The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-12-27
THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

VlNNtlNo VI ~ SOSS'-N
In one of the current periodicals,
Kinosuke, a japanese writer, tells OF
the making of the Japanese army, or
rather. of the development of muscle
and nerve in a national way, which
makes the Japs such famous lighters
Athletic exercises begin in babyhood.
The four-y ear-old boy is sent out with
n fencing master who makes him stand
barefooted in the snow and strike with
his bamboo sword until he Is covered
with perspiration. The Japanese idea
of physical development Is to undergo
hardships and take a certain amount
OF physical exercise every day in the
year IL an active life Is desired The
father tells the son that some day he
will be called upon to fight for his
country-therefore he must live the life
that he will be compelled to live when
he joins the army. This part of his
trimming means that he must live on
the army ration. The daily diet OF
the boy is simple and not too plentiful.
He will have rice, some vegetables,
little dried fish, but rarely meat. The
upshot of 1t all is that he rarely goes
into the army unaccustomed to hard
marches and privations.
But more essential than the fine
bodily condition in which the boy finds
himself on entering the army is the
mental traini which he has received
through life. This raining Is to give
him courage and strength of soul. II
shocks to some extent our Occidental
Ideas but no one can deny that 1t has
resulted in the most extraordinary eX-
ample Of steadiness of nerve which
the world has ever witnessed. The
small boy Is told the most horrible
ghost stories. He has Inherited super
stitions far more numerous than those
of the american or English boy. Pro-
fessonal story-tellers work on his
Imagination amidst the most ghostly
surroundings and then he is required
to go alone in the darkness TO some
graveyard and spend an hour among
the tombstones. Mr.. Kinosuke relates
one anecdote which gives an insight TO
the ethical view of such performances
There was boy of his acquaintance
who had acquired the reputation of be-
ing somewhat girlish. His friends be-
lieved that it would require a good
zeal 10 bullu up an nun SNeb'''Ns -
this boys nerves, so they subjected
him to many ordeals. one night he
was required to pass by castle moat
under a thick roofing of old willows.
This place was noted for its ghostly
manifestations. we quote the rest OF
the story as follows:
''It was past midnight. Before him
all was black AS he walked on he
could hear the sound of rain whipping
the thick leaves of the weeping will
lows All of a sudden he saw some
thing that made him pause. Not Far
from where he stood he saw blue
flame curling up from the ground to-
ward willow branch. For all the
world 1t was the ghost-tire of ten thou
sand stories told him. He looked at 1t
motionless. Then, suddenly, out of thu
willow, came a white apparition. TIT
boy dropped his umbrella. In an in
slant his sword was out. With wilC
eyes guided by the ghost-fire the DO!
attacked the apparition with his sword
That his older playmate, who wa
PLAYING ghost. escaped with few
slight wounds was because the olde
boy happened to be such super'
swordsman."
Did this rencontre give the lad tn
respect of his fellows? Far from II
He was marked as a hopeless case
AS Mr.. Kinosuke says:
But this boy who appealed to tn
conclusion of the sword so hastily wa
forever disgraced. Under such circum
stances it was expected of every chill
that he would certainly make thor
ough investigation with cool nerve an
steady eyes. Nothing was considere
so disgraceful to the samurai as tn
hasty appeal to the sword. Not onl
was the boy disgraced, but he brough
disgrace upon the family. The on
great aim toward which the disciple
of Yomai ever toll is to train then
selves to such an extent that nothin
would disturb the calm presence {
mind and the steadiness of nerve vi
der circumstances however trying"
Mr.. Kinosuke says he despairs
making the Occidental mind unde
stand just how the Japanese look I
death. I'm the Far East" he say
1--WE say that life is something that
quite supersensual. You have nev'
seen life never smelt, heard touche
it. 1t is nothing but one expression
the eternal entity, the noumena. Whe
therefore, you say you have killed
man or plucked a flower, you have oil
ly destroyed one expression of Il
eternal entity, which you have new
touched-with which it is beyond yo
power to NEEDLE. Death to the Nj
pom soldier is form of sleep. To ha
so glorious an opportunity as dying
the national existence of his countl
for the glory of his flag, is indeed,
the eyes of the Nippon soldier an e
treme of luxury. 1t is unreasonab
therefore for you to be amazed at
sight of the Nippon soldier hurli
himself against the Russian fortifc
tions at Lao Yang and against
quick firers at the Nashan. A jar
nese soldier of the reserves will col
to headquarters offering his servi'
ing his young wife and small childr
x,aalx. thar NAV tha hast thaU n,