Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1913-05-24
COLUMBIA HAS HERO.
Chinese Briuadier General Study
ing American Politics.
Only 20 Years Old, Wans-shIa Led
Charge Which Resulted In the Over
throw Of the ManehuO-tias
Had an Exciting Career.

Columbia university mas the ulbtlnc-
ton of numbering among its students
a brlgadier general of the Chinese
army. He is Chlnfu Wang-Shai. one OF
the heroes of the battle OF Marking.
who has Just arrived In New York
and matriculated for the degree of
doctor of philosophy In the faculty of
political science at the Morningside
Heights institution.
= General Wang-Shais who lives at
\ Hartley hall one of the Columbia dor
fnitories, is very modest and unAs-
sumihg. He is only twenty-eight years
old, and few of his American fellow
students suspect that they are room
ing next to a man who has seen near
ly year OF active military service In
the most epoch making revolution of
modern times.
The career of Chinfu Wang-Shai has
been full OF thrilling adventures. AT
the tender age of fifteen years he had
to leave his native place in the prov
ince of Sze-Chuen, where his father is
mandarin OF wealth and influence.
because of his political speeches, In
which he went 30 far as to publicly
question the right of the Manchus to
rule China. Young Chipfu had to
flee Sze-Chuen. He disguised himself
as a coolie and stole down the Yangtze
to Shanghai, whence, with the aid OF
the revolutionary organization, he
sailed for Toxic. At the Japanese cap
ital Chinfu studied hard at his ele-
mentary education. He later entered
Waseda university where he special
lied In political science and incident
ally delved into the mystery Of mill
tary science which wRs later to stand
him In such good stead. All this time
he was supporting himself by writ
ing fiery revolutionary articles for
the Chinese vernacular press at 90
yen q month.
Like all Chinese sons, Chinfu was
filially pious. While he had disobey-
ed his father, he never lost his re-
spect and love for him, and in 1910
| at the risk of decapitation he stole
back to SEE Chuen to visit his parents.
| The Manchu spies spotted him, but
| he escaped into Korea, and returned
to Japan to continue his newspaper
campaign against the Manchus. Early
| in the summer of 1911, when the riot
In Sze-Chuen took on serious proper
| lions ,Chinfu again went to China and
in Wuchang, Hupeh, he plotted for the
mutiny of the garrison. His machina-
lions, Chinfu again went to China and
| governor placed heavy price on his
head and he had to fee. This time
he went only as far as Shanghai.
| where he imported a quantity OF
| bombs from Japan. In October, when
the mutiny In Wuchang broke out
Shanghai was still held by Manchu
| garrison. With Chen, Chunhsin. now
minister of agriculture, Chinfu led a
band of daredevil revolutionists and
attacked the viceroy's yamen with
bombs. The viceroy and taotai fed
and left Shanghai In the hands OF the
rebels.
While Cen. Ii Yuan-hung was tight
ing around the Hanang arsenal and
Wuchang, the revolutionists marched
on Marking, Chinfu Wang-Shai per-
! sonaliy led 10000 men up Purple
I mountain, and succeeded In captur-
| ing the forts at the summit. This
victory gave the rebels the key to Nan
king and the siege of the town there
after was an easy matter.
In the charge Col. Wang Shat had
two horses shot under him and his
cap was shot away three times He
| finally fell from his horse with splin-
ter of cannon ball In his right leg,
as a result of which he had to stay
two months in the hospital. and today
he has still perceptible limp For
this signal proof Of bravery and gal
| lantry in action, Colonel Wang-Shai
| was promoted to brigadier general.
| and was carried in triumph to Nan
| king with Gen Shu Shao-Tseng, the
commander-in-chief when the city sur
rendered. When, short time after
| his exploit the provisional govern
| ment was formed in Marking, with
| DR.. Sun Yat-Sen at it's head, che pres
| ident appointed General Wang-Shai as
his Pei-Shu, or military secretary,
| which he later resigned to become
I aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Huang
| Hsing.
Wang-Shia came to America be-
cause he thought that, inasmuch as
the Chinese constitution was to be
modelled after that of the United
| States, thorough training in Amer
lean political methods would help him.
He selected Columbia university be-
! cause it's faculty of political science
was famous throughout China He
is now studying constitutional and adj
ministrative law with Prof. Frank
johnson Goodnow, whose appointment
as constitutional legal adviser to the
Chinese government has been an
| nounced.
| Gen. Wang-Shai uses his spare time
| editing his Shanghai paper. besides
contributing numerous political es-
says to Chinese national organs the