Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-11-30
FRIDAY MORNING, NOV. 80. 1894.
A PJTIABLE WAR.

Il
is. as far as the land forces are con-
cerned. simply slaughter of people nc
more fit to fight than SO many little chill
dren. We doubt il Japan has lost a thou
sand men, killed. wounded and missing, in
all the half dozen land victories she has
achieved. The latest news is that the
Japanese have captured Port Arthur, the
kew to northern China, the record being
the same as in the other engagements-a
brief resistance by the Chinese followed by
flight.
The Japanese have long since adopted
European uniforms, drill and arms, all OF
the most modern kind, and they are fighting
battles which if they were not tragedies in
loss of life would be farces. We recently
saw in the London Sketch a series of pho
geographic views taken of the interiors OF
the forts captured by the French and
English in their march on Pekin thirty
four years ago. The views showed spears
and bows and arrows and shields as the
chief armament of the Chinese. Their
guns were immense old iron barrels made
like gun barrel with the butt wrapped
around with wire. These were mounted
on tripods and fired with a fuse. The
shields were painted with horrible faces Of
demons and dragons which were supposed
to have the effect Of frightening the foreign
devils who We're invading them. Well,
the Chinese army has hardly changed bit
since those ssforeign devils'' walked over
their country from Tien Tsin to Pekin
practically unopposed thirty odd years ago.
Viceroy Ii, about the only enlightened
official in China, did start a ship building
ward and a foundry for making cannon, and
did arm small body of Chinese troops in
his province with rifles. But everywhere
else in China it is pretty much as it was i'll
1860. To read of what they call military
matters in China is simply amazing.
Frank Carpenter, the American, writing
Just before the japanese war began, des-
cribes dress parade OF some Chinese
troops at Pekin. The soldiers who distin-
guished themselves by rushing around spear
in hand, turning somersaults and uttering
unearthly cries, supposed to have the
effect of terrifying all enemy, were compli-
mented by their officers and applauded by
the bystanders gathered around, pretty
much as an American audience would ap-
plaude some fine movement in drill by a
crack infantry corps. Another late writer,
a Russian, describes the condition from a
military point Of view of a crack Chinese
CORPS called the s:Yoons." Some Of the
corps are armed with rifles, man next
to them will have only q sword, and the
man next to him a spear. Those who carry
rifles do not know how to shoot them, and
when a rifle is too long to suit the con-
yenience of the soldier he simply saws it
off, so in single company there are guns
of dozen different lengths. AS for clean
ing it that is never thought of, and the
rifles are used for handspikes OF for any
other purpose. The officers are not armed
nor are they taught the use OF arms, the eX-
hold ahigh place, not consisting of ANYTHING
about arms, but about matters laid down
by Confucius. In this crack corps Of
sY oons'' the drill consists of assembling
with great numbers Of glittering banners,
rushing about the field with cOnt0rtions of
the face and yells and means that are sup
posed to disconcert the enemy. A success
full exhibition of this is complimented by
the military inspectors and corps commall-
ders. When Chinese soldier is enlisted
he is permitted first to go TO the graves Of
his ancestors and there make some Offering
after which he goes leisurely to camp The
slaughter of such i'll armed, silly pretenses
OF soldiers by the japanese with their
compact organization and modern and well
kept arms is simply murder, and the civil
liked world will be glad to see it stopped
It is now probable that a stop will be put
to it by the Chinese suing for peace and
offering to pay One Hundred and Seventy
five Millions of Dollars to Japan as indcm,
nifty. IL this offer is backed with with
drawal from Corea it may probably be
accepted.
1t has been suggested that the bloody
and costly experience Of this war may make
China dangerous power-it, being conced
ed chat a nation of three hundred millions
of people furnished with modern arms
familiar with their use, and skilled il
modern tactics. would he a dangerous force
even though Semi-civllized. But there
seems to be little danger Of this; the
Chinese seem absolutely unable to learn
anything. The only result Of the English
and French armies marching to Pekin and
Letting that city in 1860, was to increase
the hatred and contempt of the Chinese iol
the foreign devils, and they learned moth.
ing. It is as hopeless to expect discipline
and generalship from II Chinese army where
a man is made q general for knowing so
many sayings of Confucius. as it would be
to expect it from an American army where
q general was appointed for memorizing SO
many verses from the Bible. Instead OF
learning from'eXperience and becoming a
powerful and dangerous nation, it is fal
more probable that the Chinese will pay
their way out of the present trouble in dol
lars; attribute their bad luck to the dis
pleasure Of some Of their gods and redoubie
their efforts to placate those gods. rather
than to learn how to shoot. 1t is a great
pity to see such ignorant. helpless creatures
slain in what is called warfare. and the
world is beginning to think so.
Germany and Denmark have both issued
DEGREES torbi5lding the importation of live
cattle and fresh beef from the United
States. The statistics show that both