The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-19
JAP ARMY FIGHTS
FLIES And FLEAS
Continued from First Page.

degree, but when the Chinese are left
to themselves they have strong ten
dency to fall back into their old habits.
One OF the Japanese said to me:
IT 8 well enough now, when we are
collecting money from the Chinese and
spending it for them, to fix up their
town, but as soon as this plan Of run
ming the city is given over to them,
the Chinese will begin to squeeze and
steal the funds and in few months or
years the citizens will find themselves
paying taxes and getting nothing.''
(. During this long delay the soldiers
have been kept busy drilling, marching
hither and thither across the country,
throwing up hasty earthworks, simply
to keep them in trim for the day when
they might be called upon to do these
things in earnest. A theater has been
erected in one of the big compounds
and twice a week an entertainment is
given to amuse the soldiers and officers.
Sick Of Inaction.
General Nogi-and all Of the other
officers, it is safe to surmise-is as
heartily sick of this long period of in
action as are any Of us. His compound
is next to that in which the American
correspondents are living. On the roof
of his house he has had a platform
built to which he mounts by kind of
ladder. Almost every fine night after
our houses to enjoy the sunset we see
the old general sitting up in an old
wooden chair, with his legs crossed and
with his great bone-rimmed glasses
astride his nose, reading the latest war,
news in. the Japanese papers which
come daily. -.. !.
- Every week or two the monotony is
broken by. the announcement of Skin
mish which has occurred on the
'front.' line, in which several men
have perchance been wounded. The
dearth Of news here is simply shocking.
We get occasional word Of the Russians
when a Chinese spy is caught and
"gives up' what he knows before he
is executed, or better still when a real
live Russian prisoner is brought in and
examined. 49, 80
Epidemic Among the Russians
Over in Taikaton, town on the Lilo
river, north of our lines, the Ruskies'
have been having mean time with
some sort of an epidemic. One day we
hear that it is a fever, and the next
plague, cholera or what not. The re-
suit has been that the Russians have
been obliged to abandon this and a few
other towns and the soldiers are now
living under canvas in the affected dis
trict. The Japanese, of course, have re-
doubled their precautions against the
spread Of the disease to our lines.
The care with which the Japanese
soldier is guarded is something wonder
full to behold. The Japanese doctors
have invented some sort of a pill which
is supposed to develop friendly mi
crobes in the system. These pills the
| soldiers eat every day. So if perchance
hostile microbe gets into their system
the friendly pill-fed microbe falls upon
| it i'll great strength and annihilates it
on the spot.
.- A Dentist for the Soldiers.
" Last week a dentist came to head,
quarters. Not third-rate makeshift
| first class. In one of the Chinese
houses he set up his office and there
with his array of instruments, his buzz
machine, his dental chair and every
| thing, in fact, which you would not ex-
| pect to see in Manchuria, he fell to
work with a hvengesncei on the .molars
! and biclspids Of the Japanese army
| Anybody who had toethache was put
thru his office with the most astonish,
ing rapidity.. ..
The Japanese make a great point OF
the preservation Of teeth, They figure
/ that a soldier with bad tooth cannot
eat and that soldier who cannot eat
grows weak and cannot fight for Japan
Therefore bad tooth may mean :ba6
soldier, so they 90 for the teeth, in
the first place by issuing toothpowde1
to all. the men and in the second place
by having the dentist mentioned above
And the moment a soldier goes to the
bad with his teeth he is promptly or
| darad to on in for renairs and fins The
possible weakening due to lack Of food
is :nipped in the bud. s..
! The Japanese horses are not forgot
| ten. either. In village near here is a
veterinary hospital and all Of the