The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20

the children who are eager to play the
war game. Yesterday, about II O'clock
IN the grounds OF the Tamahime Inar
Temple OF Asakusa, the children gathered
and had Russo-Japanese fight The chill
! dren of Tamahlme street acted as Rus
! sian soldiers and the boys OF Sanya street
as japanese. They yelled and made a
great noise. The Russians retreated into
the rear grounds. but the japanese fol-
lowed them in good order and two boys
| shot two Russians in the head with air
rifles and gave them serious injuries. The
boys were taken to the police court and
later given to their parents
They yelled and made a great noise"
| Surely the nation is aroused when the
| children shoot at play, for the Jap
| youngster is generally as quiet as a mouse
when he romps. And the paper guns, the
| Joy of the Jap boy for hundreds of years,
no longer find favor in his eyes. He
must have an American air rifle and it
| is with this Yankee invention that the
war game is being waged all over the
capital, despite the vigilance of the police,
who have received orders to keep the
boys from seriously iniuring one another
| in their exuberance Of patriotism.
Another thing that has helped along
mentions is the mobilizing of soldiery here
Soldiers are being collected by the thou
sands at Yatsuya and Akasaka-barracks
around the palace. SO many little alert
uniformed men and reserves and recruits
without uniforms have come into the
city these last few days that the barracks
cannot hold. them all. and they are bill
leted in private houses
Right here whore moro confusion
comes in. Many Of the citizens are not
content to let the Government pass them
by and name others to be hosts to the
soldiers. They actually demand that they
be ordered to throw open their own
houses to the soldiers. and officials. big
and little, are pestered continually to bill
let soldiers under roofs that viii be dis
graced forever unless their owners re-
quests are complied with. Where an Oc-
cidental would, to say the least, no solicit
burden, many Jap in Tokyo actually
feels downcast in the fact of victory be-
cause he is not burdened with corporal's
guard, at the smallest calculation. of his
a0untrys defenders. Even the poorest
are indignatly refusing to take compensa-
ton from the Government and putting
such money in the war found when they
are made to take it.
The soldiers are behaving splendidly,
and have a full realization of the task
upon which they have entered. private
recently arrived from an interior post
said to the family on which he was bill
leted. This is not like the war with
China" Unlike most soldiers entering
upon a war. the Japanese do not despise
the prowess of the Russians They pret-
ty naturallyS90r1sS sSHRriIthsd 123456 .6
ty generally realize that they will have
able antagonists. AT the same time they
are not perturbed in the slightest by the
thought Even the recruit feels that
eventually Japan will win-he does not
dream that it can be otherwise Where
ever you see soldier there you will find
a fighting optimist, and man who is
more than ready to lay down his life for
his country
Eve must die once some time" said a
soldier TO a friend who bade him goodby
as he was about to start for the front on
troop train the other day, $50 il is bet
ter to die for the country" And he
added: Il have chance to do my best
for my country now. If l die in my bed,
can not leave fame behind for the con-
ISOLATION of my mother. 1t is better to
die on the battlefield than in bed What
fear have | of the Russian soldiers? No
don't want to drink until the war ends
shall be glad to die on the battlefield
and whe1 l am killed. please drink my
healh then
Another soldier got leave for n day. 81
am going back TO bid farewell to my moth
er." he told his comrades. "On the 5th
of January she came to Tokyo and / bade
her goodbye then, but she is very hard
l.
said then:
OF you are ordered TO the battlefield
do not come home. l will not forgive you
if you do, for since you became a soldier
there is no relation Of mother and child
between US. The Emperor is the father
of the country. so you must obey him
and be patriotic and do your best and
die for him.
'''Do not regard your life, and you
need not come home. Your sister is at
home the two of us can get along com
fortaby. This is my last day with you
I-goodby.'
But I have a day off today, and I am
going back to see her for the last time.
know | will receive rebuke. but also
there is my sister. l must see my mother
just before / go to battle, because she
is very weak and advanced in age. Then
l will have nothing to take leave of in
the old country, and 1 will not come
back, as she commands"
"Do not come home" ''It is better to
die in battle than in bed" Soldiers sent
forth with such command falling from
their mothers lips and inspired with such
a sentiment, cannot do other than give
good account of themselves when the
armies clash.
The arrival on the 18th of the Nisshin
and the Kasuga at the port of Yokosuka-
about twenty-six miles from here-has
served TO prolong the celebration All ia
nan had heen eagerly waiting for the
news Of the arrival of the two warships,
and when word reached Tokyo and Yo-
kobama that they had been sighted, thou
sands Of people many foreigners among
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