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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1911)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN'. PORTXAXD. OCTOBER 15. 1911. GREAT AT PARADE rui jtj BUT- FULL OF FLAWS I j China Becoming a Military Power? In Number of Soldiers Yes, but in Organization, Quality of Soldiers and Combative Efficiency Neyer Selling' Commissions to Unqualified and Other Grafts Flourish Chinese Fine Ac tors but Poor Fighters. : C I - V .'if. V. Ik .f vv ' lA'V BY AfHLtT fORtt IT IK eherctMtic ef th w Army ef Chin that It always tries) to look It beat bfor trr.r. Not a fw r,bi-vaat visitor," have. ba IopamJ on la this way: thr CO horn s r ! n g "Th Chines Army of to lay U a smart wil-dr:lld body of troop. At present It 1 (null but what will It bo bil wo have to deal wits natlon-ln-arm th population ot which la thro hundtwd millions?" Th follow, talj about th Tttlow Torll. I have known lhl Army with om intimacy fir a number of yar: whn tha ktynoto u truck In my prenc I in consequently abts to recognise It at one. While taking a, country walk oa th outskirts of a blc gsrrl oa city I camo acroaa a group that appealed to my Instinct for tha pic lareequ. A large fatigue party de tailed for road moodier wu being artvea a abort rest and tha man had fallen into a aorU, of most characterise tie group. My cm mora waa almost ready whan, at a word of command, ovary aoldirr scrambled to his feet and I was surrounded by a crowd Intent on making photography Impossible. Tho nontenant In charge of tho party camo forward. "Ton mustn't tak a picture bo said. It wouldn't look welL" "On tho contrary." I told him. "It would bo splendid." "No, don't you see tbo men have been working bard? They aro not and tlrod nd were taking a few mlnutea at tholr ease, sprawling about anyhow. Be- Ides, they aro not In para J a uniform. J cannot let you photograph them thus. It would bo a discredit. " AH my diplomacy waa of no avail. I talked with him for some time. After h bad found that I know bis native province Intimately and spoke Its dia lect; after, too, bo had been mildly bribed by being himself photographed la herolo pose, bo allowed mo to snap shot his men. drawn up In regular formation, but I still failed to got his sanction to the taking of any picture that would hare shown them In typical attitude. It Is much more tbo desire never to toe seen except when at their best, than any fear of espionage, that Is re sponsible fur many of the general or der by which foreigners aro hindered . o no o BT It. J. W. DAM. TtK rivalry between Vincent and Halladay was bitter enough be fore Mls Belmayne occurred. It then assumed an aspect almost Cor lean. Vincent was the Rom correspondent ft the London Thunderer. Halladay was the Roman representative of the Sndon National. Vincent waa an Ox ford man; Italladay's Intellectual cre dentlala were dated at ambrtdge. Vin cent waa of middle height, dark, lithe, and athletic. He had an electric en ergy, and quick, penetrating brown evea with a merry light In them that was attractive: also a brown mous tache that approached the feminine S'leal. llaltailay was of stouAer and flabbier build, with a blond, sharp yvolnted beard, and a face like Lord 11 labury's. Lord Salisbury was. In fact, secretly bis model. II waa the cousin ft a peer, but notwithstanding this drawback bad managed to develop a alu of his own. which shows his great fttrre and determination- He was also five years older than Vincent, who was nly 31. and. In the gam of ltf. If not f love, years have a distinct value of their own. loth men drew lavish sal aries, moved In the highest society of 3:ome. and ware polished carpet cava J:t and very popular. Roth. too. bad weaknesses which revealed their tem feramente and are correlated torn-. In t:il narrative. Vincent's weakness was a small sloop jacht which he kept at Naples for va- attnn rrulsea Net having time. In the rrensur of event, to love a woman, e loved this yacht. Whenever social. ilrlomtlc. or International affairs did tot command hi attention, be and bis r-tpe and the yacht had charming houra rf mental communion together In his lartment. Whenever leaves of ab sence permitted, the three dIJ Capri, r-orrento. lschla. and t!ie adjacent Tur ner paintings of the Rav of Naples In congenial company. On stretching seas. In the calm and gorgeous afterglow, dreamed of a rotbI fair one In the nebulous future. This showed his tern pframmt to be romantic. Hailadav's weakneea was "The War Oloud In the Balkans." Whenever other rows failed he would knit his editorial Vrow and 11 his portentous Ink