The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-06-14
THE SILENT ADMIRAL.
SideIights on the Life of the Famous
Japanese.

The following is an extract taken
from letter by Adachi Kinnosuke, "a
Japanese), in the New York Times:
GAS he grew even as his mother had
promised to the gods-he placed his life
at the service of his country. And in
the course of time he found himself a
student in the Heigahuryo, that rough
hewn pioneer of the military education
in Nippon fashioned after the far West
ern methods.
AS Nippon fell more and more a vic
tim of the hynotism of the Western
civilization the Government decided to
| send certain number of the country 8
youth to number of European and
| American military academies, that they
might learn the new and strange and
powerful art of war in the land of it's
birth. Togo Heihachiro was one of the
| students selected. AS the happy smile
of fortune would have it, he was sent
to England On the training ship Wor-
cester upon the historic Thames he evil
IDENTIFY did what he could to uphold the
majesty of the Land of the Gods both
in scholarship and in the attainment of
naval warfare. His showings were
common enough. He went his quiet
way, and you would have said, seeing
him, that the chief duty of life with
the young man was to efface himself as
much as he might from the limelight of
| notoriety.
"Quietly he came home to Nippon af-
ter his schooling abroad, and quiently
he went about his work of the building
of the navy of the empire. Nothing
was too humble for him, and certainly
in the variety of work which he was
called to perform in the forming of the
navy of the Nippon of to-day, from
translating technical terms to teaching
the men how to scrub the decks there
was wide range. Steadily he rose in
spite of his quiet ways, for a light cam
not always remain hid under bushel,
however modest the candle, when the
world happens to be in sore need of it.
Then came the autumn of 1894. He was
the commander of the Naniwa, and you
have heard the tales without number Of
the leader of the Flying Squadron of
Nippon, which led Admiral Ito's ships
into every action through the Chinese
Nippon war.
The year 1903 was dying and trying
to forget itself over the birth of new
year Shadows were thick in the skies
of the far East; in the hearts Of the
people of Nippon there was no peace.
Admiral Togo was at the head of the
| he was i'll in bed. To his bedside came
| a message from Toxic, from his old
| schoolmate and friend, Admiral Baron
Yamamotto, the minister of the navy.
The telegram called him to Toxic
Raising his head from his pillow, he
called for his uniform and ordered the
preparation for flying trip to Toxic.
"But you are not well enough to un-
dertake the Journey" said his wife.
81 shall be all right the minute my
feet will be upon the bridge, at any
| rate, was the answer.
AT Toxic the minister of the navy
| took Admiral Togo into his private
| room, and for two solid hours spoke to
| Togo. None question that the minister
made the most eloquent speech of his
life to his lone audience. "His Majesty s
ships are waiting for you at Sasebo, +"
| concluded the minister.
| The sole auditor of the historic speech
rose in silence, bowed to this messen-
ger of his master the Emperor and said
in reply:
| 81 shall execute your orders"
| Nothing more
At Sasebo aboard his flag ship, the
| Mikasa, the day before the united
| squadrons sailed for the battlefield,
when he announced to his officers and
men the opening of the war he spoke a
very little more:
| "The squadron will sail to-day. |
have the honor to announce to you,
gentlemen, that the enemy of our coun-
try flies the Russian flag"
| In front of the Admiral and in front
of the officers gathered together that
morning aboard the flag ship was a
white paullowina wood tray, called
sambo. Upon it was an ancient dag
ger. 1t was the traditional three
half inch with which the Samurai of
old claimed the right of apologizing for
failure in accomplishing a duty, with
which he was wont to commit rite of
the happuku. And Admiral Togo's eyes
dwelt in silence upon the sacred sym
Dol of Nippon Samurai; they dwelt long
and fixedly upon it; they spoke all he
wished to say to his men, and in man
ner, too, that passes all the cunning OF
the human tongue.
In the summer of last year certain
number of men to whom fortune was
| partial correspondents, military at
taches and visitors Of distinction from
abroad sailed upon the Manshu Maru
they were taken to certain place, the
rendezvous of the Nippon fleet. Ad-
miral Toga received them aboard the
Mikasa. Our foreign friends could
hardly believe the testimony of their
own eyes; before them stood a mar
small in statnre, even for native OF
Nippon; modest with that blushine
Il IL. 4