Mr 14. ItXM.
THE OMAITA" ILLUSTRATED BEE.
Some of the Work Done by the Japanese Red Cross Society
HEROES OP PORT ARTHUR IN RED CROSS HOSPITAL. (
the emperor cherishes so much, and does
everything in Ks power to help them lit
ortrr to please the emperor by so doing.
We owe to the emperor the Independence
and th' prosperity of the empire which ha
maintains by means of his soldiers anc
the best way of paying hack tins lmiiH-as
urablc debt Is to give aid to his soldier
while risking their lives on the Held of
battle. This la what the million members
of our society have ut heart.-'
Tes. 1 don't doubt It. And this Is tho
spirit which drew together t!iso million
men and women whose lives and Income are
being devoted today so cheerfully to this
work. The Japanese are like nothing so
much as one big family, and when a bJowr
is struck by an alien at one of them It
seems to be felt by the whole population.
They may quarrel anions themselves and
abuse earh other as they always have most
surprisingly done, but If there is revenga
to be taken or n difficulty with an outside
power to be adjusted by force of arms, S3
complete Is the unanimity of the people
where the country's welfare Is concerned
that the least of them will be found ac
complishing something toward the triumph,
of the all. And this "spirit of Japan'" 1.1
such perfect patriotism that It seems to
absolutely obliterate individualism, to ex
clude all Idea of personal ambition, and f
do verily believe that if any one of tha
natural leaders, who have arisen to ac
compllsh Japan's salvation In this war,
thought he could better serve the country,
as the lowest soldier In the ranks or as a
stretcher-bearer In tha Red Cross corps, ha
would resign his command without a mo
ment's hesitation and take up his humbla
duties with a cheerful heart.
f . - ' " f. X '
"
SECTION OF CENTRAL RED CROSS HOSPITAL, TOKIO.
HE whole history of the Japanese
empire Is composed of tales of
horror and bloodshed equal per
haps to any that darken the pages
of the history of medieval Eu
rope. Deep sympathy for brothers in af
fliction and an eagerness to alleviate suf
fering are marked Japanese characteristics,
and yet until the .year 1877 there Is no rec
ord of any organization of any kind among
this people that had for Its object tha
mitigation of the distresses consequent to
war, or any apparent attempt Indeed to
lessen the miseries of those who fought
for the honor and glory of the always be
loved country, and that Is why the Red
Cross society of Japan Is more than ordi
narily Interesting, why It Is meet that we
should express our admiring surprise at its
efficiency to meet and successfully dis
charge the unexpectedly enormous duties
with which It is confronted at this national
crisis.
Less than twenty-fivo years ago Japan
bad no medical fraternity at all. Much less
than fifty years ago surgery was a thing
unknown In the empire, but today the pro
gressive little country has its medical col
leges equal in advantages to almost any In
the world and physicians who have not
only become famous among their own peo
ple, but throughout the length and breadth
of the civilized world, and strange to say
Christianity has played no part in this
most Christian development.
' Doalltr of Birth.
Curiously coincidental with this story is
the fact that Just at the time when the
world was clamoring for admission to
Japan, at the time when Inhuman outragca
against harmless foreigners was tha order
of the day there, Florence Nightingale and
her band of consecrated women in the
Crimea were planting in the hearts of
human kind the seeds of Christian mercy,
whose latent fruition we are now beholding
In this brilliantly but oddly enliglTtened
land. In 1SB3. when the ships of Commodore
Perry were lying in the harbor of Yeddo,
now Tokio, waiting for a reply to the let
ter sent by the president of the United
States to the emperor of Japan, requesting
open ports in the country for trade and
coaling purposes, the daimyo of Mito, one
of the strongest of all the feudal lords of
the Hermit empire, addressed to the sho
gun a memorial, the first three clauses of
which throw an astonishing light upon
Japan's present development. I have be
fore me a copy of Prof. Inaio Nitobe's
translation pf this remarkable document.
It begins:
First The annals of our history speak of
the exploits of the great who planted our
banners on alien soil, but never was the
clash of foreign arms heard within the pre
cincts of our holy ground. Let not our gen
eration be the first to see the disgrace of a
barbarian army treading on the land where
our fathers rest ...
Second Notwithstanding the strict Inter
diction of Christianity, there are thos3
guilty of the heinous crime of professing
the doctrines of this evil sect. It now
America be once admitted Into our favor
the rise of this faith la a matter of cer
tainty. Third-What! Trade our gold, silver, cop
per. Iron and sundry useful materials for
wool. lass and similar trashy little arti
cles? Even the limited barter of the Dutch
factory ought to have been stopped.
