CHINA FROM A MILITARY STANDPOINT.
By Army and Navy Journal
THE greatest homogeneous nation the world has ever known is now at war, for no other nation known to history could boast of the 420,000,000 inhabitants that Chinese statisticians allot to their country. Now that the problem is worked out before our eyes, we see that three-fourths of this population is worthless for war. It is quite probable that all the forces used will be drawn from the two or three seacoast provinces. A general draft from the whole country would bring together men of more dialects than the building of Babel brought on us. The striking disparity of about eleven to one in population between China and Japan is not the controlling factor. Still, the Northern seacoast provinces of China are quite populous enough to sustain a war with Japan on equal terms. The Imperial Government is rich enough to enlist a swarm of European officers, arm its troops with the best weapons, and obtain supplies from foreign makers. During the last five or six years the Chinese have been going through one of their periodical fits of egotism, economy, and dislike of the foreigner, and have discharged as many of their foreign servants as they could spare. All that will now be changed, and a ready welcome will be given to the adventurous spirits of all countries.—Army and Navy Journal.