The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12


 Pacific Asia, Japan and whereabouts quite a time before and all during the Russo Japanese war. In a very interesting, very instructive work, telling how it All happened to Russia and why, in Pacific Asia from the hands of Japan, MT. Me Cormick gives a clear and seemingly just account not only of the happenings on both sides of that conflict but he deals with the antagonisms, etc., which led up to this war.
 In the introduction to the first volume he explains to his readers the manner ill which Russia had been for 50 years un- justly encroaching upon the sacred soil of East Asia, at the same time that Portugal. Great Britain, France and Germany had segregated and exploited re- gions and cities as large in territory and as populous as European states of the first class, but that 1t remained for Russia to devise depredations that finally convused East Asia and hustled the west back upon itseS. He shows does MT Mccormick, that Russia's war with Japan was not mere contest with single power, but that it has been prop lem of more than half century that has been worked out for the west and work ing out which centuries had waited for. According to this author the solution of that conflict may be likened to game of tenplns.
 Japan, one of four powers vitally con cerned and only third in size and wealth, in swift succession:
 1. Captured the sea from Russia, the largest and wealthiest
 ?. Destroyed the line of defense of the Russian eastern empire
 8. Segregated and captured the capital or the Russian eastern empire
 4 Captured the neutral zone' of the Russian land concession Giato-Tung)
 D. Captured the whole new coast of the Russian eastern empire.
 G. Captured the Russian base QIiao- Yang).
 T. Destroyed the Russian offensive, (bat- ties of Sha-Ho and San-chia-pu).
 8. Captured the Russian refuge, the Manchurian capital, Mukden.
 g. Captured and destroyed the whole Russian mobile navy, and
 To- Ended the war with a timely ana profitable peace with concessions or Rus san territory. property, franchises elc'
 That is what Japan got from the war, as explained by Mir Mccormick Anu he goes on to show what the world galneo by this conflict in change of views, opln- ions of the east and it's people, their mili- tary, educational and religious footing MT Mccormick explains that in l9 months during and since the Russo-Jap war the world was altered. Not only was IL changed politically geographically ana militarily, but scientifically. Tor the east has taught us unrevealed uses of our I'm clements of war, of our principles of di- plomacy and it will teach us to abandon our science of ethnoogy and to modify our ethics our politics and our religion. That it has been the occupation and wish of the European nations to take charge of large territory in eastern or Pacihc Asia, and had proceeded to do so, but that now 1t is first necessary to know the apprehension and wish of the Chinese ana Japanese whom these enterprises Vltaiy affect. So MT. Mccormick insists that in addition to what Japan herself gained from her war with Russia, the world now realizes:
 1. The demolition of the Russian east ern7 empire and the revolution of Rus sia. 2 The elimination of governments ana ! administrations whose weaknesses were at the bottom of western depreciation in East Asia
 3. The formation of the new Japanese empire.
 ] 4. The consolidation of East Asia. l B. Continental reconstruction. ] 6. The elimination of the west and the domination of the seas of East Asia
 T. The revolution of foreign relations, i especially American relations. | l above noted MT Mccormick shows the i two effects of the Russo-Jap war, then i he goes ahead in his two volumes or romantic account of adventure in the lines on both sides of the war, to prove what he has to say. The book, written by a well informed correspondent, such as Mir Mccormick who had become py long residence in East Asia familiar with all the conditions there long before the ,ln n while the war was going on is a very worthy production. One of the good i points of the books is the fact that MT i Mccormick writes not from hearsay, put from his own personal knowledge or facts and figures. MT. Mccormick was in Port Arthur before the attack hrst f made on the Russian fleet by the Japan l ese warships His accounts, intimate ac- i counts they are, of the Russians, their looseness of methods their utter inca pacity will compell the reader to wonder how on earth the war lasted as long as IL l did, The author tells of how the day De- fore the attack and destruction or the Russian fleet at Port Arthur, while the Russian fleet was anchored In Fort Arthur bay outside the harbor where a certain amount of maneuvering was go- ing on how about this time the Japanese ships appeared in sight, but the Russians comfortable in their thorough self-satis- 1 faction, made attempts to prepare TOT i battle. for MT. Mccormick says that on the eve of this battle he rowed With a l small boat through the Russian meet. l when they knew the Japs were arounu 1 about, without being challenged. The next day the Jap ships leisurely came into the harbor and blew up by torpedoes most or , the Russian ships. MT Mccormick ls also an artist, he gives pencil sKetch of this first battle of the sea at Fort i Arthur which is unusually good ana i takes on of course greater value rom tho fact of its being by an eye wltness' l The descriptions given of the life or tne army not only in Port Arthur but In practically all of the Russian camps cor roborates the newspaper accounts or the 1 iicentiousness and lack of preparedness. ,, From MT. McCormicks books the reader ! can really secure a better idea of what l caused the war between Russia ana l Japan how the war was carried on py both sides, how it was fought, each bat tie, yea, each skirmish. up to the time l of peace negotiations than many other 1 books published on the subject. The books are very handsome volumes splen- didly illustrated from photographs and l pen and pencil sketches, and if one really wishes to find out just the why and wherefore in regard to the Russo-J ap war, no better books could be secured than MT. McCormick's 'The Tragedy of 1 Russia in Pacific Asia" The facts and l personal experiences are brought home to the reader, and not in a dry-as-dusf l way, but in very interesting manner. 1 The books are of such importance and l value that no neWspaper review could