The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-11

him il he had any message to send TO his
home, this was his reply:
Nothing in particular. Tell them that
| am we'll and happy, and that they must
not distract my mind by sending letters
from home while am away"
Then this man of seeming contradic-
tions pointed to a swarthy officer who
was busily drilling his men on the deck,
and told Arimura that he was Prince
Higashi Fushimi.
He wanted no letters from home and
he had parted from wife and sons to
embark upon an errand that carried the
menace of sudden death in every breath
of the ocean breezel
One might think this the evidence of a
callous soul devoid of emotion or affec-
ton, were ii not that this same Togo
loves flowers and was moved TO tears by
! the singing of a patriotic song. 1t was
, not lack of domestic devotion. 1t was
| only the natural outcropping OF that
| Sumarai trait which holds duty to coun-
try paramount to every other obligation.
| The man intrusted with a nations fate
In its hour of awful travail merely sought
| to put behind him all those gentler men,
! cries which might unman him for the
| grim task ahead The Japanese who
! goes to war invariably goes prepared for
! immolation on his country's altar and
it is part of his cult that in going he
display no unseemly emotion.
No Letters From Home.
During all his thrashing sea campaigns
| Admiral Togo has received no letters
from home and he has written none. His
wife and family are living quietly, pre-
pared always for the worst, but ever
| hoping for the best After the fall of
| Port Arthur and while the war-worn
| ships We're refitting at Sasebo for their
new death grapple with Rotestvensky
the Japanese admiral fled from the plaud-
| its of a grateful Emperor and populace
and rejoined his dear ones for a time
| When duty called again the second part
| ing was like the first
His family have dismissed all their
| household servants and do the drudgery
of housekeeping themselves. This is, of
| course, not because of poverty, but Bu-
shido" or the so-called Soul of Japan"
! teaches that while dear ones are endur-
| ing uncommon stress or hardship lux
ury and ease are unseemly to those who
stay at home. In exemplifcation of this
doctrine the Emperor himself last winter
is said to have denied himself fire dur
! ing much of the time that his devoted
troops were facing the icy blasts of
: Manchuria.
On his bicycle the admrals eldest son
rides down daily to the naval depart
ment. There he gets the latest news of
| his fathers exploits and there is great
| rejoicing at home, with no curious serv-
ant eyes TO witness 1t, when the wires
have brought good tidings of success
| full attack or the destruction of one more
| Russian ship.
1t is well known that under the Suma-
raj code voluntary death is the penalty
of disgrace or failure The famous hari-
kari knife or short sword Is alike the
,..1 frsfff araraf
| Should the Emperor or one high In au-
thority send to an unfortunate that well
| known token the victims duty is plain
| and he does not shirk It, Togo, before his
/ fleet sailed from Sasebo to attack Port
| Arthur left no room for doubt in the
minds of his officers as to their destiny
1t is story weirdly strange to western
! and Christian ears, but one characteristic
] of the man and of his country and its
| oriental traditions
| The taciturn admiral seemed to have
relaxed his stern devotion to discipline
when he said to his officers. Bring your
| wives and children and We Will be merry
F.! for day before we leave port" The
wives and children came. There was a
| happy leavetak king.
| Night had come. The last merrymakers
had gone. On the great black ships of
the fleet there was naught now but grim
discipline as they waited the word to
slip the leash and be off to strike their
steel fangs into Russias throat. The
admirals orders to all his captains and
leading officers were that they report to
him about the flagship singly and in the
order of seniority. One by one they en-
tered his silent cabin and he spoke no
| word OF greeting. but only bowed his
| head In grave recognition. In full uni
FORM his sword girt on. he sat solemnly
upright and resting on cushion that
| lay before him was the keen bladed
| hari-kari knife of the Sumarai.
| As each officer entered and saluted the
chief acknowledged his salute. He spoke
| no word. None was needed. with
grave gesture toward the cleaning blade
the admiral motioned his guest away and
oade the next approach.
II was midnight before this grim pan
| tomime was ended in the half light OF the
admirals cabin on the Mikasa. And
when Japan's navy sailed away to meet
the enemy every officer aboard knew that
ne carried the Emperor's commission
either for victory or for death.
| The Gawk Engraving Co. makes the