Till-: I L LUST It AT 12 1 WEE.
Military Campaigning
In Northern China
July '2'.), 11)00.
(Copyright, 1900, by G. M. Wnlkcr.)
Competent Judges believe tlint campaign
ing In North China by European anil Amer
ican troop.? will Involve greater hardships
than Occidental troops have over boon called
upon to endure.
The early part of the summer about l'ekln
Is usually dry and hot, and the last eight
or ten weeks have proved no exception to
the general rule. Hut, beginning about the
middle of July, torrential rains, which Hood
tho entire plain about China's capital and
all but stop tho tralllc across It, generally
prevail for n short season. This period of
heavy rains is accompanied by high winds
which sometimes are very destructive, while
along the coast dense fogs are the rule, the
atmosphere being heavily charged with hu
midity. Tho entrance to the (lulf of I'elchlll lies
through the n'anow straits between Chlfu
and Tort Aithur. which nre thickly Btudded
with rocky islands, a veritable graveyard
of shipping. In proportion to the tonnage
passing thiough there ate more vessels lost
In these straits than In any other similar
waters In the world, and if the trouble In
China is not quickly quelled many other
wnr ships and transports besides tho Oro
gon will como to grief In theso treacherous
waters.
Even those that pass the dangerous straits
and nnchor nt Taku will not bo much safer,
for there is no harbor there; nothing but
tho open sea. The coast Is low and tho mud
Hats, which extend for miles, make land
ing nlrnost Impossible. Tho tides are high
and should tho autumn winds be ns severe
as they aro nearly every year, more than
ono of tho foreign vessels will find Its Inst
resting place on tho mud flats of Taku.
A ViiNt Miii-hIi.
From Taku to Tien Tsln the country Is n
vast mnrsh, which tho natives havo at
tempted to render fit for cultivation by
dialling It with numerous ditches, but ns
tho river is easily navlgablo to Tien Tsln
by tho gunboats of lighter drnught the
troops will likely be taken to that point
for disembarking. It would bo folly for
them to land at Taku and nttcmpt to go by
railroad to Tien Tsln, owing to the danger
of the rails being torn up. And, though
tho dlstnnco Is only twenty-seven miles,
It would bo madness to try to inarch over
the territory, for It Is well nigh Impassable
because of its marshy nature and 1 s laby
rinth of ditches.
It Is unfortunato In tho extromo that tho
relief force under Admiral Seymour wan
forced to turn back from Its attempt to
reach Pekln. In their early stages Chinese
uprisings rarely Includo any very largo
proportion of tho population, thoro bolng
always many who wait to see whether a
demonstration shows signs of being suc
cessful before taking sides; tho turning
back of tho relief force has undoubtedly
resulted In a great addition to tho I3oxor
forces and this will render tho ultimate
relief of Pekln much moro difficult. Thon,
too, tho Chinaman Is a fatalist nnd a pre
destlnntarlan of tho most pronounced typo.
Relng led In such movements by fanatics
who claim to havo rendored themselves
Immortnl and to bo able to extend tho samo
Immunity from denth nnd wounds to their
followers, they fight with tho greatest bra
very nnd desperation as long as they ap
pear to bo winning, and thoro could, of
course, bo no greator proof of tho efficacy
of their charms nnd incantations than their
success In turning back tho rollof force.
Mnny who havo been doubtful nbout tho
outcome of this uprising will now feci
satisfied, therefore, that it Is really tho
great movement which has long boon ex
pected to sweep tho foreign dovlls Into tho
sea.
For this reason tho troops which lead
In tho now movemont toward Pokln may
expect to encounter some of tho fiercest
and most despornto opposition European
forces hnvo over encountered.
Put tho Chinaman Is quick to see when
the tide Is going ngnlnat him; ho Is al
ways looking for some sign or omen In
dicative of tho favor or disfavor of tho
gcnll. When ho sees a few of his "Im
mortal" leaders laid out cold ho quickly
loses faith In tho charms on which his
own safety depends nnd acts on thnt an
cient Chlneso proverb which dupllcntcs tho
Occidental saying: "Ho who fights and
runs nway may live to fight another dny."
When this spirit once possesses n Chlneso
army you could not get 10,000 of thorn to
stand ngalnst 100 wblto mon.
MiiNt lie Cot "On the Him."
Here is whero great loss Is likely to ro
sult from tho cxorclso of too great caution.
