The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-07-23
ADAPTIVE.
NOT INITIATIVE

Joaquin Miller writes for the cur
rent number of the Arena, under the
title The Little Brown Men of Nip
pon' a paper on the Japanese particu-
larIy interesting to American readers
lie gained the experience to which he
refers during the Boxer uprising in
China. Says Mr.. Miller in part
me English merchants have named
these busy human bees the Oriental
Yankees. If shrewdness and inge-
nu1ty are meant by the term, it may
NJ, for the Jap can manufacture any
to a battle-ship, and do it in almost no
tlme, put he is not a trickster, not a
nutmeg Yankee. 1t is pointed out that
az the banks, even all the Japanese
is because the Chinaman is a natural
accountant and willing to be a clerk.
The Nippon Oriental has higher pur-
poses.
1t is to be doubted whether he is
INITIATIVE as the Yankee is initiative,
but 1T is safe to say he is the most ac-
tive creature alive.
18th, The ~ first RS; ID days ,, fghting out from
king was, after the first few hours in
supported by the British, Americans
hot July sun fell on the banks n of the he
until darkness This was their first
fighting in leather shoes and the little
gold-rimmed caps in hot country and
season, and their last. So many COL
lapsed from sunstroke that the En-
peror telegraphed: use the Ameri-
can hat
The Japanese had carried the tele-
three constructors and operators be-
Ing shot by random bullets from the
Boxers
My duties as assistant to Gen. Ben
Cross m
to the front-kept me to the firing
line all day, and later, hereing. hor-
rowing and picking. up the American
diers.
At bivouac it was found that the lit
tie ball Of cooked rice which each sol
der Carried on his back between his
and the muddy water. of the Pieho,
specked with the floating bodies Of the
dead Boxers, made hundreds i'll. Then
a s,not3s, telegram: use American
of flour tkUt came with incredible
swiftness, and the adaptive little brow
again on his feet, with his little black
head half buried in the, American hat.
No, he not an initiative Yankee,
merely adaptive And yet he has some
very or ginad Emethods:i11 the trades} of
For instance, he never hourishes his
sword in battle and he rarely points
gun His short, black gun is across
his his st nsnd ptchng the
muzzle, as he dashes forward right IN
right arm is in the air. Suddenly,
hand is to his side and his sword leaps
out, swift and sudden as snake, and
lunges upward. It is SMALL, short,
black and sharp as a serpents tooth
and has double edge. 1t is never
seen in battle-only felt
He may adopt, may even now nave
adopted the heavy, snowy sword made.
to flourish in the air, to brighten with,
blade down by his left leg with which
to kill himself for he never surren-
ders.
The Japanese soldier does not car
ry blanket in a campaign en-, He z;e car
bread now His thirst for knowledge
is insatiate. That is the japanese
gentleman. And every Japanese gen
tleman is a soldier. He is also poet'
markable students from having had
the pleasure Of their company nnl{ at my my
Co tSa pre1aent Of t 2ss U
versity: "Tell me, please, wha at are the
cardinal virtues taught here" He
zaid v Br a0tsne !oyayA nd you al
speak SPEAK Engiish?" 1--WE try to speak
English, German, French He pointed
to Several magazines of the university
printed in these various languages.
then hastily snatching up newspaper
he eagerly said: You see! Five. six
hundred newspapers! You see one
third English, one-third German. one
third French: the other half Nippon
ese!'
He was so earnest and enthusiastic
that I did not even venture to smile
a. his little Irish hull.