Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-12-07
HE JAPANESE OUTFIT.
Features of Uniforms Designed For the Soldiers.
GOLD PROOF WINTER ovERooAT.

Blade of Thick WOOIen Cloth, With
 Large Fur Collar, It Is Devised to
 Insure Warmth In Most Severe CIi-
 mate-ATosquitO Net Helmet a COm-
 fort In Summer-Lamb's Wool Toe
 Caps to Prevent Prostitutes. -...
 Miss McCaul, who saw much of the British soldier on service in South Af- rica and of the working of the medical department of the British army, was recently commissioned by her majesty the queen of England to go to Japan to inquire into the working of the Jap anese Red Cross society. She brought back with her the complete outfit of soldier of the Japanese Imperial guard, which was presented to her by General Teranchi, the minister of war; together with samples of the food supplied to the soldier on active service, says the British Medical Journal.
 The entire outfit comprises both winter and summer uniforms and un- derclothing, overcoats, putties and boots, gloves and hoods, knapsack, haversack, water. bottle, mess tin and canteen, a grass woven case to con tain the ration of rice, blanket, porta- blej tent, mosquito net for the head, housewife, bandage wrapper and iden- tifcation label. There is even a tin box containing creosote pills, which each soldier must carry and is expected to take as prophylactic against dys- entery. One notable feature of all the clothing is that it is apparently made of the best material The material for the winter clothing appears to be all wool and in color and warmth reminds one of the brownish Jaeger clothing.
 In the neat blue parade uniform, jacket or tunic, plain flat brass buttons are used, but in the working kit but tons are done away with as far as pos sible, fastenings being in nearly all instances carried out by means of flat hooks and eyes. The summer jacket and trousers are of khaki drill. The jacket is perfectly plain, and there are no buttons on any of the garments. A strip of white linen is issued to wind round the neck as a collar inside the tunic. The forage cap which goes with this uniform is a marvel of lightness. It has a detachable linen cover to be used in summer, from which hangs a linen screen to protect the neck This screen, being made in three parts-a center and two sides-aIlows the air to pass freely. For all uniforms the trousers are made like riding brooches in that they end above the ankle, where they are made to fit tight to the limb, being fastened by tapes instead of buttons. Putties or gaiters must, of course, be worn with these. The or dtnary greatcoat is of thick Woolen cloth with bone buttons. It has a hood which can be drawn over the head. c A comparatively small detail in the cut of this, as also of the winter greatcoat, shows how carefully health and comfort and therefore individual efficiency have been considered. The free edges of the front, instead of be- ing cut straight, slope outward below the waist, making the skirt of the coat lap over more completely below. It is thus prevented from gaping in walk ing, and the legs and knees are protect ed from rain. The front of the skirt can be buttoned back to allow free movement Of the lower limbs for marching in dry weather.
 A mosquito net ''helmet'' or head GOV ering, in addition to it's value as pre- ventive of malaria, is a great comfort in summer, when there are many flies. That issued to the Japanese soldier is made of green netting stretched on two circles of cane so as to make long drum with one end knocked out, into which the head is passed. The two rings of cane are kept apart by wire spring, which allows the drum to be f1attened and buttoned down for car riage.
 The winter tunic and trousers are made plain, like the khaki suit, but are of good woolen cloth. . s-
 The "cold proof'' winter overcoat merits some description, for it seems to be devised to insure warmth in the most severe climate. Made of thick woolen cloth, it has a large collar cov- cred with fur, which is of course in- side when the collar is raised. From the middle of the edge of this collar cotton cap or hood can be pulled out so as to cover the head, and over this can be worn the ample detached wool en ''cold proof" hood. Hanging by cords from the neck are large gloves or mittens-one division for all the fingers and one for the thumb; they can thus be thrown off when the hand is re- quired for firing or any otLer purpose without being lost. A sheepskin waist coat with the wool outside is also is- sued for severe weather. It fastens at one side.
 The underclothing is of similar good material to that of the outer garments, a cotton shirt and drawers for summer and a thick knitted wooden jersey or sweater and pants for winter. The ribbed wooIen stockings are made without heels, and warm toe caps are issued in the coldest weather to wear over the stockings to prevent frostbite. These toe caps are made of lambs wool material like very thick lint, the soft surface being inside. A roll of