New-York tribune., 1912-01-21
TIE C6t7aran Better Half
Wideawake Woman Is Encour aging the Rebel
lion Against the Me- nchus.

The searchlights OF the world, trained OF
the Chinese revolution. have revealed
most amazing change in the conditions o.
Chinese women. Everybody knows, OF
course, that the enlightened Chinese NJ
longer bind their daughters feet and thai
I'm the mission schools girls were taught u
read but who is prepared for the ne"
woman, smuggling arms and ammunitlon
TO the army under the folds of her robe
her tunic, perhaps. lined with Sticks oil
dynamite? Who ever pictured "a Chihese
woman standing on street corner rous-
ing a whole village 10 rebellion with her
infammatory speeches, or protesting at a
mass meeting of women's Gibbs against the
dominion of the Manchu invaders? Verify
II China is awakening from its sleep oil
centuries, the Chinese woman Is already
up and taking her cold bath!
In these exciting days she is so often
fired with revolutionary zeal that she In
sists on fighting with the army, enduring
stoically tho hardships OF camp life
which, impossible as 1t seems TO American
women, is even more so for the Chinese,
accustomed as she has been for centuries
to the seclusion OF home and utter depend
ence on her father or husband. The girls
whose mothers, on their piuful little lilly
feet" never hobbled out OF their gardens
are to-day marching hundreds OF miles
J away from home in stout boots and mems
uniforms. Their only insignia OF maiden
hood Is their hair, which they wear in long
"pigtails" down their backs. For this they
are teased by the male comrades and called
"Manchus," to which the girls retort by
pointing to the battle flags and several
cannon they themselves captured from the
Manchu forces in two sharp skirmishes.
Lee Yoke Tien. Chinese secretary of the
Young China Association, in New York
City. is the authority for the following In
formation about the "AInazons'' of the re-
publican army in China:
In Nanking at present with the repub-
lican army are five hundred women under
the command Of Colonel (hlss) Nuey shiu
Yu. She was intrusted with the flank
movements Of the army in several recent
battles, and In every instance she routed
the imperialists and drove them in terror
before her. For these strategic successes
President Sun Yat-sen is going TO make
her a br1gadier general when the repub-
lican troops begin their march on Peklng.
When Miss Nuey first went with thirty
five determined young women to the camp
Of General Ii Yuan Hung, the republican
commander In chief, and asked TO be al
lowed to take part In the war, General Ii
was inclined TO be mirthful. and smiIingly
told Miss Nuey to wait until he could con-
suit with his staff. Miss Nuey, not 10 be
turned off with such a ruse, declared that
she and her followers had come hundreds
Of miles to offer their services to their
country and would not leave until they
were made part Of the army.
A little later the general found her ad-
dressing a large crowd of soldiers. includ-
ing many officers of the general staff,
arguing vehemently that the new women
of China ought TO be allowed to "show you
men how Chinese women can fight and
die" Immediately General Ii organized
the womens company. and 1t grew to the
size of regiment and is now one of the
regular fighting units OF the citizen army,
Associated with Colonel Nuey is the ferc-
est of all Amazons. Sun Su Sieng. who car
ries an antique sword. the tassel dangling
from which is no badge of femininity. for
II Is characteristic OF an ancient generals s
regalia.
The fame Of the women's company spread
far and wide. and in Shanghai and Canton
women and girls volunteered to Join the
army. The Shanghai women. after being
urged in vain to give up the idea, were
sent TO Hankow, where they are now
three hundred strong. Two hundred and
fifty Canton women under Miss Lum Yoke
Lien have as yet failed to convince the
provincial military government that the
army needs their services. but are drilling
every day and holding themselves ready
for action.
Meantime. on the field of battle the less
Swarlike sisters. whose hearts are filed