Present Conditions in China 



661 



intercourse with the Christian nations 

 the Chinese have learned that another 

 spirit and a different practice governs 

 the affairs of mankind. They have seen 

 that the blasphemous declaration of the 

 greatest warrior of modern times, that 

 God is always on the side of the heaviest 

 battalions, governs the conduct, if not 

 the belief, of Christendom. 



They have been slow to learn this sad 

 fact, but they have awakened at last to 

 its reality. They did not reach this con- 

 clusion, however, until they had suffered 

 the disastrous results of three unjust 

 wars with European powers, and until 

 an allied army, insignificant in numbers 

 but powerful in modern armament, had 

 twice invaded their territory and almost 

 unopposed had seized the capital and 

 dictated humiliating and oppressive terms 

 of peace. The conduct of their com- 

 paratively small but warlike neighbor, 

 Japan, in equipping itself with the latest 

 methods and appliances of modern 

 slaughter and overthrowing in armed 

 conflict China's most dreaded foe was 

 also a very impressive lesson. 



The weakness of China, from a mili- 

 tary point of view, has impressed 

 strongly its rulers, and measures have 

 been in progress for a few years past to 

 create a numerous and powerful army, 

 trained and equipped in the most ad- 

 vanced modern methods. Antedating the 

 action of the central government, the two 

 most advanced of the viceroys, Yuan 

 Shih-kai and Chang Chih-tung, set to 

 work to organize such armies, and great 

 progress has already been made by them. 

 In these two viceroyalties there are now 

 not less than 150,000 soldiers, drilled and 

 equipped on a modern military basis. 

 Other viceroys and governors are fol- 

 lowing their example, and the imperial 

 government is assuming the general con- 

 trol of all these forces, which will con- 

 stitute in time an army rivaling in num- 

 bers, training, and outfit those of Japan 

 and the military nations of Europe. 



What is termed the Northern Army, 

 under Yuan-Shih-kai, held manceuvers in 

 the autumn of last year, which were at- 



tended by the foreign military attaches 

 at Peking, and they reported with sur- 

 prise that they had seen a formidable 

 modern army, and that they had wit- 

 nessed "a display momentous and epoch- 

 making in the history of the Far East." 

 Similar manceuvers were held in October 

 last, in which divisions from the two 

 armies took part. The London Times 

 correspondent, in giving a report of these 

 latter, says : "The general opinion formed 

 at the manceuvers by the military attaches 

 was not unfavorable, though many years* 

 work * * * will be needed before 

 the troops can claim equality with those 

 of more advanced nations." It would 

 seem that this great and populous Empire 

 had at last laid aside its antiquated no- 

 tions of right and justice, and had entered 

 into the fierce competition of the Chris- 

 tian nations for preserving the peace of 

 the world with vast armies and formid- 

 able navies. 



FOREIGN ARMY CRITICISM 



Some foreign military critics are in- 

 clined, however, to minimize the impor- 

 tance of this movement. They say that 

 the making of an army is a matter of 

 years ; that a fighting instinct must be 

 created . nd a patriotic spirit must be 

 back of it, m both of which the Chinese 

 race is defu *nt. Up to a recent period 

 the literati, who give tone to public 

 opinion, have looked down upon the 

 fighting men, and it is questionable 

 whether they do not still. Men of real 

 influence in the army, they say, are rare 

 and it lacks capable generals. Absolute 

 integrity is necessary, and great corrup- 

 tion is known to have existed in the pur- 

 chase of armament and supplies. There 

 is no medical staff, the organization i» 

 weak in cavalry, desertion is rampant, 

 and many other improvements are neces- 

 sary before the Chinese can successfully 

 meet a Japanese or a European army. 



There is much truth in this criticism; 

 but all of the difficulties cited may be 

 overcome in time by persistency, of 

 which the Chinese have an abundance, 

 and by right methods, which they appear 



