The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1904-05-12
Japan's supberb Fighting Men.

testimony that Russia has upon
her hands one of the greatest wars
of her history, and now that the
land operations have commenced
in earnest events are proving that
the armies Of no nation with
which she has measured glory in
the past were one whit superior to
the little brown soldiers who are
hammering her forces in the East.
The world at large has become
50 accustomed to grouping the so.
called yellow race into one vast
cowardly mass, that the japanese
have always been underestimated
as fighting people. OF course,
we'll informed people know and
appreciate the generic distinc-
tions existing between the Chinese
and Japanese. They are ac-
quuInted with the romantic his
tory of the samurai Of feudal
times who oqualed in proves and
chlvalry the best fighting tradi-
tions of the knighthood Of the
middle ages.
But nothing in the history Of
ancient Japan or ancient Europe
can excel the splendid fighting
capacity of these little descend
ants Of the samurai. Nothing in
the modern history of the armies
of western people illustrates
loftier courage, intenscr patrlO-
ism or greater determination than
the Japanese have exhibited from
the outbreak of the war until the
present time. Laying side
Oriental fighting methods but II
short time ago, the Japanese show
us that with western arms and
munitions, western strategy and
WESTERN methods they can cope
successfully with the greatest
land power of the world 1t is
the same on land rs on sea.
1t is idle to say they are merely
mimics of the western nations.
They are more than that. There
IS no mimicry about the stern
skill and strategy of old Togo
who within three months has
practically wiped from tine eastern
seas naval force as great as
Japan's, while at the same time
conveying to Korea the greatest
fighting army ever assembled on
Asiatic shores. There was no
mimicry about General kuroki
who threw his army across the
Naiu in the face Of the most
obstinate resistance and planted
the banner of the Rising sun in
Manchurla. There was no MIN
icry about the charge Of the
| Twelfth division across stream
breast-d"ep up to the slopes at
Chen Ten Cheng, which resulted
in the capture of nearly all the
Russian artillery that was il
action during the engagement.
On the contrary. it all remind:
us of Jackson. Forest, Hill anC
that band of lmmortaIs who
brought renowu to american arm!
forty years ago, and the brown
line moving up the heights in The
face of raking fire recaIIr
Pickett's men. II is demon
strated that the Japanese have
not only the Intelligence. tn,
: discipline, the initiative and Thu
generalship which we look for il
the western armies, but they have
: the fighting spirit as we'll, The,
have already enrichened thei
history with examples of heroisn
! which are unsurpassed, and N
doubt before the war is over the,
will add lavishly to an alread,
splendid array of achievements
A nation which furnishes mel
! like those of the kinshiu Maru
! who refused to surrender, hu
lined themselves on the deck o
! their sinking craft to fire II part
J ing volley at the enemy, will b
: sure to furnish material for grea
epics.
As the war progresses, tn
world better appreciates the q
gantic task which lies befor
Russia, Russia bureaucrats ma
we'll defer their boasts us to tn
exactions they will make of tn
Japanese when the end of hostili
ties comes.
A Sure Thing.
1t is said that nothing is sur
IpXrrnt dpnth and TAXES. but tha