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 Nippon's 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
cinctIy as any American could have
stated it and he said lobster"
Naturally an uproar followed-not
at the dinner, but afterward. when
the American-Japanese 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 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
emblemaJical Of good luck. On New
Year day for instance. friends present
one another with little rice cakes deco
rated with minia JuTe holsters, the lob
ster meaning an expression of the nope
that the recipient of the cake viii have
good luck during the ensuing year.
So when Baron komura said that
Admiral Togo was Japan's lobster. ne
meant that ne was Japan : good fortune
persoritied. In this country / under
stand that To call q man lobster is TO
decorate him with anything but a fat
tering utle.
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 nis 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 sttn
annie
Chadwick. Chadwick doesn't that
name sound-O, yes; that's Cleveland's :
second most famous fnancier. to be
sure
Russia is buying a lot of buHet-proof
vests for its soldiers. What Russia
r,aads ,ovsy 3s touch -y,rooF
Uniformity of divorce laws is well
enough to talk about, but what would
become of the Sioux Falls correspond
ents if it were 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 fall General
Linevitch VIII be able to count on
lively fall trade.
Ambassador Conger is setting out for
Iowa just as the State is getting inter
osted in a guberaatorial 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 a business man for an insur-
ance director is hardly warranted in
view of the late discovery that with
$500, 900 insurance he carried none in the
EGuita Bile.
Admiral Togo. having worked himself
out Of Il job might learn something TO
his advantage by applying to the gov
ernor of either Mississippi or Louisiana.
Reports indicate that Vice President
Fairbanks has carried Canada. but it
Is ii little uncertain about IndianapoIfs
This story about ten transports full
of mules from Mexico being captured on
the Pacific by the Japanese. is a cheap
fling nj a Missouri industry So well es