completely changed, for the army was paid regularly and not obliged to
prey upon the habitants for sustenance, the strictest discipline was
observed, and no soldier was allowed to loaf about the streets. The city
itself underwent a wonderful purification: gambling dens, opium-smoking
halls, houses of ill repute were swept away, and theatres transformed
into schools; now a woman even can walk the streets day or night without
fear. A notice of three days to quit was given to the above-mentioned
houses, and the order was no dead letter. Severe fines were inflicted on
traffickers in opium. The streets of the town became wonderfully clean in
another sense of the word; the General is so particular about this that
if any of the army mules or horses pass through it they are followed by
scavengers in order that no traces of their passage may remain; for as
there is no wheeled traffic and the streets are extremely narrow there
are no side-walks. There are notices in the centre of the streets with
regard to the rule of the road, but this is too recent an innovation to
be quite understood as yet. Everywhere one is confronted with signs of
the General’s determination to raise the _moral_ of the people. When
he closed the opium dens he opened refuges for the cure of the smoker,
instead of putting him in prison, as is done in certain parts of the
North. The patient was photographed on entering and on leaving (à la
Barnardo). General Feng punishes with death the soldier proved to have
been trafficking in the sale of opium, while the civilian is punished by
being flogged and paraded bare-backed afterwards through the streets,
preceded by a notice board stating his offence. The city gaol is the
only one in the country which has a chapel and the missionary bodies
in the town have charge—a month at a time by turns. As you pass along
the streets your eye is attracted by posters of a novel kind. They are
pictures descriptive of evil habits to be shunned: a cock is vainly
sounding the réveillé to which the sluggard pays no heed; the vain woman
on her little bound feet watches from afar the industrious woman doing
her task in cheerful comfort with normal feet, and so on. In odious
contrast to these pictures are the British and American cigarette posters
to be found all over the country, and I was told that one of the leading
Englishmen in the trade said regretfully that he thought they had done
the country no good turn in introducing cigarettes to China. They are
considered a curse by thoughtful Chinese, and at the request of the
officers, the General has prohibited the use of them in the army, though
there is no embargo on other tobacco-smoking.
[Illustration: A Man of Mark.
_Page 158_]
Another noticeable feature of the city is the open-air evening school,
the sign of which is a blackboard on a wall, sheltered by a little roof
which may be seen in many an open space. When the day’s work is over
benches are produced from a neighbouring house and school begins. The
General has established over forty night schools dotted along the five
miles of the city on the river-bank, besides the industrial schools
open during the daytime. We visited one large training school for girls
and women, which he has established and supports in order to promote
industry, and to which workers from the country districts are welcomed.
They have six months’ training and one meal a day gratis, and they are
taught weaving, stocking-making (on machines), dressmaking and tailoring,
etc., and the goods turned out find a ready market. The instructors
are all very well paid, and the work done is thoroughly good, despite
the disparaging remarks of an elderly overseer who evidently had the
conventional contempt for the Chinese woman’s intelligence.
General Feng is a firm believer in women’s education, and has established
a school for the wives of his officers, to which they come not altogether
willingly, I fear. The unwonted routine and discipline are naturally a
trial, especially to women no longer in their _première jeunesse_; and
despite the fact that he succeeded in persuading a highly-trained and
charming woman to come from the north to take charge of it, there have
been many difficulties to surmount. She lunched with us one day and told
us an instance of this which makes one realize the situation: a certain
lady resented the fact of her teacher being the wife of a veterinary
surgeon (lower in rank than her husband), and disregarded her continual
efforts to curb her feminine loquacity and make her attend to her
studies. Finally there was a complete rupture between the ladies, and the
unwilling pupil indignantly left the school. The teacher pondered over
this and could not bear the thought of having quarrelled with a fellow
Christian. She determined to try and make it up, so she called upon the
lady, who refused to see her. Nothing daunted, she tried a second time,
and again the lady was “not at home,” but sent her husband to speak to
her. The teacher explained to him all she felt—he was so moved by her
appeal that he fetched his wife, a complete reconciliation took place,
and she returned to school.
