Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-23

meetings are held Adjoining this room is
one set aside for the imperial family. The
elegant furniture and magnificent oil paint-
ings Of the emperor and empress impart to
this room the aspect Of royalty. 1t was
the contents of the store rooms that aston
ished me, and that gave such vivid evil
war, the amount of hospital supplies being
something enormous. Stacks of uniforms
and black dresses and white caps for the
female nurses, lanterns. canteens, blank s..
bedding, cots, medicines, tents, wagon loads
Of dressing material field chests, filters
and trains of ambulances filled the many
capacious rooms to their ceilings. Within
day or two the Japanese Red Cross So
cfety can load a hospital ship or railroad
train and leave for the seat of war with
out causing the least anxiety or confusion
The surgeons and nurses are ready at all
times to respond to the call. and the ar
rangements Of the hospital stores are 50
systematic that they can be transported in
the shortest possible space of time. The
Red Cross surgeons and nurses. male and
female, are under military rule and do their
work in the hospitals behind the fighting
line.
The society owns and operates two hos
pital ships the Hakuai-Maru and the ko-
saf-Maru. admirably constructed for the
transportation and care of the sick and
wounded.
The Red Cross Hospital in Tokyo is the
best of the many good hospitals in that
city. 1t Is in this hospital that the Red
Cross female nurses receive their education
and training. 1t has capacity of 80
beds. and is attended by staff composed
of the very best physicians and surgeons
OF the city. The central figure of the staff
is Baron Hashimoto. one of the retired sur
geons general of the army. The nurses
receive the most practical kind of instruc-
ton by lectures and demonstrations given
by members of the staff They are made
nurses. and not half doctors, as is the case
with many of our training schools. They
serve an apprenticeship of three years. and
on passing satisfactory rigorous exams
nation receive the necessary credentials,
which entitle them to enter private prae-
tice, and in the event of war they enter
the field service under military rule. These
nurses compare we'll with the trained
nurses of our own country, and 1t seemed
to me that in many ways they are better
adapted for service in the field, as their
needs are few and their quiet, gentle be-
havior cannot fail in securing for them the
respect and confidence of the disabled SOL
der.
From the above it may be CLEANED that
the Red Cross Society of Japan is we'll pre-
ent war, and that outside help, at least for
the present, is not called for, and should
such an event arise it will become the duty
as well as the pleasure of the Red Cross
societies of other countries to bring the
needed relief The experience of the last
few days has demonstrated again the in
Late nobility and unselfishness of our p.o-
fession. I have received and placed on file
nearly 300 applications for medical serv ce
in Japan. more than half of them from
physicians These letters prove that the
commercial spirit so rampant in many To-
calities has not infected the entire profess
sion. Less than twelve of the applicants
referred to financial considerations. most
of them offered their gratutouS services,
and not lew were willing to defray theft
own expenses, certainly record of which
we have reason to feel proud.
AS this article goes TO press I receive the
following telegram from Baron Hashmoto
in reply to my request for gratuitous serv-
ice in connection with the Red Cross Soci-
ETY. of Japan:
TOKYO, December Is.
DR.. Sem. Chicago:
Regret 1 cannot accept your proposition.
HASHIMOTO.
This message only confirms what l have
said concerning the efficiency OF the Red
Cross Society of Japan, and should for the
present, at least. check further applications
for medical service in Japan.