The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-10-21
CHINA AND HER ARMY.
To be n Soldier in That Country Is
to He Regarded with Snspi-
ciOn-POOr Murl<smcn.

Maj. A. Z. j. Cavcndish, First Argyll
and Sutherland lIighlandcrs, a. y. A.
g., Dublin district Qatc military at
tache with the Chinese army. writing
in the journal of the United States
Service Institution QLondon), says that
in many respects the army of China pre-
scnts curious example of the survival
of the untittest. In the broad outline
its scheme is simple and suited to the
country; nevertheless. With the char
actcristic love Of detail in its minutiac
it is exceedingly complex. Owing to an
equally characteristic want of eNacti-
tude, although returns, as rendered by
separate accountants, are often beauti-
fully worked out to the thousandth
part of Il tael, yet in combination of
these returns nothing balances. For
members of parliament who cavil at in
tricacies Of the British estimates l can
imagine no worse punishment in the
future life than to be set by Satan to
unravel the mysteries of the Chinese
military budget. Every province has
its separate army" for which the vice
roy or governor is responsible, and the
ID of these consist of Tartar and Chi
nese soldiers, in certain fixed proper
tions. Any deficiencies in the military
budgets of the poorer provinces are met
by contributions from the central PROV
inces, the 'belly of China" Grouping
all these armies" together, the troops
fall into four categories, namely:
First, Tartar soldiers, or bannermen;
second, green regiments or Chinese ter
ritoral force; third, fighting braves;
fourth, disciplined troops.
The writer gives an interesting ac
count of these forces, and, proceeding
to general remarks, says: "Much of
the utter ineiliciency of China's army is
explained by the native saying: DO not
use good steel to make nail, nor take
a good man to make soldier which is
most thoroughly acted up to. The ABB
scnce of nerves and the animal ferocity
of the Chinaman admirably adapted
him for the deliberate determination
which characterizes the suppression of
a revolt, but in real courage, the abne-
CATION of self under danger, he is Woe
fully deficient; he will do much for
pay; he will fight when his rage is
aroused, but his passion, violent as a ty
phoon, as quickly passes away.* s. n
On almost every occasion in 1S9495 the
Chinese troops refused to stand up to
the despiscd Japanese. Small wonder!
when of the hundreds of thousands
who since 1862 have been drilled with
foreign weapons not one in 10000 has
been taught their proper use. Musket-
ry and artillery practice is limited gen
orally to handling the weapon, and in
struction in the use of rifles and field
g,0s is not thought necessary, nay, it
is opposed. In January, 1895, several
| thousands of men had collected at Shan
hai-Kuan, under Gen. Wu-tu-cheng, to
reinforce the army i'm Manchuria; new
rifles and field guns had been served
out, and the force was to move early in
| February; yet on January 90 the men
| fired their rifles for the first time, and
barely one per cent. of hits on target
200 yards distant cnsucd. AS for the
guns. not soul knew how to load them
or set a fuse, and when at length one
was fired with the aid of the foreigners
present the ammunition was so defect
i've that, although the gun was laid for
800 yards. the shell only Travelled $50
yards. Yet these men were sent north
at Ticn-chrang-tai, without further
training, instruction by a foreigner hav-
ing been hnughtily refused" - st.
Louis Republic.