Not Alone In IHs Views.
A copy of this strange paper was sent to
all the dalmyos, or provincial governors.
In Japan, with a request for their opinions
upon the subject.
agreed with the, powerful daimyo of Mito,
fore the people in the form of Immediate
succor for the sufferers by modern foreign
methods. At that time was organized the
"Haku-ai-sha." or "Society of Benev
olence," for the purpose of giving assistance
to sick and wounded soldiers without dis
tinction of parties, and out of this society
grew what is now tb Red Cross Society of
Japan, with a membership of about one-thirty-fifth
of the whole population of the
empire- Mr. Nagao Ariga, professor of In
ternational la In the Military and Naval
academies of Toklo, set forth the purposes
of this organization In a pamphlet a year
or so ago, and the point from which he
starts Is Interesting as Illustrating the
Japanese attitude In all things, an atti
tude which contains the key to the riddle
of Japan tha Undefeated.
Key to Japan's Bnccess.
He says: "In Japan the emperor is the
personal leader of the nation In arms and
the soldiers are his soldiers, not In theory
only, but In fact of historical tradition.
Henco the nation which loves and respects
the emperor literally as children do their
fathers naturally loves th soldiers whom
Example of Prosrresa.
Japan Is always preparing In times of
peace for future emergencies and after the
Kagoshlma rebellion in 1S77 came to an end
the "Society of Benevolence," upon the ad
vice of men who had been studying Inter
national military science abroad, decided to
strengthen Itself and get Into condition to
become a part of the empire's military or
ganization, so It opened communication with
the international committee of the Red
Cross at Geneva and, after changing Its
name to the Red Cross Society of Japan
and revising lis statutes, It took full part
In the international convention of the Red
Cross held at Carlsruhe in 1887. This ad
vancement In ten years from nothing at all
to full equality with all modern nations
waa characteristically Japanese and as a
historical Incident could not be matched
perhaps by any other people except by the
Japanese themselves, who display the same
marvelous adaptability In everything they
attempt.
Org-anlzatlnn of the Society,
One of the Imperial princes Is the honor
ary president of the Red Cross society.
while the committee of women, which has
membership of many thousands, has for
thief administratrix no less a person than
Her Imperial Highness Princess Komatsu,
who, with most of the Imperial princesses,
takes a lively personal Interest in the work
now being done by the society. The society
has had small opportunity to grow to tha
perfection of working order that It displays
today, for before 1894 there wns never a
ripple upon the calm surface of the coun
try's history that was not caused by public,
calamity.
John Barret, the American Minister at Panama
r L- ' ' ;-t
' 'v ; -X .... . .v-lsj - s'.'iv
': bH -h
., . ili - !
.' V'- y I v - I ' 5 t T
i v ; If, hJ ' r
V"', 1: - :"'
V i . ..Inn r ........ n. - "' " ' "
MINISTER BARRET. ON RIGHT; JOSEPH LEE. CONSUL GENERAL AT
PANAMA. AT THE LEFT. Photo by F. G. Carpenter on Balcony of Legation
at Panama.
Copyright, 1905, by Frank G. Carpenter )
l AN AM A, May 11. (Special Corre
spondence of The Bee.) By the
time this letter is published John
Barret will be steaming uj the
Magdalenu river,' on his way to
Bogota, to take charge of his new post as
The Panamans look upon him as their
friend. His receptions are attended by as
many natives as by Americans, and the
American legation has' been made a ren
dezvous for high Colombian officials.
John Barret seems to understand the
In accordance with the plot, the general
told President Amador that he must dis
miss (hls minister of foreign affairs. This
was done. General Huertas then made
more demands, which led to the belief that
he Intended to take control of the govern
ment and compel the president to make ap
pointments and issue orders as he should
dictate. At this time the American min
ister was called In for advice and co-operation.
Mr. Barret took tho position that
the constitution of Panama and our treaty
give the United States the right to inter
fere to maintain order, and I understand
he told the president that Uncle Sam would
certainly Interfere if occasion demanded.
He advised President Amador to order tho
army to disband, and to ask the commander-in-chief
to resign his office. Ha
told the president that the army would al
ways be at least a dangerous element, and
that it was of no particular value to tho
state, as our government would protect
Panama from foreign Invasion, and as the
local police, strengthened by our marines,
could alw;ays keep order.
How ran am a Lost Its Array.
