TOGO AS A HOY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12931, 29 July 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

TOGO AS A HOY.

PICTURE OF THE JAPANESE HERO

AT COLLEGE. Ax " Occasional Correspondent" in the Lon

don Times writes of his recollections of

Admiral Togo when the latter was nineteen

and at college in England.

"That he was a born fighting man we none of us had the ghost of a suspicion. It is ea'sy enough, post eventum, to recall

small points, the significance of which was lost upon us then. Then we saw only his perfect courtesy, which charmed everybody (the parlourmaid declared, ' Mr. Togo quite annoys himself with politeness'); his punctuality— one ever knew him to be a moment late for the simplest engagement; his kindly good nature—' temper' lie may have had, but there was never a flicker to be seen; his distant readiness to adopt English modes of life and his power of doing exactly what we did without giving us any ground for thinking him to be a mere copyist. "Full of fun, with a keen sense of humour, lie was a glutton for work—intent with a dogged intensity which is altogether lacking in the English character. Above all other qualities he had the gift of silence —not the silence of taciturnity, but the silence of economical speech, which never wastes a word. There was no need to ask, ' Do you understand this or that?' " There was in his eye and his gesture the unspoken assurance that he had the "rip thereof and was ready for more. On "one subject only did lie seem to have his tongue loosened—oil dear Japan he was willing to talk; his home was his heart's devotion. "We failed to see it then; but we call to mind, after he has made history, thai • there were never any 1 difficulties' for him that there was bone in his jaw—that Ins teeth were large and square and firm, and that we never saw him change his purpose in any matter."