The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1910-08-11
JAPAN AND ARTS OF WAR.
Military History ~ \cw World
Power IL Very In
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Perry. IN command OF a small squad
ron of United States warships. broke
into the Bay of Seddo and forced on
Japan q treaty OF commerce ana
friendship VITA bis country Before
that date japan was resolved to
stend apart from the current OF
modern civilization, content with
arts. her primitive Industries. her so
eial system curloGsly compounded OF
the aeslhet eism witch led to
flower reverence aud the passion for
fighting which made the history OF
the country one long record OF saw
age struggle between scets and clans.
True. firearms had come to the cOun-
try, introduced by the Portuguese IN
the sixteenth century, aud later in an
/ improved form by a Dutch official
Just before the rugged oyertures to
| friendship Of the American navy.
| But In 1854 Japan was as little cap
able of putting a modern army in the
! field as Tahiti would be today. Now,
! In 1910, the japanese army organiza-
ton is as near perfection as it is
/ possible for human machine to be
I and IL is provided with the latest
in scientific paTaphernalia down 70
an antitoxin to inoculate soldiers
against enteric fever.
| The story of this marvellous
change is illustrated effec-
/ lively by the Japanese war office ex-
! hibit at the Japanese British exit
bition Each era of japanese mill
tary history is shown, with actuat
| specimens of the weapons used, ana
lifeiEe reproductions of the men en-
I gagged One can see a realistic re-
/ production Of the battle OF the Castle
/ Of Osaka t1614) and of a battle OF
/ the campaign against China (1S9A1.
There are no reproductions of the
( scenes Of the Manchurlan campaign.
/ 1t was wisely realized that the
wounds of that campaign are too
! recent 10 allow II to be illustrated
! Ia the capital OF a nation friendly to
/ Russia.
Some Of the chief epochs of jap
anese military history as illustrated
/ by the standards, weapons, armor,
/ etc, at the exhibition are: Seventh
I Century, first organization OF a de-
partnrV1lt of war, chief weapon the
]
! fury, a military clan sczes the ma
! tional power. beginning OF the rule
, of the Shuguns, use of body armor
goes out of fashion, weapons, sword ,
| pike and cross-bow, Sixteenth Cen
/ utry, firearms tcannop and the ar
/ quebus) introduced, military engin-
eering begins; Nineteenth Century,
bows and lances abandoned, Europ-
can drill methods adopted de-
partment of war controlling army
and navy founded.
No less interesting are the exhib-
/ its of the naval department, showing
/ pictures, and in some cases models,
4 of the old types of junks used in in
/ tertribal warfare and in expeditions
against Korea, with the quick pro-
/ gress up TO the great Dreadnaught
types OF today. manufactured ex-
clusively in Japanese shipyards.
/ Significantly enough. as though to
( show that the savagery of war is
! moderated In japanese campaign
! by thoughts Of mercy, one corner OF
( this pavilion bristling with the wea-
( pous of destruction is devoted to the
! Japanese Red Cross Society. The
/ field hospital equipment of Japan
/ won a wide fame in the war recently
1 concluded, when the deaths from
| disease among the soldiery were
! stated TO be far less than In any
i modern army operating on the same
| scale. The exhibit OF the Red Cross
| Society in its scientific completeness
I explains, In measure, that proud
/ record. Originally founded in 1877,
the Japanese Red Cross Society
makes it particular aim to draw IN
| as many members as possible III
| times OF peace. To become a regular
| member costs at least six shillings a
year-six shillings is not an insignif.-
cant sum in Japan--and yet there
are over 100000 members. The
/ income OF the society from all sour
ces is nearly 100000 pounds a
year. The society devotes its ene--
/ giles not only to the relief of suffer-
/ ing In times of war but also to re-
lieying the sick at times Of national
calamity. such as fire. flood. earth
/ quake or epidemic. II maintains a
central hospital at Toxic and ten dis
| triet hospitals. There is no cause for
4 wonder that. keeping up this organ
| iZafion In times Of Deace II IL able