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CHINA'S PROGRESS:
(1) MILITARY,
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(Daily Press, December 28th.) "China is only fifty years behind the foreign devil, and is hastening fast to catch him up."
That is a saying attributed to Viceroy YUAN, by Far Eastern" in the Pall Mall Gazette, who describes the Viceroy "the KITCHENER of China." If all that "Far Eastern " says in the article quoted from be trustworthy, aud we are bound to say that some of it is very like "tall talk," it will have to be admitted that in military matters China has indeed made wonderful progress, though not yet suffi cient, even on Far Eastern's evidence, to warrant the prophecy that China will ultimately become the greatest military Power in the world." The writer of the article was
indebted for much of his information to a Japanese engaged as an instructor in the Chinese army, who perhaps felt bound to speak optimistically of the apparent success of the work of himself and
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colleagues. We have the best of reasons for knowing that military experts in Japan largely discount the effectiveness of the armies of General MA and the Viceroy of Chih-li. Japanese hold that while drill and organisation and better treatment have enabled these modern Chinese troops to make a brave and creditable show, the morale is still awanting, and that the deve lopment of this requires more than the assistance of Japanese or other foreign instructors can give. So, though we would not dream of denying that China has the material for potential prowess,
or that the great chauge is possible, we are not seriously concerned by Far Eastern's" conviction that China's "great armed mo- vement is destined in the fulness of time to produce a mighty transformation of political relations and political conditions in the entire world." His own phrase, "in the fulness of time," puts the Yellow Peril back to its proper position. Moreover, it will be seen that the improvements noted largely surface improvements-just what we have learned to expect in China. Discipline is the first feature observed, in the following comment:
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The determination with which they are both pursuing what they firmly believe to be the regeneration of China is apparent in their disciplinary code. The new regulation scale of punishments will do very well by and by, they Bay, but drastic measures are necessary during the period of creation. Thus, during my visit to Yuan Shi-Kai he one day caught a soldier in a failure to salute an officer. There was no hope for the wretched man. In ten minutes his head was off his shoulders. Similarly Ma practises equal severity, and Takaki the Japanese instructor] cited the case of an officer who was brought before the General charged with absence without leave. He was condemned to immediate execution, and when his friends ventured.to plead for a mitigation of the penalty, Ma, seizing a sword, swept off the prisoner's head with his own hand, But in spite of such seeming barbarity the lines of reorganization on which these men are working are of the most enlightened and efficient description.
In Viceroy YUAN's army, as our readers have been told before, the soldiers are regularly paid, and officers attempting are also better fed and harder worked, seven squeeze" severely punished. The soldiers or eight hours drill a day. YUAN personally studies commissariat and stores, and has encouraged the native manufacture of equipment. Field telegraphs, and so on, we have also heard of before. Such improve- ments would naturally attract early atten-
tion.
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Far Eastern" admires the field
training, in which he is a long way behind other foreign correspondents, some of the
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(January 6, 1908. abler of whom have since modified their | there have been, and still are, evidenc a of encomiums. That all this drill and attention political ferment throughout the Empire. should have improved the men's physique but the anonymous correspondent of The is not surprising; but after all, the Chinese International "bimzelf gives the clue to the physique in the north was never very poor. explanation, in his reference to the radically But what of the indispensable morale? dispose i stadeats returning from abroad. "Far Eastern" ignores the question, and This class "shows the same enthusiasm as it did in Europe at the great crises of the dwells on bagatelles like this:
One extremely curious but decidedly effective last century." To be sure it does. It dranced the men would occasionally be halted practice was noticeablo. 8 the firing line always will. It is the perennial, the eternal source of that divine or devilish discontent to fire, kneeling at the long distances and lying
that saves the world from stagnation. down 68 the shorter ranges were reached.
