The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-09-28


IL the face Of terrific cannonading, to
the very muzzles Of the quick firing
Russian rifles. When the front rank
went down the second leapcd over the
dead and wounded, and then the
third, and thus regiment followed
regiment without the slightest hesita.
ton, until the trenches we're finally
reached and the guns we're taken.
This was not reckless disregard Of
danger. 1t was not an exhibition of
contempt Of life, but it was cool and
deliberate performance of what the
Japanese soldiers consider their duty,
and their courage is based upon solid
foundation Of moral and mental train
ing and is o characteristics that has
been developed under patriotic in
luences. Wherever volunteers have
been called for duty Of extreme peril
every man present has offered himself
and commanders no longer ask for
volunteers. 1t is useless. They de-
liberately make details.
The continuous victories Of japan
are thus explained, and the reasons
can be appreciated more fully By those
who are acquainted with the personnel
OF the Russian army, which is com.
posed OF ignorant peasants, not 5 per
cent of whom are able to read or write
or know what they are fighting for.
They are faithful, loyal and obedient,
bnt have no Individuality. Hundreds
of years Of oppression have extin-
guished it. The Russian soldiers are
the sons Of the serfs who were theoret-
ically emancipated by Alexander II,
but in most cases are still as much
slaves as their fathers were. They
go into battle at the command of their
officers; they fight as they are ordered
to do, and they retreat when they hear
the word Of commsnd-stolid, stupid,
faithful, like an OK or dog. But
when their officers fail them or they
are frightened or exasperated they are
entirely beyond control.
A comparison of the personnel of
the two armies explains very clearly
the reasons for the Japanese victories
on the Liao'tung peninsula.
We went into the store of Mama
ruohi here the other day, the silk
merchant of Kyoto Che is we'll known
to every American who has travelled
in JAPAN intending to renew an old
acquaintance, but when inquired for
the manager I was told that he was in
Manchuria serving as o soldier.
and he is not an exception. Through
out the entire army are men of all
ranks and stations fighting side by
side, the rich and the poor, the high
and the low, for the army of Japan is
pure democracy.
l read in an American paper the
other day q wild story that 10 per
cent OF the soldiers in the Japanese
army are women, which is not only
preposterous. but impossible. Iheve
no doubt that hundreds Of thousands
OF Japanese women could fight as
we'll as their husbands and brothers.
for they do their share of the hard
work on the farms and in all forms of
labor, and everything that has been
said about their strength and endur-
ance is true. The other day at Nikko
We met an old lady who had walked
seventeen miles from farm in the
mountains to see religious process
sion in town. She started from home
at 5 O'Clock in the morning. She
arrived at Nikko between 9 and 10,
stood around the streets for the next
two or three hours watching the pa
rade' and then, after dinner, took
little stroll of seven miles out to
waterfall which, she said, she had
always been anxious to SEQ. We han.
pened to be going to the same place,
and she joined our party, except that
we were in rikishas and she was on
foot, and she finished the journey
without the slightest evidence Of
fatigue. She told US. however, that
she did not intend to g. home that
evening, because her son was living in
town, employed at one of the hotels, |
and she wanted to have q little visit
with him.
That is the kind of women you find
on the farms Of Japan, and they share
the work of the men folks in the
fields, the forests and the stables, but
they do not serve in the army, and,
as | have already said, it would be
impossible for them to do so, because
Japanese soldiers are not enlisted and |