Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-13

I'M NONpthftL SWORDS OF CHINA AND JAPAN
SKILL IN INITIAL WORKING UNKNOWN TO EU-
EoFEsN cUTLEKs-JossEs MADE TO PALM OFF
ON roUAisrs-A COUNTRY WHERE THE NUNS
NATisT COULD sPrxD A LIFELINE
Mr.. Edward Bedloe Clover Club man and
sA-new-psPer and withaI United States
consul at Annoy. has written a very interesting
communication to the Department of State
upon the subject of Chinese curios His re-
marks upon ancient arms Of the Chinese en-
pire form a readable chapter.
CHISEsE svoRDS
Writing about swords Mr.. BedIoe SAYS: The
opening Of China and Japan To the outside
world and the introduction o! firearms was IA
fatal blow 10 the sWordsmiths' industry. Be-
fore that event the makers % swords formed
IN Eealthiest and most powerful gIild in the
east The medieval rivalry between Milan.
1csedo and Damascus was insignificant along
eide Of that OF the great armorer- % the orient.
Competition caused experiments in uletAllurgy.
allSying. forging and temperIug that produced
results OF high value and disclosed mechanical
secrets 70 the workers in steel that are I'M
Known 10 the best cutters Os Europe and Amer
lea today. They produced bia1es with per-
eeptible tints IN violet. blue. green. red. silver
and gold. Saladins sword that would cut .
veI or cushion and Richard Cpur de Lions,
which would sever a steel mace could have
Shegunate and the eighteenth century man
darins- Upon the sword art ran mad. The
smith learned 20 arrange the fibers Of the metals
80 a. 20 form geometrical patterns, the figures
Of flowers. fruits and leaves. and even the
Chinese characters composing quotations from
the great poets and philosophers.
THEIR MARVELLOUS SKILL.
Their skill in this field bordered on the
marvellous. You can obtain superb weapons
even now which in the brightest light seem
made from metal mirrors. Put them in the
sunlight to cast a reflection on a dark sur
face and in the illumination you will see in
fart lines every pattern ! have described The
effect j. the same as that produced by the magic
mirrors of Japan. but how it il done no one
knows. The appearance of this food of
weapons upon the market is due to an addi-
t.1aal cause. Under the ancient regime every
noble. high and low in Japan was attended by
two-svorded men at arms, just Ar the robber
barOns of the middle ages were accompanied
BY steel-clad swash- pucklers. In 1850 there
we're. il Is estimated. at least 400. 600 'two-
swOrders in Japan The revolution of 1868
changed all this in atwinkling. Sword-wearing.
except by the police and soldiery. who had the
ordinary European weapon. made crime.
in China the mandarin has sold his grandsire's
blade and Carries an umbrella Instead So
many have taken this course that the market Is
more than gluttsd. Two-thirds of these
weapons have tasted blood. All are interest
ing. majority are very handsome. while few
hundred are simply superb works of art. The
prices NJ times are low to be laughable:
-. 81. Sl.JO 81 and even IS and 80 cents will
procure a weapon such a. Broadway and Strand
dealers have frequently sold for $50 and up
ward. The low prices have put many noble
weapons to iguominious uses
4 word Of caution a. to these oriental swords
and daggers- Very many OF them poisoned.
80 that mere scratch will cause death. The
venom Is produced by sleeping the blade in de-
cayed human blood. and is one OF the deadliest
known To physiological science.
SOME CURIOUS SWORDS.
Mr.. Beiloe then describes some of the
weapo=s and saws.
The haudsomest of all l. a generals saber
shout -four and a half feet long slightly Japan
e-e IN style. with edge like "a razor and a
point that would eNtOrt admiration from an
Italian bandit CuIIEe our own, the thickest
part Of the blade i the center. This gives
great weight 10 the weapon. joined TO the APP
Teararce Of great iightEe~S. The scabbard is
made OF hard, tough wood. lacQuered To repre-
s.n' black iron Incrusted with mother-of-pearl.
The hill Is of black iron nodded IN the form of
fuli-blown rose. the petals of which have been
drilled with small holes and these filed with
bright brass bars.
The most curious Of the lot il the so-caiIed
warriors two-bladed sword from Ho-Naa IL
J. only about .wo feet long and in the scabbard
looks verv like the sword bayonet of our own
army. The scabbard l. plain. but very neat.
ant covered with white shagreen cor shark
skin au1 trimmed with brass mounting-.
When ycu draw 10 the blade divides into two.
each facsimile Of the other. double edged
and spear pointed The twin blades have a re-
markable decoration made BY drilling seven
bolr- about an inch and half in diameter and
put In ZigIag line from hilt 70 point These
are filed With pure copper. which il ground
down 90 form a smooth surface flush with the
steel and polished 20 mirro--like brightness.
These seven stars. a. thev called, are found
IN nearly all tn martial weapon, Of Ho-Nan
and are relics 81 the old astrologic faith that
riil prevails ~ many parts OF China. Its hold
j. 80 strong that u the copper falls out Of one
Of the sword holes IL l. accepted! n n sure pre-
cursor 20 death. and the lucsie-s wieider Of the
hiate usually commits suicide 10 escape further
Touble.
The short stabbiug daggers which find favor
chicay with pirates and rsyolutionist-. form a
strong contrast with the weapons described. /
have one which looks like queerly made ace
90 spades fastened into a WiTe-boUnd handle
To increase the Artistic effect OF the Weapon the
hrmorcr has Followed gu, "A shallow spoon
shaped coucave on either side Of the blade and
flied IN with biooti-red iaconcr. the effect Of
which whcn Suddenly drawn FROM a black
sheath. l. very -iartling. I have another
weapon whore blade - perfect ace Of dil-
niond-. sui another dagger - about the
c.um-ie-t affair Of the kind ever handled. The
blade D. foot long. about three inches wide
and half an inch thick. With its heavy brass
bi4' snd gigantic guard u weighs over three
pounds. u set with a long handle il can be
uscd a. an AZ.
The most dreadful looking weapon Of all is
ths eNecutiousr- sword. used by the late
hsadsmau 81 Annoy. IL J. OF nrk0orian type.
being long. almost straight. very heavy and
keenlv edged. IL = used with one hand and j.
shaped and wound 20 A. o. give the executioner
powerful bold upon kIs weapon. Upon the
blade near the halt Chinese characters re-
Ccsding the tragic events ~ which II has taken
active part. Nv Interpreter told ME that j;
record. no les. than 1873 human lives which 1t
hls- taken out II thu world
OTuER ARMS
la a description Of other arms Mr. BedIoe
writes
spear captured by the French from the
glack Flag In TOnquiu Is eight feet long The
shaft j. of ironwood. round, polished and var
ni-hsd and reinforced here and there bv wrap
pings Of hne copper wire. and at the upper hand
j. incrustcd the distance of foot with mother
of-pearL The end - ferruled with large
copper band. In which l. set the spearhead
1hI- il made Of fine steel six inches in length
and triangular in cross section One face IL
deeply grooyed 80 a. 10 allow a large amount of
POISON These spears are used with great skill
BY the Chinese. Let-lu. famous bandit,
could throw one through a man at fftv yard.