Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 141, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1904 — Japan’s Preparation. [ARTICLE]

Japan’s Preparation.

Probably the world seen preparations for a great war carried on so quietly and secretly, and yet so completely, as is the case in Japan’s preparation to meet Russia. During the past few months I have often called to mind an incident of some eight years ago. I was standing in the tower of the Nagoya Castle looking out over the wide plain surrounding the barracks. I could see large squads of cavalry maneuvering in one direction, in another plain was infantry going through all sortsof tactics, not simply ordinary drill, but scaling high walls and performing various difficult feats, in the distance another squad were building pontoon bridges, and, as I cast my eye over the field alive in all directions with men training, I turned to the Japanese officer standing by my side and remarked, “If you keep on training as enthusiastically as this, you will be able to conquer Russia by and by.” The officer looked me up and down, as if deliberating whether he should make reply or not, and then answered in even more laconic Japanese than English language permits, ’’That is what we intend to do.” It would seem that Japan sftw the future course of Russia then as clearly as the world sees it today. Had not Japan begun then her preparation for the present situation she would have found it Impossible to meet it in the marvelous way that she is doing. Careful plans for selfdefense have been maturing from year to year, though, of course, the past year has seen the work of preparation carried on much more rapidly than before.—John L. Dearing, in The World Today.