Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-27
BRITISH VIEW OF WAR
Comment Over Correspond
ents' Withdrawal From Field.
THE CHINESE IN JAPAN
MOVEMENT TO REFORM HoSPI-
TAI METHODS IN LONDON.
Undeserving People Patrons Of Institu-
tons Supported by Public Subscrip-
tions-The Theatrical Outlook.
THE CHINESE IN JAPAN
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

LONDON. September IA, 1904.
Al the Japanese legation in London the
action of Mr.. Bennett Burleigh, the most
famous of British war correspondents, in
Withdrawing from the Japanese army in
resentment of the treatment accorded to
the correspondents is accepted with
the polite impassivity which seems to dis
tinguish England's Acknowledged allies ev-
erywhere and at all times, except in face
of an enemy on the field. The members of
the legation staff regret the incident of
course. 1t mildly distresses them to think
that the interests of the authorities did not
coincide with those of the correspondents
bland phrase, that! Mr.. Bennett Burieigh
must surely be mistaken in assuming the
existence of anti-foreign feeling among the
high officers of the Japanese army-the Jap
anese legation would not for a moment like
to think such thing possible And so on.
That is the way all along the line with
the official japanese. They meet you with
an unconquerable politeneSS, but you get
no further. During the last few months l
have come in contact with several people
who have been brought into touch with ed
ucated Japanese travelling in Europe and
America on various government missions,
and all accounts are the same.
The Japanese ire like sponges to suck up
all the information that is to be obtained
about western methods and affairs, but they
will give nothing back.
Not only do they betray no secrets, but
they evade entirely simple and artless ques-
tons If this policy of reserve Is practiced
with such exactness by the scattered scouts
of the mikado so many thousands of miles
away from home one can enter into the
feelings of Mr.. Bennett Burleigh and those
Journalistic colleagues of his who have had
to endure its concentrated application al
the seat of hostilities. The war correspond
ents must have had very bad time.
Mr.. Bennett Burleigh has seen too much
of life under varied and dramatic conditions
to be unduly impressionable, and therefore
his suggestion that it will be for the good
of the world that Russia and Japan should
both come exhausted out of the present
conflict is all the more worthy of notice.
1t comedies with the opinion of a great
many people at home whose opinion is
worth listening to. Months ago 1 heard
politician of authority and eminence de-
clare In the lobby of the house of COM
mons that it would be calamity for either
of the combatants to emerge from the
struggle decided victor.
Mr.. Bennett Burleigh now gives express
sion to this view in terms which appear to
suggest that the more intimate his knowl
edge of the japanese has grown, the great
er in his misgiving as to the results of
japanese supremacy in the far east. His
point about the anti-foreign feeling of the
commanders, the impression obviously made
upon him by the marvellous preparedness
of the mikados army and. navy for the
lantry of the rank and file-all this seems
to have given him decidedly uncanny feel
ing. and he has taken advantage of his
withdrawal from official surveillance to drop
us hint of it,
In the war between Japan and China cor
respondents were treated quite differently
in fact, on European lines. One way of ac-
counting for the change that has taken
place is as follows: During the campaign
against China it was the intention of Japan
TO land troops at Shanhai Kwan, and to
make dash for Peking itself. Owing to
the correspondents the news of this inten-
ton got abroad, and the whole of the jap
anese plans had to be altered The Japa-
nese authorities accordingly resolved that
nothing of the kind should be allowed to
leak out during the present campaign.
Hence, according to this explanation, the
parlouS state of the war correspondents
who are not allowed to mention the num-
Ignorance as to the exact numerical compo-
sition of a Japanese division.
Educating Chinese in Japan.
The position which Japan has now OBJ
tanned in the eyes of the Chinese man
darins is seen in the increasing flow of
Chinese students to the island kingdom for
the purpose of education. A recent state
ment says that about 1890 Chinese who
propose to enter the service of their own
government are finishing their education
In Japan. Every province of the celestial
empire is represented among these students
Latterly the Peking authorities have given
iresh encouragement to the system, and
the Vlceroy Yuan of Chill is just now send
ing forty more men to Japan One-half of
them are to enter the higher colleges the
others to take up special studies, The
students have been prepared at the mid
die" schools of the province of Chill, and
the various towns to which they belong
have TO provide expenses for the sojourn
IN Japan at the rate of $500 per head per
n mn tl,t
iii the hands of the magistracy are to be
drawn upon for the purpose, and it is not
only the candidates for civil office that have
these opportunities of improvement set be-
fore them, but in less measure only-the
military.
Few officers of the Chinese imperial
forces have had a modern military educa-
ton, and the army reorganization depart
ment in the capital of the empire has
recently forwarded instructions to all the
viceroys and governors of provinces to send
a certain number of young officers to study
in the military academies of Japan. The
great mandarins who rule in the south
east, and who know what advantages there
are in this practice to China, have prompt
ly selected each ten men to go to Tokyo,
and If each province acts in the same way
some $50 subalterns will shortly be enjoying
the hospitality and tuition which Japan is
so willing and so able to give. 1t is pretty
clear, therefore, that the present hostilities
have not lessened the reputation of the
Japanese as professors of the art of war
and that the Chinese have not been slow
to decide where they can get the very
best return for their money 1t seems
likely. indeed, that the European schools
will be less favored by the Chinese in the
future, and that some of the yellow races
may, in part at any rate, work out their
salvation under the hegemony of Japan.
Agitation for Hospital Reform.
An agitation for hospital reform is pro-
ceeding in London with the object of pre-
venting hospitals supported by public SUBJ
scriptions for the benefit of the necess-
tous poor being taken advantage of by per-
sons who are in position to pay for medi-
cal advice and treatment. This abuse not
only has serious effect the income of
practitioners. but leads to public money
being expended upon undeserving cases to
the detriment of fitting recipients of chart
table aid.
A well-known hospital surgeon, discussing
the matter yesterday, said: THE abuse UNI
doubtedly exists to very great extent
People who may be described as well-to-do
frequently dress themselves in their shah
best clothes in order to lend color to their
plea of poverty. Others / have known who
could keep cabs waiting for hours outside
the infirmary, and yet were able to get
the services of a medical man and a supply
of drugs for nothing. I have also known
Ill ,ffo