Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-10

the best of the graduates will be admitted
there. and they will not be appointed as
officers until they have gone through
them. The present scheme contemplates
four of such military academies. They
will correspond to West Point and will
probably be located at the chief cities of
Chilli, Hupeh, Kiangsu and Shensi''
How about the military university?'
That will be at Picking. 1t will be
modelled on the same flans as your new
War College in Washington, and will
give the highest class of instruction. 1t
will deal with military problems Of all
kinds and of army organization on the
broadcast scale The buildings have al
ready been constructed. They are con-
nected with the department of war and
cover several acres. The War College
about the largest modern buildings erect
ed since the Boxer rebellion
I'm addition to these military schools"
continued the colonel every one Of the
new public schools in all parts of the
empire is drilling It's students. The gov
eminent requires that the boys have uni
forms and that they be taught military
tactics. The little eight-year- ods and
ten-year-olds are put through their mill
tary evolutions on certain days of every
week. and all practice athletics and phys
ical training. In some schools this
training is superintendent by officers de-
tailed from the garrisons nearby, and in
others by Chinese teachers educat I'd in
the military schools at home and abroad
In this way every Chinese schoolboy is
being fitted to enter the army and vast
amount of excellent material is in process
Of creation.
Has any change taken place in the
opinion of the Chinese as regards the
military profession?'
Yes A great change! Until now the
soldier has belonged to the lowest class
of society. The celestials have always
held four grades of respectabi lity. At
the top are the scholars who have studied
or passed the examinations. To this class
largely belong the officials. and teachers
and writer's Of every kind The second
highest class embraces all who have to do
with tiling the soil: the farmers and
gardeners. After them come the me-
chanics. and still further down in the
scale the merchants and tradesmen. with
the soldier lowest of all Today the SOL
der Is better paid, and the government at
Picking has so elevated his standing that
the army is now looked upon as desir-
able profession. Many of the younger
sons Of the best families are being sent
abroad to be trained for service, and
many are in the army and naval schools
here. military school for the sons OF
mobiles has been established at Picking.
We had lightweight of its students at
the maneuvers. They were all mob e. and
among them were many OF the sons OF
the highest officials. The military train
ing in the common schools is also raising.
the social standing of the soldiers. and.
as the army grows in size and import
ance China may develop military aris
tocracy such as now exists in Germany
and Japan"
*
How are the soldiers armed?"
'They have modern weapons, although
not always Of the latest pattern. The
regulations as to such things are issued
at Picking, but the arms are selected and
paid for by the local governors, and they
are bought at the lowest rates. There is
undoubtedly fraud in many of the pur-
chases but the government sends out it's
inspectors to examine the army equip