Evening star., 1925-11-29

well Gaming seconding of Gov. Liu's
appeal. We began to see the impor-
tant place we now held in his scheme
to oust the governors military con-
frere.
Chinese fashion, II was assumed
that since we had taken the trouble
to come there was no question that
our report would be favorable toward
a grant of the desired funds-provided
our reception and entertainment were
sufficiently grand.
] doubt If the governor and his
agents We're even greatly concerned
lest we discover the famine scenes
shown to us TO be "set ups" They
simply felt we needed to see some
thing about which to write home to
our committee. Then foreign relief
money would pour in, and bring
favor to Gov. Liu from both the popu-
lace, who would receive a portion.
and sticky-fingered mandarins who
would disburSe it. In plain English,
we were to finance the civil governor s
campaign to become provincial die
tator.
We took the position that our com
mittee's foreign funds Chiefly Amer
ican) should serve solely to offset ma
tural calamities. and not to save
Chinese from the results of their own
political and moral shortcomings. so
long at least as thousands in the
coast provinces remained uncared for.
Hayes advised his committee to re-
duce drastically the Shensi appropri-
ations and withhold remittances en-
tirely until the local administration
could be reformed. My press dis
spatcheS backed his stand.
When we told the genial Sengchang
provincial elder Liu that we were
recommending the cutting off OF
further funds. he merely smiled So
physically and doubled our entertain
ment. He probably thought we were
giving out such statements to cover
ourselves.
A T the first opportunity we called
on Military Gov. Chen. Two
rough-looking soldiers ushered us into
a large. unfurnished. brick foored hall
and withdrew. Soon a short man
with an unhealed scar over one eye
and lower lip which sagged at one
end, came in, his black cotton gown
Tapping unhuttoned below his throat.
What careless servants they keep
around this place." l thought to my
self.
VIII the tuchun see us this morn
ing?" I asked him.
Il can see you now" was the quiet
answer. Please excuse the rudeness
of my quarters"
He ignored our emha sSment and
we were soon at ease.
So this was the romantic rascal
hero whose exploints, narrow escapes,
disregard of convention, abandon in
the face of enemies and intriEuerS
were the talk of all Shensi' Chen is
an ideal example of the rare dare
devility in Chinese character; an en-
bodiment of the ocCa sonal reaction
against the usual orderly life. Like
his confrere Liu. Chen had been a
bandit, but he got his early training
as a regular army officer.
All in all, Tuchun Chen had the
makings of n noble AsiatiC despot.
Between military and political cam
paign activities treduced to mini
mum by his efficient assa ssination
squad he took pains TO see that
school work suffered from no letdown
on the part Of either instructors or
pupils. AS I said before, he spanked
with his own hand a hundred and
thirty Young men OF the school who
elected to join the student movement.
Several days after our visit to
Tuchun Chen, the military governor,
the civil governor gave a banquet in
our quarters at which the guests of
honor were his confrere in office. the
bishop. and the dean of the Protestant
| missions.
Chinese character was illustrated
| by the outwardly fraternal conduct of
| the ranking official gentlemen. They
| bowed informally TO one another. goS-
siped and patted one another ON the
| back. When we were seated at the
meal. which. being foreign style. -
began with timed pineapples and as
| paragus soup. servant of the
| tuchun appeared with a basket Of
| simple relishes and boiled rice, which
he placed before his master
The military governor rose and eX-
planned to the civil governor and com
pany with much pardon begging that
he was on a diet owing TO the scar
above his eye. and had therefore
taken the liberty 10 bring his own
special food Then Civil Gov. Liu
rose to say 1t would be a pleasure to
| have his own cooks prepare the same,
fresh and hot, in the kitchen. But
the military governor could not think
OF causing such extra bother. 1t was
clear that Chen was going to run no
| risk Of getting something" in his
food.
Ultimately the two got seated again
and we resumed the meal. Hands on
revolvers close behind the tuchun's 8
chair. stood his bodyguar rd-not a
| cNance Tor Llu s 1dilnIuI waters 10
| spill a crumb in his rice bowl, There
| was suspicious bulge in Chen's pad
ded garment. "Ah." I thought, now
know why he affects that careless
| style of leaving open the bosom Of his
gown"
1t was true, I learned later. that
| Tuchun Chen drew from the breast
and accustomed as he was to rest his
| hand in his bosom, he plainly had the
advantage of any one drawing from
| the belt. Tuchun Chen also refused
| his hosts wine, pleading his wound.
|
WE put in an afternoon at the
w Forest of Tablets a vast array
| of literary and monumental souvenirs
accumulated through centuries at
] Sian. The latest addition, near the
h .ak6s Tia