Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-11-10
MERIT DUE TO CHIEFS.
Japanese Army Declared to be lnvin-
cinble Because Of its Officers.
BY William e. Curtis.
pecial Correspondent of the Chicago

| The morale and discipline of the
Japanese army which expert obser
vers declare to he superior to those
of any other military force In the
world, are due. Of course. in large
measure to the character and eificien-
cy OF its officers. While the enlisted
men are constantly changing. for at
least onethird of the rank and file
return to their homes on the first of
December of each year to be replaced
by new conscripts. the officers are
permanent for twelve years at least
and they number about 5000 represen.
tatives of every class and rank of
society from princes of the imperial
house TO the sons OF farmers and cool.
les
Japan is very Democratic country
1ne Japanese army Is democratic
institution A soldier is soldier
whose value is measured by his abil.
ity and his achievements and not by
the title he bears or the social posi-
| tion of his parents. While high com
mands are held by princes and mobiles
even higher commands are held by
sons of the soil who have attained
their responsibility and eminence by
| their ability and efficiency, II Ia i'm
possible to abolish or deny the pres
| tige that always accompanies n title
wherever You find II. in Japan or else
where. All mankind except a few so
cialists and anarchists take of their
hats In the presence of a prince, out
of the respect to the title II not for
the man, and the representatives of
| the imperial family In the Japanese
army and navy enjoy special dis
| tinction TO which all of them may or
| may not he professionally entitled
The same is true In less measure of
the mobiles and the descendants of the
| iaimyos and samural of ancient Japan
u Is not intended or required but Is
| entirely voluntary Their comrades have
equal rights and privileges and some
| NJ them usually have higher rank. but
without doubt there is less distinc-
| ton made in the Japanese army be
| tween officers because of ancestry
and social position than in the army of
any other monarchy In the world. This
ts not due, however. to any hatred for
VI contempt vi iitleh, lot tltleH are
nowhere more highly esteemed or
sacred, but the efficiency OF the mill.
| tary force is the first consideration.
and II 1t would strengthen the war
| power OF the empire to promote the
son Of coolie over the head Of a
| prince 1t would be done without the
slightest hesitation.
Nearly one-half of the officers OF
the Japanese army come from the hei-
l. min of peasant class who have been
promoted from the ranks after receiv-
Ing the training and education requir.
ed An even greater number are de
scended from the samural or knights
of old Japan who were professional
soldiers attached to the households or
castles OF the daimyos or dukes Of an
cient times. Their ancestors for many
generations were trained to fight and
did nothing else; hence It is perfectly
natural that their sons should inherit
taste for military affairs and acquire
"A proficiency that secures rapid pro-
motion. The representatives of the no.
bility in the army are comparatively
few
The Chokunin are officers of the
army who have been commissioned by
the emperor as personal act regard
less of whether they have been educ
ated in the military schools or have
had any military training Theoretical
ly the emperor has the right TO ap-
point all the officers OF the army and
the navy and remove them according
to his pleasure, but he very seldom
exercises his authority, as you see.
and then only to confer special dis
tlnction upon some officer who has
distinguished himself In an extraor-
dinary manner The larger number OF
the ninety-three officers holding com
| served the honor.
The Sonin are officers who have
gone through a regular course of
training and education and have pass
ed all the examinations required by
| the regulations, which are as severe
as those Of Germany, II not more so.
| As have already stated the "hemin"
are the peasant or working classes OF
Japan. The Samural are the members
| include the diamyos OF ancient times,
although many new families have been
ennobled since the restoration Of the
emperor to power. 1t may be said that
all of the old diamyos and their de-
| scendants are mobiles, but only about
| one-half of the mobiles were diamyos.
The princes of the imperial house
classed among the sonin are officers
| Of very high rank. Sadanary, Prince
Of Fushimo-no-miya. cousin of the
| emperor. holds the rank OF lieutenant
| general and has command OF the First
| Division of the First army now In
Manchuria. He has been in active duty
| and in actual command of his troops
from the beginning OF the war with
Russia and was one Of the first to land
on histole soil. He was born In 1858
| educated at the School for Peers at
the Military College at Toxic, and af-
terward took three years course at
the stan college. He has been In com
mand of regiments. brigades and div
| isions. has been member OF the gen.
eral stan at hpadnuarters and baa