Gifts for the Soldiers

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 61, 9 September 1905, Page 10

Gifts for the Soldiers

Helen Hyde, writing from Tokio to the San Francisco Argonaut under date of 25th May, gives an interesting sketch of the practical sympathy of the Japanese people, young and old, with the men who are fighting the battles of the nation : — "Whatever you do, don't forget to put m a picture of a pretty girl; those poor fellows at the front are hungering for the sight of a, woman's face." So admonished the friend who gave out the "comforb bags" to be filled. All Tokio was busy, foreigners and Japanese of all classes, and the usual question, when friend met friend, was : "What are you putting in your bags?" And great and long were the discussions over the merits of this and that article. We were asked to spend but twenty-five cents gold on each of our bags, and by sending out to the wholesale shops and filling a hundred at once, we were able to -put in each big heavy brown-paper envelope a pair of cotton socks, -a blue and white wartowel, a tooth-brush, tooth-powder, a little packet of especially prized medicine, a Small package of tobacco, a part of a cake of soap, an envelope of mustard, and — to pleaso our missionary friends— a tract. They assured us they were not like tracts we had seen in our childhood, but were stories of heroism and bravery, of, ', kindness to the fallen foe, and that the soldiers liked them. A letter had come back from a soldier in the field : "Thirty-five men have read th« tract you sent me. It is worn out; please send me another " We were obliged to take their word for it, as of course, we could not read the funny little books filled with fascinating characters; but to mitigate tho severity of such literature, plump into the middle' of each we slipped the picture of the , most charming little geisha we could find. Stories about the blankets sent out to the army by people all over the nation are beginning to drift bock. A soldier before- , Port Arthur wrots last winter: "We are anxiously waiting for blankets. I have heard that in the olden times ladies at court sent out to their sweethearts in the field warm clothing made by their own fair hands, with many a tender thought stitched in. I htlve no sweqtheart, and I Want ,a blanket sent by some poor old woman." And from the highest authority possible, we hear that the' soldiers everywhere madly pawed over the heaps of blankets' sent out, searching for those which were given by women, for each blanket was marked with 'the name of the sender. Ohe day a pile of blankets was thrOWn down in the company's grounds, and immediately attacked by the soldiers. After a fruitless search, they straightened up. "What is the matter with those blankets?" they grumbled ; "not a single one from a woman;" for it seemed that another company had had the first pick. As second choice, each late-Comer tried to find a blanket from his own province. A soldier's wile sent out a blanket, her heart full of her huEband, no doubt, but because she could not send onfe directly to him, she did not withhold her gift. Strange fate sent the pile in which ■was her offering 'straight to her htisband's company." Another soldier got it, but When he saw the name he carried it to the husband ; and he — strange, contradictory stoics that they are, these Japanese — he cried like a. child. And still harping on the subject of blankets — two English friends wailing for a train at Shimbashi station, saw a detachment of wounded soldiers come in. First, those who could walk, limp, or hobble', ■ arms bandaged, eyes bandaged, the sad procession passed on. Then came the more severely Wounded on stretchers. My friends grew more and morfc sympathetic. At the very last came a hooded stretcher, under the cover of which was revealed a fprni horribly short. "Poor fellow," they said, "he has lost both legs, 1 ' and, already unnerved by the sights they had seen, both .of them burst into tears. The stretcher-bearers looked at them puzzled, compassionnte. Then with sudden comprehension they broadly grinned, and setting down the stretcher they lifted the cover, and behold, the poor, legless soldier was merely a heap of red blankets ! As the heroes 6i the war have been swamped with letters from all over the world, and more particularly from their own people, especially the school-chil- • drenj some one had the bright idea* of turning all this outpouring of enthusiasm and sympathy into channels whioli would really be of benefit lo somebody. So the teachers suggested to the children that, instead of writing letters to Gen.ferals &6gl, v Kuroki,. and the others , s of BOth army and navy, they all fnll < to and write letters to the wounded soldiers in the hospitals. This idea pleased the children immensely} arid thousands of quaint little missives brought comfort and amusement to the sufferers. Among those letters a friend translated this ono for me, with the accompanying verses. Of cotti'Se, thfe child's little poem loses its poetical form in English: — "If I were a flomrer I would blcoin in the garden Near your bedroom tp console . You for year painful wounds. "If I Wero n 66ft T*ind I would breathe near your Pillow of fain and of glory To blow awny your suffering. "If I wero tho moon I would peep in your wiudow, Shino over your bod To soolho your pain. , ''Alnsl lam not a flowor, A wind, or the moon, And I can not como to your bcclsido To console- '-you. "These funny poems I have written in my play-hour, and I am very sorry I cannot express 'one of my hundred sympathies for you. I have heard that you' \Vnnt letters very milch, and if you are amused evdr so little by my poor letter I shall be very glad. From Nobu Kanaya, who is said to bs mad about soldiers, to my dear noblo wounded soldiers, whom I never forget even for a moment." Over in tho sunlight were twenty or moro imperial guards. Somo of tho men were engaged in a curious form of wrestling. Feet wide apart, right foot touching right footi left hand resting on lofb knre, with the right hand they were irmking singulnr darting movements, na swift as those of a snake's forked tonj^. Their object seemed to be to get a -grip on the bdek of the opponent's arm, below the elbow somfewhere. We noticed I hat if that hnld was obtained, the other man seemed to fly through 'tho air without much effort oil the part of the mnn throwing him. Amid the. laughter of his comrades, the unlucky wight would pick himself up, while the victor mot man after man, until he wjs in his turn vanquished. And it ■brought back to me another of Uchiyainji'fl fairy-tules. ■ "I don't Rue," 1 R'lid, "how tho Japan > cso nre iiblo lo ltiCDt nnd defeat tlie llussiniis at close qunrtcrs." "Montly jiu-jitsu," snid Uchiynma. "Do the soldiers know that?" t ask* ed in surprise. • "All of our officers nnd many of tins men — us many .is they had had time to touch," he replied. "Let one of our men, Unarmed, meet nnv Russian unarmed ; tie down thb left lmnd of thb ■ Japanese ; when the Russian . does not know, therd is a auick, sudden hold,

