The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-03-07
.SOLDIERY OF JAPAN
Rapidly and Efficiency of the
Mikado's Army.
FRANCE AND GERMANY ITS TUTORS


a Speed of Downright Eagerness.
Their Battery Drill Amazingly
Quick.
Tradition is stronger than fact. De-
spite the lessons of the struggle with
China and the yet more recent lessons
of the Boxer uprising, some of us are
still thinking of Japan at arms as
fit subject for comic opera. Japan
evolved too suddenly. We cannot get
the picture of the dazzling feudal war
rior out of our minds. 1t is scarcely
more than thirty years since II disap-
peared-that '.iridescest VIZ beetle,
with his awful war ls, bis lacquer
armor his anciC... .4.C4lder cs.aC9 his
gorgeous dragon embroidery
his fan! And already we are asked to
believe in an eminently modern, occi-
dental, natty and thoroughly practical
standing army of Japan-an army
which might march through any town
of continental Europe without being
remarked as foreign.
1t was a long step from heredf-
tary class of gentlemen fighters to
modern army organization, says the
Boston Transcript. However, when
in 1868, the Flowery Kingdom set out
to make itself over it did not stick at
trifIes. Away went the daimios, the
feudal lords and with them their sol
der retainers. No longer should it be
said that in Japan to be gentleman
one must fight and to fight one must
be a gentleman Universal conscrip-
ton set the rickshawman instantly up
on a level with the naughty samurai
and the shopkeeper upon level with
both. What Europe did i'll century or
/ two Japan did at one neat skip.
Wanting military system, Japan
/ did not wait to develop it, but quietly
| took possession of the military system
! of France. Later on she went to
| school to Germany, and the resultant
/ army is part German and part French.
/ The mixed origin is rejected IN the
! army garb The emperor's bodyguard
/ serves in the full uniform of the
/ French lancers, and the emperor him
/ self wears the scarlet KEPT and trou-
sers of a French officer. But all other
arms of the service go clad like the
/ Germans in dark blue, with distin-
4 gushing bands of red or black or yell
j low on their fat German forage caps
i The Japanese drill is Germans; the
gymnastics are German; the discipline
is German
Yet it is far from commonplace. Aft
er all, a system is not an army. There
is the common soldier to be accounted
for. Drill him. dress him, discipline
him how you will, he remains Jap
anese under his skin, and like Jap
anese only he fights. Mobility one
would expect of him, and that he has
it was proved in the war with China.
As the Japs march, so they fight.
Says George Lynch, who watched them
with the allies in China: ''It is simply
wonderful how quickly they move.
They seem to do everything at the dou-
ble'' 1t is the speed not of nervous
ness, but of downright eagerness.
They fight for fighting sake. When
they charge they break into a brisk.
impatient trot. chanting in step time,
.Itchi-nih. itchi-nih Conceive, one
two'0 to balance them for the final
run, which they deliver, shouting, with
a great. glad alacrity. Never We're
such hilarious fighters Says Lynch,
"My goodness, how they did enjoy itn
All this is true of the foot soldiers
For the Japanese cavalry not so much
can be said The Jap is not built fol-
craftsmanship; like the Scotchman who
could not get into the highlanders. The
hasna the legs His riding is bad
Captain Younghusband says that the
pony is usually master of the situation
The horses are small, vicious and slow
In shock tactics they would be practi
cally useless. Considered as mounted
infantry it is all very well, but as cav
alry-well, frankly, it is contemplate.
Not so the artillery, or at least tina
J part of it which depends upon the men
Like their maneuvers afoot, their bat
terry drill is amazingly quick. Norman
describes them in action: 1.-TWO bat
teries came up at galIop with perfec
steadiness, wheeled, halted, unlimber
, ed, came into action 'front.' loaded ant
fired with smartness and coolnes
and rapidity that could hardly hav
been excelled.'
A good soldier is twice as VALUABLE
p, if he has good care, and this, among
l other things military, the Japanes
, have learned. Everything which goe
, to make for the efficiency of the troop
3 is scrupulously attended to. The "a
4 tons are of the simplest-rice, drie'
v fish, soy and sometimes meat-but the
: are always ample and always the bes
/ of their kind. The medical corps coul
give points to Europe. japanese camp
are singularly free from contagious dis
ease and the army physicians hav
: done valuable pioneer work in bacter
4 ology. AS for the hospitals. no one ca
: say enough in their praise.
9 AS for administrative detail, Japa
/ manages that with the nicely of clocl
Y work The transport is unbelievabl