The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-07-06
JAPAN EXCITED OVER
e. /: EzRST BEAUTY CONTEST

The beauty contest, now the rage In
America and England, has reached
Japan.
This hitherto distinctively Occiden-
tai comparison of woman's charms,
conducted by publication of photo"
graphs, which has always been popu-
lar in the United States. thus COM
pletes an international triumph.
England had contest in which the
noblest ladies of the realm were voted
on. Lady Pole-Carew eventually won.
France, Italy and Germany have also
known this sorm of contest, but the
leap which took it all the way to the
mikado's land is a startling proof of
how Japan is getting into touch with
the ways of the West
Not SO many years ago, say a dec
ade, such a test would have been out
of question in the Far East. The
photographers art had hardly reached
the point in Japan where in every
town there would be camera experts
to take pictures of the local beauties;
no publication existed which would
have had the enterprise to attempt
such contest, and peculiarly ORR
entail reserve in the matter of display
would have foredoomed the expert
ment to defeat.
AS an example of changed condi-
tions the beauty contest now being
conducted by a Toxic weekly paper is
astonishing
Photographs are being sent to the
publication from all parts of Nippon.
The fine oval faces, the small hands
and feet, the delicious, soft skin of the
Japanese women are being posed be-
fore hundreds of cameras, and the in
terest is keen all over the country.
The contest is not yet decided. 1t has
several months to run, for the wise ed
itor was not foolish enough to put
short time limit on the most success
full venture he has ever attempted.
In only one particular does this con-
test differ from those held in>the West.
Entries are confined entirely to the
lower classes. The mikado nobility,
the daimos, the hattamotos or lower
daimos, are not represented in the
competition. The noble head of one
of these conservative families would
| consider his honor seriously aggrieved
should any of his women folk permit
| their features to be shown aside those
| of women of the lower classes.
The middle class of farmers, arti
sans and merchants have been less
| reserved, and have not hesitated to let
| wives and daughters, blessed with
| more than a normal share of pulchri
tude, be numbered among the contest
ants.
But the greater number of entries
come from among the frankly lower
| classes, the Geisha girls of the tea
houses. The child-like joy of the Jap
anese girl at being beautiful and at
| knowing. how to enhance her charms
by the proper kinds of silks, the right
ate to her complexion has been in
tensitied by the prospect of winning
valuable prize,
Never was such decorating and
dressing as progresses now. From tea
houses all over the realm of the mika-
do photographs are y pouring into
| Toxic, and though the type may be
different, the collection presents beau
ties who would be recognized as such
even in the far off United States.
The names signed to the pictures
are almost as interesting and pictur-
esque as the contestants themselves.
The Japs love pretty names, titles that
bring them close to nature. Cherry
Blossom, Jassamine, Fairy Smile,
Rosy Dawn, Hollyhock, Wistaria
Scent, Smiling Sun are the kind of
names that occur again and again, and
make the American recall the habit of
the Indian of his own country to suit