In the beginning of the attack on the Peiyang Arsenal by the Russians, they lost over 200 men and had to send for help to the Americans and the British.
In the Boxer night attack on Tientsin railway station in July, the British, French, and Japanese defending it had 150 casualties.
Out of a total of 5,000 men engaged in the taking of Tientsin native city on July 13th and 14th, the Allies lost nearly 800 men.
The Egyptian fellah was once considered to be utterly hopeless as a fighting‐man. But British officers nursed him, strengthened his moral fibre, and then led him into battle. Witness his behaviour at the Atbara and at Omdurman. The army that the genius of Lord Kitchener had moulded so skilfully proved invincible; and the fellah did his fair share of the fighting.
The Chinaman in natural courage, in physique, and in stamina is far superior to the Egyptian. Why should he not become a more formidable fighting‐man? Think what the Celestial Empire could do if its soldiers were properly armed, trained, and led; if the spirit of self‐respect were instilled into them and their natural passive courage fanned into active bravery! Think of a warlike army recruited from a population of 400,000,000; and at its back a reformed China, its resources developed, its immense wealth properly utilised, its people free and filled with patriotic pride!
What Japan has accomplished, China, once her leader and her conqueror, may yet achieve. And signs of the Great Awakening are at hand!
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Pronounced “Way high way.”
[2] i.e. Government.
[3] Lord Curzon, in his interesting book, Problems of the Far East, refers to this building as “The Temple of Heaven” and calls what I have described as “The Centre of the Universe” “The Altar of Heaven.” He is more likely to be correct than the officers of the armies of occupation, but I give the names which they used.