her
wounded soldiers. She IS the president