and ,e ominous signs of trouble In Srrvla. Jiulgarta. and the Balkan Provinces. Int ran always see ominous signs ot trouble In Pervla. Bulgaria, and the 3'alkan Provinces, and they make an excellent frame on which to hang long and sweeping periods dealing with pos sible International complication. From which It will be seen that Halladay u ambitious. He always used the not majestic polysyllables that fitted, and thee won him the reputation of a powerful and far-seeing correspond, ent. which reputation he confidently be lieved that he deserved. These divers temperament, caused the two men to secretly scorn eacn other, and this feeling was not dimin ished by thlr alternating newspaper triumphs. Important bits of new, from tie Qulrlnai or the ministries, which fell now to one and now to the other, and caused the usual variatlona of nger and delight. Thus It was when Mis Belmayne and her parenta arrived at the Grand Hotel for the Winter. Parents are. of course. f bo Importance. but It may be men tioned that Mr. Belmayne had made stoves, and Incidentally aecumu'ated two million, on the shore ot Lake Michigan. Ml Belmayne was a gtrl who wbo. without effort, bowl ever unpre pared Eng'.trmen like ter.ptrs. She . bad style. I'mrls style, and tht. when I the drt sa.-nkr la drtv,n with aa Intel from close contact with this Army. As an Instance, any Chinee visitor to barracks will be admitted as a matter of course, after statins his businees, but no foreigners ran b allowed in side the gat. n any pretense what ever. tll the direct permission of the ofneer In command has been obtained This holds good In places where mere neither la nor ever could bo any thing to conceal Those who have wars of piercing thee barriers know what a mass of pretense the Chinese army la. Inder General Tin Chang, who has now held the presidency of the Board of War for about a year, some matter have been momentarily Improved. In par ticular. Yin Chang Is not a notably corrupt man, as was kls predecessor. Teh Liang. Tho latter cuatomarlly sold appointment. In the army and es tablished a price list on commissions on which few discounts were allowed. From that current in tha year 10I I may quote. In terms of American money: General of division, 1000; Major-General. $3000; Colonel In com mand of regiment, SHOO; Major, 11100 to 1100. Kxactly what factor. Influ ence the fluctuation of price In this last rank la not specified. Thes prices are purely graft, and do not bear any relation to tho legal "purchase sys tem" In Togo a generation ago In tho British army. Any Chinese officer who loses hi, post lose, tb wbol of his "Invested capital" also. One purcnaser of tbo post of Colo nel waa (before making this Invest ment) chief cook to tho president of the Board of War. A well-filled purse and experience In the slaughter of chickens ware hi, sole qualifications for the Colonelcy. Tho former wu tha only essential one. As a diplomat ho would havs been a failure, for I bava It on his own au thority that ho paid full market prlco to his master, feu rely a cleverer man would have served up a good dinner and then bargained for reduced rates. The honesty and moderation of Tin Chang ha, abolished this sale of office, but when his resignation has been handed In (an event which rumor say will not be long- delayed) his -successor may establish It again. Yin Chang la a rather broad-minded man who has received something of a military edu cation In Kurope and ha twice been Chinese Minister to Germany. Ha has absorbed many Idea from that coun try, some of which (such as universal military service) he 1 attempting to apply In rather pedantic fashion to China, without regard to tbelr real suitability to circumstance a. I'p to the present most of hi rec ommendation have been shelved, and many of his positive order, have not o o ligent curb. Is very fascinating. She was fairly tall, blonde, had Ideas, dark blue eyes and a frank, sympathetic na ture. All these exercised novel and powerful Influence on the two men. They met her on the same evening at a diplomatic reception. The charms mentioned were quite enough for Vin cent. He went home, lighted his pipe, put on his slippers, looked at the fire and said. "By Jover He said nothing more to the Are or anything else for two mortal hours. Then he said "By Jove!" again and went to bed. The same charms sufrieed to stagger Halla day. but to them he added the two mil lions. He was older and more practical. H wrote his cousin, the peer, and told Mm to be sure to come to Rome that Winter. Then he mentally watered his genealogical tree, resolved to lay siege to the beautiful