Upon that Presldent'Amaaor decided to
disband the army and there was great ex
citement In consequence. Rumors of resist'
ance by the soldiers were rife, and a com
pany of American marines was brought
In from Empire to Ancon, on the outskirts
of Panama, to be ready for any emergency.
Certain of the hot-heads wanted the ma
rines brought right Into the city and sta
tioned around the president's house for his
protection, but Minister Barret objected.
He said it was best to prevent the actual
interference by the American forces If pos
sible, and that It would be better to let the
Panama government control the situation
itself, as a matter of international credit.
He also wished to avoid the charge which
might be made by South America and by
the opposition party In the United States
that President Ko.isevelt. now that he was
re-elected, waa using the big stick without
regard to consequences.
It was at Barret's suggestion that Presi
dent Amador then sent word to the soldiers
that If they disbanded without trouble they
would have sixty days' pay in addition to
the amount due them, and also that half of
this would be given when they dlBbanded
and the remainder a week later- If there
were no further disturbances. The hour
for disbanding was fixed, but the soldiers
failed to come. They sent word that they
wanted the sixty days' pay in a lump, and
that as soon as they gave up their arms.
v..':"-. ' . '...' v. ." .. . : '
' ' ' , ' ' ' f
J ' , I'- " '
, . ., , . ft , . -
., .:. . . ...-, . ,. -5 - , .. . v :.' ' .. '
' . . . , - ' ..'-.
, ' ....
urn ... i Mi
Latin character. The Panamans say he is
nd almost to a man they minister to oiomma. inis appointment is ."i. .... Wjth tm8 tfje pregldcnt wag ,ncllned t0
an excellent one. Minister warret under- " mi.. v,.,. .,, iie,, k(.j
r - . j . . .
It would give no assurance of peace.
UNITED BTATOS LEGATION AT PANAMA.
and many of them were more than willing " " "u ou oi ra.mii poi- -- - -'""',, " ' " '
to hack their ODinlons with force of arms. nu Manama jmiuicians. ne realizes
which they did attempt to do. much to their 'e feeling, of the Colombians and he can other, seem to have faith in him.
consequent chagrin. Of course Lord Mito more than any other man to bring the HeToloiioTwIiih Failed.
was a togeHier mistaken In nis ideas, as a .-k--"-- w..t. t " T th, connection I want to tell vou how
r,M mnA tartllne succession of subse- time keep them both in. harmony with the nis tonnecuon i want to leu you how
rapid and startling succession or suDse gI,tM ... . Ht,, .. . the American minister prevented a revolu-
quent event, proved to him and hi. fol- 8 Mew. He is a diplomat from the here Panama, as you
lower., but th. fear, expressed In the .ec- frPIhl7,.h know, is a Spanish -American republic, lu
n.rminn h memnrinJ were mora leather soles or his white canvas shoes, , ,. . . . ..
:u,;w bundle.. an7 of the oth- ee wonderfully successful in, "'"T -.ZlZJ... ."Z U""ary
Th. rte.nlsed sect of Christianity has "n" with the Spanish-American repub-
ma.de no more progres. In Japan within Thl ha ben especially o here at
these fifty years than Buddhl.m could make Panama"
under similar circumstance. In America in Thl. little repubuc 1. to a large extent
the same length of time, and yet Japan has Upcle Sam', baby, and the minister ha.
reaped all the fruit, of Chrl.tlan doctrine had to take the place of foster mother and
to the enormous betterment of it. civil con- nurse. Not only in Its relations to Colom-
dltlon. and today one may see the lnoon- Wa, Costa Rica and other foreign countries,
gruous spectacle of a great company of but in dealing- with the government of our
soldiers, wearing Christ's sacred emblem zone, Panama ha. relied upon our mlnls-
upon their sleeves, kneeling in devout ador- ter for counsel and advice. Such asslst-
atlon before a glided altar of tha lord BuS- ance had to be delicately rendered in order
dha; or more Incongruous at 111, before tha to not patronize or offend tha official, of
hrinea dedicated to the imperial ancestor, the Panama government, and in thl. re-
to whom Japan and all things Japanese o spect Minister Barret has admirably suc-
Invlolably belong, in connection witn tna ceuea. xie n&s oone mucn to develop a
ordinary need, of every-day life In thl. con
glomerate land one is Impressed with tha
efficacy and efficiency of tha Buddhist faith.
but in public institutions that are borrowed
outright from Christian civilization., insti
tutions founded upon principle, which are
a direct emanation from the gospel of
Christ Jesus, one naturally resent the ac
tive recognition of a pagan cult, and stand
ing before Buddhist and Shinto altar. In
modern prisons, hospital, and great insti
tutions of western education, I have won
dered what the daimyo of Mito would think
If he could tuie this complicated, but to the
Japanese mind most satisfactory, result of
tha intrusion of the western barbarian with
bi. "evil sect."
