The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-05
JArs AS SAILORS AND SOLDIERS.
''MiracuIOus" Military Development
by the .sNnnlxees of the East"

In an address, MIR. Arthur Diosy, at the
opening meeting of the ninth session of i
the Japan Society, in London. related some
experiences of a visit to the Far East.
Among the things which filled Mr.. Diosy
with alteration was the navy of Japan.
Upon this topic he says: There is only
one word for the navy of Japan, and that
is miraculous 1t is, indeed, a miracu-
lous navy. When you think that thirty
one years ago the navy of Japan consist
ed of two steamships, one of them about
the size of Citizen A on the Thames, the
other a very ancient American man-ol-
war, which had been sold at a very hlgh
price to Japan, and when you think that
at the present moment the ships of the
Japanese navy are second to none in the
world in their power, in their hardness,
in their rate of speed, in what may be
called their fighting efficiency, which is
produced as naval experts know, by pull
ing together the ships speed, armor, size,
weight of metal that the ship can throw
at The enemy in a certain time-coal con-
sumption, steaming radius and handiness-
1t is gratifying to be able to say that in
all these essentials the ships of Japan are
behind none in the world
Even in numbers, the Japanese navy
now stands eighth on the list of navies
time will probably stand fifth, unless some
very great efforts are made to increase
their navy by the Powers now ahead of
Japan. Moreover. the ships of the Japa-
nese navy may be described, L think, as
being the mosA inteIigently de-
signed warships gin the Rworld' be
cause they are designed for the
particular work that they have
sot to carry out. and for no other. The
Japanese know that their battles will be
fought near home, and that consequently
they need not have very large space for
carrying COAL and thus the space which
would otherwise be filed with bunkers
can be devoted to more guns and more
projectiles, which, as we know by recent
naval warfare, is the chief point. The
ship that can pump the greatest weight
of metal into another ship in the shortest
time will be the victor ~
That is as regards the material. Now,
what about that which is much more i'm
portant the men? The men of the Japa-
nese navy are simply perfect The Of
ficers who command them are first-rate;
they showed 1t not many years ago Be
sides, 1 had an opportunity, thanks to the
great kindness of certain japanese naVai
officers, old friends of mine, one OF whom
is an honorary member of this society
namely Rear Admiral Kawara, whom
many of you will remember as captain of
the fine cruiser Yoshino, who entertained
many of us so Hospitality on board his
ship in Plymouth sound in 1S9S-of seeing
how they make japanese naval officers.
1 saw the factory at work.
On the Island of Etajima, one OF the
most beautiful islands in the beautiful in
land seat there lies the Imperial Navy Coz
lege at which the cadets are trained, VINO
afterward become officers in the japanese
navy l will not weary you with a des-
cription of what is one of the most per-
aan al
the world; 1 will simply tell you that the
Russian naval attache at Toxic, an au-
thority who could not be suspected of any
undue prediction for things Japanese,
said to me, 'Ha! 1t is model for all the
navies of the world; it is absolute pertec-
tionr And absolute perfection ii is. There
several hundred young japanese gentle
men of splendid physique-I have never
seen a finer body of young men between
the ages of fifteen and twenty than L saw
there-are trained in all that goes 10 con-
stitute an efficient modern naval officer,
that is to say. in every mortal thlnS that
YOU can think of. They are trained there
in the midst of the healthiest surround
iDgs The island is entirely given up to the
naval college, they can roam over II az
will they can even go shooting deer in the
woods; they have their games, their sports
their boating, their sailing, and their me
is an absolutely healthy one. Every care
as their bodies / was taken into the bat
terry the finest most accurate representa-
ton of the fighting battery of a hrst-class
bait eshp that have ever seen, battery
containing every kind of the most up-to-
date guns that are used at sea. Outside.
on the green sward, were 120 cadets-clad
in their flannel singlets and their white
duck trousers, and with those white ia
panese socks, with division for the great
toe which forms such excellent footgear
on board understanding at attention, solid
like a wall. I was requested TO inspect
them did so, never saw finer lot OF
young men in my life.
At one word spoken by the chief gunnery
instructor the 100 young men tumb. ed into
that battery. I timed them by my watch
twenty-eight seconds from the giving OF
the order every man stood to his gun.
There was absolute silence, most perfect
order The officer of quarters came to-
ward me and said: What would you Ike
to see?" 1 said, II would like TO see ex-
ercise action" The words were hardly out
of my mouth before the bugle sounded,
and 1 can assure you-and l speak, as yon
know, with some technical knowledge
of this matter-it has never been my de-
light TO see better gun drill in the whole
world than L saw there. The fellows sim
DIV Jumped over one another like mice or
SQUIRRELS and for the whole time there
was not a sound, save for the clanking of
the securing chanlS ana tHe chihhlhs u
the projectile as it came up to the b eech.
Not a sound! That was enough for me-
There is not another navy in the world
except. of course ours, and, perhaps, the
American, where such thing would be
possible 1 may say that outside at the
same time another 80 cadets were fenc-
ing on the sward with the two-handed
swords of old Japan.
If the Japanese navy is miraculous, their
army. in the opinion of Mr. Diosy, is not
less remarkablec He says: THE Japant Sc
army is an army. There is 90 mistake
about that. In 1t nothing is left to chance.
Everything is provided for and prepared
for The japanese war office was ex-
tren,elv kind to me. 1t attached an OFF,
Ger. highly educated staff officer. Maj.
Tachibana, who had served for a constd-
cradle time in the Austro-Hungarian
Army. specially to me to show
mo ANYTHING / wished to see
in connection with the Japanese
army. and it asked me whether 1 would