Vlcksburg with the firm patience of a Grant, and absently took a cold bath. This chilled him. at mid night, but did not check hla ardor. Mine Belmayne took Rome and the Korum and the Coliseum very serious ly. This was a novelty to Vincent and Halladay. so they awoke to Its gran deur, and took It very seriously Indeed. They sent her books, and bronses. and prehistoric pavements, and fragments of ancient palaces by the cartload. Papa Belmayne. who waa Indulgent, said he didn't particularly care for a macadam ised drawing-room and engaged an other room to hold the ancient archi tecture. The attentions of the two men soon became constant and very marked. And through archaeological mornings and afternoon drives, on the blocks of the Korum and the steps of the Col iseum, on the rinclan Hill and the roof of St. Peter's, they fell deeper and deep er In love, but kept their own counsel. The dear girl was as yet unconscious of It. but they hated each other with the hate of the ls:o-t dramas. It was anything all to win the adorable beauty, and sentence the other fellow to life-long despair. The primal cause of all the subse quent trouble was Vincent's yacht. He bad. on various occasions, shown Miss Belmayne the r.lrh responsibility of his position as correspondent of the Thun derer. Now and then he wrote hla dis patches at her hotel, after dinner, and two days later would read her the pow. erfuU ponderous Thunderer editorials, which, telegraphed all over Europe, were based upon the dispatches sent by Mm. This Interested her tremen dously. Like every true American girl of nowadays In her ante-matrimonial. ant-balies-of-her-osm period she se. cretly longed to sway rations. To write dlspa tehee which set Europe and Amer ica In a ferment, which caused Salts bury, the German Emperor, and the Czar to instantly buckle on their skates, ss It were, and dash off to do something final, seemed to her the only occupa tion worthy of woman or of man. She found nothing so delightful as helping him. and he knew nothing so delightful aa her help, notwithstanding that the hotel note paper waa scarcely the prop er stationery to bear this freight of heavy thought. When the Thunderer arrived she would read the dispatches with a thrill of Interest born of her In direct connection with the great news paper. Finally ahe wanted to write a dispatch Just a little one all by her self. He. reserving rights of correction and revision, consented. It wa a safe contribution, not at all sensational, about tre return of the olive crop. She wrote It. She also read It. word for word. In print, two days later. That experience was a crisis in her life. Des tiny opened out Its arms to her as a Woman of M!sht and Power. Halladay lost ground visibly after that and bad been enforced, so that tho state of the Chinese army ha not been greatly Improved. Official (queexe has become less severe on the men, however, and Is extorted In a different way. One division was formerly under the command of a General popularly nick named I'a I'l ("Take the Skin"). Tho troops received a regular ration of In ferior grain or flour In addition to their pay. But out of the latter they weer made to buy, from their com manding officer and whenever they were ordered to do so, practically all their equipment caps, boots, trousers, tunics, blankets and many sundries. Such small part of the pay as was not absorbed In this way they could spend on necessaries or luxuries from outside. So while ha was In command tha men were always smart In appearance. Admlrtng foreign vlaltors would com ment on tho spruce new uniforms In which our local troops always par aded. They didn't know the underly ing reasons for this spick-and-span condition. Poor Pa P"l, no worse than bis neigh bors, has had bad luck. When I last beard of him he had been cashiered. probably less for squeezing than for not allowing himself to b aqueesea sufficiently by his superiors. Now the same division Is commanded by a General wbo pursues a different system. Equipment and uniforms are served out free and with moderate reg ularity. The full pay of the men I approximately 12.60 (in American money) per month. Ninety-six cents of this, or more than one-third of the whole, however. Is kept back by the oflcer to pay for the grain and flour ration served out daily. No other ar ticle of food Is given In direct return for this, but there Is sn arrangement which allow the men. working by messes, to cultivate vegetables and condiment for their own use. These cost, therefore, only labor. It they want meat (and can afford It) they may buy It with the remaining 11.54 per month, from