Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-04
THE PECULIAR CHINESE ARMY.


OF yore, maniac wear the CROWN"
------->
THE PECULIAR CHINESE ARMY.
Major A. E. ]. Cavendish. late mill
tary attache with the Chinese army.
says that in many respects the Celes-
tiai army presents a curious example
OF the unfittest. In its broad outlines
the scheme is simple and suited to the
country, but with the Characteristic
love OF detail OF the Mongol In its
mlnutiae 1t is exceedingly complex
Every province has its separate army
Inc writer gives an interesting ac-
.ouht Oh these forces, and, proceeding
to general remarks. saws;
Much of the utter inefficienev of
Chinas army is explained by the ma
| tive saying, do not use good steel 70
| make a nail nor take a good man to
make a soldier" which is most thor
| oughly acted up TO.
On almost every occasion in 1se4-5
the Chlnese troops refused to stand mn
| 10 the Cespised japanese. Small Won
der wheh OF the hundreds of thousands
VINO since 1852 have been drilled
WIN foreign weapons not one In 81. 900
mas oeen taught their proper use,
! Musketfy and artillery practice is linn
lieu generally to handling the weapons
ana instruction in the use of rifles and
! heid guns is not thought necessary.
Nay, ii is opposed.
! IN January, 1895 several Thousand
men had been collected at Sanba-
kuan, under General Wu-ta- Cheng TO
| re-enforce the army In Manchuria-
| New rifles and field guns had been serv-
ca out, and the force was to move early
IN February, yet on January 20 the men
! nred their rifles for the first time. and
! barely one per cent. of hits on A target
200 yards distant ensued. AS FOR the
! guns, not soul knew how to load
tAem or set a fuse, and when at length
| one was fired with the aid OF the for
/ elgners present the ammunition was
SO defective that, although the gun was
| laid for 5000 yards, the shell only
Travelled 800. Yet these mel. were sent
! north to fight at Tien-Chuang- Tia
without further training, instructions
! by foreigner having been haughtily
! refused
! To be = soldier is to lose caste In
emma, 10 lmbi5e forei~n notions Ii
worse still and incurs the hatred and
! govern the army and navy, SO much
J SO that to be graduate of the foreign
schools is an almost certain bar to pro-
motion. In the military and other
schools established by Sir Robert Hart
and the viceroys at Picking and else
where the students have TO be bribed
to attend so as to compensate them for
| the social disadvantages OF foreign ed
ucation. If we add TO this the natural
contempt for foreigners ingrained In
the Chinese nature, we have potent
| causes for the willful laziness and ig-
! norance OF officers which are truly APP
| palilng. Alas, that they should add
cOWardice as welli
A general near there. being ordered
! to keep a sharp lookout for the Japa-
/ nese, whose landing was hourly ex-
Dptcted. did so by asking the railway
! st&-'on master 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, VINO, while en-
gagged IN sneezing, would all be slain
by The Chinese spearmen!
It seems a - on the human race
to sa. tha-7o1l - IMAM T5T oTV.-
tG0.Ooo Of Chinese Hody Of good Sol
diers cannot be made, and with the
example Of the army which has been
evolved from the Egyptian fellaheen.
1t may be premature TO call ii impos-
siOle. But China herself cannot do 1t.
The very best human material and the
most elaborate instruction would DO
wasted under the existing naval Off
cial, who steadily resists all reform
in his maladministration. Nevertheless
the docile soldiers and sailors of China
have never yet had a chance of show
ing under proper management what are
their real capabilities Should they
under European tutelage ever prove
themselves in any numbers to be OF
real military value the yellow terror
may net be a mere Pigment OF the SUI
perheated brain