Evening star., 1938-12-25
China Shakes Japanese Faith
In Glory and Joy as Wars Pawn
Fear, Traditionay Contemptuous, Becomes Vocal
as Two Pictures of Conquest of
the Chinese Disclose
THE Japanese youth taught from infancy that ito die participating
the height of eralion TOXIC
ng-Uh
By Relman NORM.

-
Correspondence of the Associated Press)
The japanese soldier is human, after
all.
For years, stories have been retailed
at home and abroad of his absolute
fearlessness on the battlefield, how he
dies with cry OF joy on his lips, how
he willingly sacrifices his life if military
expediency demands it.
He has been pictured as something
superhuman in his contempt for death.
Book Bares Secrets.
Japanese who believed that were sur
prised, even shocked, recently when a
2oldier's story of the war in China was
published in book form under the title
wheat and Soldiers" The writer was
E corporal who landed at Shanghai in
,he early months of the war and par
;:cipated in the Marking and Hsuchow
:. campaigns. Excerpts from the book de-
scribe his and other soldiers sensations
while under fire from the Chinese artil-
iery:
II had thought of myself as utterly
krave and daring, but now was quaking
inside and my convictions were shaken.
I had been perfectly confident that the
cf1emys weapons would never find me.
low I realized that that was merely
mental comfort.
L was filled with anger at the sight
rt life being destroyed so carelessly. So
much noble effort goes into the develop
lnent of single human life J.. But one
chance shell ends it all This feeling is
rot unusual. 1t does not mean that we
refuse to die for the country. But I could
Eot prevent indignation against war, in
IT'S entirety, from yelling up in my
heart"
For protection against flying shell
fragments the men begin digging into
the ground:
"A soldier offered me his shovel. ]
took it and unconsciously traced the
characters, father and mother in the
soft sand. Then l. erased them, ano
wrote the names of my wife and chill.
dren. touched the good-luck omen my
mother had given me, and I thought OF
her prayers for my safety.
"At the same time, the thought came
to me that all around were men whose
families in Japan pray for their safety
Yet they were dying, one after another.
Shell Fans Fears.
A shell bursts, almost at his side:
"All hope was lost, it seemed to me
I murmured, don't want to die. Car
nothing help me?' I put my hand on my
heart, as though to stop its pounding
and told myself that this was not fear
But I was apologizing to myself. Fo
that's what it was-fear."
He tries to assist some of the wounded
MY fingers touched bare flesh wher,
his shirt had been torn away, and ther
something soft and jellylike came unde
my hand. The mans shoulder wa.
naneled. Then touched the bare bone
1t was broken and sticking through tn,
flesh. The shock must have paralyzet
him, for he said he felt nothing.
Sensation returned, and he moaned
I can't stand this pain. Give me medi
cine. Give me something. Let m
faint heard him scrambling aroun
IN the dirt, writhing and trying to stan
erect. Each time he moved anosher O
the injured moaned, BE quiet. AreS'
you man? We've all got wounds"
The book has been an eye-opener TO
the japanese public, whose conception O
the Japanese soldier in action had beel
QUILT on official army communicates an
Censor-dltered newspaper reports.