The Topeka state journal., 1918-09-21
TOPEKA STATE JounNA
INFORM ALTON
Blu RE AU
THE ctHINEsE IN FRANCE.

gether down Broadway last week. 1t
was late afternoon and the pavements
were filled by the usual, varied and
restless stream of humanity. Among
the crowd the men discerned a young
Chinese, dressed in the garb of a Y.
NJ. C. A. field secretary. Despite a
certain Mengol inscrutability, his face
wore the expectant look of one about
| to do something he has never done be-
fore.
| Now. what on earth is he?" said
the first man.
search me-" replied the other.
| maybe he's chaplain to conscripted
| laundrymen.'
The young Chinaman. as it hap
| rened, was a member of the senior
class of Columbia university, who had
sacrificed his degree for the purpose
| of serving with the Chinese army at
| the western front. He sailed for
France a few days later
There are some Americans who do
not know that China is in the war.
| There are a great many Americans
who do not know that China has an
army in France. And there are very
| few Americans who know just how ex-
| tensive part Ching is taking in the
struggle. The newspapers have given
| little mention to it and 1t is seldom
that China is mentioned in the war
| dispatches. -
| 1t is d ldSt, tHO, tttdt tHcIS III now
considerably more than 200. 900 China
! men in France, and a very large num-
/ ber of them with the allies in Russia.
1t is true that the Chinese are not
| occupying trenches of the front line
4 and that not more than a handful
/ have seen actual fighting-and then
/ only by accident. But they are per-
| forming for our cause a work of such
| vital importance that their sudden
removal would seriously cripple. If not
4 H.
and American war activities.
| When China aligned herself with
/ the nations embattled against Ger
| many. there was considerable specu-
lation among diplomats and others, as
to what part she might be expected to
| opinion that the best she could do
would be to lend whatever assistance
was possible to Japan in her policing
of the east. Some thought she might
fronts What there was of the Chi
nese army was well trained but sadly
lacking in equipment There were
hardly enough uniforms. next to no
guns and ammunition. and no rail-
roads and ships wherewith to trans
port an army. Besides, internal dis
turbances indicated that China would
need something of an army at home.
/ Moreover, the development of the war
program in the United States showed
the allies to have a sufficiency of man
power. But China did have one thing
which France. England-and to some
extent, America-needed badly. That
was labor.
So it was that French, British and
Chinese statesmen decided that an
army of Chinese laborers should, be
sent to the battle zones So it was
that recruiting agents, some of them
Cinnamon and some Oecidentals, were
sent into northern China to enlist
wer' :ers for the Chinese National La
Dor army. 1t has. been said often that
the best 1aborers in the world come
from the provinces of Chill, Honan
and Shantung, Sc. recruiting was limited
to those three areas. The service was
made voluntary one and the appeals
which were made were made to
patriotism, the prospects of better food
and pay, and to the spirit of adventure
said to be latent in every Chinese
heart.
l. There was an unexpected response
which surprised and delighted the re-
cruiters. A force of twenty thousand
was sent first, and. additional. groups
quickly followed. There are now more
than 100000 of them and in another
few months this number may be in
creased by half Also, when the allies
, made their invasion of Siberia, a
strong force of Chinese went with
them. Just how large this force is
l
The Chinese in France, according to
men who have seen Them ally belong
to the lower class of provincials, poor
Ignorant. bit superstitieus.. they are
typical coolies. But they are cheerful
capable and painstaking workmen and
when necessity came they showed
themselves courageous soldiers al
well. As Mr.. Chas of the Legation al
Washington proudly puts it. '"They are
100 per cent Chinese
The men are of all ages between
lS and SO. Few of them can read OF
write but all of them have the Chi.
Iese capacity for hard work Some
have been set to work in munitions
factories behind the lines Others OF
the more hardy are engaged to con.
struct railroads, bridges and military
ROADS. They prepare Notifications ano
, repair damaged farms and houses
, Their work is very similar to that OF
our own reconstruction units and rail
: way engineers. A large number o
/ them, farmers by breeding, have becz
v employed to cultivate and raise crop:
, on the soil reclaimed from the Ger
l mans.
The members of the Chinese Nation
al Labor army wear military uniform
of orthodox and Occidental design
The army is divided into battalion,
: under command of captains who are
T usually Europeans or Americans whit
0 speak Chinese. Many of these cap
0 tains have formerly been missionaries
There are also Chinese officers will
! the title of "chief." They are mostl,
!, recruited from the educated classes
s Their rank corresponds to that of ser
8 geant A rigid military discipline pre-
walls thruout The men rise to tn,
call of a bugle, and are inspected il
military formation. There are period
0 of drill and maneuver. The pay OF
e member of the labor army average
= about IS cents a day.
: During the first wild fury of tn
late German offensive in lower Pi
cardy. when a break was so nearl
+ made in the English lines. detach
f ment of Chinese demolishing a bridg
!, were caught face to face with the on
rushing Huns. They were withou
arms. Instead of surrendering the