A Chlnoso army, onco In retreat, can ho
pursued with perfect safety, If only It Is
closely followed. In fact, ns leaders In
rotreat, tho Mongolians aro In n clnsR by
thomsolves and It Is only when tho pursuit
Is so long delayed that thoy discover somo
now omen or charm on which to pin their
faith that thoy con bo porsuaded to mnno
another stand. Tho relief force under Ad
miral Soymour mado tho characteristic Brit
ish mlstako of taking tho hardest way.
Tho systom of frontnl attacks which proved
so disastrous in South Africa wns straight
way repeated boforo Pekln. Tho country
weat of tho Pet Ho Is full of swift and
treacherous streams nnd tho whole plain Is
a big swamp. It would bo almost lippossl
bio to march across It without opposition,
yet tho rollof forco started out across It
over tho railroad, whoso destruction was
known to be ono of the main objectives
of the hostllee.
It was preposterous to suppose that 2,000
men could protect eighty mil of railroad
running through an unfriendly population of
S.000,000 or 10,000,000, so when tho relief
forces reached Liang Fang, half-way be
tween Pekln nnd Tien Tsln, they found the
railroad destroyed ahead of them, their
communication cut In their rear nnd them
selves literally smothered in the mass of
peoplu about them. The Chlneso cart road
from Tien Tsln to Pekln follows the western
bank of the Pel Ho until n short distance
below Tung Chow, where It turim west to
the capital. The proper route for tho rollof
forco to have taken was to go by bouts up
tho river to Tung Chow. Disembarking
thero they would only hnvo had to march
twelvo miles west over easy ground to reach
Pekln.
If, however, tho opposition was too strong
oi the lighting too severe to make the at
tempt In boats, then the forces Bhould have
marched up the east bank of the river, along
which a low but continuous watershed runs
thus for the whole march they would have
had the river between them nnd tho lloxers.
who wero busy tearing up tho railroad.
CIiIiid'n II ml Wilier,
Tho lellevlng forco suffered from lack of
water, nnd this Is cue of the greatest dan
gers to be encountered In campaigning In
WOM SHO SHAN (MYRIAD AGES HILL) THE SUMMER PALACE WHERE THE EMPRESS IS SAID TO HE IN HIDING.
CHINESE PEDDLER.
China. Tho country has been so thickly
populated for so many centuries thnt It Is
ono vast graveyard, and tho graves aro not
mado by Interment, but by setting tho collln
on tho ground and heaping tho earth up
around it. Thon, too, thero Is no systom of
soworago or dralnago, except Into cesspools,
which often stnnd almost alongsldo tho wells
that supply tho various communities'. Tho
wntcr, therefore, Is nlways reeking with tho
germs of typhus, typhoid nnd that fearful
Orlontnl dysentery thnt makes living skele
tons out of tho strongest men In a few
weeks. Tho Chlneso only mnnngo to escape
theso opldomlcs by bulling all tholr wntor
and drinking It hot, and tho trnnps cam
paigning in China must follow this samu
plan, unpnlntablo though tho water may
tnsto when bo trentod, or thoy will lose 100
by tho dread dlseaso mentioned for overy
man that Is lost In fighting.
Quarantine is unknown in China, and It Is
common to seo men all broken out with
smallpox lying nlong tho Htreets. Tha
Chlneso regard smallpox much na wo di
chlckenpox, as something thnt ovoryhody
must havo; In fact, among thorn, mensles H
much moro feared,
Tho troops moving In China at this season
will find tho country full of tho finest gnr
dono nnd many will doubtless yield to tho
tomptntlon to sample tho numerous greens
nnd vegetables, but lot them bowaro, for tho
method of fertilizing tho fields and gardons
Is such that all green things aro poisoned
with the samo germs that taint tho waters
As a rulo vegetables and frultn aro snfo to
eat In China after thoy havo heon thor
oughly cooked.
It will bo particularly trying on troops
who havo been serving In Cuba, the Phil
ippines or India to bo transferred nt this
time to North China. Tho rainy senson Is
over by tho Inst of August nnd tho falls
nnd winters nre dry nnd cold, while frequent
storms of wind sweep tho plain and raise
such clouds of sand nnd dust that tralllo
is stopped. These sand storms hnvo played
no unimportant pnrt in tho history of
Chlnn. Doth tho Mongols and the Mauchus,
being; northern men and accustomed to
them, have reaped great advantngo from
them, more than once successfully attack
ing the southern Chlneso whllo tho storms
wero In progress; the stinging snnd and
gravel of the storms demoralizing tho
fcouthcrncrs utterly.