Youth and its young heart, its desire for Blank cartridge was not used, but as each man went through the motions of firing he gave something better, born of its fresh and vent to a long, half hissing, half whistling sound, startled perception of the flies in the amber very much resembling that of a bullet in of life, of the spots on the sun of society, is flight, the total effect of the whole of a eternal, universal. One generation after another loses youth, it is true, but the dreams, the " long, long thoughts," abide,
long firing line doing this simultaneously be ing very realistic. This obviates the necessity of "snapping," as is the case with us, the care of arms bring one of Yuan's most drasticareturu prosilient to the problems of Even in China, where it has existence. pricep's. Accordingly, except during inspect-
been strongly repressed by the CANDIDE ion, the breech mechanism of each man's rifle is covered with a piece of red cloth, the muzzle like conviction that the Middle Kingdom was blessed with the best of all possible end being covered by a sight prob- ctor decorated with a red tassel. This, however, does not communal systems, it has always been there, prevent the sighting for the various ranges
only we (foreigners) have not had such opportunities of recognising it as elsewhere. It will always be there, and everywhere else, even if all the reformers of the present generation were to be allowed their own
being keenly looked after, and at each has fire the N.C.O.'s might be seen scurrying down the lines closely examining the rights to see that each man had accurately fixed for the distance given. The final stages of the advance
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There are, however, other things, tending to conservatism and equipoise, that Phoenix-like persist. One shall be men. tioned after a quotation or two. The article so far quoted concludes:
It follows from the nature of the existing conslitation of China (which is governed by mandarins, often of the poorest extraction, selected by graduated examinations) that these students, the future rulers of the country, will possess the greatest influence on public opinion and the magistracy; therefore their adhesion to
way. wra by rushes of sections from the right, the supports gradually reinforcing bodies from the reserves until those also were and their places being always taken by equal absorbed. There were then some minutes of rapid independent firing, bay net were fired, and the men rushed forward to the charge at the bugle sund, the whole chewing vociferously as they went forward. As part of his battle traiuing Yuan lays especial stress on the final assault, and frequently, as was done on the present occasion, repeats the charge again aud again. But the Chinese "Tommy" seems thoroughly to enjoy it, and not even the longest field day, with pr longed and arduous movements, seems capable of tiring him. Moreover, he is now aware that bis zeal and intelligence will be duly rewarded with promotion to higher grades and helfer recruit, Takaki pay. Beginning with the the best men are assured me that after five mouths' instruction nominated corporals or soldiers of the first class, and conduct the ¡ustruction of the rest. After three months more the best of these instructors are mada
the constitutional movement assures its ultimate victory.
It is to be noted that Chips has BOW DO bereditary aristocracy, her organisation teing, indeed, essentially democratic; her order-loving, relatively well-to-do peasants and townsmen, interested, by the possession of properly, in a good administration of the State, will 'p ove tbemselves conscientious electors to the proposed
parliament and form an excellent basis for a
constitutional régime.
Those passages were apparently the text Don-commissioned (fficers. The best of the for the other article, by the editor, Dr. recruits become soldiers of the recond class, RODOLPHE BRODA, whose knowledge of and five months later may win their inclusion China must have been got in a library. in the first class, being then eligible during That is not a sneer, please. We admire and the following year for promotion to non-com-sympathise with his point of view, especially missioned rank.
CHINA'S PROGRESS; (2)
CONSTITUTIONAL.
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(Daily Press, December 30th). Iu glancing through the first number of Mr. JOHN MURRAY's new monthly. The International, a "review of the world's Progress" contributed mainly by writers of the socialist, idealist, reformer class, we were arrested by references to China. There is a short notice of the constitutional move- meut in China. It notes the various Edicts issued that seem to promise representative government, and believes in the promise. The "abolition of all Manchu feudal privileges on Sept. 27th did not persuade us that "the Manchu dynasty had itself rights." We were sufficiently prejudiced taken the initiative in restoring equality of to suppose that the initiative was very much like what DAMOCLEs might have shown if he had nervously Becided to change his seat at the banquet of DIONYSIUs Seuior. Nor were minded to attach the same importance to the provincial revolis, wich we bave previously attributed more to empty stomachs than to overcharged intellects. Still, we would be the last to deny that
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the neatress with which he insinuates that it were presumptuous on the part of us Westerners to take it for grante I that every departure China may make from established Many principles must mean progress. Westerners are just so presumptuous, who at the same time are driven to frenzy by the belief that reformers elsewhere, whom t'ey denounce as faldists and dreamers, regard all change as necessarily progress. GILBERT was inexact in saying that every Briton is born a little Liberal or a little Conservative. He might have adopted a quaint phrase familiar in locul hongs, and have said or," for most of us are Liberal and even Radical toward our own proposals, and Conservative toward those of others. Dr. BRODA goes on to say that
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China has only been able to maintain her
bours. China has been and still is, Asia's sole constitalion anobanged for ages on account of its infinite superiority over that of her neigh- Democracy, a commonwealth based on the free labour of her industrious citizens and of her peasants, who own the plots they till. The Middle
до Kingdom knowɛ hereditary aristocracy, an I, for thousands of
years, political power and influence in imperial circles has been rested in the class of the Mandarins—man chosen from the broad ranks of the people by competitive examination, ensuring the selection of the most learned, if not the best. It is
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