The Opelousas courier., 1905-10-07
FOUNDER OF lAPS' NAVY.
COUNT KATsu AVA DID NOT LIVE
TO WITNESS IT'S TRIUMPH.

Glory Of His Pupil
The founder OF the japanese Navy
was Count katea Ava, who died in
January, 1899. At that time the 1.1an
Monthly Evangelist said. I'm his
death japan loses the most venerable
figure Ia her public life. 1t was this
statesman who became the nrst cap
tain OF the japanese navy, establish,
ed the first naval college in her Ais.
tory, and was made the first Minis.
ter OF Marine. More than that, it
was largely owing to the wise and
energetic craftsmanship Of this Bis
marck of Japan that the restoration
of the Mikado's Empire was effected
without bloodshed."
It was In recognition of this work
that Katsu Ava was made a peer, a
Count, a Privy Councillor, and a
month or so before his death the
Mikado also decorated him with the
Grand Gordon of the Rising Sun.
The circumstances under which
Katsu Ava laid the foundation Of the
Japanese navy r of peculiar inter-
est at this time, when that navy has
so forcibie impressed its strength on
the worlds mind. Beginning 1t the
bottom, Katsu AVA worked his way
up from position to position, till in
1853, when he was 80 years cid, the
Shotgun (Tycoonl made him presi-
dent of the naval training school at
Nagasak. This was just one year
before our Commodore Perry made
his appearance in the Bay of Uraga.
Eat this early period" says Prof,
e. Warren Clark, late Of the japanese
Imperial University of Toxic, "only
the Dutch we're permitted to come to
Japan. They had q little concession
of a dozen acres or SO, called Dezima.
at Nagasaki. 1t Is separated from
the mainland by a meat, has substah-
tial stone buildings and warehouses
like those Ia Holland, and in walking
the short and narrow streets one
might well imagine himself In the
land OF dykes"
It waa here that Katsu Ava had
his first naval training school. He
had a faculty OF six Dutch officers,
and about forty students, The school
was cr~editably conducted, taught prae.
tical gunnery Every practical gunnery
these days., producing graduates
some of whom have been heard from,
notably Admiral Ito and Gen. saigo.
Katsu Ava was also the primary In
structor OF Admiral Togo, the Nelson
and Farragut of Japan.
The first illustration Of steam pow.
er at sea which Katsu Ava expe'
rienced was In 1854, when he saw
Commodore Perry's ships coming up
the Bay OF Yeddo against wind and
tide. It was then he said: "Feopie
who can make ships that sail against
wind and tide are not such barbar
! ians after all" It Is noteworthy thai
while we with our century and a quar-
ter OF national existence have until
recent years been calling the Japan
csc heather" they with their TWEEN
ty centuries Of history have also un
til recent years classed us as bar
barians." We understand each other
better now. Heather" Japan and
barbarian" America are setting {
pace which the rest of the world fint
1t hard to keep up with.
Later, on hearing the salute O.
howitzers ON Perry's boats, Kats1
Ava added: People who can mani
fest such power and such patience a
the same time-when we are tryfn:
to thwart them in their purpose
are a people whose friendship |
worth c%ultivating." To good effec
has Japan cultivated American
friendship since those words were ut
tered by Japan's Bismarck.
Prof. Clark says: THE great even
OF Katsu's life, from a nautical poin
Of view was soon to happen. He wa
about to become a second Columbu
and discover America. He actual.
sailed, or rather steamed, to Sal
Francisco in a vessel of his OWL
though 1t was only Of 250 tons bul
den. II was in 1858, when the pei
manent treaty between the Unite
States and Japan was to be ratified
He secured the Tycoon's permission
to accompany and protect" In hi
"tugboat" the Japanese Ambassado
and his suite, who were carried {
San Francisco on the United State
warship Powhattan. This he die
funny as 1t may seem in these day
of $4,000 ton warships. His boat wa
built In Holland. was 1852 feet Ions
"a feet wide, had a nominal 100 hors
power, carried twelve popguns. an
was called the Kaurin Mau.
That was the first Japanese warshi
lat least to go beyond the waters
Japan. That was the precursor {
Togo's mighty fleet which has ann
hilated the two mightiest fleets |
Russia. And all this naval progress
by Japan sprang out of Gommodor
Perry's morning call of the Sunris
Kingdom only fifty-one years ago.
T%hfrty-seven days sailing with a
unskilled crew and In rough Weath'
brought the belligerent little craft
San Francisco. This voyage taugl
japan how big the ocean is, and ho
to manage steamships and Warship
How thoroughly Japan has aearnt
the entire lessen recent events te
and history will record.
Though San Francisco was n1ue