which also they must emotional neuralgia of the most tortur ing kind. The cause of the trouble, as before stated, was the yacht.. A dirty steam trader from Marseilles, while coming to anchor, had taken off the bowsprit of Vincent's secondary Idol, together with a slice of her peerless nose. It was like an accident to a highly es teemed female cousin. The best medi cal attention waa Instantly necessary. Vincent knew the Italians. He knew that If he did not personally arrange the contract for repairs at Naples the contractor who did them would after wards own the yacht, bring suit against his personal fortune, and hold hla fam ily responsible for the balance of the money. In short, he had to go to Naples for two days. Mis Belmayne. Strang, to say. received the new with Joy. "I'll look after things. I'll send any thing that s necessary to the Thunder er," she said. He stared at her In aoiihment. "Oh. do let me! Pleaae do! I want to show you the breadth of my mind." Eventa were very dull journalistic ally. And when a beautiful girl wants to show you the breadth of her mind It Is not only dangerous to say "no." but wise to say "yes." that Is, If you are aa much In love as he was. He finally consented and she radiated enthusiasm. "Just read the papers If you do send anything, and be guided by them." said he. "But don't er don't send too much, and nothing that Isn't import ant." Then he went away to single combat with the contractor. She couldn't do him any harm. If what she sent was bad It wouldn't be printed. And his consent to the proposal would certainly do him Infinite good In con nection with another proposal. Thus be mused. In love, and In the train to Naples. Now, It Is doubtless fully understood by all adult persons that when an American girl desires to show the breadth of her mind ahe Is destined to show It at all hazards. The respon sibility of her position weighed heavily upon Miss Belmayne. Ehe came down to breakfast next morning with a far away look In her eyes and two brown prlma-donna halr-curlera still nestling In the sort silken hair above her fore head. Papa Belmayne at first assumed that this was a new style In breakfast toilets and said nothing. He could never keep quite abreast of the fashions and he had made mistakes before. Then he conceived that It might possibly be evidence of strong, disturbing emo tion, and ventured to Inquire. She gravely removed the hair-curlers, snd after striking her hair three skilful taps put them In her pocket. Then ahe cautiously whispered to him the news. She, ehe. was the Acting Rome Correspondent of the Thunderer. Papa waa startled. It flashed Instantly upon his practical Chicago mind that with a wire like that something might be done In wheat. But no on second thought that wouldn't do. Still, be was proud, very proud, of his daughter. He pro ceeded to like Vincent amazingly. "We'll give the old Thunderer a lift, my dear. If anything happens. I'll furnish the statesmanship and you look out for the spelling and punctuation." said he. Halladay he had never liked. That gentleman's family tree and Its luxuriant foliage bad been exhibited several times In his presence and It an noyed him. Not having dealt largely In trees In his career, he didn't believe In them. So Vincent stock rose above the hundred mark In the Belmayne family, and Halladay's fell steadily to aero, with no offers. Halladay knew this and fumed In secret. He also guessed at once from 1 o h n ,e-vs fjr-r s sr m - S2I pay the barber who shaves their heads and attends to their queues and for all luxuries and amusements that the heart of a aoldier desires. Sapient foreigners have been found who declare that the modern Chinese aoldier Is drawn from a better class than In the past. The soldiers them selves do not pretend that this Is the case. The social status of their offi cer has been a little Improved, but not much. The higher ranks are still filled by men of the old stamp, who have paid to get their positions, and who pay to hold them. In time they may be replaced by the youngsters now below them, who have had oome foreign training, but who, at the best, would be quite unequal to the handling of large bodies ot men, as the term la now understood, and who must buy promotion directly or Indirectly. The monthly pay of a Captain Is $30. Men of the class from which they come must support themselves, their wives and possibly help their parents, all out of this sura! Is It surprising that they "squeeze" their men It the chance offers? One of my acquaintance confesses to being In debt to the extent of 1240 (or eight months' pay) after