The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-04
JAPANESE RED CROSS.

in this war seem rather foolish. They
started out under the encouragement OF
DIR. Sem but they found, on arriving in
Japan, that the japanese knew as much
about the Red Cross work as they did
and had some advantages which they
lacked. Our japanese writer says as
gently as he knows how that these
American young women have been a
source of considerable anxiety and
trouble to the Japanese officials. They
could not speak the Japanese or Rus
sian language. They We're of little
value, therefore, as nurses. They could
pot live on the japanese diet and were
therefore trial to the commissary de-
partrnent. And worse than all they
lacked the skill, endurance and expert
ence of the japanese nurses.
George KEENAN,, correspondent of the
Outlook in the Far East, devotes long
article to a description of the Red Cross
In Japan. So long ago as the.,wa with
China. in 1895, it had been developed to
a state of efficiency altogether unknown
In this or any other Occidental country.
AS seen in the present war with Rus
STA, it is so wonderfully developed that
the civilized countries must look up
on it with amazement. And of it Mr..
KEENAN, says:
THE most remarkable feature, per-
haps, Of the japanese society is its ex-
~,,,,, <.,-;,s,I STRENGTH On the
first of January of the present year it
had no less than 1874, 100 regular MEM
beers, each of whom was pledged to con-
tributecnot less than $3.50 annually for
Der for every fifty-two inhabitants,
and it is in receipt of an annual income
OF $1,342, 600 If the Red Cross were as
strong in proportion in the United
], 53S, 900 and an income of $2,307,00o. 1
do not happen to have the statistics of
the American Red Cross at hand, but
my recollection is that the central or
tzarization has less than 400 members
and that it has no regular home at all
outside of the contributions made oc-
casionally by the public for such specific
purposes as the relief of the Cuban re-
concentrates or of sufferers from
storms, tidal waves and floods
Mr.. KEENAN, is correct in saying that
the comparison is humiliating one to
make, particularly as we have been de-
>,,..oI,,ae x,,;fb +ba 1dna that
we were the most humanitarian people
in the world and that we had developed
and systematized relief work beyond all
other people. We quote Mr.. KEENAN,
further:
ION January /, 1904, the Japanese Red
Cross had ready for immediate work
II chief surgeons, PIT ordinary surgeons,
As pharmacists, 1920 trained nurses and
5es stretcher bearers and male attend
ants In the shape of material re-
sources and relief stores, it had hos
pital steamers, 39S cases of surgical in
struments, 49s stretchers, $4,000 suits of
clothing for sick and wounded, $4,000
suits of clothing for nurses, and a great
quantity of bedding, cots. tents, medi-
cines and other supplies for field and
hospital work. In short, it was pre-
pared to take the field at once in a
war of the first class, with abundant
resources, with highly trained and
competent force of surgeons and nurses,
and with most complete up-to-date
equipment
The determination of the Japanese to
outstrip the Western nations in their
own work has as clear an iIlustra-
ton In the Red Cross as it has in army
organization and transport service.
our American Red Cross in war is a
Jealous rival of the hospital corps of
the army. 1t is with the forces by
sufferance when it ought. as in Japan,
to be a part of them subject to military
discipline and control. In a Japanese
army the Red Cross corps is ordered
by the commander just the same as
the engineering corps or any other; and
as a result it is always in the right
place at the right time, doing the right
thing. A correspondent of Collier
Weekly declares that the Russian pris-
oners were amazed at the work of the
japanese Red Cross on the BATTLEFIELD.
Such of these prisoners as were wound
ed found themselves almost at once un-
der the care of competent surgeons and
nurses. while their war clothes were
quickly replaced with hospital raiment
and their wants We're attended to with
compassion and gentIeness.