Ked Croaa Knlly Grown.
However, I have run miles away from the
subject directly under consult ration, which
Is the excellence of Japan's Red Cross hos
pital system, full rrown in such tender
youth. From the time Commodore Perry
forced a way for American enterprises
through Japan'. !H year.' seclusion until
tha year 1877 there vu constant fighting
In tha country among the various clans,
who were opposed to or In (avor of tha
admlaaion of foreigner, but not until thl.
latter date, when the last blow was .track
for the old order of thing by a little band
of rebel. In Kagoshlma. waa a a object
leason in Christian kindliness placed ba-
cordlal feeling here for the United State,
and to bring the two nation, together.
pirit with their mother-, milk. They have
had. It 1. said, something like forty-seven
revolutions In fifty-one years, and the com
mon opinion is that there would be revo
lutions now, were It not for the fear of
Uncle Sam's big stick. Panama has It.
political parties, and the out. want to get
In Just as they do In the United States.
Early last winter the opposition party con
spired with General Estaban Huertas, the
head of the army, and planned a revolution,
intending to overthrow the government.
The general was little more than a boy,
and his army was only soo men, but the
two were strong enough to have wiped
out the government and to have caused
an enormous amount of trouble, not to
say bloodshed, had they been permitted to
work in the ordinary South American way.
Uncle Sam's Bis Stick.
A ' little later the soldiers came to the
palace of the president and demanded their
pay. The president asked Mr. Barret to
go out and address thf.m. He did so. The
scene was a sensational one. In company
with General Guardla he went down and
faced the army amd the mob behind It.
General Guartta announced to them that
the government could not change its atti
tude and he thereupon introduced Minister
Barret, who made a speech, saying that
while the United States wished to protect
the rights of every Individual Panaman,
whether he was a citizen or a soldier. It
was determined thai law and order should
be kept. He said that the soldiers must
accept terms offered them by the govern
ment or take the consequences. He gave
them to understand that the United States,
with all Its forces, stood behind President
Amador, and would support him. This
speech did the business. At Its close the
soldiers Kid they would accept the terms
offered and the army was disbanded. The
guns and other weapons were given up, and
are now stored In our warehouse at Ancon.
A police force, has taken the place of the
soldiers, and the chief element of possible
revolution on the isthmus has been done
away with.
John Barret, Preacner.
I have seen much of the American min
ister during my stay here. He I. one of
the most strenuous officials of our strenu
ous administration. He has kept two type
writers clicking away at the legation day
in and day out, and at mall times the work
went on far Into the night. Barret has a
stenographer whom he pays out of his own
pocket, and also several clerks to help him
with his work. He is systematic in every
thing, and in addition to his official duties
he has been making regular visits to the
hospitals, thing dinners, calling upon
Americans and Panamans, and last, but not
least, has had his share In the church
movements on the isthmus. He is one of
the chief elements of the Young Men's
Christian association work here, and every
week you may find hiin at the several
American churches. I attended church with
him one Sandayi We first went to the
Catholic church at Ancon, where
Father RuHsell of Panama and Fa-
Tha first of these was the eruption of
Mount Randal, a great volcano up beyond
N'iko, which In lx'tf killed and wounded
some five or six hundred people. The then
absolutely new Red Cross society hurried
to the scene of the disaster and enjoyed a
splendid opportunity, in a small way, for
experimenting with Its formidable and
splendidly modern equipment. Then noth
ing happened until 1S90. when a Turkish,
man-of-war was wrecked near the Island
of Oshlma and 5S7 people were lost. Includ
ing Osman Pasha, special ambassador from
his majesty the sultan. At this time th
people of the island rescued sixty-nine per
son, and turned them over to tha Redl
Cross society, which quickly established a
temporary hospital at the scene of the dis
aster. The following year came the great
Glfu earthquake, which killed 7,230 people
and wounded 11,590. At this time wera
started some of tha hospital, that have
since developed Into institution, a finely
equipped a. modern medical science could
desire. During the Japan-Chinese war and
the Boxer insurrection the .ocrety had
valuable opportunities to test Its organiza
tion, and, needless to say, tha experience
gained during these periods of activity ha.
yielded Its full profit of Improvement. In
the hands of these little people who are not
to be caught unprepared by any emergency.