The General has a short religious service in his own house every Sunday
morning for these ladies, at which he, his wife and some officers are
present, and at which he invited me to speak.
Having described in outline the changes effected in Changteh by General
Feng, it is time to try and describe the man himself and his past life.
He is tall and powerful, with a resolute, masterful air as befits a man
who is ruler of men; but his ready smile and the humorous twinkle in
his eye reassures the most timid. He was born in 1881 in the northern
province of Nganhwei, of humble parentage, and had no educational
advantages. He has amply made up for this, however, having a keen sense
of the value of knowledge and giving to others what was not given to
him. The study of English is being eagerly pursued by himself and his
officers, and he will soon pick it up if he comes to England, as he
wishes to do.
General Feng entered the army as a common soldier, and in 1900 was
present (on duty), but only as an onlooker, at the Boxer massacre of
missionaries at Paotingfu. This was his first contact with Christian
people, and it made a deep impression on him. This was strengthened by
further contact with a medical missionary, who cured him of a poisoned
sore and charged nothing, but told him of the love of God, Who had sent
him to heal the sick. There is no doubt that medical missions have
been one of the best possible instruments for winning the Chinese to
Christianity, and one cannot but regret that it is now becoming necessary
to abandon the practice of non-payment, except for the most necessitous
cases, on account of the terrible rise in prices and the lack of funds
for the upkeep of our hospitals. However, it appears to be inevitable.
The turning-point in General Feng’s life took place when he was stationed
at Peking in 1911, having already risen to the rank of Major. He was
feared and disliked by officers and men on account of his fierce temper,
which caused him to strike them when he was angry, while his wife also
had to submit to being beaten when she displeased her lord and master
in the most trivial details. There was as complete a change in his life
as in Saul’s when he obeyed the heavenly vision. This was the result
of attendance at a meeting by Dr. Mott, and he was assigned to Bishop
Morris’s care for further teaching. The strongest influence brought to
bear on him at that time, however, seems to have been that of Pastor
Liu, of the Wesleyan Mission, who became one of his best friends. It is
not easy at the age of thirty-one to conquer an ungoverned temper and
tongue, but the fact remains that he is now adored by his troops, and
that he has never abused or ill-treated his wife (a General’s daughter)
since becoming a Christian. How difficult this is may be judged by the
fact that one of the finest characters among the Christian Chinese
clergy, Pastor Hsi, says that he found it so impossible to conquer the
lifelong habit of abusive language to his wife that he had to make it a
special matter of prayer before he could succeed, though he was such a
saint. The question of bad language throughout the army is remarkable; an
American missionary, after spending a year constantly in and out amongst
the men, said he had heard _none_, for the General has a wonderful way
of getting his wishes observed, and has been instrumental in winning the
bulk of both officers and men to Christianity. He has compiled a treatise
on military service, redolent of Christian morality, which every one of
his men can repeat by heart. This treatise has been taken as the basis
of General Wu Pei Fu’s handbook (a friend of General Feng), who quotes
Cromwell’s army of Ironsides as a model for the soldier’s imitation,
though he does not profess to be a Christian! It may be thought that the
Christianizing of the army is of doubtful reality, but this is certainly
not the case; for in the first place the amount of Bible teaching they
are undergoing is far beyond what would ordinarily be the case here at
home before admitting candidates to Church membership, and the only
difficulty about this teaching is to find the teachers necessary for such
numerous candidates: they are keen to learn about Christianity. Before
baptism they have to submit to a searching examination of their character
and behaviour, and must have an officer’s certificate to that effect. In
addition each man must sign a statement promising to spend time daily in
prayer and study of the Bible, to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and to obey the teaching of the New Testament.
Nevertheless, they have been baptized by hundreds, so that already more
than a third of the army (and I think the proportion must be much greater
now, as over one hundred were postponed as being not sufficiently ready
some time ago) are already members of the Visible Church.
