Mr, Walter Buchler has made a speech this woak on aspects. of Chinese life before the China Society, from which the following: Passages, which are appro rinte just now, are In the general life of the country, students are at the back of political agitation, since conditions are not 80 far advanced as to turn thelr} training to practical use. Students who owe their school training to. English and American missionaries and ye sent by them or by the 'Chinese Government to study aprond are invariably to, be distinguished on their return by their fervid' anti-foreign sentiments, which they do not hesitate to air and put into effect on every possible occasion. As the back of every mob, strike, anti-foreign demonstration, Which so much is nowadays heard, tands'one or more student orator, usually trained in, mission schools} or foreign universities, passionate-preaching hatred' of these foreign devils" at whose expense and institutions they received their "enlightenment."
The mob victory over Hankow was inspired by those same receptacles of il-digested European democracy, and these returned students are likely to be the alotonators of the threatened Plosion of Chinese national diss satisfaction feared for Shanghai. The type of Chinese student breath: ing such thunder and fire is not the best that China produces, for that which stays at home and follows more the ways of the old school of Jearning is far more pleasant in one's intercourse with them.
China The Chinese soldier is quite a simple being, without anything very, anartial about him. The profession not respected. except by dint of Force being employed, and it is_an outlet for masses of people who find no other source of living, Soldier Sng in China entails no very great angers, in spite of modern weapons of, war' being used, though not to euch effect as in Europe. If, there.
For the Chinese is and nothing, not even a "war, deters him from doing business.
Equivalent of "Going on the Dole"
The two professions which provide the equivalent of going on the dole in. China are soldiers brigandage, which are as closely. related to each other as the Bar and the Law Society here. For China is now divided into a number of kingdoms, each of which maintains an army of sorts, but when no pay is forthcoming or in prospect, then it dissolves into hordes! of bandits still in uniform, Just as the Chinese hi business instincts into "military ife, 30 the principles of humanity, and self-preservation, reign supreme even on the "battiefeld." Ina typical battle outside Peking, 20,000) men were scattered on a 40 mile front, and the opposing side had 50,000, Both were aware of cit ide's strength. There was shoot~ ing day and night, and imaginary battles filled the press the following day, victory and defeat being' allotted by the dictates of the' editor's pen, But actually there was little fighting, and the position continued unchanged for weeks. The Chinese "gunner" fired his machine-gun to show he was doing something for his pay (in areas), or perhaps to keep himself awake; the opposing artillery replied to show that they were still there, There was incessant rifle-fire, but nobody of hit unless he showed himself too prominently and. the sniper could not help hitting his The Chinese are extremely fond of fireworks, and to them the noise Jof gunfire is the same. A Chinese attack means crawling up within actual range of the enemy, firing a few volleys and then retiring before the terrific blast of noise which such boldness elicited, The Work of the Generals And what, you may ask, were the "generals" doing in the meantime? Their time was filled up with plans, for cautious manquvring, involving no fighting, plans how to win over the opposing side (generally by hard cash); how to solve the ficulties of supply of ammunition and exchequer to pay and maintain their rmy, for a shortage of cither would mean losing the war." When it rained, there was no fighting: those who possessed umbrellas put them up.
One day one section of the "army" found that a humane Chinese contractor had supplied cartridges fill-with sawdust, but took it} philosophically and departed over to the other side. The "war" ended one side being won over by_propaganda and money; the losers were enrolled in the victor's army, [whilst the diehards "skilfully" retreated into their own province, Curse of. Banditry Banditry is a profession in China, and the curse of the country. The only solution that the various districts infested with them is to enrol such bandits into the local army. Foreign missions have during recent years suffered considerably at their hands. But it is the Chinese people,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.