The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
Army Of 100000 Once Held
Besieged City Of Nankin
for Five Years.
SEX IS ABLE TO FIGHT
American Wives of Foreign ENJOYS
Today Doing Great Work in
Troubled Europe.
By JOHN JAY DAILY.

the giver Of relief, or the sufferer ol
bereavement. but IL is not unlikely that
before the war is over. many a French
or German or Slav woman will have died
or won fame on the field OF battle.
That women can fight as well as mer
has been amply demonstrated time and
| time again. In fact, 1t has been said
they are better fighters than men. But
there has been little chance for women
OF the present day to show their Prov
| ess in time OF war.
| There have been many instances in the
| history OF the United States and other
| countries in which women fought shoul-
der to shoulder with men, but the last
notable engagement in which women
had anything to do took place in China
in 1850. when 10000 women went forth
to battle and after besieging the CITY OF
Nankin held It for five years against
the onslaughts OF the imperialist troops.
| II took the combined forces OF the
| Chinese empire. led by officers OF Ameri-
| ca, England AID France. to subdue these
| gallant Chinese women. who fought with
the enthusiasm and precision OF sea-
soned male warriors. These 10000 women
came from various parts Of China and
were formed into brigades OF 1900 each.
under female officers. or these. 10000
| were picked women who had been thor
oughly drilled in the art Of warfare.
Picked Fighters in Garrison.
The women who fought in the Tae-
ping rebellion, for such il was called.
| we're spurred on by a different cause
| than that which would effect the women
| of Germany were they TO take 10 the
field. In the TaepinE rebellion It was a
religious political idea which permeated
| the fighters.
The 1000 picked women were garrison
| ed in Nankin and they held that city for
more than FIVE years. while their sisters,
less carefully polished warriors. under
went the drudgery OF digging moats.
| making earth-works. erecting batteries.
| and doing the hundred odd Jobs usually
attended to by men soldiers. II has been
said OF them that no man would have
| had the stamina TO stick so faithfully
J at a task
Hungsewtseuen. the leader Of the Tas-
! Ping rebellion. was a man OF humble
| birth. who tried TO enter politics and
| failed. Because OF his failure to secure
| some government ONCE he became an
| extreme radical Shortly after this he
was induced by some missionary tracts
to renounce idolatry. Then he founded
! the Society Of Tae-Ping. which means
universal peace.
1t was not long before the Society OF
Universal Peace came into collision with
the imperial authorities. Hung imme-
diately gave out that he was the chosen
instrument Of God sent TO uproot idolatry
and establish the dynasty OF universal
peace. He assumed the title OF Tae-
Ping Wang prince OF Universal Peace).
He made his fve chief officers princes
To infuse more enthusiasm into the
movement. Tae-Ping-Wang injected
polygamy into the scheme and in this
way got many followers whom he had
not counted on before. They held that
Tae-Ping-wanE was the son OF God and
worshpped him as such.
Were II not for the women he banded
together authorities say. Tae-Ping- Yang
would never have lasted as long as he
did. With polygamy as one Of the cen
trail ideas in his new religion. Tae-Ping-
| Wang led the way with thirty wives.
With immense armies Of converts he
had little adlffiCulty in devastating some
Of the best cultivated provinces OF China.
In all of Tae-Ping-Wang's many cam
paigns the women were more daring than
the men. With women as the backbone OF
his immense army Tae-Ping Wang held
Nankin until 1864. sixteen years. when
the rebellion was finally suppressed by
the government. assisted by foreign army
officers. The famous English general
Gordon. afterwards called Chinese"
Gordon. was instrumental in closing the
rebellion.
The Ancient AmHzOns.
While the Tae-Ping rebellion in China
is interesting. inssmuch as il shows
conclusiveIy what women can do when
called upon. even TO the extent Of GO
ing upon the battlefield it is not the
most remarkable achievement women
have worked in that particular line. The
original female warriors were. Of course.
the Amazons. One must GO hack to
the anCients To get the story Of the
Amazons. whom they enumerate into
three nations. as follows:
First the African. under their queen.
Myrina extirpated by Hercules.
Second. the Asiatic, the most famous
nation OF all. who founded an extensive
empire along the banks Of the EUxine.
or Black Sea. Themiscyra was their
capital About the year $50 r c. their
queen. Thalestrs. made a visit to Alex
ander OF Macedon soon after which the
Asiatic Amazons disappear from history.
Third. the SCythIan Amazons. a dis
tinct branch OF the Asiatics. They at
tackled the neighboring SCythians. but
soon after married among the men OF
that nation. thereby losing their identity
as separate nation.
The Amazons were horsewomen OF mar
velous ability and great fighters No
men were allowed in any Of the above
nations. being forced to live in neigh
boring states II a hoy was born it was
either killed or sent to his father. The
girls had their right breasts burned OF
that they might better draw the bow.
With the Amazons. fighting was more
or less a pastime. With the women Of
today fighting on the field OF battle would
be accentuated by a higher ideal The
civilized woman would fight for her home,
her country So while there can he lit
tie comparison between the fighting pro
pensities Of women today and those OF
We sterday, this much can be said:
Whether women go TO war or not. they
suffer the brunt Of all battles fought.
Some poet has well said: He who goes
to battle is indeed brave. hut she who
STAYS at home is braver"
In the present colossal struggle between
the great powers Of Europe the women
Women in every nation are giving their
mite 10 stav the terrible hand Of war.
With the wonderful organization Of the
Red Cross this work goes on in a quiet,
svstema.i~ manner. without any of the
friIrs ard furbelows that generally dis
tincuishsS such efforts. Hardly a city.
town. or hamlet in the entire United
States but can show several women who
are Interested in the great European war
in a purely humanitarian way. favOring
neither ono side nor the other.
dave Deeper Interest.
Then thcr. are The women in this coun-
t.v who have Il deeper interest in the
fray. They are the ones who have rela-