The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-12
JAPANESE AS SOLDIERS.
Small, Wiry and strong with Plenty
of Endurance.

New York Tribune.
The country upon which you want TO
keep your eye is Japan" said Elwood Dow.
Mr.. Dow has Travelled extensively in Japan
and knows whereof he speaks. Military
men the world over are agreed" he con-
tinued, that the ideal soldier Is a small,
compactly built and proportionately strong
man. Such a one will march a larger and
physically stronger man of his feet He
can live on less and go further. 1t seems a
rule of proportion that the nearer you get
to the earth in point of size the more of
IL YOU can cover. At least that is the rule
that army experts will give you, and they
figure these things pretty closely. This be-
ing true. the Jap is the ideal soldier of the
world, for he is smaller, stronger and can
live on less than any other known human
being. In some army m~aneuvers recently
held a japanese army corps broke all
known records, for IL marched further In
one day and consumed less food than an
army corps of any other nationality had
ever been able to do. You want TO keep
in memory, too, that in that island empire
there are no less than 100000 people, and
fight crops out in every one of them. They
long and aspire for a foothold on the main
land, and 1 miss my guess IL one OF the out
comes of the present Chinese crisis will not
be for Japan to take somewhere a large
and luxuriant section of territory. After
Japan beat China in 1895 Russia calmly
stepped in and robbed her of the fruits OF
that victory. Then. Japan raging. but i'm
potent, had perforce TO accept the situa-
ton. She said nothing. but she hasn't for
gotten it. Since then Japan has learned a
lot, and it's been principally about fighting.
It's a good safe bet that whatever Japan
gets out of the smash this time she'll keep.
If she doesn't, the country that takes il
away from her will carry away also a pair
of black eyes and a very bloody nose"
THE 'Japs' are as clever as they make
them,' continued the speaker. They've
got money to burn. and are willing to burn
1t provided modern battleships, modern
artillery, ETC., rise out Of the smoke. In
fo4f ~, thncn torroS lamar hoS hoI q ,4-
tinuous confiagration for the last five years,
until to-day she has a magnificent navy
and as fine an army for its size as can be
found the world over. Logically and nat
urally, In this row she will stand with Eng
land and ourselves. for. like us. she wishes
TO preserve the entity of the Chinese en-
pire. She will be no mean ally and will do
her share. L am a great admirer of the
japanese, of their frugality and ability to
work, OF their brains and progressiveness.
They are just emerging from some dark
ages OF their own, but they are emerging
at a bound. They are rich and progressive
and aspire to be the dominant power Of
the Orient. Personally. 1 would not be at
all surprised if they accomplished this am
bition.
Let me tell you a couple of stories to
Illustrate their strength and endurance.
They have a rule ali over Japan that you
must take the first 'rickshaw' or sampan
(harbor boat i'm the line, no matter whether
you want IL or not. When / first landed at
Nagasaki l didn't know a word of Japan
csc, so 1 went down the 'riskshaw' line I'M
III found a CHAP who could talk a little
English. Him 1 engaged and brought TO
the wharf. Instantly there was an awful
row, and all the other 'rickshaw' men fell
to beating the man / had engaged. They
are little bits of chaps. standing never more
than five feet, and seldom over -four feet
six high. j went to the poor DEVILS aid and
picked them up and threw them aside as
easily as though they had been children,
but l felt as though / had hold OF writhing,
living bundles of steel wire, SO strong were
they. They showed not the slightest re-
sentiment toward me, but as soon as I'd let
them go they'd pound that poor devil some
more. Finally l gave 1t up. as / was only
doing him harm, and took the first rick
shaw on the line. He knew no English. so
we worked the city out by pointing. /
have never run up against anything as
strong for their weight as those little devils
We're. The man 1 engaged trundled me all
over Nagasaki. covering fully ten miles
during the day. Then he went off and got
a helper to push behind. and the two Of
them whisked me seven miles out to a tea
house. Although the road had a number
of hills in ii, they kept on a run all the
way without stopping. Later they brought
me home In the same manner"