The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-07-09
JAPANESE COURAGE AND WHITE COURAGE

JAPANESE COURAGE AND WHITE COURAGE
In one Of the many thousands Of letters whicl
come to the editor, reader praises the courage o.
the japanese soldiers, and wants to know if thai
courage is not superior to anything displayed among
the white races, says the Examiner. He thinks that
credit should be given to the Japs and that white
people should acknowledge their own inferiority, SC
far as physical courage goes.
The Japs are certainly brave. No one could die
more willingly than they do for a good cause. In
fact they push bravery almost as far as fooishness
when whole crews commit suicide by drowning and
officers dsembowel themselves rather than surrender
honorably to the Russians.
1t is not fact, however, that the courage shown
by the japanese in their submarine boat experiments
in their volunteering for desperate tasks is in any
way superior to the white kind Of courage.
The French boys read the story Of the soldier who
tried to detan the enemys rowboat although he was
unarmed. He held on to the boat with his right
hand until they hacked the hand off; then held on
with his left hand until that was cut off, He died
from loss Of blood, naturally he certainly was as
brave physically as any Jap.
During our trifing little skirmish called the Span
ish war the volunteering Of Hobson's crew proves
that there is no trouble finding men willing to face
risk, or even a certainty of death.
In fact, courage in action, before the enemy, is SO
common, universal with us, that it is the absence
Of courage, and not courage ITSELF which attracts
attention.
Real courage is that which risks and accepts death
coldly and calmly without the incentive of fight,
or without the Oriental belief that the dead soldier
is transferred instantly to sort of houchicouchi
heaven, full Of entrancing houris.
How many Of us could tell the story Of the David
the submarine boat built at Mobile in 1868 by
the confederates? She was more of death trap
than a submarine boat yet there was no trouble
finding crews for her. After she was built it was
necessary for some men to experiment in her to see
if she could be used On her first trial the entire
crew of eight were drowned. At the next attempt,
her dome being open she was sung by the wash of
passing steamer. Only one man escaped, by climb
ing out of the hatchway as she sank He was the con-
federate officer in charge of her.
He took her out again, having got another crew.
Another accident happened; five of the eight men
were drowned the officer in command again escap-
ing. This same officer organized another crew to
try the boat, for he felt that his cause demanded
that she should succeed She was ballasted defect
lively, so that instead Of sinking on level keel she
dved headforemost into the mud. Every man on
board, including the commanding officer, was dead
when she was brought to the surface.
There was no trouble in finding another crew, and
this took her out against the Housatonic fed
eral vessel, four miles off shore. The little sub
marine blew up the Housatonic with torpedo, but
sank in the operaton-and again her entire crew
perished
AS long as the south and the north can produce
crews and commanders of that kind this country can
recognize the courage Of the japanese without neces
sarly admitting their superiority.