New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-10
NOGI,

| The present war has thus far not been lack
| ing in the splendid names which the Laureate
| predicted Of an earlier and lesser conflict. Both
| sides have won them, though not in equal num-
| bers. Armies which win almost invariably gain
| more fame than those which lose. Moreover,
| there has been a deplorable tendency on the
| Russian side to deny or to destroy such reputa-
| tons for heroic achievement as Russian officers
have had opportunity to acquire, while nothing
! of the sort has been known in Japan. So sue
cessful have Japanese commanders been that
there is of course, little room for criticism OF
their conduct If there is any room at all, the
criticisms are being periodically Withheld untll
some time when their publication can have no
effect upon the progress Of the campaign. For
the present, Japan is unstintedly applauding
long list of her heroes on land and on sea-
Whose name will stand highest when the final
Judgment is cast, we may not yet declare. But
thus far for simple personal herOism nobody
appears to surpass the veteran hero Of Port
Arthur, General Nogi
Consider his career. He was commissioned by
the Emperor to retake Port Arthur, the elm
pregnable" fortress which he had taken by
storm from the Chinese ten years before. He
went thither, to work and to fight, largely I'M
observed by the world, for the limelight Of pub
Iicity was turned upon the fleets, and upon
Kuroki and Kuropatkin in their desperate duel
at the north, rather than upon him and his
sappers and miners and forlOrn hopes. He went
into the campaign with his two sons and his
nephew-the only men in the world who could
inherit his name and title. One son was killed
at Nanshan. The other died at High Hill. In
third conflict the nephew was killed. They say
that Nogi smiled when he heard the news, and
instead of lamenting his own loss congratulated
his soldiers upon the victories they had won.
"God took nv sons" he said to a friend one
day 'in order that l might be better able to
"sympathize with my countrymen who are like
wise bereft, and so that l may the better
answer to the souls Of the many brave men
whom l am sending to their graves. But
now and then when he supposed he was en-
tirely unobserved, the white haired veteran
would bow his head and sob as If from a
broken heart. The Emperor meant to pay
him the beautiful compliment of making him
the guardian of the prince imperiaPs three httle
sons. But first there was other work to do. So
with his warworn veterans Nogt was hurried
from Port Arthur up to Moukden, where we are
told he hurled himself like thunderbolt upon
the Russians Beyond question 1t was he and
his men. with their cry of make way for usl
We are from Port Arthur that more than any
others staggered and shattered the Russian
legions.
The world has heard great deal of late about
the Japanese spirit Exploiters of the yellow
peril" have rung the changes upon the essential
barbarism' of that amazing people. 1t may be
So But there are those who will say that If
such men as Nogi are exemplars of barbarism,
that is the sort of barbarism we want. To most
his career looks like that of a hero who would
be an adornment and an honor to any race, and
of whom the world may learn much in both
tenderness and terribleness; as it may also learn
great lessons from the whole japanese estab-
lshment in military sanitation and in the art of
scientific war.