The Washington times., 1908-06-21
VICEROY SHIH-KAI
CHINA'S GREAT MAN
Has Army of Foreign-Drilled
Troops and Is a Severe
Governor.

Charles DENLY, the American consul
general at Shanghai. contributes 10 the
Pacihc Era Of January an illustrated
character sketch Of the viceroy Yuan
Shih-Kai, now governor general Of the
metropolitan province Of Chilli re-
organizer OF the armies OF China and
foremost advocate Of Chinese eIuca-
tional development along western lines.
Mr. Denby's personal acquaintance
with the subject OF this sketch began
in the year 1902. when Yuan was stiU
in Picking waiting 10 take up his post
rs viceroy. He says:
when Yuan went to Shautung 10 re
place the previous governor he took his
fo-eign-drilled troops with him. He
had some experience as Chinese resi-
dent in Korea and he had gained from
the China-Japan war some knowledge
Of the meaning OF foreign methods and
OF the value to be attached 10 foreign
goodwill.
IN personal appearance Yuan Shin
hdi Is Of short stature. solid and sub
stantial OF figure, but not fat He has
piercing black eyes and IS very Observ-
ant. His speech is direct and incisive
and ne arrives quickly at decisions. He
is fond Of display and is devoted 10
military pageants. Altogether, il may
be said that he is more a soldier than
a scholar. but with his soIdierly quail
tiles he combines the talents Of a cor
rect, honest, intelligent. and conserva-
tive statesman"
Yuan Shih-Kai distinguished himself
by the dry humor and unsparing sew
Gritty with which he dealt with the Box
ers. When the Boxer rising broke out
in 1900 he was appointed governor gen
erai of Shantung. He took his foreign
drilled troops with him. and az the very
opening of his reign struck terror into
the hearts of the Boxers, AS soon as
he arrived at the capital a committee of
the Boxer leaders waited upon him, and
told him that they were invulnerable.
that they had supernatural powers, and
that bullets could not harm them.
He listened 10 them respectfully, con-
graduated them upon their supernatural
gifts. and invited them to dinner. They
accepted with delight. AS the dinner
was drawing to a close, Yuan said that
he had been much impressed by their
remarks as to their ability to with
stand bullets, and such a marvellous and
miraculous thing. II we'll demonstrated
would do more than anything else to
stablish their claims TO respect. He
had been speaking so confidently as 10
their inyulnerabllity, should. on rising
from the dinner table, go out into the
backyard, line up against the wall, and
allow him to afford the world a con-
elusive proof Of the truth OF their
claims
The horror-stricIoen Boxers in vain
protested that the moment was unpro-
pitiOus. The viCeroy was inexorable
and one after another they were taken
out and lined up against the wall A
firing squad Of his foreign drilled
troops, with rifles, received the COM
mand to fire, AMI the next moment all
the Boxers fell dead at the feet Of their
late host. Such a man was obviously
not 10 be trif1ed with.
II is stated that he, when governor
of Shantung. issued orders that Boxers
should be killed whenever caught with
out the Formally Of a trial, as he mad
arrived at the conclusion that extermin-
alton was the only remedy for a frenzy
which seemed to have taken possession
of all north China
As Yuan is now practically the dom
mating spirit in the Chinese en1Dfre.
and is creating an effective modern
army. blood and iron Will not be want
ing from the regimen To which the
Chinese and their neighbors are to be
submitted in the near future. There IS
a certain Bismarckian look about him.
and although he is Chinese. there Is
very little suggestion of IL in his face
Exchange.