Daily inter mountain., 1900-08-04
THE TOMMY ATKINS Of CH|NA'S WAR
lie Is FIERCE FIGHTER BUT HE is Different FROM ENG
LANDS SOLDIER OR UN Gle SANS WARRIOR.

The present crisis in China affords a
fitting opportunity for giving some facts
abouts the ragged rabble which serves
as the Celestial army. In the war with
trained troops the Chinese have no
chance. They We're simply paralyzed
by the movements of the japanese
The state of the Chinese army may be
gauged by the following piece of infor-
mation: The Chinese method of changing
guard consists in the privates "a ex-
changing clothes (2) rifles, (3) belts (D
the etceteras. This occupies about
quarter of an hour, and then the sentry
kneels and meditates.
1t is not merely in drill but it is in
every military essential that the army
us wanting, from the generals to the COO
lie wearing the distinguished garb of the
brave The 1ast-named is a poor, ig-
norant creature, whose ideal of fighting
is hunting down nalf-starved peasantry
rising in rebellion-so- called-from des-
peration. One could pity such a helpless
wretch being sent to face the breech-
loading and magazine rifles of the mod
ern army, were it not for the brutal,
coWardly instincts which prompt him to
murder plunder and mutilate whenever
it can be done without any risk.
To see him attempting drill in his Ri
diculous garments awakens mirth and
when one goes through the camps and
sees fine modern rifles thrown about in
bundles like faggots, or stuck into the
ground with fixed bayonets, the sights
ruined, the weapon grossly misused;
teapots are jumbled up in tents in ludi-
crous confusion, and hawkers are selling
cakes and sweets in the encampments;
with martial decorations of spears and
flags galore embelishing the scene
/ surely one has to admit that the Chinese
soldier is a caricature and his camp like
"a market fair.
Unfortunately he is not only funny,
but he is extremely dangerous to the
isolated traveller and other defenseless
people. He is totally ignorant of dis
cipline and plumbers at every opportu-
nifty.
Although some of the troops are sup
piled with modern rifles and artillery
they have no modern military training.
The generals are strong men" who
have gone through a course of archery
balanced theoretically, bv civil officials.
What they want is money, and a posi-
tion to make it by Squeezing" Take,
for instance, an onlcer equivalent to
major in command of a camp or bat
talon; he commands nominally 500 men
and draws pay for that number whether
he has them or not.
He is almost sure not to have that
number for the following rea son: 1t is
a recognized custom that he must add
to his pay so taels month, and his first
step is to have eight or ten imaginary
Dr:vates in each of his companies, and
his next is to keep back as much of the
pay of the real privates as he can man
aginary privates for their pecuniary
age with his Chinese ingenuity. The
cantains, intheir turn, have a few i'm
benefit, and the lieutenants enjoy a sim
dlar privilege. The pay OF captain is
12 taels. that of a lieutenant s taels a
month.
battalion, or camp of infantry is
divided into five companies, known as
the ''front," rear" right" 'leIl," and
CENTER companies, the first four named
being comma anded by the major, assisted
by a lieutenant. The men are divided
into porters and riaemen; that is, men
with rifles and flag bearers.
There is no regular outpost duty in
the Chinese army. but at night some
times couple Of companies may be
sent out as a kind of advance post,
when the men make themselves as COM
Portable as they can, light fires and hud-
die round; there are no sentries or pa
trolls as in Europe.
Each battalion has it's own artillery
theoretically. four field pieces; but there
are no trained artillery men, and the
pieces are not horsed, such is the lack of
draught animals. Among the rifles of
the infantry, at least nine different pat
terms are in use 1t may be of interest
to know that in the 1S41 war between
Great Britain and China the British
forces captured no less than 1856 cannon
In the Japan war; they established
complete uniformity of procedure in all