The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1905-08-02
Japs Stlll Our Tutors.
Atlanta Constitution,

laps Stlll Our Tutors.
Atlanta Constitution.
With somewhat awkward
humility the sophisticated nations OF
the west have been sitting at the feet
Of Japan for the last sixteen months,
coming such lessons in warfare and
hygiene as they thought once to have
learned only from their own experts.
Japan has, however, earned this role
OF tutor since, absorbing the best of
our own ideas and devices, she has
almost invariably improved on them,
either in efficiency or simplicity of
application.
The talk hitherto about the lessons
we 2 learning from the little island
folk has been based on more or less
vague and coniectural bases. Amer
lea, along with other nations, has
maintained ~atfairly representative
corps in the field in Manchuria, but
reports have been lacking in detail
and finality by reason of the impene-
trable secrecy thrown around Japa-
nese operations. Now that the mika-
dos people have secured something
approximating q strangle hold on
both the naval and military situa.
items and the prospects for peace ap
pear suspicious, there is a relaxation
OF the rigid censorship and official
reports are beginning TO trickle into
headquarters at Washington and
other national capitals.
AS yet these reports are incomplete,
but they furnish an indication of the
superb efficiency of japanese methods
in every conceivable phase bearing
on the current war. For instance,
the quartermaster's department is just
now porting over reports in the nature
OF revelations to eyes American.
They furnish largely an explanation
for the extreme mobility of the armies
under Oyama and his li~eutenants and
q key to the relatively low rate of
mortality. Dealing with this former
aspect, we quote q Washington dis
patch summarizing some of the con-
illusions of the departments observers:
Every piece of metal in q Japanese
soldiers carving outfit is aluminnm
he carries an aluminium canteen, an
aluminium cup, and wherever metal is
required In the way of buckles that
li9nt metal Is used. His haversack is
made OF lightweight materials and his
gun IS lighter than an American
soldier would have to pack with him.
everything Is reduced to a minimum
OF weight.
Because his general accOutrements
are lightweight, the Japanese soldier
Is enabled to carry intrenching tools;
that Is, Q pick and shovel. That is
= I9ct not generally known, and it
Tor the comparatively small
mortality on q number OF fields in
which b japanese apparently fought
S1tnout cover.
The battle fields of Lao Yang and
Mukden snoplv soma a.. ,.,;.. -
,.,...;..r ~
.--."I - o..sinrinS genius ana
sc1icai Innovations. such rs are ex-
pected 70 recommend themselva. In
the canny pentlemer n cho... =,
49,. ,.....ss :.
- "asn.nSson- a Few
1nem more lnteliigible to the lay
mind are outlined as follows:
Examination Of the fie,ds at r.;oo
Yang md Mukden show thst IN e,a.v
advance the Japanese army nr.c.
ticalIv entrenched itself ,rSs 49,.
line Of skirmishers thrown omt an"
shallow trenches. Tho sscorS
line occunied them and ther moreJ
forward. The third dn~ them st;ii
deeper. and the fourth com,,etad
them. But in trehchin0 The Jananose