The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-22


worlds battle ships handled so easily
| by japanese. Equipped with the last re-
! tnements OF modern invention and tech
| meal skill, these monsters of destruction
| are managed by natives who are at
| home with their tasks both on deck and
| In engineroom. Ina word, though ia
pans ships built in Europe are great
the secret of japanese sea power is not
| in the lighting machnese but in the men
| that work them.
Long ago the japanese conceived that
Christianity was sham. and that the
! eager nations of the West were most I'M
| scrupulous. They resolved to learn the
secret of the foreigners power, and they
have done 1t. They built their war schools,
sent their bright young men abroad and
made themselves sensitive on all sides
to take in knowledge. This was all with
one purpose--to keep their country un-
defled and unconquered They aimed to
have the finest army and the best navy
| in the world, and expected that In time
they would have it,
Chagrined to find that the so-called
civilized nations were blind TO her real
virtues. the fruit Of centuries of train
| ing, Japan determined that they should
| be impressed by her military and naval
display II the world would not know the
Japanese as a people of refinement and
culture, then the world. especially the
! aggressive and trespassing world, should
| know them as soldiers so let us master
the last secret of the foreigners craft,
| and cry Japan for the Japanese " said
the mikado and his people
Europeans were in this respect not
very different from the Chinese In 1894
the Celesttals thought there was only
pigmy within the armor. They called
the little brown men of Japan wojen, or
dwarfs. How soon were they cruelty dsil-
| lCsioned' for their own army and navy
were soon annhilated. So foreigners, even
yet, perhaps may think that all the ia
panese strength is borrowed. Not So The
Japanese possess the secret of inner vi
| tality. Though feudaism was not abol-
| ished until 1870 and all the lines of ma
tional construction had to be laid anew,
the mikado has steadily won his way in
unifying the nation. Rebels were forgiv-
| en-. the old clan lines wiped out Favor
| itism disappeared, merit won its way,
| persecution for eonscience's sake and re-
preston Of fact and truth were given up.
Privilege was abolished. The army, the
| navy. the courts, the schools, all lines
of promotion were thrown open to all.
Even the pariahs were lifted to citizen
! ship The revival of the study of the an
cient language and literature and a uni
| form system of education unified the
whole nation. What China vainly longed
| for-perfect unity and a high type. of
political organization--is what Japan has
long possessed. Thus steadily within al
forces and powers were unified to make
Japan great and give her power In
| dependent of external appliances, and
which machinery only reinforced
This is the secret of the nations power
| 1t is what makes the army unit and
| the navy one of the most efficient arms
| of the government. developing every re-
source of nature, of art and of humanity
in Japan. 1t is love of native land, as
| personified in the mikado. Every child
in the empire is taught TO revere and
| to love the emperor even before it's
father and mother For the emperor,
every man. sailor or soldier, or civilian
would not only gladly die. but makes 1t
his ambition and hope to die for him
This is what makes the Japanese navy.
Statistics tell one story. 1t is this:
| To-day Japan's navy consists of IS ves-
selsAeight first-class and two second
class battle ships. all ahoat and equip
ped and among the very finest In the
world; 20 cruisers. 10 coast defense ships
and 45 other vessels OF the dispatch or
torpedo class. Her three navy-yards at
Sasebo, kure and Yokosuka are rich
In modern resources. and even in the
making OF armor plate. she Intends to
be Independent. She has body of trained
seamen numbering 1000, with a great
mercantile marine to draw from.
But this Is only half. 1t Is but one
wing to the bind, or one wheel to the
wagon, as the japanese say. The floating
fortresses. of steel. with their big 10 or
| 60 cannon. quick-firing and machine guns
steel cupolas and coming towers. search
| lights, powerful engines; the gunboa 8
and torpedo boats and torpedo destroy
ers, are but one phase of strength as
seen from the outside by the foreigner
But from within, in addition, in train
| ing. in petriotic glow, Is the greater
strength. What music, what poetry, what
| thrill of JOY, nerving the arm and at
| tuning the blood of every sailor and Of
| hcer to do and die for everlasting great
Japan, are the very names of their war
ships. Behind the brand-new guns and
| ships omens of cheer thousand
years old. Do the names Constitution and
| Kearsarge and Oregon and Olympia APP
peal to us? Then the names of Naniwa,
Tskao. Akitsushima and Takachico to
the Japanese more. because of longer
national history. so grotesque to alien
| ears. these names are as music to the
japanese. Thew are more inspiring, be-
cause reinforcing; they have a thousand
years OF poetry, of exalted associations,
| of precious and even holy memories in
| them, even of a land unconquered and
unconquerable With these sonorous or
| melifous names are associated the deeds
of heroes the glories of art, the beau
ties of nature and all that urges to he
roism and sacrifice. Full tells Of her
peerless mountain. Asahi of the morn
| ing sun of her glories, Yashima and
| Shikishma glow with poetry from the
divine age, Fuse of the age-old unshaka-
BILE rock with the moss OF ages uncom-
| puted." Others tell in their names of
heroes and heroines and Of all things
ancient and venerable. As Dibdin's songs
once made the British sailors the lords
of the main" so these very names thrill
the Japanese and are onnens of victory.
With such navy and such sailors. with
| such an army and such soldiers, Japan
will not hesitate to challenge the claims
even Of Russia. The recent victory OF the
| forces of union, patriotism and true
craftsmanship In the imperial Diet over
those Of timidity and party rancor is
| tremendous one, and is fraught with
every suggestion OF renewed national
| strength and purity Five years ago,
| with Manchuria In her grasp. Russia.
calling France and Germany to her aid.
forced Japan to drop her prey. II Is not
likely that Japan Will now submit tamely
! n see Manchnria seized by Russia and
| COrea thus endangered. Corea is In every
Japanese home a land Of rich associations
| never 10 be allowed to any other con-
| queror as vitality necessary to Japan las
| lips to the teeth"
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