Winter In North Chliui.
Frost comes about thu middle of October
and nbout tho last of November tho steady
cold sets In nnd freezes up tho river, which
stays closed until the last of Februnry or
the middle of March. Thero ate no snows
to amount to anything, a few Hurries, per
haps, which amount to six Inches, say, in a
whole winter. Tho mean temperature for
tho winter months is not much over twenty
degrees. It seldom warms up enough to
thaw, while it frequently drops to near
zero, so 4ho men will need generous sup
piles of warm clothing and bedding.
Most of thu troops now going to North
China will doubtless havu to winter there,
for It is unlikely that quiet will bo restored
before the ckslng of the river in November
nnd after that It will bo Impossible for thorn
to Icavo tho country beforo spring. Tho
wintering of such forces nbout Pekln will
be a dllllcult problem, for thoro nre no de
cent camping plnces about tho city. Thoy
might bo placed on tho top of tho city wall,
which is ilfty or sixty foot wide and well
paved, but to keep the troops In thu city
would only bo to irritate tho people and en
danger tho health of tho men. In tho hills
nbout ten miles north nnd about fifteen miles
west of tho city, howover, thoro aro ox
teuslvo temples which nre used as summer
resorts nnd stopping plnces for pilgrims
nnd theso structures would make excellent
quarters for tho troops. Thore, too, are
magnificent springs which would furnish
nn nmplo supply of tho best water nnd tho
coal mines nt tho foot of thu hills would
glvo plenty of fuel. A short mllltnry road
across thu plain would placo them In close
touch with tho capital.
So little Interest has been taken In China
by this country that an ndequnto mnp of
it Is not to bo found in tho United States.
Even tho Wnr department has no map of
value and hns been nt a Iofs to know what
provision to mnko for our troops thnt wero
being sent thero. It Is amusing to rend
that tho transport Port Albert carried
100 mules to Taku, when north China's
mules nro probably tho largest and most
plentiful to bo found In tho world.
Much of tho hostility toward foreigners
thnt has been displayed. In the present out
break has been duo td the harshness "f tho
foreigners In dealing with thu Chinese, par
ticularly that of thu Germans In Shantung,
and unless great caro nnd consideration
Is shown toward thu non-comhntauts thu tie
occupation of Pekln instead of bringing
UU I el will Inllamo thu whole empire. The
Chinese aro not savages, nor even barbar
ians, nnd, whllo their customs nnd mnnnurs
may seem peculiar to us, It should bu re
membered that they havo been In foreu fur
many centuries longer than ours havu pto
valled. Their prejudices nnd superstitions
must hu respected and their gruves nnd
shrines tt inviolate. Firmness with a due
consideration for their pccullnr pulul of
vlow will quickly rcstoro pence, but harsh
ness and injustlco will simply kindle a lire
that will light up tho whole world.
Bunch of Short Stories
A Coney Island excursion steamer was
leaving Now York with but fow passengers
aboard, rolntcs ColllorVWcekly. Tho boat
hnd Just caBt ort when n stout gontluinnn
with a very red faco ruBhod down tho pier
nnd nourishing his stick shoutod; "Hey,
captain! put back back her quick. Hero's
n largo party wants to go."
Tho captain whs lit first dorlslve, but
Ilnnlly shouted from tho idiot houso: "How
largo Is tho party?"
For an Instant thu fat man hosltutcd.
Then ho yelled buck: "Uutweon sixty and
sovouty."
As soon ns thu captain heard this number
ho instantly ordered tho steamer back and
mndo fasL ngaln. Thu fat man waddleil
across tho gang plunk, and picking out a
nice deck sent funned himself with his
straw hut. Meanwhile tho captain and his
crow wnltcd for tho party to arrive. Aftor
waiting flvo minutes nnd moro tho captain
turned impatiently toward tho stout gun
Human and asked:
"Whore's your pnrty between sixty mid
sovouty? This boat enn't wnlt all day for
them."
"Oh, Hint's all right," rejillod tho fat
passougor with a bland smile, "I'm the
party; GT today, sir."
Tho captain's faco grow redder oven than
tho passonger's as ho furloiiBly rang tho bull
to steam ahead, but tho fat gentleman nt
onco liccnmu tho hero of tho boat.
