The San Francisco call., 1905-03-21
Special Dispatch to The Call.


BERLIN, March 20-Nobody in the
world, not even the most frenzied Jap
anese patriot. has taken more pride in
the successes of Japanese arms in Man
churia than Major General Nickel,
grizzled veteran of the German gen.
eral staff. the organizer of the modern
army of Japan. Following the vic
tories of the Yalu, Kinchau, Nanshan
and Liaoyang in the spring and sum-
mer of last year, a cablegram from the
japanese front reached General Neck
els pretty suburban home outside Ber-
lin, reading: "Japan's victories have
been won by your pupils.
Meckel protests modestly that he
had nothing to do with the military
upbringing of Kuroki. Oku, Nogi and
the other japanese army commanders,
but all the younger divisional and bri-
gade leaders studied organization and
tactics at his feet, and the brilliant
deeds they have done before Port Ar
thur and on the bloody plains of the
Liaotung Peninsula were largely the
result of lessons Nickel taught them.
TEACHES THE JAPANESE.
General Meckel was detailed by the
German headquarters staff to go to
Toxic seventeen years ago, when Japan
sent to Germany for an expert to take
hold of its war academy and reorgan-
ize its military establishment. Until
that time the Mikado's army had been
modelled on French lines, but the ISL
and empire reached the tardy conclu-
sion that as German strategy had
proved itself so superior to French sol
; diership in 1870 and 1871, it was high
time to abandon the old system. Meek
ell with a brilliant record of active
service in the Danish, Austrian and
French campaigns, was selected as the
ideal man to put the Japanese soldiers
into shape. From 1885 to 1888 he was
busy at Toxic undoing the lessons
taught By French officers. He unfold
ed the doctrines of Moltke and Roon
mostly mere subalte1ns of the lieuten-
ant grade-but who are to-day lead
ing regiments, brigades, divisions and
army corps in Manchuria.
FAITH IN MIKADO'S MEN.
Of course Nickel has unbounded
faith in the ultimate success of Japan
in the titanic struggle with Russia.
He was one of the few expert Euro
pean critics who never lost faith in
Japanese capacity because it took SO
long to compel the fall of Port
Arthur.
'.Nogi did marvels to take it as soon
dS ne mas, was McChci llISl COM
ment when the news of the capitula-
ton finally came. Nickel also occu-
pied a conspicuously lonely position,
after the fall of the Gibraltar of the
East" by declining to join in the
chorus of acclaim for Stoessel with
which the world was filled. Nickel
said if the world had praise to shower.
it belonged to the Japanese who had
overcome insurmountable obstacles in
taking the fortress-not to the Rus
slams who fought behind practically
invincible cover
General Nickel is no longer actively
attached to the German head
quarters staff. but is merely "at dis
position''-tfat is. subject to service IN
case of need. He lives in splendid
style in palatial villa at Steglitz, one
of Berlin's handsomest suburbs. His
home is filled with costly works of
Oriental art presented by the Mikado
and by highly placed military admir-
ers in Japan Two of his most cher
ished treasures~are pair of Japanese
coIlies of exceedingly rare breed
which were sent to him year ago
as a special present from Field Mar
shall Oyama Nickel hears frequently
from his former pupils in the field,
with whom as instructor he was ex-
traordinarily popular.