The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-05-12
TIFF MlKLr r,0Ne0RT
Personality Of Harou-Ko, the
Empress of Japan.
PASSIONATELY FOND OF Her LAND

No Sacrifice She Would Not Make For
Her Subjects-Not StrilSingIy Beau-
tffu1, Very Modern In Appearance,
bud Thoroughly Observation-Disclosures
Son of Her Rival and 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 remark1ng 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 mikados consort,
says:
"For a lady who lived so many CEN
turtles ago Harou-Ko is In appearance
quite startlingly modern, for her dress
es-they are made in Paris or London
ARE always lie 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 FACET is so kindly, in
telligent and expressive. 1t is a
strange face, too, one full Of subtle
contradictions and with lines that tell
diverse tales. In spite of her
Partisan toilets and Of her English
manners, the empress is a thorough
oriental, with all the orientars rever-
ence for tradition and hatred of
change. But she Is passi0nately de-
voted to Japan. There is no sacrifice
she would not make for her own peo-
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 a daughter of Prince Tadaka, a
member of one Of the great noble fam
lilies 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 off from the world as If 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 was some two years
younger than she was. Youthful and
inexperienced as they were, the i'm
perial couple seem to have demeaned
themselves with great dignity, ard
they soon became exceedingly popular,
at was time Of great political ex-
element in Japan, the morrow Of q
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 sovereign at the head Of af-
fairs. 1t was piece Of supreme good
fortune for Japan, therefore, that her
mikado had not only able ministers to
help him to rule, but a wise and pru-
dent wife to share his burdens with
him.
SIN spite Of the mikados devotion to
| her, Harou-Ko has always been in
difficult position, for, although she is
his chief wife and therefore empress,
she Is not his only wife, and, what is
still worse perhaps, she is not the moth
er Of his heir. She has no children, and
this in itself has always been a source
of grief to her. Luckily both for her
self and 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 and devoted
herself heart and soul in fitting him
for the future station, lavishing kind
ness On his mother the while.
"The empress is charming hostess,
and one of the entertainments she
gives every year-the cherry blossom
garden party-1s surely one Of the most
charming Of entertainments. AS soon
as the cherry trees are in blossom in
vitations are issued for court garden
party, and on the appointed day all the
great personages OF Tokyo, statesmen
and diplomatists, with their wives and
daughters and every one else of dis
tinction, 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 and walk in procession
around the park to admire the trees
When they arrive at the tents where
refreshments are served, the emperor
and empress hold a sort of informal
court. They bid their guests Welcome
and converse with those among them
to whom they wish to show special
honor.
1.-THE empress is always exquisitely
dressed on these occasions and plays
her part as hostess with infinite kindli-
ness and tact. At the present time
there are neither garden parties nor
any other entertainments in Tokyo, for
Harou-Ko's whole time is devoted to
fTviner IN rn1ioyo fho cI1ffoYiooc of how