"I never hear anybody speaking of a
'horny-handed son of toll,' " said a Ken
tucky colonel to a Wnshlnglnn Star man,
"that I don't think of a race for the legisla
ture which took placo In my statu a number
of years ago between Tom Stimrt, then edi
tor of tho Winchester Democrat, and I. N.
Iloone, a descendant of the great Daniel nnd
nt that time holding tho olllco for which
Stuart was making tho race. Stuart was n
''"'' '
CHINESE COIJI1LER AT WORK.
young mull, very progressive and quick of
mind, while limine was well along In youtti,
slow uf thought and action, nnd especially
proud of the fact that ho wiih a representa
tive of thu farmers. So zealous was ho In
thin regard that he carried It to thu excess
uf almost total abstinence from water fur
washing purpim-H, and ho would let his
hands nnd face go unwashed for several
days nt a tlmu.
"Stuart was quite the reverse In Ills Ideas
of cleanliness and at one of thulr Joint dis
cissions he gave his opponent n blow that
fairly knocked him nut. Iloiiuo was mak
ing his regular upcech, and nt the proper
place In It he referred to thu matter of his
relation to the tolling musses.
" 'My friends,' hu said, holding up a pair
(f hands that looked au It they hadn't linen
washed In a week, 'to let you sen fur your
selveu that 1 am a liorny-liaiided sun of toll
I iihIc you to look at these hands, and.'
turning to Stuart, 'I would ask my pale
faced young friend from tho elty what ho
thinks of them?'
"Stuiirl was on his feet In a minute.
" 'I do not deslru to embarriiHH my ills
tlngulshed opponent, ladles and gen lemon,'
ho said with a bow, 'but I would say that I
think they need snap and wuter
"It was such nn apparent ease that the
crowd took hold at open with a shout and
Doom) was completely Moored, and later
Stuart was elected."
Adlal Stevenson Is a better ileum crut even
than he Is a story teller, though in thu hit
ler ruin he comes second to but few. Mem
bers of thu Iowa Statu liar nKsniiutloii re
call with pleasure Mr. StuveiiHon's appear
unco at a banquet given by that organiza
tion In Sioux City last year. The nominee
for vlco president was nt I he tlmu stop
plug there ul the heme of his sister, Mrs.
E. S. McCaughey. He wim Invited to at
tend the banquet nnd was quite thu lion
at the feast, at which no wine was served,
and when ho was called upon by Janus O.
Crosby of GnrnnvUlu, la., president of thu
ussneiatlou and tuastmiiFter for the occa
sion, ho arose and remarked that, inasmuch
as lie was nit prepared to make a speech,
hu would tell a sti ry. The story was
about a man who went to a small prohibi
tion town In the slate nf Maine, ami whllo
there wns seized with a great, abiding thirst
for whisky. Thore being no saloons, ho
tried a arug Btore. Thero he was told ho
could get whisky only on tho prescription .f
a physician, die called upon a doctor, who
refused to glvo him a prescription because
ho could Hud nothing about his constitution
that was wrong.
"Well, what am I going to do about It,
dec?" Inquired the thirsty man- In tom of
desperation. Ho would have been willing
to contract the smallpox for the taste of a
lilt of hot stuff at Just that moment.
Tho doctor was n got d-natiired sort of a
fellow and In n wise sort i f tone hu dropped
thu suggestion that there was a nest of
snakes not moro than u mile anil a half from
town. If ho could manage In get bit by a
snako hu would havo to have whisky as an
antidote nnd tho doctor would make out thu
prescription. The man with a thirst was
overjoyed nnd started off to the snake cave.
An hour nud n half later he returned, tired,
dusty and disconsolate.
"Well, did you do as I told you?" Inquired
tho doctor,
"My dear Blr," replied the man with the
thirst, "I called on tho snakes, but discov
ered that overy ono of thorn had their bites
engaged for six months abend. I quit."
Inopportune Question
Chicago Evening Post: "Will y u marry
mo " he asked.
Sho looked at him reproachfully.
"Hero (tin I. going away for the summer."
sho kuIiI; "going to the seaslu.ro and the
inniintaliiH, and ynu would ask me to tie
myself up at the beginning. I shall bo
glad to hecomo engaged to you upon my re
turn, but did you over seo an engaged girl
at n summer resort with her llanco hack in
tho elty? You shouldn't nsk too great n
sacrifice."
