The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1916-10-13
SOLDIER SPIRIT IN JAPAN
Boys Are Taught, From the Eartieot
Age, Every Sort Of Military
Drill Exercise.

1u0 WAIiike bplTlt IL IubtlIleU luIO
Japanese boys from mere babyhood,
the first presents to them being toy
Samurai, armor, ETC." So says Con
noske Komai, q distinguished jap
anese writer, now in England for the
period Of the war. Continuing, in the
London Times. he writes OF these
boys: They have their own special
manlike festivities on May S. These
are enlivened by ags and by Samurai
warriors, each bearing the celebrated
ancient crest of the boys family. And
in theirs9ardens are fixed long bamboo
poles, ON which are hoisted carp made
of cloth of paper, shimmering In gold
symbols of warlike fortitude and read
mess to endure adverse fate with the
calmness OF those brave fish.
These customs have been observed
In Japan for centuries. and naturally
we Japanese feel very proud II we
have more boys than girls In our fam
lily. The festive opportunities are
seized by us to make presents to our
friends whenever they rejoice at the
birth of boy.
Apart from these boys festivities
we celebrate on the same day the
great anniversary Of the famous 'Yasu-
kuni Jinsha' shrine In Toxic. where
all the spirits Of our officers, soldiers
and sailoss are deified and wrshiped.
For, as the reader may easily recall,
we Japanese are great worshipers Of
our ancestors. to whom we really owe
our present existence and who are
embodied In and represented by our
fllustrious Mfkado."
At the age Of seven boys enter the
elementary schools and at the com
pletfon OF their six-year course at tho
age of thirteen or fourteen they arc
entitled to enter the middle school
course, during which they have to I'M
dergo the military drill exercises, the
favorite national games of wrestling,
fencing, and jiu jitsu all being CD
tional Some cannot afford TO enter
this course. Others go on to college
and university. AT the age of TWEEN
ty, whether rich or poor, high or low,
priest or no priest, comes the ques-
ton OF transcription" says the writer,
whose treatment of this subject OF
universal service 10 affected by the
current discussions in England, for
he says that 1t is not regarded by the
Japanese as a heavy duty, but as q
glorious privilege.
Prior to the restoration in Japan"
he says, military service was regard
ed as the honored privilege of the
class and priced as such.
The Samurai were our hereditary
warriors and enjoyed monopoly of
all fighting. The system continued
until the abolition OF feudalism in
the country in 1868" CONSUMPTION
proper, he saws, was really introduced
In 1872, and provided in principle for
the obligatory service of all men, mar
ried and single, from eighteen to forty.
But in practice the states right was
never executed, even during the Chi
no-Japan war, in 1S94-5, or In the Rus
sian war in 1904-5. Then 100000
men were modified In Manchuria
alone. Universal service, the writer
says, Is individually priced by the
Japanese as an opportunity to each
and every one to become q Samurai
and to be allowed to fight for his IA
Their and mother. 1T never occurs
to u.s." he writes, ito call it COM
pulsion. We regard it as a personal
shame or disgrace If we are rejected
through physical unfitness for the
army. We do not hasten to get mar
ried before we Join the army. There
is no such thing as separation allow
ances,' etc, In Japan"
But as Japanese are increasing at
the rate of 100000 year, there fire.
quently happens to be an enormous
excess of candidates for military serv-
ice and in such cases exemptions are
decided by lot. Apart from this the
only exemptions permitted are of only
sons OF aged parents more than sixty
years old whose maintenance depends
on them. and a number OF liberal con-
cessions made to students and those
employed on special missions. The
latter are allowed to postpone their
term of military service until they
finish their course of study.