The Washington weekly post., 1900-10-02

POST, TUESDA
enjoyable. II one makes provision against
the extremes Of temperature. The air Is
brisk and exhilaratiEg and dry and spar
king as champagne. But for this qualify,
in fact. a continual pestilence might pre-
vail IN Pekin. owing 20 the almost total
lack OF sanitary arrangements IN
spring and autumn all agree that there Is
a delicious blending Of frost and sun.
and the keen air braces the nerves Ike
tonic" AT the present time both Pekiu
and the great Pe-chi-li plain present thsir
brightest climatic attractions to their un-
invited visitors from abroad.
While life in Pekin was at first looked
upon as a sort Of exile by foreign minis
ters and the legation attaches. and While
for several years after the capital was IN
yaded by them they regarded themselves
in the light Of martyrs 10 duty. there has
been Of late change for the better. In
summer they go out TO the western hills.
where they occupy the ancient temples
and palaces Of former princes or make ex-
cursions 10 the famous Ming tombs and
the great wall If any number OF troops
are quarteTed in or near Pekin they viii
probably occupy portions of the vast and
beautiful hunting park and the grounds
OF the summer palace outside the walls.
small detachments being kept within on
call for emergencies
There viii be high revelry in Pekin this
coming winter If the legations are re-es-
tablished and the various commands are
quartered within hail, for even in times
when the legatiOners are thrown upon
their own resources there are state din
ners and balls skating earnivals and
sledging parties. Though snow does not
fall 10 any great depth, the .noa;s
around the walls are frozen over for
several weeks. and In the city skating
rinks are made by flooding the legation
tennis courts and roofing them over with
poles covered with bamboo mating.
Gayeiies OF the Chinese Capital.
"It was glorious winter. one To ,ook
back upon all ones life," wrote an Eng
lish lady who had passed the season
there. Some way Pekin was place
quite unique and different from anything
one would ever meet elsewhere. Society
was charming being altogether diplo-
matte and consisting Of so many different
legations OF all nationalities. The eli
mate was magnificent at that time. from
October till the end of March-bright
blue, cloudless sky. fresh. keen air and
not one drop of rain. October and No
vember were ideal months, just like the
autumn at home. From December to the
end of February we had a covered rink
In the club grounds, where most of Pekin
society turned in for a short time each
afternoon. and the ministers wives took
IL in turn to give tea there once a week
when Sir Robert Harts band. consisting
altogether of Chinese. generally played
II was most picturesque rink being all
lit up with Chinese lanterns and very
many pleasant evenings were spent there
Then there were the dances and dinners
and balls innumerable and kind hospi.ali-
ty received from friends. which for years
10 come will always make the winter
spent there memorable one"
As the allied forces will probably be dis
tributed between Pekln, Tientsin, and Ia
ku, there will be a considerable body of
troops that will not fare so we'll as those
quartered in or near the capital. at least
so far as the officers are concerned. There
will be barracks available both at Tientsin
and Taku. and as supplies of every sort
for winter campaign have already been
forwarded from the United States our
boys in China will not suffer except from
ennuL Should they have a taste of real
campaigning they viii be provided with
double-walled tents, and probably all will
be furnished with sheepskin garments.
like those used by the Russians with
which our marines were provided on an
other occasion when they landed in China.
So far as keeping warm is concerned, the
men will have to depend mainly, II is
feared, upon the natural warmth of their
bodies. sleeping "spoon fashion at night
and envelOping themselves in extra furs
when exposed to the biting winds that
sweep across the plains.
Winter Quarters nj TieBisin.
Those so unfortunate as to be assigned TO
duty at Tientsin and its port will proba-
bly, go into those peculiar winter quarters
constructed on the plan in vogue in the
arctics AS the Pei-Ho is frozen over a
portion of the winter. any vessel that is
caught up river by the ice has TO stay
there until the opening Of spring. IN such
cases il has been the custom TO inclose
the stranded craft within walls of mCd
which freeze solid and afford complete
protection. An American gunboat was
once caught that way by the ice, and the
jackies aboard built most elaborate sys
TEN of mudworks ten feet high. with
bridges and sallyports using layers of
straw between the courses, and behind
their ramparts quite eontentedly bade
defiance TO the blasts Of the Chinese
boreas.
If our soldiers can endure the monot-
ony of life behind mud walls, with an oc-
casional sally upon the frozen surface of
Vitr trIr ~ SlxatinC or hoo
ing over the flooded plains and a foray
now and then for fresh provisions, they
may pass the winter without any great
privatiOns. The natives of Pe-chi-li at one
time regarded foreign soldiers and sailors
as smphibious animals, but more at home
on water than on land. Just before the
Taku forts were taken by the French and
English in 1850 the Chinese commander
opposed 10 them, Sankolinsen, explained
to his cousin, the Emperor, that he had
purposely allowed the barbarians to land
because all foreigners We're aquatic crea-
lures, and, though formidable on board
ship, were helpless on shore. His plan.
therefore, was to ''entice them from their
ships and then overwhelm them when
thus deprived of their support He "en-
ticed'' them ashore without any difficulty,
but all the overwhelming was done by
the Europeans. The gallant Sanxolinsen
took horse and did NOT stop until safe
behind the walls of Pekin So his fate will
probably serve as a warning 70 his sue
cessors.
WALLACE J. WILCOXSON,
Col. McCiure's Lonesome Five Mlnute.,
From the Saturday Evening Post
Col. A. X Mcclure has stood on many
platforms, has addressed assemblies large
and small nnlilical social and reIioin1I.