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McCORMlCK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, S. C, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1940 Forty Years Ago England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, Japan and America Were Allies, Waging War Against China! By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) v AND so it came to pass Z\ that the Allies —Eng- land, France, Ger many, Austria, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States —sent their armed forces against a common enemy and that common enemy was China. In the light of present events, does that statement sound a bit fantastic? Yet, it is true! But, it should be added hastily, that occurred 40 years ago and it was an in cident in the history of inter national relations that is now almost forgotten. It came about in this way: Around the turn of the century the “Celestial Empire,” weak ened by years of aggression by European powers, was on the verge of being dismembered. Then a society of patriots, popu larly known as the Boxers (from a literal translation of its Chinese name, I Ho Chu’van, meaning “the fist of righteous harmony”), and devoted to the principle of “China for the Chinese” raised the cry of “Kill the foreign dev ils!” In May, 1900, they destroyed a number of villages inhabited by natives who had been converted to the Christian religion and mas sacred these people. In June they murdered two English mission aries in a village 40 miles from Peking, assassinated the chancel lor of the Japanese legation in the capital and waylaid and killed Baron von Ketteler, the German minister. Meanwhile, as the outrages against foreigners and native converts increased, a mixed force of 400 marines and sailors >of various ndtiohalities reached Pe king to protect the legations. The imperial authorities did little if anything to restrain the Boxers and, as murder and pillage con tinued, most of the foreign resi dents of the capital and many na tive converts tool; refuge in the British legation where the Brit ish minister. Sir Claude Mac donald, took charge of the prep arations to resist the threatened attack. By June 14 Peking was com pletely cut off from communica tion with the outside world. Meanwhile all of the nations who had citizens there had begun or ganizing expeditionary forces to send to their rescue and within a short time their troops were disembarking upon the coast of China. One of the first to act was the United States. On June 16 Gen. Arthur Mac- Arthur, commander at Manila was ordered to rush a regiment to the Chinese port of Taku where the Allied forces were concen trating, and which they captured on June 17. The Ninth infantry, commanded by Col. Emerson H. Liscum, was chosen for this duty and within 19 days, although de layed by a typhoon, Liscum’s force was at Taku. Then the Chinese began attack ing the foreign settlements in Tientsin and on July 13 an allied force of British, French, Japa-^ nese and Americans moved' * against that high-walled city. Aft er ae.bitter fight, lasting 15 hours they took the city by storm but they suffered a loss of 700 killed and wounded in doing it. Among the dead was Colonel Liscum. His last words are inscribed upon the banners of the Ninth infantry today—“Keep up the fire!” Hastening across the Pacific ocean while these events were taking place was Maj. Gen. Adna H. Chaffee, who had a brilliant record in the Indian and Spanish- American wars and who was com ing to take command of the American forces in China. There had been numerous reports that the Boxers had captured the le gation in Peking and killed all of its defenders. But soon after Chaffee’s arrival, the Americans learned through friendly Chinese that the besieged Europeans and Americans were still holding out. Chaffee Makes a Decision. The American commander was In favor of moving at once to their rescue. But international jealousies had sprung up among the other Allied leaders and pre cious time was being lost while they debated what course they should pursue. In the midst of one of their conferences Chaffee was handed a cablegram from Washington telling him that he had a free hand in whatever ac tion he decided was best. Stuff ing the dispatch in his pocket and rising from the table, he an- inced: . , , Gentlemen, at daybreak to- rrow the American forces will ve on Peking. I should be y glad to have company—the re, the better. But they go at r rate, even if alone.” The Fourteenth United States infantry ih the Palace Grounds of Peking. (From a photograph in the United States Signal corps, War Department, Washington.) Gen. Sir Alfred Gaselee, the British commander, sprang to his feet. “I’m with you,” he exclaimed. “The British troops will march with the Americans tomorrow morning.” So on the morning of August 4 an Allied army of 20,000 men set out for the Chinese capital. Since Germany had the largest contin gent of land forces in China it had been agreed that command of the expedition was to be given to the German commander, Graf von Waldersee. However, he had not yet arrived in Tientsin so the expedition started without him. The Tricky Russians. By August 13 the Allies were within 