Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-03
THE PRESENT SITUATION In CHINA

Two dispatches concerning the situa
ton in China are of particular interest
One from Picking an
1terated nounces that the prince
p,..;, regent has issued al
edict reiterating the for
mer declaration that constitutional gov
eminent and parliament would be es
tablished in China at the end of the nine
year period of preparation fixed by thu
late empress dowager. This edict ap
pears to have been ELECTED by a memoria
addressed to the throne by certain dele
gates from the provincial assemblies ask
ing that the imperial parliament might
be opened prior to 1915 The edict con
cludes:
I'VE now proclaim plainly that when
the preparatory work of nine years has
been completed, when the education OF
the common people has been extended. al
the proper time we will issue resolutt
decree fixing the date for the assembling
Of parliament. Careful preparation Is
essential to good government
Another dispatch concerning the Chi
nese situation comes from Berlin ano
announces the appointment of Gen. ffr
Chang, the retiring Chinese minister a.
Berlin as minister Of war. Gen. flr
Chang is an educated soldier, having re-
ceived his instruction in the militar!
schools of Germany. He has also hac
unusual experience under the colors. nav
ing seen actual service In the German
army in the field or garrison as lieu
tenant. Gen. Yin speaks German like q
native Berliner.
One day, it is said, when a party OF
German soldiers was prowling about
Tientsin during the Boxer rebellion and
the occupation by the allies, Gen. YIN
in playful way and with the object
of having some fun, saluted the Ger
mans, whom he recognized as belonging
to Berlin regiment, with the groWl-
ing accent to which they were accus-
toned. The Germans stood at atten-
ton, and were almost paralyzed at the
sound Of faultless Berliner jargon in
the mouth of Chinese officer.
The military significance, and hence
the political significance, of the return
to China of Minister Yin
Military Chang Is made apparent
in an interview published
AoAS' in the Berlin press of
March %, in which the future minister
of war said:
Il intend to introduce universal mil
itary service in China. If we make all
the available men join the military we
have such an enormous population, some
400. 900, that we shall overshadow all
other armed nations. The details of
the plan have not yet been worked out,
but we propose to make our young men
soldiers, not only through drill, but by
education. They must learn what q
shame it is for the most ancient and in
population the greatest nation on earth
to be SO weak. I shall have excellent
assistants in the war Office who have
learned European military systems, and
who will be of the greatest help"
1t will not escape the attention of the
most obtuse that 1T is Sine German
mind formed in the military schools OF
Germany which is returning to China
to apply the lessons learned in Ger
many to the Chinese nation. While the
attention of certain powers has been
riveted upon the one objective, namely
which shall have the greatest share in
the construction of Manchurian rail-
ways, the all-seeing Kaiser William
has seated in the cabinet of the prince
regent at Peking a superior German
agent, whose Affiliations, sympathies
and education are decidedly pro-Ger-
man. 1t will not be strange, therefore
that when we are told, as we will be
told, that Gen. Yin Chang Is EN-
pioying large number of German Off
GERS to aid him in the organization Ct
a vast Chinese army, there will be an
other and more difficult element adde j
to the conflict for supremacy in China
The transformation Of Chinese men .
tally became possibility only after
the conflict with Japan in 1894. and
when submitted to the humiliation of
defeat and it's consequences-the loss
Of Korea. the loss Of Formosa and the
payment of a war indemnity. This OF
itself was sufficient to awaken China
but the Russo-Japanese war. which
made Japan, China's traditional enemy,
master Of the north Pacific. stirred
China to the very depths, and this fact
more than any other, Is the cause of
the real awakening of the celestia;
kingdom.
1t will tend to aid us in our pro
spective relations with China to recall
some phases Of modern
Chinese Chinese history. If only
for the purpose of dissi-
Oe0oue0' pating impressions that
China is refractory to what we term
progression and with particular refer
ence to military progression. Under the
Ming dynasty. in which China has
reached a degree of advanced civtliza-
ton, there existed the system Of gen
eral CONSUMPTION for military service.
When this was changed China fell into
military decadence and the military pc
came a despised and ignoble service.
recruited for the most part from the
dregs of society, and this condition has
existed down to the last decade.
The treaty of Nankin in 1872. by which
the island of Hongkong was taken by
England, was the first rude object lesson
of the error of the abasement of the mil
itary service The government at Picking
was again reminded of its lack Of wis
dom in maintaining such suicidal sys-
tenn when. on the outbreak Of the for
midahle revolt of the Taipings in 1881,
the government found itself obliged to
appeal to two American sailors-admira-
BILE soldiers Of fortune-Ward and Burge-
vine-to imDrovise an army of defense,
which army acquired its title of the
Ever Victorious Army" before 1t was
by the British major, Charles
G Gordon. more Familiarity known as
"Chinese Gordon" Ward, the American.
it is recalled. was killed at TseN and
the government at Peking declared him
a god.
In 1855 the whole empire was in re-
volt: the Mohammedans of Yunnam
raised a sultan to the throne. Yacoub
Bey rose against the authorities and pro-