Many of the men have been won to Christianity by a tragic happening of
last year. Dr. Logan, of the Presbyterian Mission, was shot by a lunatic
whom he had been asked to examine medically in the General’s room. The
General flung himself on the man to disarm him and was himself shot in
two places. A colonel who rushed into the room on hearing the shots, saw
both Dr. Logan and the General on the floor, and asked the latter, “Shall
I take the man out and shoot him?” but the answer was “No.” The man,
not being responsible for his actions, was only to be put in a place of
safety where he could harm no one. Dr. Logan died in about an hour, but
the General was taken to hospital and recovered. A day or two later Mrs.
Logan was told by one of the officers that the lunatic was in fetters and
that he had struck him in the face, and was surprised at her indignation
on hearing it. She at once went to headquarters where the lunatic was
confined and ordered the astonished officer in charge to take off all
the man’s fetters. He naturally demurred, but on hearing who she was, he
exclaimed: “This man murdered your husband, and do you mean to say that
you want us to treat him kindly?” The result of her deed was that a large
number of the soldiers decided to become Christians: they had expected
severe reprisals to be demanded and said that no religion could compare
with a religion producing such deeds as Mrs. Logan’s. The impression made
was profound and widespread.
All we saw and heard of General Feng made us anxious to see so remarkable
a man, and the missionaries very kindly arranged an interview which took
place about 8.30 a.m. The General and Mrs. Feng received us in their
simple home at headquarters, and we had a long talk about China and other
matters, for he is an ardent patriot and shares the universal anxiety
about the disturbed state of China and the Japanese invasion. On a later
occasion he asked what our dresses were made of, and on hearing that it
was Chinese silk, he was pleased and said they were very nice. Our hats
he did not like, and said we ought to wear straw ones like his wife.
She put hers on to show us at his request, and of course we made such
polite remarks as the occasion demanded, so he sent out an orderly at
once to buy two, and we had to put them on, while our own hats were put
in a paper parcel for us to take home! The hat was certainly much more
suitable to the time of year than the one I was wearing, and he asked
if I should take it back to England: he had been trying to persuade the
other _taitais_ (ladies) to wear them, but without much success. Most
of the Chinese are extremely keen to have European things, and European
headgear as seen in the bazaars is too appalling for words. Often a
charming Chinese costume is completely spoiled by some garish woolwork
cap, with artificial flowers of varied hues.
The General believes in five things:
(i) Religion;
(ii) Work;
(iii) Education;
(iv) Discipline;
(v) Cleanliness.
These things are not a matter of theory, but of practice. He has taken
heed to the words, “Ye that love the Lord HATE EVIL,” and while he
puts down all that appears wrong, he is equally energetic in promoting
good things. For instance, he requires every officer as well as every
private to learn a trade or profession, so that when he leaves the army
he will not remain unemployed. We went all over the army workshops
where many trades are represented, and found them extremely clean,
well-ventilated and attractive. There is a ready sale for all their
products and they make all the army clothing, towels, socks, boots, etc.
Each soldier is required to do one year’s training in the workshops for
seven hours a day. There is also educational work in full swing and
special three-months’ courses of instruction. To these one private and
one lieutenant are elected for each company at a time, and although no
promotion follows special success in the examinations, they are taken
cognizance of when there is a question of promotion. Much attention is
paid to athletics and physical drill, and efficiency is the hall-mark
of every department. They looked to my unprofessional eye the smartest,
best-turned-out soldiers in China, and the record of certain route
marches I dare not set down because they make too great a demand on our
belief, whose physical endurance is infinitely less. Woe betide the man
on whom the General’s eagle eye detects lack of polish or scrupulous
care in his accoutrements! To anyone who knows China, I must seem rather
untruthful in stating that bad smells do not exist in the camp, and every
bed is clean and provided with a mosquito net.
It must be added that the army is not all concentrated at Changteh, but
there are various camps scattered over the area governed by General Feng,
the population inhabiting which is estimated at seven to eight million
people. He is aided in the city by an efficient young magistrate who is
in sympathy with his aims, and who was appointed by him. He certainly
knows how to select men, and is training a valuable body of officers to
occupy—one cannot but hope—a much wider sphere of service for the country
later on. The achievement of the last two years makes anything seem
possible to one who has seen it, and one of the Britishers who has been
in close touch with him while he has been in Changteh remarked on the
striking development of the General’s personality during that time. He
is a practical democrat, shares teaching and work with his men, and has
actually succeeded in getting his officers to take part in the meanest
work, such as water-carrying, to show that there is nothing contemptible
in honest labour. The General attends the English class on Thursday
evenings with the other officers and shows no official arrogance of any
kind. At the Sunday services he retires to a backless bench at the far
end of the hall like any “Tommy.”
