The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-01-05
SOLDIERS COMPARED.
In studious article on Russia's mill.
tary strength. the Star says:

| AZ n oNtNAouS vi hu-Eld
tary strength. the Star says:
In the Russo Turkish war. the caliber
of the Russian troops and their hand
| ling by their generals can be more sat
isfactorily judged They certainly beat
the Turks. but they had pretty hard
work to do 1t and they gave up the
fruits of their victory when Disraeli
called their hand by moving Indian
troops to Malta. The Shipka pass prov.
ed a very hard nut to crack. while the
capture Of Plevna called for the full
strength of military resource. More
over, no matter how brave the individ-
ual Turkish may be. the Turkish off,
GERS are not good leaders. and the
Turkish government IL so corrupt that
proper stores, proper ammunition and
so forth were lacking.
have improved since the war of 1878
In way to win the respect of military
critics. That conflict inspired reorgan-
ization. Osman Pasha's forces were
irregular fighters who moved about the
country like great mobs, but who,
planted behind defences, each man
equipped with a rife, n bag of cart
ridges, jug of water and loaf of
black bread, could not be dislodged ex-
cept by strategy. OF strategy the Rus
slams knew little. Their way of fighting
was to advance en-masse upon the
enemy and try to overcome him with
brute courage and force of numbers.
Their dead were piled up like cordwood
at Kars Plevna and Shipka pass; and
not until the asthmatic skeleton,
Todtleben, who had learned strategy in
central Europe, was summoned from
st. Petersburg, did the Russian chances
improve. 1.-The way to get Shipka
pass he said, sis to march a Russian
Army into Turkey by another route"
and by this simple expedient the Turks
were compelled to evacuate their strong
position and take up another and more
vulnerable line of defence.
Now the Turkish Army is a compact,
well-organized and highly disciplined
force of 700, 900 men and Russia has an
army that even Germany respects; an
army of modern soldiers, led by educat-
ed officers and equipped for any mill
tary work.
In the Japanese, If war comes, they
will find foemen worthy of their steel.
OF. all the allies who marched upon
Picking the Japanese presented the most
soldierly appearance. Though not
originally the leading column they soon
took the advance and the hardest work
fell to them. Faultlessly brave, tire
less and intelligent they won the adj
miration and incurred the jealousy of
their allies in the field.
The qualities which go to make the
Japanese soldier are Cd Courage. The
Japanese soldier does not know the
of fear. He neither deserts
nor struggles in war; he does not dread
death nor set too high value on life
CID Patriotism. In this he is fanatical.
Beside the Emperor and his country.
family ties. business, health, danger are
as nothing to him. Gid Obedience.
question in the old days he
obeys his superior officer without ques-
ton now. QW Marching capacity.
Accustomed in civil life to walk instead
of ride, to pull the 'ricksha and to carry
his own burdens, the private soldier
can outmarch any European; and as
he takes along his food or has it carried
by fellow coole out of uniform, he
needs no wagon train to cucumber his
(V) Physical size. The !
Japanese soldier is short man, and as
all troops fire high in battle he is more
likely to hit a tall European opponent
than the European is likely to hit him.
(ND Leadership. The Japanese officer |
Is man who forever studies his pro-
fession. Peace does not enervate him
or make him rusty. He gets no soft
billets and seeks none; but day in and
ias Out tfies 10 make nlmSelt q better
officer.
An army so organized and differed
will give even the Russians trouble,
though the appearance of the latter on
the Manchurian coast awoke the re-
'pect and admiration of every officer of ,
Admiral Evans fleet who had been to
see them.
The Bulletin, which read President
Roosevelt out of the party awhile back,
now vouches for the Republcanism of