The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-05
THE YELLOW GIANT GETS WIDE AWAKE China Preparing to Wipe Japan
 Off the Map WILL SHAKE OFF Y0KES Lee Hand Tells Startling Story of How the Celestial Empire Is Shaking
 of the Sumber of
 Centuries.
WILL SHAKE OFF YoKES
By SMITH CLAYTON.

Atlanta, April 4-(Special )-Lee Hand is a Celestial But the only thing about him that has wings is his tongue. 1t makes an automobile seem 30 minutes late. But he speaks by the card and with far more intelligence than the American newspapers. The simple reason is that he gets regularly all of the leading Chinese newspapers and not only reads them, but digests their contents thoroughly.
 
 I found him yesterday at his Whitehall street laundry putting the finishing touches on a shirt front, his glossy black eyes sparkling intelligence, his dazzling white teeth shining through blandly smil- ing lips and his young, manly bosom heaving with deep emotion. He was fresh from studying batch of Chinese news papers and as full of Celestial informa- tion as the Dingley bill of ad valorems on the necessaries of life.
 
 Lee Hand is Chinese young man of education and refinement. He numbers his friends by the score. He eschews the pig tail and adorns his handsome person with American attire. He lived for years at Augusta, Ga, which he speaks of as a good city-the home of many of his es- teemed friends.
 What's the news from China,, Lee?" Big news,'' said he, raising his eyes from his work and looking me straight in the face. with honesty beaming in his eyes
 within two months China is going to start 12 battleships around the world. She's got 12 now, and plenty more build ing. The fleet will cross to San Francisco, then steam down the coast around South America, up the Atlantic to Hampton Roads, thence to Europe and return to China via the Suez canal, after calling at Australia and the Philippine Islands
 %s
 "Goodi Whats the object of this cir cling of the globe?'''
 Why said he, proudly, ito show the world what we have in the way of a navy, and to put the nations on notice that China is coming right square to the front"
 These battleships,'' he went on, "are officered by Chinese who have been thoroughly educated in American, Ger
 
 have been sent to learn how to do these things after the most approved up to date methods. These ships are manned by Chi nese who know their business. In addi- ton to all this China has now four new first-class navy yards and is going to have many more"
 'Indeedw
 ''Yes, indeed; and before many years she will have a navy proportioned to her vast population and boundless resources" And then" he eloquently ran on, there Is our army. It is officered also by Chinese who have been educated abroad, and trained in military schools at home. Why, do you know that we al- ready have about 10000 military schools in China and are establishing more? Fact. But our army is small yet We have only standing army at present of 1,6O0, GOO men. It has, though, as many offi- cers as there are soldiers in the army of the United States. You just watch China's standing army grow,
 ''What size volunteer army could China put la the field on a months notice, Lee?"
 Why, 25,O00,oO0 men easily, and more h.
 T believe it. You remember what the English general, Gordon or Wolseley, said about the Chinese-that if they were trained they would make the best sol diers in the history of the world, be- cause of their implicit obedience, their wonderful knack of doing just what they are told to do and keeping on donig it?"
 
 'Oh, yes, and he was right. And don't ever forget it, they are being trained and trained right"
 But why all this sudden arousement of China, like Milton's Strong Man From Sleep Lee? What means it?''
 'It means that China Is going to assert her strength among the nations. going to bring into play her power which is com mensurate with her vast population; that China is going to take her proper place in the shaping of world events Ca place to which 500,000.0O0 people backed by gi- gantic resources, are entitled). She has giants strength but thus far has not used 1t as a giant China has several scores to settled. China and Japan are like cat and rat. China Is the cat. and will shake Japan to pieces. She has not for gotten how Japan took advantage of her when she was unprepared for war, just as she did of Russia. China will soon be ready and within ten years will wipe Japan off the map"
 
 What, you don't mean it?' { "Oh, yes do Japan has only 40,0O0000 people. China has 500,O00.00O. Won't the same kind of military and naval training put China in position to demolish Japan the same kind as Japan had? I tell you 1t is nothing; 1t will make China the big cat in whose claws Japan will be poor, helpless little mousse"
 Japan got the Island of Formosa--a big island, too-as part of her war indem- snity when China had trouble with her, didn't she?"
 ''Yes;- and China will get 1t back, too. Watch her run the Japanese out of For mosa into the sea in a few years like the hogs in the Bible with the devil in them. Russia also is getting ready to go back at Japan. What will the little old brown men look like when Russia and China, like pair of millstones. trimmed with circular saws, crush and carve her be- tween them?'
 You said several scores to settler" ''I did. Every civilized nation you know has got a piece of China except America. They have all got to hoodoo- :