This brings me to one of the strangest experiences of my life. The
evening after our interview with the General he sent one of his officers
to ask me to give the address at the military service on Sunday morning.
As he knew I was no missionary and no one could have told him that I
had ever preached or was accustomed to speaking in public, the only
explanation of the invitation seems to be his intense desire to seize
any possible chance of stirring his people to fresh endeavour. His
interpreter would act as mine unless I preferred having my own. Having
received my answer in the affirmative, next day the officer came again to
know what portion of Scripture I wanted read in order that it might be
well read. The service took place at 7 a.m. on a lovely summer morning,
and was held in a big barrack-like hall with a platform at one end with
pots of flowers on it; a gallery ran round the hall, in which was the
military band, and beyond that some of the officers’ wives and children,
including the General’s family. The Chief of Staff conducted the service,
which was just like an ordinary Nonconformist service at home, beginning
with the National Anthem by the band. The prayers were led by officers
among the audience and were short and impressive, the singing of the
hymns was hearty, led by a choir, and many of those present had Bibles
as well as hymn-books so as to follow the lesson. A boys’ school of
officers’ sons sat at the front. It was a wonderful inspiration to speak
to such an audience as they listened in rapt attention to the story of
the “Contemptible Little Army”, and other historical instances of God’s
use of weak things to confound the mighty; every now and then a little
burst of irresistible applause broke from them, and quite a number were
taking notes all the time. What would I not have given to speak in their
own tongue! for it is just paralysing to speak through an interpreter,
and weak words become weaker still. The text comforted my despair.
After service we went with the General to breakfast: it was a
cheerful meal, as he is full of humour and devoted to his family.
The characteristic Chinese love of children was very evident in the
involuntary caresses he bestowed upon the little girls while he was
talking, as they nestled against his arm. Rather an amusing instance of
his humour was told us by our charming Irish host, a tall, spare man.
He was crossing the drill ground one day with a short Chinese officer
to speak to the General, who was standing chatting with a group of
officers on the further side. As the General watched their approach he
made a remark which was greeted with laughter. Our host’s curiosity being
aroused, he inquired from one of them afterwards what the joke was. “The
General said, ‘Don’t you think the missionary looks as if he ought to be
the officer and the officer the missionary?’” The breakfast was entirely
Chinese with the exception of knife, fork and spoon being provided for
us, but we pleased our host by our use of chopsticks instead. After
breakfast we had a little rest in Mrs. Feng’s room, and all the rooms we
saw were characterized by simplicity, extreme tidiness and cleanliness.
We noticed a bright little servant girl, and heard she had been rescued
from slavery some years ago by the General’s wife.
General Feng gave me the photograph of himself and family, and at my
request wrote the name of each of the children. His own name is at the
right hand of the photo.
What struck me most at the ladies’ meeting which followed was the fact
of the General coming to it and taking part, showing his real interest
in woman’s welfare; it is remarkable how keenly he is working—not only
for the army, but for women in general as well as in particular, and for
the whole population of his district. He and his officers have pledged
one another to work for the evangelization of the civil population, each
one making it a rule to try and win at least one of the official class
per annum. In this may be seen the instinct for the continuation of a
Christian policy if the Christian army should be ordered elsewhere.