holding a Captaincy for two year. He has had a superior education and Is now look ing for civil employment. Officer below this grade do not re ceive and appear not to expect any chow of deference from their men, ex cept when on the parade ground. Even to any one used to the democratio ways ot China this absence of respect must bo striking. Tou may read that by the end of 111! China will have completed the organi sation of J division of 12,600 men each. A standing army of close on 600.000 men, with plan already made to Increase It. Well drilled and armed with up-to-date weapons! A popula tion ot 400,000,000 from which to re cruit! What beautiful facts for the sensa tionalist. The Fat Boy In Pickwick could think of nothing better calcu lated to "make your flesh creep" till you can learn something more about this "army." Certainly Chinese troops look well on parade. They do the goose-step with a precision which a Prussian guards man might envy. All drillground Miss Belmayne' words and questions the foolish thing that Vincent had done. He saw In It only a clever move of his rival, and also saw a chance to spoil Vincent's chance and win Mis Bel mayne with a single safe play. He was devoted but thoughtful all that afternoon. Then he went away and meditated. At 10 o'clock that evening he entered the Belmayne drawing-room, sharp pointed. Immaculate, and smiling with a visible air of conscious triumph. "Ha. ha, ha! Sorry for Vincent. Pity he's away." be said. "Oh! what happened? Tve read all the evening papers," said the acting correspondent. "Can't say. yon know. Must keep a good thing to myself when I get 1L" "It Is a very good thing?" "Very." "Is It a big thing?" This with fear and trembling. "Biggest In months. May cause a re bellion In Italy. Tou know these Italians. Hair-trigger sort of people when anything happens that they don't quite like." "Oh, Mr. Halladay! Please tell me." He proceeded not to tell her, for the next half hour. In the cleverest way possible. He dangled the bait before her and cruelly enjoyed her attempts to seize it. He saw with concealed fury, however, that her anxiety was the ten der anxiety that he most greatly feared. This armed him In his resolve, and hav ing excited her curiosity till It was painful, he went downstairs. "What la It. my dear?" said Bel mayne. Miss Belmayne was dumb with dis appointment. She loved Vincent she knew It In that moment and he would be dreadfully beaten, without excuse, and perhaps lose his position. Becauso of their compact he had even failed to notify the Thunderer of his absence. "I've ralseed the greatest news of the year," she said sharply. "Do go down to the smoking-room. They're sure to be talking about It. Follow Halladay and see to whom he speaks. We must get something about it." Papa Belmayne was stout, vigorous. 65. and came from Chicago. His hair was curly and showed only a few white lines. Spurred by parental love and a deelre for something to do that was lowly undermining his constitution, he followed Halladay like the species of hound which Is called sleuth. His eyes twinkled and his blood was up. He had always known that anybody can be a newspaper correspondent, and he en Joyed trying It- He quickly found Hal laday In the smoking-room and kept his eye on him. Halladay observed this and was deeply glad. It was as he had hoped. Belmayne had fallen heels over head Into his trap. Halladay was in earnest, low-toned conversation with Sir George Perley bore, a tall, thin, white-haired, per fectly groomed baronet, of any age above 65. the kind of lay figure met everywhere In the best hotels of the south of Europe during Winter. Sir George was astonished. Papa Belmayne saw this plainly, and lay low like Brer Rabbit. Halladay finally 'went away. Papa then greeted Sir George carelessly and proposed a whisky and soda. Also cigars. Sir George said: "Most extraor dinary! Wouldn't have believed 't.. Whst'H these beggars do next!" Papa swelled with repressed eagerness. Then It all came out. He got it every word ot It and chuckled at his own diplo macy. Then he flew to the elevator. "Now I know what I'm talking about, my dear," he said, when her burst of joy was over. "I understand these j things and you don't. I haven't been ' I 'r 111 'i- fjla Mil 11 j-ssi lUir- tb rr m I - . v k' s i 11.;-.. ir is g e rjzrr vr V ' 7X3 W q IP lr !! - .Ml 0 Hi exercises are splendidly carried out. 