The age-herald., 1900-10-08
SKETCHES FROM
 EVERYDAY LIFE


 The world has been again astonished at the ease with which little but we'll drilled army has eaten lts=w Into the heart of China. This happened a few years ago in the china-Japanese war, and recently in the Chinese Boxer movement where a little army of the allies. about 20.OOO men, marched right Into Pekin, in spite of the objection of some 40O.OOO00O Chinese. So many lies come out of China that 1t Is dlf- ficult if not impossible. to choose which one to believe. Incredible stories of official corruption are told. It Is said that when war was declared with Japan 1t was found that the Chinese naval officers had sold all the ammunition on the ships, and new supply had to be ordered.
 Some of the newspapers are fond of speaking of China as the yellow peril" These il Is. needless to say are yellow journals, who see everything yellow through their bilious eyes. Threats of China over running the world have been frequent in the past, and the imposslbiity of conquer ing China has been repeatedly stated Peo- pie. however,. who believed these things are beginning to change their minds. It has been stated also that the Chinaman does not fear death. and the question asked, how can nations that do fear death fight against one that does not? Yet they are doing 1t and doing 1t successfully. Possibly China is too big to fight. Napoleon or some great general said that little army could man. ouver all around a big one Other reasons are given for the ineff1ciency of the Chinese soldier. It is said that when he gets ready to fire he puts the butt of the gun at hls side, turns his head the other way, shuts both eyes and pulls tho trigger. This kind of a soldier will not conquer the earth. The main thing in a fight is to hit what you shoot at.
 The allied armies compared in size with China are like a malaria germ compared with man. The germ Is so small 1t can manouver all through the man and eat It's way right to his heart The man cannot find It, ahd is perfectly helpless. He has a big doctors bill to pay before he can get rid of It.
 Possibly these allied germs have got into Chiha's constitution and 1t Is more than probable that China will have a big doctors bill to pay before she gets rid of them.
 
 General Miles. it Is said, intends to make number of suggestions to the Secretary of War about how to Improve the army. Among other things he Expects to recom- mend the extensive use of automobiles in- stead of horses in carrying dispatches from headquarters the movement of staff of ficers, for accommodating parties, and trans portation purposes.
 This will certainly be innovation in military matters. It has not been so long ago that we were told the bicycle was to be extensively used in warfare Whole regiments were to run on wheels instead of legs and instead of charging up a road the regiment was to "scorch" up with an ammonia pistol in one hand and a monkey wrench in tbe other. Great things were expected yet the word "scorch" is now almost obsolete and the bicycle has not
 been mentioned in any of the recent wars. similar fate awaits the automobile Ill
 the first place there is hardly road out side of a city where they could be used. Imagine an automobile being used for a
 accommodating party. The colonel like a
 street car conductor, will yell "All aboardi" The staff piles In, a coaching
 horn Is blown and the party merrily re- connoiters until they strike a sand bed In the road. They then return to the com IudIuinS BtISEul dIu TcpOTl du ilSupcld- bio obstacle in that direction. But the general is an enterprising fellow not to be easily discouraged and he commands re- connoisance in the opposite direction. The staff thereupon refresh themselves from the hampers which all well regulated au- tomobiles carry, again is heard the war cry All aboardl' The staff tumbles in, determined to Q man not to be left out of this coaching party and the machine, after few jerks and shorts like a true war horse, rolls gaily down hill in the opposite direction. All goes well until they begin the assent of the opposite hill when the sprocket chain breaks and the automobile runs down the hill landing the staff In tho ditch, and the general, instead of paving staff to lean on, has to support tlem back to camp, after which they are put on the pension list and supported by the govern ment It Is all glorious. Think of read ing how the army captured so many auto .mobiles. by the simple device of throwing so many sacks in the road or by strate- gic sand bed.
 One of the side shows at recent street fair was a well by with a platform around 1t for the spectators to stand on. A huge poster in front bore a picture of wild and ferocious negro. with rings in his ears, and two tusks protruding from his mouth, the picture representing him in | the act of eating live animal. The crea- | ture was called ''Wild Rose"
 Walk up, ladies and gentlement," cried the spieler. 'and see Wild Rose. It only costs you ten cents or one dime. This Is the most ferocious creature in the world. We do not know whether 1t Is man or
 woman. Walk up and see 1t tear the liv- ing animals limb from limb"
 Many people walked up and spent their
 dimes. About dusk the spieler appeared In front of the show. Now" he said, Wild Rose Is going to leave her cage. I
 want five strong men to come up and hold it. I will give twenty-five cents to each