The Opelousas courier., 1904-05-07

bdtIdllOI1 ........... ~ ooO
Transport (thirteen bat
t~alions) ............ 220 7,740
Total G,400 10000
The total number of horses belong
ing to this force is 58,152, and the
guns number GS4.
The reserves Of the regular army
number about $4,000 officers. and men,
with some 1870 guns. On mobilization,
therefore, Japan's strength for for
eign service would amount roughly to
$4,000 officers and men. For home
defence there would be the territorial
army, numbering some 100000 officers
and men, and the militia, the numbers
of which are not easily arrived at.
Thus, without counting the militia Cor
landstrum), the armed force of Japan
may be estimated at 10000 officers
and men. The st. Petersburg Gaz-
cite in November, 1902, gave the total
fully trained force of Japan as 500, GOO,
and that is, if anything, below the
mark, since the militia IS estimated
by some to be about 100, 600.
Service is obligatory 10 the case of
every able bodied male, without alb
solutely dependent relatives, from the
age of seventeen to forty years, but
on educational grounds many young
Eel have their service modified.
They become volunteers, which en-
tails only one years service with
the colors, t1ree months of which
Is in barracks like an ordinary con-
script, and then after eleven and a
quarter years in the reserves, they
pass into tae territorial army. This
is the system which applies practical
ly to all the better classes, and gradu-
ates of normal schools and teachers
receive even nor consideration, do
ing only six weeks with the colors and
then at once passing into the terri.
tcrial army. Everything possible is
done to make the minimum Of military
service convenient to the secondary
scholar, the graduate, and the teach
er, but no one who is physically fit
a entirely escape, and If he tries to
do so he is placed, as punishment, on
the same level as the conscript.
Drawn by lot, the mass of the army
enter the service at the rate of 60, 900
a year, and $4,000 others are drafted
into the two bodies of supernumerar-
les, the first entailing seven and one
third years service and the second
only fifteen months, after which the
men in both join the great territorial
army, the ordinary conscript who has
to go with the colors passes three
years in the regular army. four years
and four months in the first regular
reserves, five years in the second re.
serves and then enters the depot ser
vice for seven and one-half years, ac-
cording to circumstances, and eventu-
ally. passes into the territorial army
for the remaining years up to the age
of forty. The cost to Japan of it's
regular army is less than $40, 000, 900
a year, which makes it no heavy
weight for the nation to carry.
Pleased with his lot, the japanese
soldier is the smallest and not the
least muscular in the world. Like
the American soldier, he does most
things at the double quick, and so car.
ries out a movement far more rapidly
than the heavier and less agile Euro
pean. He is said, also, to have won
derful powers of endurance. The Of
flcers have the same hardy character
istics of the men they command. And
most of them are in the army be-
cause they are proud to be there. Even
general on service is paid only 5000
year, and or retirement gets but
e150 to ego, while a colonel is re-
eompensed with G23s, and on retire
ment has clip. A captain receives
GT1, and on leaving the army e45.
When an officer is not actually ser
vitg his pay is reduced by one hall.
His uniform s0s8 little and he