'Tve never seen guns more smartly handled," a foreign military officer aid to me. We were at a review, and no Chi nese being within earshot, my compan ion obviously could not be trying to give a little indirect taffy." "'Major Wang," he called, "how long have the men been practicing with this type of weapon? Six weeks, you sayT Marvelous!" So It was, but . The Chinese Is a born actor, and when at drill he throws himself Into his allotted part, Just as he would behind the footlights. His dramatic Instinct Is aroused and ha sees himself for the moment as a hero of romance. I don't mean to say that he cannot be made into a real soldier; he can be. But It is not being done. Drill he can, shoot be can't. Watch him at scouting exercise, and you will see that it Is an automaton that has been set to work, not a rea- a State Senator two terms for nothing. Tou sit down and take your pen and I'll dictate." Papa expanded like a balloon, walked the floor, and dictated. He measured every word by cubic measurement- He dictated the short despatch four times and half of another time In all. She wrote and scratched out and turned the dictionary pages feverishly, and thought how clearly Edward would see the breadth of her 'mind. And neither Edward nor the Thun derer knew the doom that was impend ing. When the despatch was finally com pleted she knew that she could have expressed It much more egantly, but papa was inexorable.' He d tell the story In America, by Jimlny, and he wanted to read his own despatch in the London Thunderer. So she copied It In a bold, round hand, signed Vincent's cipher, gave It to Vincent's commission aire, who called at 11, and both she and papa went to bed feelling very well Indeed. At 10 o'clock the next morning Roman time the face of Europe wore a fearful geographical frown. Conster nation, perplexity and uncertainty ruled In five empires. From Downing street the news went under the Channel to the Paris Elvsee and overland to the ' Winter palaces of Berlin. Vienna and St. Petersburg. In tier nonest attempt, to way nations, the dear girl had suc ceeded. The thrones sent messages to the foreign offices; the foreign offices wired the ambassadors, and neither wire nor cable could work half fast enough to please the respective senders. When the stock exchanges opened, Ital ian Rentes fell six points, and their allies weakened in proportion. The smash had come. Italy was bankrupt and the Triple Alliance would fall to pieces. It all arose from a despatch and an editorial In the columns of the London Thunderer, those columns which were held to be Infallible as the multi plication table itself. This was the de spatch: ITALY. (From our own correspondent.) I sw Slgnor Crespo this evening and learned from him that th new and Im portant Item In th budget, the new source of revenue which has been promised snd upon which great hopes have been based, will take the form of a national tax upon moustaches. In his bill, which b will In troduce In the Chamber tomorrow. It will b provided that every citizen of Italy wear ing a moustache shall pay a sumptuary tax thereupon of on lira yearly. In th ordi nary coursa this tax will yield th 20.000.000 llr per annum which ar so greatly needed and whose source us to now It hss been Impossible to discover. Of course, a certain amount of opposition from the Left 1 con fidently to be expected. The tax on mous taches will undoubtedly afford an oppor tunity to the Foeialiet to champion Individ ual rlfrhts and protest against interference therewith; but. on the other hand, the cler ical wing are certain to view the Innova tion with favor. The peculiar acceptance of the measure Is. however, difficult to fore cast. This was probably the most nonsen sical dispatch that has ever appeared In any newspaper, great or small. The editor had looked at it. Incredulous. The leader writer said. "H'm. it's neck or nothing with Crespo." Only Vin cent's cipher and the condition of Italy made belief possible: but it was be lieved. This was the editorial: The extraordinary course which has been adopted by the Prime Minister of Italy la order to replenish th national treasury Is so radical an extension of the general prin ciple of taxation that neither its wisdom nor Its result can yet b declared with any detrree of certainty. Statistic do not, un fortunately, furnish us with th number of Italian citizens who at the period of the last census vera wearing mustaches. It .Is a well-known fact, however, that the cus tom of cultivating hair In an ornamental sonlng being. The Fifth Division (one of the first to be organized) is still without any rifle range. A mass of men, even if properly trained. Is not an Army till it is or ganized, and such organization Is sadly lacking in China. What can one say of a medical service corps which gives one foreiirn-taught