The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-06
MANILA PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE-By H. s. w, M D.

his witnessed several leave takings of Japanese soldiers from their loved ones. In every case the parents, relatives, friends and sweethearts of the departing soldier instead of wishing his a safe re- turn would wish him an honorable death. The Japs, as a nation, are the most tenn perate people in the world, also the hard lest. Although small of statue they have the heaviest average brain weight of any nation on the globe. For countless gen. erations they have drawn or carried heavy burdens and this has made them strong, long winded. agile and muscu- lar. They have very small bodies but large, strong. sturdy, active legs, which fact makes them the ideal soldier
 During the Boxer trouble in China. on the forced march of the allied forces from Tsin-Stin to Pekin, where every world power represented by the pick of their armies. the Japs reached the Chinese capital day and a night in advance of all the others, and 1t was generally admitted that they could have reached Pel<in 48 hours sooner had the other soldiers of the different nations been able to keep the pace. When one takes into consideration the fact that only 57 years ago the Japanese people were barbarians, that the only weapons they knew were the spear, sword, blow gun and bows and arrows; that in the comparatively short space of time. as time is measured in the growth of na- tions, they have become one of the earth's great world powers, the possi- blities of accomplishment of such peo- pie cannot even be imagined.
 Education in Japan is compulsory.
 It is the only country in the world in which there is no illiteracy. The Japan csc government has sent and is still sending it's brightest young men to the naval and military academies of Ameri- ca and Europe. They adopted the best and discarded the worst features of the worlds tactics.
 The Japanese soldier is carefully drilled and well educated in all military maneu- vers. Should occasion arise any soldier of the regular armyeis capable of taking command of his regiment. He can go through long campaign on pound of rice every "A hours. Take them man for man they can whip any army on earth To all outward appearances the rela- tions between the United States and Japan are friendly, but as k well known. nations that are friendly today may be enemies tomorrow. Personally the writer has little use for the Japs.
 In writing this article I have endeav- ored to describe as briefly as possible the past. present and future, of the Philip pines and their interesting capital. Ma nila. 1 firmly believe that the present American generation will live to see the flag of the rising sun floating over Ma nila, and the Japanese firmly established In the Philippines. Should the Japs take the islands (and there Is nothing to pre- vent), there would result struggle that would make all previous wars look like slxrmishes. If the American Congress- would, for the moment, drop the tariff schedule and "bunco'' some other nation (preferably Japan) into accepting. for a small consideration the red hot gold brick that Dewey handed us, they would save the American people billions of money and countless thousands of lives. The city of Manila and the territory it governs has cost spain and Amercia a pretty penny and can be depended upon to keep our wise law makers busy in de- vsng ways and means to prevent the United States treasury from totally coa- lapsing.