Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-04-03

Personality = He Is Maznfhcen
/, and Daring strateEist-The Modern
: Japanese Army Is Largely Due Z,
His Creation.
, Baron KanekO, the eminent Japanes,
statesman who came to the Unitet
States on a mission for his emperor
has long known Marquis Oyama, tn,
commander in chief of the Japanes.
army. When recently interviewed In
New York the baron spoke as follows
to a representative OF the New YorL
World about his friend and former col
league:
Marshal Oyama has been n soldier
all his life. I know him well. having
been his colleague for several years In
the cabinet He comes of fighting
stock, being OF the Sstsuma clan and
the descendant OF centuries of samu.
raj. Tradition gave him the instincts
of the soldier, and his education de.
velOped them. The japanese army Of
today is largely his creation.
Unlike most japanese. the MARQUIS
Oyama is big man. He is tall. broad
shouldered. deep chested and inclined
to stOutness. He is in his official rela.
tons a man Of few words, but In socl.
ETY. most genial and charming. fond of
wit. with a delicious sarcasm and
great fund Of humor In his home or
"a f1f I'm h.. 20, 81
center of Il group Of bright men, OH.
GERS of the army. foreign diplomats
and men Of learning. These are the
men whom he attracts and holds by
bis delightful personality.
HE is a man of tremendous fore
sight-always looking ahead and see
ing what will be necessary TO do al
most as II lie had prophetic vision He
is. think. sixty-one years old. so he
was about twenty-four in 1868, when
he took part in the war for the restora.
ton Of the emperor. After that war |
lie rose steadily Ia military rank and
Travelled great deal in foreign coun.
tries. In the years between 1880 and
1889 lie was in the cabinet large part
Of the time. While he was minister
of war with Count Katsura, the pres
ent premier, as vice minister. they be
tween them organized the Japanese
army on Il modern basis-organized II
as it is today. When the first parlia.
ment met in 1890 il was necessary to
lay before 1t the complete army
scheme in all its details IN order that
the representatives, OF the people might
know what it was TO cost. This stupep.
dous task lie and Count katsura finished
well before the time. which iliustrssvssi
what capacity for organization u.
had.
There are many great soldiers who
are splendid organizers. but not much
use as actual fighters. Marshal oya.
ma is not one of these. He is a fine.
practical fighter, as his campaigns
against China and Russia show; mag.
nificent and daring strategist and
man Of great personal bravery. He
has the valuable faculty OF gathering
about him men Of high character and
ability, Of inspiring them and getting
them 10 work together without friction
His personal stan I'm the present war
Is the best illustration OF this. Nogi.
Il uroki, NOdZu and the others were
al his personal selection, and no finer
staff could have been gathered. This
quality OF choosing his subordinates in
order that the right man may be al
ways in the right place extends down {
through the whole army Oyama {
Knows his officers aud knows how to
place them where they can do the {
most effective work. Thus. under !
lin. the army is like a perfect pyra. I
mid, with Marshal Oyama at the top, {
he generals under him. the officers
nd noncommissioned officers In their 7
everal grades. and, lastly. the base
f the common soldiers. q
"He, like every other man In the ar. q
ny, has ever before his eyes the seven l.
receipts which his majesty the EN- r
error laid down in his edict OF Jan. 4, n
So. You know, the japanese army d
as the emperor as its general In chief. =,
nj the royal family. including the EN-. n
reSs, only below him. So his edicts Y
re the army's law. In the edlct have q,
lentioned the emperor directed that q,
n the walls Of the barracks and Oh the nj
dies Of the tents, at the foot OF every IL
,ldier's cot. printed copy OF the sew a
a moral principles should be hung In n
der that the last thing the soldier a,
.es on retiring for the night and the h,
FRY first thing that grects him on n
may be these precepts. Ev- nj
Y morning after roll call the captain nj
each company, or. II may be. only te
'rpOral. reads these precepts aloud TO of
: men. He then makes the men re- I'm
te them in body and afterward calls oh
non the soldiers individually TO recite an
EN-. ca
I'm barracks the officers not only eo
III their men In the knowledge OF IN
csc preccpts. but they explain them nm
detail. Illustrating their explanations he
IN examples drawn from history.
eds OF Washington. Alexander. Gaze
r Napoleon. Grant and the other men rs
lose valOr has made them famous are
ID 10 the men In order that they NAV pm
ow the preccpts in their practical 80
plication as we'll as In theory. I'D
President Elliot of Harvard ttnfvar De