The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-25

put in the smallest thimble, in a brass pipe
that is just large enough to hold it. His diet
consists of all the rice he wants and daily
allowance of cents worth of other food He
rises at a. m, breakfasts at g. takes dinner at
noon and supper at p. m. At $50 he must
be in bed. He has life of constant exercise
and drill between these hours, and what does
he get for it all His board, his clothes and
an allowance for incidantals. This allowance
is his salary. 1t amounts for privates of the
first class to from to 10 cents per day, or from
$1.20 to So per month. Trumpeters get from 6
to cents per day, and Captains get $50 a
month. The Minister Of War, the Secretary
Endicott of Japan, gets $4,000 year, which
equals about $4,000 in American money.
The army of Japan, as whole, is now said
to be better organized than that of any other
Eastern Nation. The Chinese are a people of
farmers and shop-keepers, and the Coreans
have not yet adopted modern methods. The
Japanese of the military class have been sol
diers for generations, and their military power
increases yearly. At present the army has
about $4,000 men in active service, and its war
footing will run this number to about 200 600.
1t has good guns, and at the arsenal here is
made ammunition and arms of all kinds.
There is q cannon foundry in the western part
of the Empire, and here at Toxic there are mil
itary schools containing over 1900 students.
The young Prince who is to succeed the Mikado
is fond OF military matters, and though boy
as yet he may blossom into soldier King. The
Japanese navy is also strong for the East, and
last year there were 451 officers and men in
it. In 1886 the Mkado had five iron and steel
ships, and several of these carried % ton guns.
There were, in addition to these, other ships
of all classes, from gunboats to torpedo boats,
and Japan has now navy-yard, where she IS
building sailing Ships gunb0ats and sloOps.
1t is the policy Of the Government to make
her own people do all of her work that they
can possibly do, and she gets rid of foreigners
as teachers as soon as she learns their methods.
In the words of one Of her greatest Generals,
1t is the policy of the country to profit so far
as is possible by the experience and invention
OF the rest of the world. 1t wishes to keep up
with the times and if other nations can give
it better arts of war than it has, it wishes to
copy them. Several committees of Japanese
Generals have visited the United States and
the different countries of Europe, and in such
cases each one of the officers was instructed to
study some one branch of the military systems
of the countries. Notes were taken, and the
policy of the army of to-day is the result of
such visits"
From this it will be seen that the japanese
regard the Germans as having the best military
system Of the world and the japanese method
of Studying other Governments and of endeav-
orng to bring its people to the latest improve
HiGHlS bl ulduhluu, Is ble great WOuuGE Ol uOu-
ern civilization.
Think of it! Here @sa nation which 90 years
ago had neither railroads, telegraphs, nor post
offices in the modern sense of the word. 1t
was 80 years ago shut up from the rest of the
world Its customs were those of feudalism.
Its laws were most barbarous, and its people
were subject to tyrants who ruled things at
their own sweet will. It's civilization was not
much better than that of China to-day, and its
clacsae ha dn-npfhfuC coIdiarr Cf
do-nothing lords. Now new laws, based on
those of Europe, are being adopted. Telegraphs
tick their millions of messages every year. A
postal system as good as any in the world
carries millions of letters, papers and books to
every part of the empire. Property has become
safe to its owners. An efficient police system
has been organized, SO that the location and
business Of any man iii Japan is known at a
moments notice. Hundreds of newspapers are
published, and the press though not free, is
very powerful. The trade of the country has
grown, and all nations have access to certain
ports There is a compulsory system of educa-
tion, and more than 100000 of japanese chill
dren pore over books through their almond
shaped eyes. The Bell telephone is introduced
into some Of the cities, and the Edison electric
light now illuminates the palace of the Mikado.
Many iinriksha man carries Waterbury
watch, and machinery from Europe and America
| is being introduced in the making of japanese
porceiains and silks. Such an advance is un-
known in the history of the past and the
| anomaly of it is that the growth begins among
the better classes and among the officials
The Government is the civilizer and the
moderniZer of the nation, and its aim seems to
be the improvement of the people. 1t is true
that in the former class little change has been
made. But the military law of bringing all
classes into the army for years of military
education will disseminate the new reform
and the leaven may in generations leaven the
whole lump. FRANK G. CARPENTER.