surgeon to a di vision? The majority of Chinese sol diers have no faith In foreign drugs, or the medical staff would be hopelessly overworked even In time of peace. Sensationalists tell us that the lega tions of the powers In Pekln are watching with misgiving China's rising military power and are closely follow ing every advance that Is made. To do this last is only the plain duty of a military attache. Let me point out what cause the foreigner may have for misgiving. China beyond question dis likes the foreign devil, collectively at least. This Is particularly true of the younger men, educated abroad, whobe- Uxceptjonal Tale form upon the upper lip is perhaps more firmly established as a national habit 1n Italy than In any other country of the world at the present time. Th first lesson of this proposed legislation la its certain In dication of the extreme if not hopeless fi nancial straits Into which the monarchy has fallen. Th second is the very doubtful character of the tax Itself as a rellabls source of revenue, when viewed from the standpoints of expediency and of successful enforcement. It will be necessary for leg islation to establish with perfect clearness not only what a mustache legally Is, but also at what age, both of the wearer and of the mustache Itself, 1t become taxable: and In these two directions, to ay nothing of th popular acceptance or rejection of the measure, the visible difficulties are both many and great. On that very afternoon a man in a yachting suit went over the side of a yacht at Naples and was rowed to the pier. He was happy and buoyant with the buoyant happiness of the man who loves and is loved. Upon reaching the pier he bought the second edition of the Corriere dl Napoll and glanced at the telegraph columns. The Thunderer dispatch had been cabled back to Naples, and under sensational head lines was the first to meet his eye. His first thought was that he was losing his mind and Inventing the telegram. Then something flashed up on him, and his heart seemed to stop beating. He staggered to the curb of the pier, sat down and shut his eyes. He was never sure afterwards whether he fainted or not. For five minutes he knew only the silent whirl of agonized thoughts. He grasped at once what had happened. It was Halladay's work, and Halladay had ruined him. The Thunderer was the laughing stock of Europe, and he, as the responsible sender of that dispatch, was Journalistically done for. Ambi tion spoke first, and the pain was of the bitterest- Love spoke next, but with all his rage and despair he could not find the power to be harsh to Miss Belmayne. "The dear girl!" he said. "She did her best, and that scoundrel fooled her completely. Oh, oh, oh!" And he squeezed his head with his hands as if to shut out the thought of his position and the Inevitable con sequences that he must face. A little knot of loungers had gath ered, his evident pain exciting their sympathy.' This recalled him to him self, and he took a cab and drove away. Little knots of men stood in front of all the cafes, excitedly discussing the new tax. Half of them were clean shaven for the first time in their lives and the rest were about to be. There was a run on every hairdresser's shop In Naples. The Italian is poor, the taxes are killing, and the art of dodg ing them is the first thing taught to children. Vincent still held the paper and now read its comments on the tax. They combined a scream of sarcastic laughter with a howl of furious rage. Italy , had been touched on the spot that was tenderest. But and here was a gleam of hope the reputation of the Thunderer was so high that the dis patch had been taken seriously. The "sell" had not yet been exposed. If only Crespo would save him but no! Crespo's position, already imperiled by a crisis, was worse than his own. Crespo would want to shoot him on the spot. He caught the 2:40 train and rode to Rome in a state of numbness. What he would do to Halladay he did not dare to think. He was a man In a rage, a hungry, thirsty rage, that threatened to overpower him. Nor did be dare to go to his apartment. There lay the telegram dismissing him in derision and contempt. In his sorrow his heart turned to love for consola tion. Arrived at Rome, he drove to the hotel, entered Miss Belmayne's j lieve that they have an army already almost strong enough to enforce their will, turn all foreigners out of the country bag and baggage and slam the doors shut after them. If such men were to have their way, China would again soon declare war on the world. Therefore it behooves the legations to watch as they are doing. 