The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-12

lIiiS o01A
1.-The growth Of China's army is fast
becoming a serious problem, and it is
one Which is hound to trouble the
world in the future. o can have no
idea of the situation without going
from province to province. The cen
trail government has ordered each
viceroy or governor to create one or
more army divisions. In addition, one
has been assigned to Manchuria and
another to Chinese Turkestan. The
reorganization is going on after a
scheme laid down by Yua Shih Kai
and others in 1904. Yuan might be
called the father Of the new army.
His scheme started in with 10000
men. In 1905 ove 100, 900 were drill
ing, and the enrolment will soon be
double that number. Tt already com
prises twelve divisions Of more than
10000 each, and it will eventually be
increased to t~hirty-six divisions, or
about 100000. This numbe should
be under arms by the end Of 1911. It
will be divided into two armies; one
of the north and one of the south"
A Chinese Division.
What is the character of China'S
new army?" | asked.
""Practically the same as that of
the army of Japan. The troops have
Japanese military text books, and they
use the same physical exercises, the
same sanitary methods and the same
drill. AS to the divisions, they are
constituted in the same way. Each
has our regiments Of infantry, one
of cavalry and me OF artillery. In
addition each division has a battal-
ion of engineers and transport troops,
a balloon and telegraph section. as
we'll as a company devoted to sanitary
work. It numbers all told 12,512 men.
including officers, soldiers, clerks,
employees and servants of all kinds"
Are such divisions already organ
ize in all of the provinces? %
NO. But they have begun in
every province and they are actually
in operation in about three-fourths Of
them. Some provinces, such as Chilli
and C~zechwan, AVE three divisions
OF armies of $4,000 men each, while
others, Such as HOnan, Shansi and
Chekiang,. have only one"
The New Officers.
/ asked here as to the training of
the troops, and the military expert
replied:
THE most Of the drilling is done
by Chinese who Ia been educated
abroad. although a few of the vice
rOys and governors have Japanese or
German officers in their employ. How
ever, foreigners are used chiefly in
the military schools, the actual de-
tails of organization being carried
out by the Chinese themselves. This
country has now many graduates of
foreign military academies, and it is
annually sending more and more
army students abroad. There are
thirty Chinese studying in such
schools in France, six in Germany,
two in England and two at West
Point. Many are being educated in
Japan, and there are several thou
sand graduates now in the service.
TIn y, on O. hn~o- 70 oO ohron1
for military instruction as soon as
the Boxer trouble was over. The ma
iority of them went to Japan, choos-
ing that country for several reasons.
One was the forbearance mo kind
ness of the Japanese troops during
the rebellion, and another Japan's
proximity to China. The fact that
education there cost less vas a great
in~ducement, as was also the Japanese
language, which is 81 allied to the
Chinese that these people learn it
more easily than any other. 1t is for
this reason hat they have adopted
Japanese text books, which are now
being translated into Chinese.
China'S Military Schools.
Tell me something about China's
military schools"
"They are now to be found in every
province and in every large city. The
government scheme provides for a
provincial military school at the CAPT.
tai of each province and an academy
at every one of the larger cities. The
provincial schools might be called the
primary military schools and the
academies the secondary or high
schools. In addition there is to be
a military university, or war college,
at Peking."
The schools are frst-class, ana
are run along modern lines,' the ex-
pert went IN. Il visited one the other
day at Hankow. about six hundred
miles from the sea up the Yangtse
river The school there has 1000
students, and buildings lave been put
up to accommodate 5000. The pu-
pills are bright young soldiers, detail
ed by the regimental commanders of