Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-15
SOLDIERS IN CHINA.
QUEER METHODS WHICH MAKE THEM
WORTHLESS AS FIGHTERS.

To Become q Soldier Is to Lose Caste, and
Good Men Arc Not Used For Warriors.
Crazy Tactics In tho War with Japan.
Pepper Versus bullets.
Major A. j.. j. Cavendsh, First Argyll
ard Sutherland highlandcrs, ID. a. A. g.,
Dublin district Cato military attacho with
Tho Chinese army, writing In The Jour
nal of tho United Service Institution, says
that In mnny respects tho army Of China
presents curious example of the survival
Of the unflttcst. In the broad outlines its
scheme is simple and suited to the coun-
try. Nevertheless, with tho characteristic
Chinese love Of detail, In its minutin, it
Is exceeding complex. Owing to an equal
ly characteristic want of exactitude. al
though returns as rendered by separate no.
countants arc often beautifully worked
out to tho thousandth part of a tael, yet
/ In combination OF these returns nothing
balances.
For members Of parliament who cavil
at the intricacics of tho British estimates
! can imagine no worse punishment in the
| future life than to be SGT by satan to un-
ravcl the mysteries of tho Chinese mill
| tary budget. Every province has its sep
arate army" for which tho viccroy or
govcrno: Is responsible, and in IA of these
it consists of Tartar ard Chinese soldiers
in certain fixed proportions. Any def.
ccncics in the military budgets of tho
poorer provinces arc met by contributions
from tho central provinces, "thc belly of
China" Grouping all these armies" to.
gcthcr, the troops fall into four great cate.
gorics-namely, Q) Tartar soldiers or ban
nor men; (2) green regiments or Chinese
Gov al Och AZ
disciplined troops.
The writer gives an interesting account
Of these forces, and proceeding to general
remarks. says; Much Of tho utter inefi-
cheney Of China's army is explained by tho
native saying, do not use good steel to
make nail nor take good man to make
q soldier, " which is most thoroughly acted
up to. The "abscnco of nerves" and the
animal fcrocity of the Chinaman admir-
ably adapt him for the deliberate exter-
iinntion which characterizes the suppress
sion OF revolt, but In real courage tho
nbnegation Of self under danger, no 10
wocfully deficient. He will do much for
pay, he will fight when his rage is aroused
but his passion, violent as q typhoon, rs
quickly passes away. On almost every
occasion in lS94-5 tho Chinese troops re-
fused to stand up to the dcspised Japanese
Small wonder, whom Of the hundreds OF
thousands who since 1862 have been
drilled" with foreign weapons, not one In
10000 has been taught their proper use
Muskctry and artillery practice Is limited
generally to handling the weapons, and
instruction in the use of rifles and field
guns Is not thought necessary-nay it is
opposed. In January, 1895, several thou
sands Of men had been collected at Shan
hai-Kuan, under General Wuta -cheng, to
rc-cnforce the army In Manchuria. New
, rifles and field guns had been served out,
and the force was to movo early in Febru-
airy, yet on Jan. 90 tho men fired their
. rifles for the first time and borely per
cent Of hits on u target 200 yards distant
|. cnsued. AS for the guns, not soul knew
how to load them or set fuse, and when
at length one was fired with tho aid of the
foreigners present, tho ammunition was
so defective that, although the gun was
laid for 8, 600 yards, tho shell only travelled
$50. Yet those mep were sent north to
, fight at Tien- chuanSt ai without further
training, instruction by q foreigner hay
ing been haughtily refused.
TO DO q soldier is to lose caste in China,
to imbbe foreign notions Is worse still
: and incurs the hatred and suspicion Of the
civilians, who in reality govern the army
and navy so much so that to be gradu-
: ate of the foreign schools is an almost GER
; tain bar to promotion. In the military
/, and other schools established by Sir Robert
I, Hart and the viceroys at Peking and else
whcro the students have 20 be bribed to
attend, so as to compensate them for the
/ social disadvantages of foreign education.
, II we add to this the natural contempt for
foreigners ingrained in the Chinese ma
| ture we have potent causes for the willful
. lazincss and ignorance of officers, which is
= truly appalling. Alas, that they should
! add cowardce as we'll
l The commander in chief at Shan-hai
| Kuan told me he did not believe In mus
5 kerry instruction for oil. 1t was quite
A sufficient to have ten good shots in each
: lying" to pick of the Japanese officers
His other theory was that the troops were
defeated because they fought hungry. in
a which he was partially right. His remedy
5 was to draw up his men In five lines Tho
first would fight for two hours, and then
Q retro to dinner, the second limo, having
D meanwhile dined, would tako its plaoc,
J, and so on. Thus he would get ten hours
!, fighting, and every one would be fed.
A general near there, being ordered to
keep n sharp lookout for the japanese,
whose landing was hourly expected, did
so by asking tho railway station master to
send two coolies to the coast to look for
n the enemy His was the plan Of arming
G his men with bags Of pepper to be thrown
in tho faces of the Japanese, who while
y engaged in sneezing would all be slain by
n the Chinese spearmenl
1t seems a libel on the human race to
say that out of the manhood Of 500, 0OO, 900
of Chinese q body Of good soldiers cannot
be made and with the example Of the
o army which has been evolved from the
Egyptian fellaheen 1t may be premature
to call it impossible. But China herself
cannot do 1t: The very best human ma
terial and the most elaborate instruction
would be wasted under the existing native
I official, who steadily resists all reform In
his maladministration. Nevertheless the
: docile soldiers and sailors Of China have
}. never yet had chance Of showing under
z proper management what are their real
: capabilities. Should they under European
tutelago ever provo themselves In any
: numbers to be Of real military value tho
i. yellow Terror" may not DO q mere fig
4 ment of tho supcrheated brain.-London
8 Globe.