1 It is this very hatred of the foreign er, combined with growing self-conceit on tho part of China, that Is weaken ing their army. Before the Boxer trouble. German Instructors had been freely used and their advice taken. The artillery was wonderfully efficient, and a fair proportion of men understood how to use their rifles. We are told much today about Jap anese advisers to the army of China, but on the spot they are remarkably hard to find. Where they do exist it is at least certain that, like all other advisers to Chinese officialdom, they will not be listened to. Yet for China to become a serious military power by her own unaided ef forts is impossible. If, with organiza tion imperfect, officers still filling their pockets at the expense of the men, men still Ignorant of the use of their arms and thoroughly disaffected toward the ruling dynasty, she makes war on even a single foreign nation, she can only meet with another disas ter to add to the list of those from which she is as yet so reluctant to learn. Were the men loyal, which they mostly are not, China's army would today be almost strong enough to pre serve order within the borders of her own empire. There Is some hope that It may come to do so much, but there is danger that it may attempt to do more. In that case it will fail, and its failure may be a disaster to other na tions besides China, drawing-room with a white, sad face, and sat In the shadow. The -acting correspondent cams In radiant, beaming with pride and pleas ure over her shrewdness and success. "Have you seen It? It's in the Roman papers. You didn't get beaten. Oh, I was so worried and so happy when I knew you were safe!" She stopped, mystified at his silence. Then she saw his pallor and his ex pression. "Are you ill? What Is it? Wljat's the matter?" He tried to spare her; tried to pass the matter over lightly. But the mo ment she knew that the dispatch had caused his trouble all subterfuges were useless. Her face, too, grew white, and she kept on asking him question alter question till she fully understood the effect of what he had done. His ruin was certain, but his replies were gen tle, quiet and full of sympathy. Then the society girl known as Miss Bel mayne disappeared - and the woman in her came out His career was ended, and through his love for her. His big, beautiful girl stood up, tried to say she was sorry,- but couldn't- Her lips only quivered and wouldn't work. Then she sat down, bolt upright, on the sofa, and the tears came first creeping and then tumbling down from her eyelashes as she cried, broken hearted, without a word or a handkerchief. He tried to soothe her, to say it was nothing. "Oh, Edward!" was all she said. In spite of his grief, ho observed the word "Edward." Upon this interesting and unconven tional social tableau bustled in Papa Belmayne; of Chicago, millionaire and newspaper correspondent. He saw a white young man and a young person bathed in tears. "Wha what's the matter?" said he, starting and peering over his eye glasses. "I'm done for, but it's all my own fault," said the young man. Papa inquired and was told. He sat down suddenly in e, state of collapse. "If that sneak comes here again I'll cowhide him," he said, exploding. "I'll thrash him, anyhow. Anyhow!" he roared with the rage of an honest man who has been beaten at his own game. Then several minutes of sad, solemn silence ensued, each trying to find a ray of light in the gloom. "Why don't you see Crespo? He's a friend of yours, isn't he?" said Bel mayne. 'He has been." "Then come on. Laura, you come with us. We did it- We're responsible, and we'll take the blame. Crespo is the only man that can save you. Here I Order m a carriage!" he shouted to the maid. The combative financier who had faced and won a hundred battles that were real battles was not to be daunted by a prime minister and a newspaper and a little thing like this. His cour age, of course, infected his daughter. With father at the helm everything would, of course, be all right. It must be all right. So she hoped once more and darted away for hatpins. While wanting for her and the hatpins at the elevator another thing occurred. Bel mayne put his hand in a friendly way on Vincent's ' shoulder and said: "Young man, don't you worry. If you have to give up Journalism, you may possibly do much better than that. I know you and I like you." Vincent nodded quietly. The implied promise was well meant, but it did not appeal to him Just then. They drove to the Quirinal Hill in silence. The acting correspondent merely asked her father if her hat was on straight. She se- (Concluded on Pax L)