Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-07-08
Friday, July q, 1904.
SOME WAR PHASES.

Count Toistoi's article on the Russo
Japanese war, says Tolstoi "might as
we'll denounce hurricane as the war,
which, unlike the hurricane that
devasted Moscow, is a purifying
phenomenon which is going to stimu-
late the energies of the Russian peo-
pie" The lannon's ball, after long
periods of rest, usually knocks into
cooked hat all the notions con-
ceived in the days of peace. The
present war, even though it terminate
in victory for the little brown men,
thus robed in disguise will be bles-
sing to the slav nation. The Russ
has been lulled into conceited security
by the loud praises of him sounded
by pretended students of the events
of nations. To show the error of it
all we need but recall the "wait till
you sees that came from all quarters
of the globe: Wait till you see Adj
miral Makaroff get there with his
medal-covered breast; poor fellow,
they weighted him down to Maginty's
realm. Just wait till you see the
Russian soldier eat 'em alive when
they meet the Jsps; on the Yalu the
mighty Russian gave up kuapsack,
canteen and every other delectable
in order to facilitate his fight. Wait
till you see the Cossacks go at 'em;
We didn't wait long before the Japa-
nese artillery and infantry demon
strated that the roueh-rider has no
place Except to stop shot and shelly
in rough country fighting.
We confess all this has been
shock to us-that is, the results; not
so much the why, untiring, muscular
and feline nature of the Jap, because
we have personal knowledge of his
excellence in these qualities; but that
the Russian resources and prepared
ness should go disastrously funk;
that the private soldier, whom we
had been led to believe was one of
the best soldiers on earth, as he is
one of the largest, should shrivel so
ignominiously, and that the Russ
was apparently no better behind the
guns of warship than was the little
tawny Spaniard. That reminds us
that a comparison between the war
rior of Spain and the American
soldier or seaman was that of pigmy
and giant; and here in the present
war it is the same, except that the
fortunes are reversed, and favor the
little man. Just look at a field
photograph of the Japanese detach-
ment and its Russian prisoners. The
conquering Jap can almost in every
instance walk under the arm pits of
his captive. Such picture, true to
life seems almost burlesque.
And now as to the "baby act"
From the very beginning the Russian
has been whining over some alleged
cruelty or unfairness in his plucky
foe. The last complaint will proba-
bly, fall upon deaf ears throughout
civilization, not because we are cal
ions but because the " orld doesn't
like ''cry baby" for one reason,
and another is that the complaints
of Russia have little or no founda-
ton. The world is not ready to ac-
cept the statement that the Japanese
are maltreating the dead and wound
ed. The complaint, coming as it
does from a nation that has been
known more for its cruelty than for
any other particular trait-Poland,
Finland and Siberia, not to mention
the broad persecution of the sons of
Shem rising up in testimony-the |
charge must fall to the ground. The
seige of Pekin showed the semi bar
barism of the Russian and some
other Europeans-and maybe Ameri-
cans were not exculpated-while the
japanese, that nation of only fifty
years breeding, stood resolutely
against all rapine and looting. The |
Russian wounded and prisoners are
loud in their praises of good treat
ment at the hands of the Japs. and |
this alone should refute the charge
that they mutilate the wounded on
the feld of battle in order to have as
few prisoners on their hands as pos
sible. Gen. Oku just now denies
vigorously the charge, and says that
the facts show it to be Russia that
is cruel to the Japanese prisoners
and wounded and not the reverse.
And until there is better evidence
than Russian whining the world
will be inclined to think as Oku saws.
One cannot at all be prepossessed