The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-08
JOHN CHINAlIAN NOT A BORN SOLDIER
HIS STRONG POINT NOT IN WAR.
The Celestial Empire Has as Its Defender Army
Name Only, for The Fighting Men Are
Not Found In the Ranks.

There Is no army in China in the sense
The term would DC understood here
That which passes FOR an army Is a
mere ragtag and boatau actuated in the
larger part ay the most nonsensical no.
lions OF Nineteenth Century proves pos
possible 10 conceive IT is veritabe cir
Gus to see q front of Chinese spear or
polo men with their twelre-foot long
isanbeos. from the upper part of which
firt steamers of red, blue and yellow,
these. upon being strenuousiy shaken, ac-
cempanied by shrill cries, supposed 10 car
ny terror 10 the hearts OF all enemies
And il IS certainly suggestive OF the MP
+ Tedrorne. as we know il, TO witness the
advance OF the heralds as they scramble
TO the fore and blow their s!x-feot trum-
pets as the signal for the fray TO begin.
These astenuated ihngs-the trumpets,
not the men in this instance-with Their
saudy Strings flaming on the breeze, anc
he'd as they nre. on a straight line win
the blowers mouth, are for All the world
analogous to the Introduction OF the grand
entire at The Barnum show.
OF course there are Tnuskets N the
Chinese army Troops armed with them
More dangerous at the butt than at the
!nnzzie are many. this applying as mncti
10 the soldiers hnndling as 10 the lnii'ie-
inent Of war itself.
CHINA 4 BACK NUMBER
OF all The places on earth for collectors
of antediluVian. old time. OIL OF date, Es L
;ie-trap fnuskeIs China easily takes the
ribbon When the war with Japan broke
ont the Yanen at Peisin. stirred to the
very depths by love of self. bought mp the
refuse stock of arms The scrap heaps OF
the arsenais of the leading Europe
countries The purchase was by the ton
or relatively at huik prices, but the sale
To the government was by the piece MOI
only was the profit ON the transaction
something almost eiddy in the conteanpia-
ticn of ito proportions, but there was ti,at
always 50. dear 10 The Chinese heart, the
double squeeze that on the purchase
money as II passed through The one hand
and that on the governmental cash as II
was officially transferred to- the other
hand.
with the securing of the arms there fol-
lowed as a natural sequence. the deInnnd
for ammunition. This as we'll was picked
up in the foreign centres OF military ac-
fiyity, the European arsenals, where there
were great stacks OF cartridges OF no use
owing TO changes in make and style on
army rifles. Wholly ohlvious TO the ne
cess.ty of .he fixed ammunition being cs-
pecially designed for the rifles secured,
tons upon tons were bought AND 1t was
inieed a picnic for the high officials VINO
were in the deal So long as the straight
profit and the double squeeze held out,
The distribution throughout the Empire
continued one kind of lnusiSet going here
another there, and the fixed ammunition
helter-skelter everywhere
Under the circumstances, the pulVeriZed
charcoal so largely ordered in lieu of the
eun-powtier, that was found somewhat
difficult 10 obtain in quantities and COST
SO much more, answered every purpose
The Chinese were just as afraid of the
charcoal as of the powder, and Invariably
ran away without sampiing eitheT.
THE '+CE5TNEE ON THE Run
South Cinnamon and North Cinnamon.
Cantonese and Manchu. the big krupp
guns N the ear4hworks on Pearl river, as
in The fortress at Port Arthur, Were too
much fer them. and .hey fed without even
a spike or a iislnantled breach TO tell them
they had been behind and not i'll front Of
them.
So. too. with their muskets. Whetier
they could be made 10 open and take the
cartridge or We're proof against all efforts
to render them other than meres toys so
far as of avail III the face of the enemy,
nattered not, for they were thrown awav
at the first pop of an opposing rife. 1t
was a succession of foot races, and the
Chinese training had not been in the
carrying of weights. As n matter Of
fact not one in FIVE of the ,nuskets were
good for anything anyhow