Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-07-20

present gorgeous and elaborate ritual
in China. The bulk Of the people are
Buddhists. There are about 10000, 600
Mahommedans l. 600, 600 Roman Cath
olics. and 30, 900 Protestants. Most of
the aboriginal hill tribes are still nature
wOrshippers.
The army of China comprises the
Eight Banners nominally containing
about 300. 600 men. The national army
whose nominal strength is about $50,
coo, has about 200. 600 available for war.
Besides these forces there are mercenary
troods ready in emergencies and Mon
golians and other irregular cavalry.
The latter are nominally 300, 600 strong,
but like everything else in China they
largely exist on paper. They number
really but 90, 600 and are of no military
| value The total land army on a peace
| footing is put at 800, 900 men, and on
war footing Of about 100000 but the
army. as a whole has no unity of CO.
hension There is no proper decipline,
the drill Is merely physical exercise. and
many Of the weapons are long since
obsolete; but since April, 1895, British
| firms have shipped 10 China Il guns of
position, 1913 field guns and 291 machine
guns and German firm has supplied
China with $50, 000 Mauser rifles and 3,
| 900, 900 rounds of ammunition in the
same period. From this it will be seen
| that the Chinese are not as backward as
regards war material, as has been sup
posed Supplies of ammunition for the
guns have been adequate. The Chinese
navy during the war with Japan disap-
pointed those who regarded 1t as an
effective fighting force. Some modern
vessels have since been added to the fleet.
Peking is at once interesting, despic-
able, superlatively beautiful disgusting
| Ivfilthy, and, in short, city of contra
dictiOns Originally a Tartar encamp-
ment, begun by the cordes that swarmed
| 20 the eastern part of China, Peklng
soon became a fortified city of much
strength. Here the Tartar rulers lived,
surrounded by their Manchu followers
fearing the white mans usurpatlon far
| less than the numerical preponderance
Of the Chinese So, in order to protect
themselves from unexpected assault,
| thev constructed huge wall around
their city-for China is a land
Of walls-and for time lived in tOler-
able security.
Gradually, however, the Chinese.
| realizing to some extent their power, be
! gan IL IlNdl C4Gg nuJVAh444F
| fortress. They, too, built wall. and as
| the Tartars did, whenever workman
died his body was entombed within the
| wall. In this manner it is estimated,
| that one million human beings found
their last resting places in the wall
surrounding Peking.
While the Chinese city is OF some
| interest, both from a sociological and
architectural viewpoint, yet the Tartar
| city is the more important, for within
| its precincts is the Forbidden, or
Purple City, where lives Kwang Su, the
| unfortunately progressive monarch OF
| the Chinese The Forbidden City is
| city OF night. for there the deniZens Of
| the palace of the Son Of Heaven awaken
and begin their life.
Little is known Of the Forbidden City,
| for within the memory of man not half
a dozen whites have entered it. All
4 that is known is that il contains the
| palaces OF the Emperor, and. what is
| perhaps more interesting. the famous
| coal hill This immense heap OF coal
| was accumulated for nee in case the
| city was besieged. The hill is several
| hundred feet high and contains hun
| dreds Of thousands of tons Of coal.
| Whenever the Emperor was about to
| leave the Forbidden City, for some
religious or State function, the legations
Of the foreign nations have been notified,
SO that no unholy eye might rest upon
| the puny form and sallow face Of
/ Kwang Su. The entire route to be
| traversed was curtained off and thOn-
| sands Of soldiers line the so-called
/ streets so that no Peeping-Tom could
| ply his trade But despite all such pre-
| cautions, the well-known Oriental
| propensity for money, exceptionally
| strong in the Chinese, enabled foreigners
| to see Kwang Su at close range. They
beheld a shrinking, slight figure, dressed
plainly and utterly eclipsed by the
| gorgeous apparel Of his retinue.
| The rest Of Peking is very much ike
| allChiness picturesquely confus-
| ing and terrible dirty. Streets run III
| bizarre fashion, totally oblivious Of
| their beginning and end, aimlesslY
| wandering from bad 10 worse, fringed
on both sides by novels and palaces in
| confusion. Dogs and pigs meander
about, jostle equally offensive beggars
and unkempt children; 5tuffy litters,
| suspended on long bamboo poles and
carried by coolies, make life a burden
odors, concentrated beyond the power
Of descriptive writing to portray, over
| whelm the nostrils; the efiluvia Of ages
| Of non-sanitation, drawn heavenward
| by the torrid sun, spreads disease; the
| chatter of thousand gutteral MOngols
| and Chinese is intermingled with the
| yelping Of the dogs, the squealing Of the
| pigs, the screaming Of the children, and
| the loud cries Of the coolies such is
| Peking.
OF course there are parts in the out
| lying hills where the rich mandarinB
and merchants live, where true Oriental
| luxury can be found There; magnif
| cent palace-li like dwellings dot the land
scape surrounded by idyllic gardens.
| The art and imagination Of tho Chinese
architect have found full scope for his
talent, and az result these habitations
are n credit, externally and internally
all save the sanitation, Of which the
Chinese are in blissful ignorance. Yet
the wealthy have luxury. even though n
coolie takes the place Of an electric fan
TO cool his feycred brow.
Taken all in all China and the
Chinese make an interesting study
from any viewpoint but it is wrong 10
underestimate their brain power in
such study for they are fnr more ad
yanced than is generally conceded.
Let China be civilized, and the world
will witness as great metanorphOsis
as that which 80 astonished the world
when Japan emerged from her chrysalis
N.gav.. Il