As we were taking leave of the General at the close of the meeting,
he said to me: “I think you will speak to my officers this evening,”
which meant the five o’clock service for officers. I felt overwhelmed,
as the two services had been very exhausting, but my host suggested
that I should give them an account of what we had seen of the Chinese
Home Missionary Society, and of the work amongst the aborigines, and
the General said that would interest them very much. He said that the
morning address had been not at all like what he expected, but did not
explain the statement. Of course, it was impossible to decline, and I
took for granted there would be only a small gathering—perhaps two or
three dozen men. At five o’clock we were back at the hall and there
must have been from two to three hundred officers present and many
ladies in the gallery. Again the same quiet spirit of worship and eager
expectancy dominated, and the expression of those upturned faces will
never fade from my memory, as I told the story of the missionaries coming
to barbarian Britain, delivering their Message and leaving the living
Message to fulfil itself, the British Church in its turn becoming the
missionary to China, who, in its turn, is now called to take up the task,
and is beginning to do so. After the General had seen us out of the hall
he turned back, and did not rejoin us for some time, the reason being
(as I learned, after leaving Changteh, from my interpreter, who was
the friend of the General’s interpreter) that he went back to urge the
audience to pay heed to the thing which had been said, and to say a few
words about the speaker. In the whole matter he acted with such striking
self-forgetfulness and tact as I have rarely, if ever, met.
It was not to be expected that such a happy state of affairs would be
allowed to continue more than a limited time; for the forces of evil do
not accept tamely such a defiance. As in the old days at Ephesus, seeing
the source of their wealth attacked, there were plenty of people ready to
counter-attack by fair means or foul. A few months later General Feng got
his orders to leave Changteh. No sooner had he done so than the Southern
troops swarmed back into the undefended city. The houses of ill fame were
at once reopened, under military sanction, with soldiers posted at the
doors. A time of much unrest followed, and no one knows from day to day
what will happen. There is great disorder among the ill-paid troops,
and shooting among themselves took place in the streets. An officer was
shot close beside the mission premises where we stayed. The schools have
been closed and the opium dens and theatres reopened. The Southern troops
now hold all the important part of the province, a serious loss to the
Government at Peking. Business is at a standstill.
Since Sun Yat Sen has been chosen President of the Southern Government,
there is a split among the Southern provinces. The man who was looked
on with such hopes by many as a sincere patriot, has proved very much
the reverse; he is now a fresh source of discord, and bitter fighting is
going on between the provinces of Kwang-Tung and Kwang-si.
And what, meanwhile, of General Feng and his army? They were ordered to
go to Chu-ma-tien in Honan. This is on the railway line from Peking to
Hankow, and is some hundred and fifty miles north of the latter. It was
formerly a place of no importance, but since the coming of the railway
its trade has increased rapidly, and it is becoming a big market for the
agricultural produce of the surrounding country. As there is a large
depôt for railway material and water tanks, it is no doubt important
that the place should be properly guarded. But Honan is under military
governorship, and the present Tuchun, General Chow Ti, is a bitter
opponent of General Feng, and is working hard to get rid of him. He
has succeeded in getting the Provincial Assembly to accuse Feng to the
authorities at Peking of illegally extorting money at a place called
Hsuchow. There are at present three military leaders at Peking, who so
far have refused to act in this matter, and they are trying to bring the
two generals to an agreement. They are afraid of fresh conflicts arising
in the province. The Honanese are not the easiest people to govern,
the province is densely populated. “They are of an independent turn of
mind,” says one who knows them well, “and will not brook reproof; very
conservative, they do not welcome foreign innovation.”
Meanwhile the troops are starving and urgent demands for arrears of pay
have no effect upon the War Lords at Peking.
What the outcome of the controversy will be, time will soon reveal.
_Chapter VIII_
_The New Chinese Woman—Miss Tseng, B.Sc. (Lond.)_
“There can be no question at all that the education of women
is, in every grade, quite as important as the education of
men, and that educational training is quite as important in
the case of women teachers as in the case of men. Indeed in
view of the fact that character is largely determined in the
early years and by the influence of the mother in the home, the
education of women acquires a place of first importance.... All
the women’s educational work in a district should be planned
in co-ordination with the corresponding work for men and
boys.”—_World Missionary Conference Report on Education, 1910._
_Chapter VIII_
_The New Chinese Woman—Miss Tseng, B.Sc. (Lond.)_
[Illustration: HAKKA BOAT AT CHAO CHOW.]