The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-01-21

" ut Consists of a Sheepskin Waistcoat AM
II a Detachable "CoId-Proof" Hood,)
to detail which is characteristic of thu
Japanese army.
4 The complete outfit comprises botl
winter and summer uniforms and I'm.
d~erclothing, overcoats, puttees and
boots, gloves and hoods, knapsack
harersack, water bottle, mess tin and
canteen, a grass woven case to contain
the ration of rice, blanket. portable
tent, mosquito net for the head. house
wife, bandage wrapper, and identified
ton label. There Is even a tin box
containing creosote pills. which each
soldier must carry and is expected to
take as a prophylactic against dysen-
4 terry.
one notable feature of all the cloth
ing Is that it is apparently made of the
best material. The material for winter
clothing appears to be all wool, and in
color and warmth reminds one OF the
broWnish Jaeger clothing.
In the neat blue parade uniform.
Jacket or tunic, plain fiat brass but
tons are used, but in the working kit
buttons are done away with as far as
possible, fastenings being in nearly
all instances carried u by means of
fiat hooks and eyes. The summer
jacket and trousers are of khaki drill,
the jacket is perfectly plain and there
are no buttons on any of the garments.
A strip of white linen is issued to
wind round the neck as a collar inside
the tunic.
A mosquito net helmet" or head
covering, in addition TO it's value as a
preventive of malaria, is a great CON-
fort in summer, when there are many
flies. That issued to the Japanese sol
der is made Of green netting,
stretched on two circles of cane so
as to make a long drum with one end
knocked out, into which the head is
passed. The two rings of zane are kept
apart by a wire spring, which allows the
drum TO be flattened and buttoned down
for carriage.
The winter tunic and trousers are
maui pam. ling Llt hudhl suit. DuL are |
of good wooden cloth.
The cold proof" winter o%vercoat
merits some description, for it seems
to be devised to insure warmth in the
most severe climate. Made of thick
cloth, it has a large collar, COW q
ared with fur, which is of course inside
when the collar is raised. From the
of the edge Of this collar a cot
ton cap or hood can be pulled out so
Is to cover the head, and over this can
,e worn the ample detached wooden
cold proof" hood, which from its shape |
md long ends to wrap round the neck
'ecalls the hoods of Chaucer's time.
Hanging by cords from the neck are
arge gloves or mittens-one division
or all the fingers and n for. the
humb; they can thus be thrown off
when the hand is required for firing or M
ny other purpose, without being lost. ii
~sheepskin waistcoat with the wool NJ
Inside is also issued for severe weather. cl
fastens at one side. en-
The undertaking is of similar good IA
Iaterial to that of the outer garments. sh
cotton shirt and drawers for sum w
Ter and a thick knitted wooden jersey, lii
: sweater, and pants for winter. The bu
bbed wooden stockings are made with dis
1T heels. and warm toe caps are issued
the coolest weather to wear over the by
ockings to prevent frostbite. These vii
e caps are made of a lambs wool ma
RAJ like the very thick line, the soft
being inside. A roll of fine ,
ripped flannel of very good quality and be,
out a yard and a half long is issued oH
be wound round the abdomen, and an
kes the place of a cholera belt. fin,
It is interesting to note that the tor
,olen cloth and blanket are made in m,
e japanese military wooden cloth fac nIe
ry, while hemp cloth, cotton cloth and IN
Ither are made or prepared in private hoa
in Japan and cut out and sewn cor
the military clothing depot. yot
rhe ordinary army boots give the i'm roc
assion Of comfort and durability. r,ir
general appearance they resemble tha
} boot issued to the British soldier. ora,
I on close inspection they are seen TO nar+
far superior. ~