Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02
JAP-L|KE SOLDIERS
Uncle Sans Philippine Scouts
and CoDstabulary.
NEVER DRINK OR SHIRK
DRILL HARD FOR THE FUN THEY
GET OUT OF 1T.
Little Brown Men Surprise Everybody
by Their knowledge Of the
Art of War. ,:-

Copyright. 1904, by T. @. McClure.)

Copyright 1904, by T. @. McClure.)
Written for The Evening Star by Frank NJ Stewart
When Americans see for the first time
the attachments of, the Philippine scouts
and constabulary now in this country the
Initial comment is usually, why, how like
the Japs they look" and the second.
They seem to drill every bit as well as the
regulars" '-. .'.r
The Filipino soldier, as Uncle Sam has
made him in the last few years, is striking
1y like the Jap fighting man in many more
ways than features and stature. He Is
also dramatically opposed to the regular
In almost as many respects; and in the
opinion of his superiors the equal of any
soldier in the world
According to American officers in COM
inand of Filipinos the little brown men of
the archipelago display as astonishing mill
tary precocity as that credited to the Jap
anese. To prove their statements they
declare that many a scout, wearing at en-
llstment little more thania breechcout and
skilled only in the use of the crudest weap-
ons has become an Al soldier in from
three to six MONTHS
once uniform is slapped on Filipino
recruit s back, and his stomach comfort
apiy nlled with food. he throws himself
enthusiastically into the task of doing to
the letter what his Superiors command him
to do. Here again he betrays strong
likeness to the Jap. "In fact" said a cap
tam OF scouts, we've got to watch out
that the boys don't work themselves to
oeatn. Even men who have been enlisted
for year or more are not content to drill
merely at the regular hours. 1t is GUS
.onlary an through the camp for squads
TO form voluntarily in the company streets
OF an evening. and, under the eye of one
OF their number. to go through the manual
OF arms for half an hour, at stretch. I've
Deen IN the army about fifteen years. and
I've never seen American soldiers pass the
eime away in any such fashion"
Learns by Initiating.
The Filipino recruit is taught the manual
OF arms by imitation. OF course. when he
enlists he does not understand English, and
the officer has little or no knowledge of
Vlsayan, Tagalogan or whatever dialect
the greene" may speak. and he wouldn't
use 1t If he had The instructor. rifle in
hand, places himself In front of the recruit
gives command In the usual way, and at
the same time brings his weapon to the
position ordered. The Filipino at once fmj-
tates' and within a. week he has associated
the words OF the various commands and
their corresponding movements so Well that
ne goes through the manual with almost
the precision of a veteran. In much the
same fashion he is taught to stand at at
tentlon, what "fours right" means the
proper thing to do when he hears the COM
mand. Right forward. fours right march,
and in equally short time he is giving the
officers very little worry at drill
Nor does he cause them concern in other
directions. For one thing. he scarcely ever
gets drunk. Capt Ira Keithley. in COM
mand of the two companies of the constab-
ulary now at st. Louis, has not had a ca Sc
or drunkenness in his command for months
TO be sure, they drink said Captain
keithley. but they don't try to get away
with all the liquor in sight, as do many
white soldiers on pay day, with the result
that they lind themselves in the guard
house when they wake up next morning
They are temperate without being teetotaI-
ers, and have yet to see a member of the
constabulary even approaching the state of
intoXication."
Then. too, like the Jap, the Filipino is
neither shirker nor grumbler, for which
reilef his officers are duly thankful
Built in Native Style.
When the four companies of scouts ar
rived in st. Louis they were detailed to
erect a lot of native Filipino huts. to be oc-
cupied later on not by themselves, but by
others of their countrymen. They did this
work in addition to the duties incident to
the regular camp routine, with the result
that for several weeks the men worked
steadily from reveille until taps" at 10
O'Clock. The soldiers knew that it was
stretching things a point to detail them to
build the dwellings, and the work was hard,
but no KICKS were made to the officers, and
the "non-coms." who are natives, reported
no diSSat iSfa ction.
But If we'd had some of our regulars on
the detail they'd have kicked as hard as the
proverbial army mule" said Major William
H. Johnston. commanding the scouts, "and