Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-02-26
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ODE Japanese
F arewell"
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"
81. Petersburg Correspondent or
LONDON Globe The only Russian
Joufhallst known so far to have visited
Japan during the present war is NJ
w hrazhevsky, who took the name or
Percy Palmer and gave himself our
10 be an American tourist. He has now
begun to publish his experiences in
elle MOSCOW newspaper Russlzoye
SlOvo.
Japan is the Land of Smiles" II
IS not to be supposed. however. that
Japan is free from tribulation. hut
Ihere is Japanese proverb. Mourn.
ing and torn gown must be left al
nome" So when he goes out into the
street the japanese begins to smile
are there scenes" and tears when
the men go forth to fight? You will
see nothing of the kind. The Japanese
can suffer like other people. but they
suffer their griefs at home. and al
though many tears are shed behind the
walls of the little paper houses, vet
nobody must see them shed. In olden
days 1t was a Japanese custom TO re
gard man leaving his home for the
flght as already dead, and he went
through sort of funeral ceremony.
There is no mention of such cere
monies nowadays Leave of ones
family must be taken within the walls
Oh the house. Only the males are al
lowed to take leave of the soldier puh
nelly In the street or at the railway
statlon;no female must approach the
men who are setting out: they stand.
apart with their children, swallow
their tears and try to smile. Take
this picture from the railway station
at Yokohoma. Nine officers are set
ting forth in a first-class car. It is
plain they belong to the best society
as also do the Japaese standing at the
car windows; the latter Japanese are
dressed in European costume. and they
look cOmlcal in tall silk hats. There
are some English and American ladies.
who take such a fervent leave of the
ofnCer that one might think they were
the later's mothers and sisters. all the
while the real mother and wives with
little children holding their hands
stand aside at some distance; they are
wearing their everyday clothes. ana
might be taken to be casual onlookers
The officers are merry; they chat with
the foreign ladies, with the littlecrowd
OF Englishmen and Americans, but they
throw never a glance toward the
women who, standing apart, are shedd-
ing tears that cannot be seen.
The engine whistle is sounded for
the train to start; then the officers
look at their wives, who curtsey and use
all their strength to smile: the men
! just wave their hands in farewell, but
no word of farewell leaves their lips.
| Everybody is agreeable to the officers.
Dut there is a certain reserve, for "to
be an Englishmen' is good form in
Japan. The officers are clean shaven,
like the English, and the general pub
lie thinks it it's duty to be reserved in
the English fashion. The slow Journey
to Toxic takes fifty minutes I left the
train with the officers at the station
Sn9mbaShi, in Toxic. So long as | re-
! manned in Toxic I used to go several
I
/ through with soldiers. for Toxic is on
/ the route between Yokohama and
Osaka, whence the soldiers go by ship
/ to- the front. Thus Toxic is an eX-
| tremely busy centre for military trains,
which arrive from Yokohama. Emo.
/ shima, Kamalura and Nikko. The
| trains follow one another at an eX
tremely slow rate of speed, and thus
! the traffic is maintained in a marvel
GUS way, for there is never a delay Of
even minute in the arrival or dis
patch of train.
From ten to twelve military trains
pass from Toxic daily. These trains
are small, as they consist of only six
or seven cars, which are also small.
for they hold only twenty men each
! | saw no goods wagons heated for the
! use of the troops like the Russian cars.
But Japan has very few goods wagons,
for the climate allows of goods to be
| carried on open trucks, with a cover
| ing of brass mating. The men are
| conveyed in disused thfrd-class CART
| ages, with doors on either side, and
| they are cooped up like birds in a
| cage. The soldiers wear their linen
| garments, which are discarded at
| Osaka, At every station there are
| swarms of boys who sell food, sweet
meats and refreshing drinks. The
| soldiers buy "kirin-bir, which is a
dark beer, rice with plums, sweets,
| fruit and especially newspapers. These
military trains halt for twenty minutes
at Toxic. They are boarded at once by
crowds of boys staggering under
heaps OF newspapers, which are SOLD
all in a minute, for every man travel
ling in these trains must have the
news. The Japanese love the railway.
They have to pay Jensen, or ped, for
the right to walk up and down the
platform, and there are always shoals
of people to welcome the soldiers
trains
l, t., oh