The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-23
CHINESE ARMY AS 1T NOW is.
Soldiers Are Looked Down Upon in
the Celestial Empire.
London Globe.


Maj A. e. ]. Cavendish, First Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders, d. A. A. G.. Dub
lin district Qate military attache with the
Ghlnese army. writing in the Journal of the
United Service Institution, says that in
many respects the army of China presents
curious example of the survival of the I'M
nttest. In the broad outlines it's scheme Is
SIMPLE and suited to the country: neverthe-
less, with the characteristic Chinese love of
detail, in its minutiae, it is exceeding COM
pick. Owing to the equally characteristic
rendered by separate accountants, are often
beautifully worked out to the thousandth
part OF tael yet in combination of these
returns nothing balances.
For members OF Parliament who cavil at
the lntricacies of the British estimates /
can imagine worse punishment in the
future life than to be set by Satan to I'M
ravel the mysteries of the Chinese military
budget. Every province has Its separate
army, for which the viceroy or governor
is responsible. and in fourteen of these it
consists of Tartar and Chinese soldiers in
certain fixed proportions. Any deficiencies
inces are met bv combinations from the
central provinces, the belly of China.
Grouping, all these armies together the
troops fall into four great categories, name
ly: /, Tartar soldiers or bannermen; q
green regiments or Chinese territorial force;
3. fighting braves; 4, disciplined troops.
The writer gives an interesting account of
these forces, and proceeding to general re-
marks, says: Much of the utter inefficiency
of China's army is explained by the native
a
nail nor take a good man to make a SOL
der, which is most thoroughly acted up
to. The absence of nerves" and the ami
NAL ferocity of the Chinaman admirably
adapt him for the deliberate determination
which characteriZeS the suppression of
revolt; but in real courage, the abnegation
he will do much for pay, he will fight when
his rage is aroused. but his passion, violent
as typhoon, as quickly passes away. =
On almost every occasion in 1S94-5 the Chi
nese troops refused to stand up to the de-
spised japanese. Small wonder! when of
the hundreds of thousands who, since 1862
have been drilled" with foreign weapons
not one in $1,000 has been taught their prop
err use. Musketry and artillery practice is
limited generally to handling the weapons.
and instruction in the use of rifles and field
guns is not thought necessary, nayi it is OPP
posed In January. 1895. several thousands of
men had been collected at Shan-hai- Kuan
under General Wu-ta-cheng, to reinforce the
army In ManchUria: new rfoe nd ao'1
guns had been served out, and the force
Jan. 20 the men fired their rifles for the
first time, and barely l per cent OIL has
on target 200 yards distant ensued; as for
the guns, not a soul knew how to load them
or set fuse. and when at length one was
fired with the aid of the foreigners present,
the ammunition was so defective that al
though the gun was laid for 5000 yards the
shell only Travelled $50. Yet these men were
sent north to fight at Tien-chuang-tai with
out further training, instruction by a for
eigner having been haughtily refused
To be a soldier is to lose cast in China
to imbibe foreign notions is worse still and
incurs the hatred and suspicion of the civil
ians who in reality govern the army and
navy. so much so that to be a graduate of
the foreign schools is an almost certain bar
schools esta blished by Sir Robert Hart and
the vicercy at Picking and elsewhere the
students have to be bribed to attend, so as
TO compensate them for the social disad-
vantages of foreign education. If we add
to this the natural contempt for foreigners
ingrained in the Chinese nature we have
ont will frl 1n1fR r16
ignorance Of officers, which is truly appall-
ing; alas, that they should add cowardice
as we'll
The commander-in-chief at Shar-hai-
Kuan told me that he did not believe in
musketry instruction for all; ii was quite
sufficient to have ten good shots in each
wing" to pick off the Japanese officers.
His other theory was that the troops We're
defeated because thew fought hungry, in
was to draw up his men in five lines: the
first wonld fight for two hours and then re-
tire to dinner. the second line, having mean
while dined would take its place. and so
and every one would be fed
general near there. being ordered to
keep a sharp lookout for the Japanese.
whose landing was hourly expected did so
by asking the railway stationmaster to
send two coolies to the coast to look for
the enemy. His was the plan of arming his
men with bags of pepper to be thrown in
the faces of the Japanese, who. while en-
gagged IN sneezing would all be slain by
1t seems a libel on the human race to say
that out of the manhood of 309000.Oo0 of
Chinese body of good soldiers cannot be
made. and with the example of the army
which has been evolved from the Egyptian
fellaheen 1t may be premature to call 1t
impossible. But China herself cannot do 1t;
the very best human material and the most
elaborate instruction would be wasted I'M
der the existing native official who steadily
ressts all reform in his maladministration.
Nevertheless the docile soldiers and sailors
Of China have never yet had a chance of
showing under proper management what
are their real capabilities. Should they. I'M
der European tutelage, ever prove them
selves in any numbers to be of real military
value, the yellow Terror" may not be a
mere Pigment of the superheated brain.