The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-21


from Pekin I'm,
says:
Russia an: Japan each have mor'
troops in Pef,n and north China than an.
Of the other powers. 1t is believed tina
the official reports Of those two countrie.
as to the lumber of soldiers each actual!
has in North China is misleading, ant
that they have many more troops hert
than they desire to have known. There
is a growing feeling among American ant
; British officers that an unexpected friend
illness is developing between the Rus
Il sian and Japanese officers. Certain it i:
that Japan has set herself out to demon
strate to the world her soldierly quail
ties, and in that she has made a more
favorable impression than any other ma
ton. In this most cosmopolitan military
community the world has ever seer
Japan's army is the admiration OF every
| officer and every civilian regardless Of ma
tionality.
"Of all the soldiers on the march to
Pekin the Japanese, both officers and SOL
diers, stood the heat and the deprivations
far better than any other army. The
American and British soldiers were strewn
all along the route, exhausted. The Japan
csc soldier needs only bit Of rice for sub
sistence; he will wade through the mud in
his white uniform, yet somehow he soon
appears with the soiled clothes as neat and
clean as can be. He never complains. He
is satisfied with his food and his treat
Dient. Poor fellow, his pay is only three
yen ($1.50) month, and he receives per-
sonally only one-third of that, the balance
going to his family. He never fails to sa-
Lutte whether he is on duty or not the Of
ficer of any army. He even salutes civilians
+, after the military fashion, and he does 1t
so gracefully The discipline OF the Japan
csc army approaches perfection more near
| ly than that of any other army In China.
| THE Russian soldier has all the appear
ance Of the brute, and he Is brute. He
| has committed outrages against helpless
Chinese women. has made helpless coolies
pay money or be shot, and has shot them
| down for sport and has roared with laugh
| ter at the performance. The Russian SOL
der is ignorant and cowardly. OF the SOL
diers Of all the great powers the Russian
! enlisted man is the least manly and the
least soldierly. At the siege OF Tientsin
the Russians were the first to talk about
retreating when the fire from the Chinese
| was the hottest regardless Of what such
| action might mean for the other allies.
| The British came to the Russians support
and saved them from a disgraceful break
down.
THE unfavorable appearance put up by
| the rank and file Of the Russian army is
a disappointment. Their uniforms and
caps were white once. but they are the
color of the filth in the place in which
you happen to see them. We naturally
look upon Russia as one of the greatest
Of military powers whose chief pride is
In his strength at arms. The Russian is
no cd nd he op1
der in China. There is wider gulf be-
tween officer and private in the Russian
army than, in any other. The officers are
well paid and live on the best. They
have no thought and no care for the well
fare of the men. is it any wonder. then,
that the latter are lacking in soldierly
qualities? The Russian officers have
surfeit of politeness, of pomp and Of
ceremony. The music Of their army
bands is delightful.
One would not expect the French SOL
diers to be slovenly and careless looking
but they are. Their uniform here is made
Of blue ducking for summer wear. They |
wear sort of turban hat. Their general |
appearance, when compared with that IF |
the Germans or the British, is against |
them. At drill they show up much bat |
ter than the Russians. They are better |
fed and clothed than the Russians, but |
the American soldier would howl loud if |
he were compelled to eat French army |
rations. The French soldier is excl able |
and uncertain in action. He is destructive !
for distinctions sake The French Of |
ficers live we'll and fraternize with the |
Russian officers. Every Russian officer |
speaks French, and almost every French |
officer speaks little Russian.
THE German army is comprised OF SOL
diers. In parade they show up to a Won
derful advantage. They are called awk-
ward and crude by some officers. They |
may look SO as they march along in their
thick boots with heavy step. but in reality
they are members Of the best disciplined
armies represented here. Their power of
endurance Is great, as has been shown in
their long marches to Pekin. regiment at
time They have stood the heat better
than the Americans. the British, the Rus
SLAMS, or the French. The German SOL
diers have substantial food and may be
said to be well clothed. They are well
behaved and orderly.
The most unique soldiers here are
Great Britain's Indian troops They are
tall, athletic, and fine looking. although as
black as native African. Their clothing
consists OF a bolt Of brown cloth wrapped
about them in a neat fashion. and turban
on the head. They have been well drilled
and salute the officers regardless of ma
tionality. Great Britain has made a great
display OF her native troops mostly Sikhs) !
from India. AT last accounts she had 6. 900
IN north China and transport load is ar
irving almost every week The Indians
are ofticered altogether by white men.
mere are comparatively few white British
troops here. The Indians, particularly the
are desperate fighters in
battle. Being from a hot country it was
supposed they would stand the heat of
China WELL but hundreds of them sue !
cumbed on the march to Pekin
The British Chinese soldiers are in
terestfng, and the new arrival in ITEM
tsin or Pekin wonders who the Cinnamon
with broad-brimmed straw hats and yell
low or clay-colored uniforms are He ,
soon finds out that they are wei-Hai-wei ,
men (Chinamen from Shantung province), ,
who took the oath of allegiance to Queen
Victoria and enlisted in her army in I
1893 under Col. Hamilton Bower who 8
came out from England to build UP a c
British army of Chinamen. Col. Bower t
told me that he had not actually used S
hem in fight against other Cinnamon,
)ut he had no reason to doubt their Icy T
llty. although few had deserted. Great q
Britain pays them eight wooden dol r
ars (S4 gold month and feeds them
They had all discarded the 'pigtail,' g
md the regiment, as an experiment. is a
not only in making soldiers I
If these particular men. but in demon h
trating that the same thing can be done C
With the Chinese that has been done by g
he British Government with the East a
indians. The Wei-Hai-Wei regiment is +
veil drilled and are a select-looking lot |
4 Cinnamon. 1t demonstrates once more
hat Great Britain. with all her faults ia
he great organizer of all the nations. II
THE American soldier is being observed
s he has never been observed before. He
S also doing some observing on his own
ccount. 1t is no uncommon sight to see | h