The Washington times., 1905-08-04
Togo the Lobster.

japanese tact is familiar to us all.
With what horror, then, we read that
Baron Komura in his official capacity
as Nippons chief envoy, arose at a
public dinner in New York the other
evening and called his great compa-
triot. the invincible Togo, a lobster!
Baron Komura did not qualify the
term in the least. He did not craw-
fish. He stated the proposition as sue
cinctly as any American could have
stated it and he said lobster"
Naturally an uproar followed-not
at the dinner, but afterward, when
the Acknowledgements had time TO
think it over with the help of the
reporters. Thereupon an official ex-
planation followed through the official
mouthpiece, NJ. Sato, and every reader
of The Times should enjoy every word
of it:
When Baron Komura said Admiral
Togo was a lobster at the Nippon Club
dinner the other night he used the term
in the Japanese and not in the American
sense. WITH Us IN Japan the lobster IS
emblematicaI OF good luck. On New
Year day. for instance, friends present
one another with little rice cakes deco
rated with miniature Holsters. the lob
ster meaning an expression of the nope
that the recipient of the cake will have
good luck during the ensuing year
So when Baron komura said that
Admiral Togo was JapanS lobster. he
meant thaJ ne was Japan's good fortune
persoritied. In this country / under
stand that to call q man lobster is to
decorate him with anything but Il fiat
tering title.
Maybe the lobster is only tardily
coming into his own Maybe he has
been shamefully abused in America.
Maybe, when the war is over, we shall
find ourselves indebted to the little
men of Japan more for pathological
and archaeological discoveries than
for the awakening Of Russia. At any
rate he is in fine company when he
holds station with the redoubtable
Togo and both bear the same name.
Banzai to Togo the. Lobster!
It seems that mis- name is pronounced
as if it were spelled Wit. He needs it.
The navy may be short of officers.
but the supply of rolltop desks IS still
ample.
Chadwick. Chadwick doesn't that
name sound-O, yes; that's CleyeIand's 8
second most famous financier, to be
sure.
Russia Is buying a lot of bullet-proof
vests for its soldiers. What Russia
needs now is a touch-proof cash wallet.
Uniformity Of divorce laws is well
enough to talk about. but what would
become Of the Sioux Falls correspond
ents if it We're actually effected?
Couldn't Bryan and Parker. Grover
Cleveland and James x. Jones all unite
IN support of a Folk and Jerome ticket? ?
If the peace negotiations fail General
Linevitch VIII be able to count on a
lively fall trade.
Ambassador Conger is setting out for
Iowa just as the State is getting inter
osted in a gubernatorial campaign, thus
proving that history repeats.
Life Is full of disappointments. As
soon as Jerome declared he wanted no
party nomination all parties started TO
thrust their nominations on him.
Disposition to accuse Depew Of being
too poor d business man for an insur-
ance director is hardly warranted in
view of the late discovery that with
$500, 600 insurance he carried none in the
Euuita BILE
Admiral Togo. having worked himself
out Of a job might learn something 10
his advantage by applying to the GOV
ernor of either Mississippi or Louisiana.
Reports indicate that Vice President
Fairbanks has carried Canada, but If
is little uncertain about INDIANAPOLIS
This story about ten transports fun
of mules from Mexico being captured on
the Pacific by the japanese. is ii cheap
fling n a Missouri industry so well es-