The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-13
JAPS ARE AS BARBAROUS
At HEART AS COSSACKS
Contest Between Force and FinesSe
and Each a Master in His
Own Line.
FIGHT MAY LAST YEARS
Pittsburg Dispatch.

served five years in the United States
army as assistant surgeon with the rank
Of captain, has recently returned home,
after spending some time in Japan. From
the Kingdom OF the Rising Sun he brought
home a fine collection of japanese bronze
work, embroidery. table linen and similar
articles as well as a large number OF photo
graphs.
The exaggerated admiration professed
in some quarters for the japanese meets
with but little sympathy from DR.. Eicher.
He admits that they are a restless, ener-
getic and in some respects progressive
people. Nevertheless, he regards them as
shallow, mercurial and lacking in depth
and solidity OF character. They have
been appropriately named the Frenchmen
of the Orient, possessing all the faults
and perhaps most OF the virtues of the
French character, but with the faults
and foibles magnified<and distorted in a
manner that makes the Jap at home
an incomprehensible enigma 10 the ana
| lytic Western mind.
DIR. Eicher's observations of the Jap
anese at home have given him ideas con-
corning the people curiously at variance
with those now generally current. The
books of Pierre Lott, Madam Chrys-
| perhaps the best idea OF the people, their
manners and mannerisms, their customs,
| their faults and their vices, that cannot
well be obtained In any other way than
by visiting the country-with the neces-
| sary allowance, of course, for the lib
critics usually taken by writers of fic-
| ately lauded ever since the war with China
| that it is both novel and refreshing to
hear the opposite side of the question from
one who has had ample opportunities OF
| knowing whereof he speaks.
| CONTEST OF FORCE AND FINESSE.
1t must be remembered that in Russia
Japan will face very different foe from
| the one encountered in China. The Rus
| sian empire is the very personification and
| embodiment of brute force-of the huge.
| massive and purely physical. In Japan,
| on the other hand. we see nothing but
| the exaltation of the little. The trivial,
the. infnitesimal, there finds an exaggerated
| Importance. The people themselves are
| little, as also are their thoughts, occu-
| pations and aspirations; their houses of
| bamboo and paper are but toy houses;
their ludicrous ceremonialism and ineXpres-
slDle anxiety about the nlcetieS or etiquette
belong to a minute stage depicting the
ways Of the liliputians. A war between
two such powers is utterly unthinkable.
| Ii might be thought that Russia should
be able to crush her little foe by sheer
weight. But before doing SO it will be nee
| essary to catch her. and the nation of dijins
is feetfooted One cannot help thinking
of the trial of skill and prowess between
Richard Occur de Lion and Saladin. The
former, by the sheer might OF physical
| strength, Glove in twain bar Of iron with
his huge sword which Saladin could hardly
have lifted. The latter, by his superior
dexterity, cut in two by an almost imper-
ceptible motion q pillow of down, on which
the sword of Richard had no effect, be-
cause it offered no resistance. Each was
master in his own way, but there was
nothing in common between them, that
comparison was out Of the question. 1t
will be remembered that the net result Of
two years OF almost daily fighting between
| the Crusaders, led by Richard and the
| Mussulman hosts of Saladin was-nothing.
The. contest between force and fnesse was
with no decided advantage on either side.
1t is by no means improbable that if war
between Russia and Japan results from
the present misunderstanding it will have
a similar disappointing and inconclusive
ending.
OF course, the Japanese have proved
themselves to be good fighters. Their past
history is redolent of blood. But they have,
for the most part, faced enemies trained
in the same school as themselves, and their
great victories have all been won against
| peoples of the same race-Chinese, Koreans,
or the Tartar hordes of Genghis Khan.
When they run counter 10 the huge bulk
| of the Russian bear il will be quite a diff
ferent proposition from any they have yet
| faced.
Japan is often compared with England.
Both are Island Empires of about the
same size and approximately the same
population. Like England, Japan used TO
have continental aspirations, which in
led TO the greatest humiliation she has
ever experienced. England's history in
France has in many respects been closely
| paralleled by Japan in Korea. The Calais
of Japan IS Fusun, held by the Japanese
for centuries, notwithstanding the opposi-
ton ton, of both Korea and China: In the
invaded Korea, and, according to some ac-
counts, effected the complete conquest OF
the country. for the time being, at least
Many subsequent campaigns were under
| taken, with unsatisfactory results; and In
| 1891 Hideyoshi dispatched an army of 1e0 00(
| veterans under command OF his generals
Konishi and Kato. Naturally, they started
| from Fusan, their one stronghold in the
| country; and in three weeks they were
in Seoul, the capital city. AS illustrating
their amiable methods Of waging war, il
, | is said that after defeating the allied armies
of China and Korea, near Seoul, and cap
turing the castle Of Nangan, they cut of
| the heads of 3.726 of their enemies and made
them into trophy. At heart the Japan
csc are just as barbarous now as they were
three centuries ago, and the Russians are
! in no way their betteFs, so that the world
may be shocked by the report of atrocities
such as even the unspeakable Turk would
not dare perpetrate The final pivot of tbs
war was the castle of Urusan, north OF
Fusan Here the japanese army was be
sieged for full year. and the soldiers were
! | reduced to such extremities that they sub
sisted on human flesh.
AUTOCRACY OF THE sHOGUNs.
Reinforcements finally arrived, the seg'
, was raised, and Korea was reduced to tn,
condition of a tributary state. An i'm
. mense amount Of money was taken from
the Koreans at the end of the war. Many
of the coins so captured were melted dowT
for the building of the Shiba, or Tomb o
{ the Shoguns. The top is Of bronze an,
) the plates in front Of bronze and gold. Per
haps this memorial of the past vassalag,
of Korea has much to do with the peril
} nacity with which the modern Japs elm
to the idea OF making another and fina
conquest OF the Hermit Kingdom. Tn
4 Shotgun was the real ruler OF japan unde
the revolution OF 1868 Theoretically n
e was simply the chief yassal Of the Mikado
g but nesr the end OF the twelfth centUr,
! | the Shotgun become so powerful that n
D RELOCATED the Mikado 10 the gods" max
5 ing him a virtual prisoner In his palac
| or temple in Kioto, where he was suppose
I | to address tervent prayers TO the Kan
e | and the ancestral shades from mornin
Y | until night" He was a complete slave L
Y | etiquette, and allowed neither TO ex
r pose his sacred person TO the open air
Y TO tread the ground. nor TO allow the SUI
= | TO shine his head He was, therefore
: but a stultified figurehead, and every func
{ ton of the executive authority was usurpe
d | by the Shotgun. IL is not strange tina
{ | these autocrats provided for themselve
h | tombs more costly, durable and imposing
n than those provided for the nominal hea
5 | of the empire.
s The conquest of Korea three centurie
e ago was shortlived, and the wars for IN
: | same purpose that have been waged sine