Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-20
Hero of Jaban


allure through the pens of many writ
- ers. 1t will be an inexhaustible field
for those who produce the short story, which
is at last the best part of history. Chr0nol-
ogies record the nations, but the story car
ries the life of the people in terms Of love,
romance, pathos, humor and tragedy. The
individual stories of Japan are yet to come;
the stories of faith, devotion, high courage
and of sacrifice. That these will be of
compelling power we may well imagine from
the spiritual history of these little brown
people Their record in the Russian war,
that hodern combat between David and Co
Hath, startled the world and paved the way
for Japans position among the five great
powers. British writer's called her the Eng
land of the east, and from the English
standpoint in that enconium was exhausted
First of all in the new literature of Japan
will stand the name of Taxi Yonemura The
hero Of Japan was an unknown radio oper-
ator at Tomioka, 144 miles from TOkio,
when the world went to pieces around him.
and the scene became deluged in tragedy. In
some unaccountable way his aerials held, and
setting his jaws he began to tell the world
that 10000 square miles of thicky pOpulat-
ed Japan we're in ruins, swept of earthquake,
of fire and water. For three days his
the voice of Japan. San Francisco caught
and relayed his messages until the whole
world knew \the stories and from every
quarter rushed the ships Of rescue. To his
cool, mistaken courage, hundreds of thou
sands owe their lives; for starvation held
millions of refugees in it's grasp. It was
bo CT OH Of
that brought the food.
The messages from Tako Yonemura came
in broken English his courtesy holding on
to the end. Every bulletin ended with the
words; please not no more this time" The
Englishman or American would have said,
simply goodnight"
When the Associated Press arrangements
began to produce, again, there came many
stories of heroism and sacrifice, some of
which will Iinger long in the memory of
those who read the vivid messages. Who
is there forget the lines: Japanese
nurses refused to desert their little charges,
but persisted with them" And: zone of the
Japanese was observed standing in a door
way passing out the women and children
with his clothing and hair on fire. With
features distorted by his awful agony, he
stood at his post until, overcome by the
flames, he fell writing to the ground, and
was consumed"
This sublime grit and faithfulness appeals
to America. The man who doesn't weaken,
who never quits, is the ideal man. 1t is
true, too, of the English. 1t is what made
her for SO long the mistress of the world;
and wherever may have come the political
ideals on which we of America have builded,
our best manhood is glorious echo of Eng
land, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The cry
of the unconquerable will always thrill
America in war in peace; will send the
hand, instinctiveIy, to the sword or the
pecketboOk
The courage and promptness with which
Japan is facing the task of restoration recalls
the South at the end of the Civil war. And
as we succeeded, so will Japan, winning
again the admiration of all brave people.