and with one hand we can throw a heavy mu,n ; then with lightning quickness, pong ! there is a sudden blow that means death, and no one could tell how that man died. If our own men, we also l^ow how to bring him to." "An enemy stays dead, I suppose?" "Oh, yes," said Uchiyama. And here under my own eyes I saw it was no fairy-tale, although to be sure they omitted the final pony! An officer wrestled with the men, taking his turn with tho others. Fifteen minutes of this rapid exercise, and a stretcher Was put down to mark the distance, and rapidly one after the other they tried the long jump, practicing for ditches and trenches, 1 suppose. I noticed that whatever these men did, they, did with all their might. We passed on, walking around the temple, and when we came out again ai the front, the men were lined lip, standing in easy attitudes. The officer sauntered up 'and ' down, talking briskly. Theft he walked slowly down the linej asking questions He pointed at the man he wanted to answer, and at once the soldier l stood stiffly at attention. He passed down back of the line, thuinpiwr tho meri who were to answer. I could hear neither questions 'nor answers, but as we passed out of the gate I heard iin offleer say, scornfully, in* reply to an answer just given, "No, you would never use oil for that!" and he thumped the next man. I longed for the invisible coat of the Japanese legends that I might have gone and perched on the tempel steps 'to learn what it was about. But We could only ponder the effect on the army'of thistaking out of squads of men in charge of a young physician, and in rapid succession of play, work, exercise, and instruction, so amusing and employing their" brain and body that they would come back invigorated and refreshed, and unconscious of 'what they ' had absorbed until the time came to put it all into practice. From thfe letters that come back from the home-sidk bbys in 'the field, 'it wduld seem that they lived from letter to letter from hbme, and that it was the 'province of the women of the land to 'btfa.ee on the armoUr of then? men and' keep bracing, for the way is 1 yfet lo»g and thorny before them. I have never longed to be a 'Japanese • woman, and am begihning to think even the men have a hard- time if they try to live tip to their warlike ,womankind. When, after the ■ battle, At short note came from our Soldier, telling of his safety, Miss Green-Willow said, scornfully : "I think Shin : must hide behind the others." And in answer to an indignant protest, she exclaimed : "Then why don't he get wounded or killed? Everyone else does!" ' jl