The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-21

K Z 6NEssssiss ssssssS s. er will repent
rs AENESS&g M still there comes
J lENT& Al a time when pa
thence ceases to be virtue. and the
mild eyed Sin has been known to fight |
equal to the best. In the early history
OF the empire, one after another, COR
rupt and degenerate rulers were de-
throned by revolutions carried through
with bloody wars. 1t is in accordance
with Chinese morality to put a bad
sovereign out of the way by violence.
He is set down as a william" and
"fellow," hence not entitled to respect
But "a ruler is never put to death"
In the revolutions which rescued China
from decay the war leader usually
usurped the throne without serious OPP
position, the people taking it for grant
ed that the ability to win victories
meant the virtue and wisdom to rule
q nation. The war leaders proved the
truth of the principle by their con-
duct. and some of the best things N
Chinese history may be traced to the
reigns of war lords. When there We're
no wars, the life of the palace brought
about corruption and in time the me-
cessity for change CT dynasty.
Generally the warriors turned their
energies to internal improvements. and
the roads and canals of China We're
constructed to facilitate intercommuni-
cation for national purposes, chiefly in
time of war.
b n iev,, in, fr,o
by war and the Tartar hordes for cen
turtles kept beyond the border by main
force, but at the end of the first thou
sand years of the Christian era the
Tartars held sway. In the wars with
the great Khans. especially Kublai,
who overran all western Asia and east
ern Europe, the Chinese, fought better
than the people of other countries.
Finally the Tartars We're expelled and
kept out for 200 years. Then the Mant-,
choos, taking advantage of civil war
in China and favored by treacherous
general, subjugated the Chinese and
have ruled them ever since.
The Chinese reasons for avoiding
war and neglecting military training
are due in part if not wholly to the
ethics taught by Confucius. The use
of force is universally abjured, and the
spectacle of prizefigkts is unknown, in
the Celestial Kingdom. For another
thing the Chinese policy is such that
the people are taught to revere the
locality of birth, to live and die there,
generation after generation, and mill
tary service and war would break up
this strong feature of Chinese social
development.
China's wars of the last half century
have been against the aggressions of
outsiders. The first was the opium
war with England which began in the
thirties. The opium war had It's tea
party, although the commodity in dis
pute was not tea, but opium. The
Chinese destroyed large quantities be-
longing to English merchants. The
way in which the Chinese authorities
got possession of 10000 chests Of the
drug shows the popularity Of the
heather. The ultimatum to the mer-
chants of Canton was that If they did
not turn byer the stuff within three
days the water would be shut off from
the foreign quarters of the city, at
the end of another three days food
would be denied the foreigners, and
I for further delay the last degree of
severity would be dealt out. In the
fighting which followed the Chinese
showed their lack of training for the
field. AT Chinkiang they fought well
for a time, but seeing themselves over
powered they soon abandoned the
walls and, after dispatching their
wives and children to prevent desecra-
ton by the ''barbarians," committed
suicide rather than surrender. Nan
kin was subjugated by the fleet with
out bloodshed. and as a result the Eng
lish secured a heavy indemnity and
the opening of several ports.
But the war had more disastrous re-
suits for China than the loss of money
and prestige. The secret societies had
q new reason for being. and in short
time several arose with the war cry,
''Down with the foreignersv The
opening of ports was resisted, English
men were killed and the disturbances
developed into an open rebellion, led
by fanatic who, assuming the title
s'heavenly king" established capital
and entered into rivalry with the en-
peror.
The ancient city Of Nankin, the
second city of the empire, became the
seat of the new dynasty. In the cap
ture of Nanllin the rebels showed
how the Chinese fight when under the
spur of fanaticism. The garrison of
Mantchoo and Chinese soldiers was
large one, but after blowing up the
gates the rebels rushed in and not only
slaughtered the troops, but every Mant.
choo inhabitant, irrespective of age.
The generalship displayed by the
TAPPING leaders was more worthy OF
perpetuation than their civil polity
! The prophet Hung was fanatic and
could rally the people to his faith, but
he had no administrative powers ani
no moral stamina. Chang Wang, his
chief general, was, however, hest ii
4 3. Z In ~