Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-10-04
Magazine Review
General Nogi's Supreme Sacrifice.

NcUCIds "oS'o SuP'Sb'S
In that strange commingling Of the
old and the new, the medieval and the
modern, which made the funeral cere-
monies of the late Emperor Mutsu-
hito Of Japan SO impressive last
month, there was one act that stands
out in tragic dignity as the splendid
symbol of almost all those qualifica.
tons that have made the Japanese
people great. In order that the soul
Of his Imperial Majestj Mutsuhito
might not 60 unattended to eternal
bliss, General Count Nogi, hero OF
Port Arthur. the best type of old
Japan in modern years, committed
suicide. His wife Immediately fol.
lowed his example.
Mare-suke Nogi, Samural of the
Choshu clans, had grown to manhood
before his nation had awakened. By
birth destined to the profession OF
arms, trained like n Spiritan in hardi.
hood and valor, simple and direct OF
manner, and of unblemished reputa.
ton, veteran OF the Satsuma rebellion
and the war with China, the Russo.
Japanese conflict found him among
the most sternly tried and proved OF
Japan'S warriors. His supreme
achievement was the siege and cap.
ture Of Port Arthur. Nogi never took
credit to himself for the greatness
OF his exploits. He was the embodl.
ment Of that impersonality OF deyo,
ton which made the warriors Of japan
80 terrible in battle, and which paid
tribute to the virtues of the emperor
Of their glorious achievements. He
was a poet of a high order, a poet OF
the kind that Whitman describes
when he says "his heart was a
poem."-From "Nogi, A Symbol Of Ola
japan" in the American Review OF
Reviews for October.
Something That Means Money to
Farmers.
Farm and Fireside, an agricultural
paper published at Springfield, Ohio,
has been reporting a vital difference
that exists between the condition OF
farmers in this country and farmers
in various parts OF Europe. Accord.
ing to the author Of these articles IL
OF the reasons that American farm.
ers do not get as large a share OF
the profits of their business as they
should lies in the fact that they are
not organized for credit purposes,
while the trusts which handle the
products Of the farmers are perfectly
organized for credit purposes. A sys'
TEN Of cooperative rural credits
called the Raiffeisen system has
grown up in Germany to such an ex-
tent that last year the peasant farm
ers Of Germany did a cooperative
banking business Of over 81, 600, 000,-
900. Following is an extract:
In the United States, so far as
money Is concerned, finance and com.
merce are organized and agriculture
is unorganized, thus paving the way
for the trusts in agricultural prod.
ucts. In Europe, on the other hand,
cooperative agricultural credit is so
strongly organized that it makes the
cornering Of the farmers products,
aud consequently the debating Of
prices, a practical impossibility.
"Why? Because the Raiffesen sys-
TEN Of cooperative banking enables
the European farmer to convert the
potential dollars represented by his
assets and his character into avail.
able, mobile dollars. 1t is the mobile
dollar which counts, which is eifec.
tive. The mobility of its dollar rem.
ders the trust the active and domi-
nant factor in the United States; the
immobility OF tho American farmers
potential dollar renders him the pas.
sive and dependent factor.
And SO long as the American
farmer is a passive and dependent
factor, he cannot hope to profit by
the incomplete cooperative methods