The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-02
From the Washington Times.

From the Washington Times.
 6HE war spirit in Japan Is not, as \0 one might suppose, a virtue hand
 ed down from sire to son, with se- we're teaching. It is from the gentle, sub missive mother-who from his cradle rev erences her son as her lord-that the pug nacity of the islanders Is derived.
 So Jules Bois, who has dwelt long in that country, writes in an article just published here.
 He describes the women of Japan as being far from the fragile, doll-like crea- lures pictured by Piere Loti There is stern stuff in their makeup.
 In every household the mother makes cult of the historic worthies and heroes of the race.
 She goes through a daily ceremony in the presence of her children, from which they learn the names and deeds of the great in their country's chivalry; she extos the glories of war, and impresses upon them the shame that 1t would be to live if the slayer of their father lived.
 The wife has great authority in the household, and all her seeming subjection in largely a matter of manners. She shares the councils of her husband, and influences his career to greater extent than do the wives of the western land. The Empress of Japan Is the best of ii- illustrators of this. Haruko (popularly named the Empress Spring'D Is a daughter of the noble house of Ichigo, one of the fine families of great kuge, or court personages, from which Mika- do may choose his consort. Until her eighteenth year, when she was chosen by her sovereign, she was brought up in the strictest seclusion in the old capital Kio- to, and received the customary educa- tion of a daughter of princely daimio. Great pains were taken to teach her literature, to develop her artistic taste, and to school her in the writing of grace full. if inane, verse.
 She is 54 years old, year older than own she is content to see the son of a megaki. or concubine, reared as the heir to the crown, and to recognize him as her future lord. If she survives her husband Monogamy is now the rule in Japan, and the next Mikado will probably be the last of left-handed birth to reign. The present emperor is likewise a megaki $ | son.
 Empress Spring has been truly a helpmeet, and an inspiration to her hus- band.
 | She caused the first Japanese girls to be sent to America, in 1871. to acquire West ern learning. She suggested the founding of the National Normal school. and pat ronzed the establishment of the Japan csc Red Cross society. She gives money time and care to charitable works, visit l ing the hospitals, especially that for wo- men and children, in Tokyo, where she distributes toys and luxuries.
 she-has no companion in the seclusior I of her own apartments in the palace o1 Tokugawa. Here she wears the nationa | costume in warm-colored silks Hel apartments are simple, in the style of olt Japan, with beautiful lacquered furniture The floor is covered with spotless white mating. on which she sits or squats. Hel rooms open into those of the emperor.
 The state apartments are furnished ir European style. The palace, built in 1899 is in the old native style of architecture but is equipped with the modern i'm provements'' familiar to the west-water electric lights, and heating apparatus.
 The ladies of the court live in sepa rate building, from which a covered gal lery leads to the palace. Japanese eti