The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-01-24

| built. They are not as well educated nor
civilized as the other MahometanS named,
but i'll the Uganda Expedition they We're
| given Il severe test and gave IN excellent
| accounting of themselves.
SELECTION OF NATIVE OFFICERS.
The selection of nativei officers is in the
hands of the English officers commanding
the regiment The selections are usually
gentlemen of high native society and well
educated. Some get their commissions
while in civil life, but many rise from
the ranks, and know their work well be-
fore commission CONFESS
In the infantry there are three grades
of native officers: l. Subcdar Majur, who
is the head native officer and wears n
crown on his shoulder-strap; .. Subedar,
who is next in rank, and wears two stars;
.. Jamedar, who wears but one star. In
the native cavalry they are called diff
fcrent names, as follows: RaiSaldar Ma
jor, Raisaldar, Jamedar.
England has learned from experience
not 10 interfere with the religions of these
people. Some of the demands of the diff
ferent castles that their customs be respect
ed and provided for seem strange in the
midst of a difficult campaign, but the Brit
iSh CommiSsariat INDUCES them. 1t Is
true that Mahomct followers, as well as
the twice-bOrn Hindus. have yielded in
some cases from force Of circumstances.
One of the most peculiar customs of the
IlinduS is the manner of cooking their food.
\ circle is drawn around the campfire
when the cooking is being done, and any
one not of them is profaning both circle
and food by crossing the line. Members
of the caste always remove their shoes
before venturing within the sacred circle.
This curious custom has led to many
amusing and often serious incidents here,
where every country of the world Is rep
resented by those unaccustomcd to tho
ways of India. 1t worries the Queens
Hindu soldiers here to keep the Ignorant
barbarians' from crossing the forbidden
line.
If an inferior should step across into
the prescribed spot he is promptly
thrashed.
The COW is sacred to the Hindu, so
army beef makes up no part of his meal.
In addition to the native Indian troops
Great Britain has Il native Chinese rcgi-
ment. the Wci-hai-Wei Regiment, organ
lied by Col. Hamilton Bower in 1898 as
an experiment. They have been doing
duty in Ticn-Tsin until recently, and while
they experienced no actual fighting the
British officers claim they have been loyal
TO the Queen, even against their own race,
and that the experiment has been sue
ccssfuI.
1t is true that there have been a few
deserters and two of these have been SEN
fenced to be shot, but the commander says
the percentage is no larger than their cX-
pcricnce in India has shown, and he con-
siders it no discoura cement to their plan
of adding TO the British army from the
Chinese hordes. Great Britain is the only
country that has experimental along this
line.
The New South Wales and Victoria
contingents are Great Britain's most in
terestinG white colonial troops in China.
Almost to man they were born in Aus
tralia, and their patriotism TO the Queen
is as great as that of the Englishman.
The facility and ease with which Great
Britain handles her colonial armies, com
prising so many races, castles and relig
ions, has been one of the most impressive
object-lessons of the Allied campaign.-J.
MARTIN MILLER.