War Has Its Amenities.
The society, of course, has its hospital
ships, which are second to none on earth
in tha excellence of their accommodation
for the sick and wounded. It Is a matter
of great regret to the working staff of
these ships that one of them was not upon
the scene of action to do the first work
of the society in tho Russo-Japanese war
at the naval battle off Chemulpo, but nana
of them were at hand and the French
cruiser Pascal took twenty-four wounded
Russians off the cruiser Variag and landed
them in the hands of the Red Cross so
ciety at Chemulpo. The story of thesa
first prisoners of war 1. rather Interest
ing. Twenty-two of them lived and as soon
as they were able to travel were sent to
the great hospital at Matsuyama in Japan.
Here five of them were subjected to tha
operation of amputation of arms and leg.,
and her majesty, the empress, wa. so moved
by their misfortunes that she presented
them each with an artificial limb. They
were afterward sent back to their home.
In Russia at the expense, of course, of the
Japanese government, and the Russian gov
ernment sending expression, of gratitude
for this courtesy through the French con
sul at Seoul offered to defray all tha ex
penses Incurred. But the Japanese gov
ernment declined the offer and the only
way lei for Russia to get even wa. to
subscribe $2,000 to the Japan Red Cross
society's relief fund. Thl little story ha
been told many a time and oft before,
but it is Interesting In this connection a
an Illustration Of the personal, human .Ida
of a great political conflict Ilka thl. and
of Japan's complete freedom from enmity
or bitterness toward the soldiers of Rua
sla. who have been forced by the fortune,
of war to face Its always victorious armies
Experience In Contrasts.
Through his excellency, Baron Komura,
minister of forolgn affair., arrangements
were made for me to visit the Central
hospital of the society, which la situated
in Tokyo, and there I passed through ward
after ward where 3,000 little brown sol
dier lay in all stages of convalescence
ther Boyle, formerly of Washington, offtcl
ated. Later on we attended the Protestant and every possible form of physical mu
Episcopal church, held In one of the hos- uiation. Seeing them all in all. the glory
pltal wards and presided over by Colonel of their herqlsm afforded me a great ex-
Gorgas. At the end of the first or second perlence In contrasts. The day before I
lesson, I am not sure which. Colonel Gor- had been taken by the general director
gas said that Inasmuch as there waa no of prisons to look at the great penitentiary
parson present he would ask the American at Sagamo, and there I was shows) through
minister to read him a sermon from some a hospital ward full of men in ugly brick
famous divine. He thereupon handed the colored kimono., the garb of .name, who
minister a book, and Mr. Barret, In sten- hung their head. a. we Dassed or covered
torian tones, gave us an excellent discourse.
Healb on the Isthmus.
John Barret Is sanguine a to the future
health conditions of the Isthmus. He knows
the tropic well, and during hi. long stay In
Slam had to deal with many of the condi
tion, which prevail here. He .ay. that
the present arrangements are such that
yellow fever and malaria will soon be so
controlled that those who are careful will
be as free from danger to their health here
as they are In the United State.. He think,
grip and pneumonia quite as bad as yellow
fever and malaria, but at the same time
urges all to take precaution, against tha
latter diseases. He says one should taka
(Continued on Page Eight.) ,
them up altogether. Tha atmosphere of
the place waa frightfully depressing, and
my heart ached for tha poor fellow, who
had gone wrong and brought their lives)
to such a pitiable pass; imprisoned, .dis
graced and sick; hopeless for tha whole
space of their lives and eating their heart
out, most of them, with shame and re
gret. Thl. central hospital ha. a. yet very
much the emergency look about It, but I
don't doubt that some day the hastily
erected wooden buildings with their un
furnished interiors will be replaced by
beautiful modern struotures, furnished with
every necessity for the perfect discharge
of any further great work that shall fall
to the lot of the Red Cross society ot
Japan. ELEANOR FRANKLIN.
Participants in the Recent Jnterscholastic Debate Between Representatives of the Omahn and Beatrice High Schools
1
CHARLES BROME, OMAHA.
JAMES A. ATKR BEATRICBV
1tTHVR PROCTOR. OJIATIA.
AMTTBL M. KINAKETR, BBATRICB.
C. B. VA2? BAXT. OITATTL ' UtWJUCJB .-rfgAXEfr .XfJJOCXL