12 miles of Peking. They had agreed to spend the night in reconnoitering the situation be fore making an attack on the an cient walled city. The Russians, however, who had been the slow est on the march, now tried to steal first honors for themselves by attacking the Tung-pien-men gate. They succeeded in forc ing an entrance but were driven back with heavy losses. This breach of international etiquette added to the ill feeling that bad been evident from the beginning MAJ. GEN. A. R. CHAFFEE of the expedition and which later flamed out in a series of trouble some incidents. The next morning the Japa nese attacked at another point along the walls but were checked by the fierce resistance of the Chinese. The American forces, moving forward to go into action, became entangled in the Russian line of advance and were some what delayed. So it was not un til 11 o’clock that two compa nies of the Fourteenth infantry, led by Col. A. S. Daggett and covered by the fire of the remain der of the regiment, reached the base of the wall, despite the hail of lead poured upon them by its defenders. Here they were shel tered temporarily but it was a question how long they would be safe. In this crisis a young bugler named Calvin P. Titus volun teered to try to climb the wall and clear it of its defenders. Such a feat was dangerous to the point of foolhardiness. But by some great good fortune he reached the top undiscovered. Before him was a group of huts on top of the wall. Scouting for ward cautiously Titus found that they were unoccupied. As he re turned to the edge of the wall, Capt. Henry G. Learned, the ad jutant of the regiment, who had followed him, handed him the end of a long cord to which was at tached a rifle and a supply of am munition. Hastily pulling these up, the young bugler immediately opened fire on a group of sur prised Chinese who showed up a >. few minutes later. Meanwhile Captain Learned had hauled up more rifles and • ammunition and other soldiers came scrambling up. Soon they had established a firing line and under its cover the whole com pany occupied the top of the broad wall. They drove off the defenders from that corner of the wall as far as the east gate, through which a short time later the British forces, under General Gaselee entered without opposi tion. The Siege Is Lifted. Meanwhile Battery F of the Fifth field artillery, commanded by Capt. Henry J. Reilly, had swept the Chinese off the wall west of the Tung-pien-men gate and the Fourteenth drove for ward, pushing the defenders southward toward the Sha-Huo gate. As the British entered the city and the other Allied forces swept in, resistance collapsed and the siege of the legations ended. It is not difficult to imagine the hysterical joy with which these people, who had been living for two months under the shadow of a horrible death, welcomed their rescuers. Although the siege of the lega tion had been raised, armed Chi nese forces still held the Forbid den City within Peking and from its walls kept up a sniping fire on the invaders. On August 15 the Allies began cleaning out these snipers. Reilly’s battery distinguished itself during this fighting but its commander was killed while standing beside Gen eral Chaffee watching the effect of the fire of his guns on the Third Gate. The Looting Begins. On August 28 the Allied forces formally entered the Forbidden City. “I was opposed to the per formance as one based on curi osity merely and not one of mili tary or political necessity, but I was overruled,” General Chaffee reported to his superiors. “The city of Peking has been sacked; looted from corner to corner in the most disgraceful manner im aginable; such is my opinion. I had no idea that civilized armies would resort to such proceedings. It is a race for spoil. I have kept my own command fairly clean, thank God, but with all my efforts it is not spotless.” Although the Germans under Graf von Waldersee had arrived too late to take part in the fight ing and capture of Peking, they were leaders in the looting. When Chaffee learned that they were removing from the Chinese observatory some ancient astro nomical instruments, the Ameri can commander sent a strong let ter of protest to Von Waldersee. But it was useless. The instru ments were carried away and were not returned until after the World war when the Treaty of Versailles forced the Germans to return them to China. As might have been expected such incidents and other echoes of international jealousy created dissension among the Allies and added to the confusion which reigned in Peking for some time after its capture. In contrast to this, however, was the friendly co-operation between the British and the Americans. They were more truly Allies than any of the others and when the time came for the evacuation of Peking the British commander sent a detach ment of Indian pipers to show the Americans special honor by “piping them out” of Chines* capital. FIRST-AID, ‘->/0 AILING HOUSE *• Roger B. Whitman . (© Roger B. Whitman—WNU Service.) Poor Chimney Draft. Q UESTION: My smokestack draws well when there is no wind, but does not work satisfactor ily on a windy day. The chimney has been lengthened so that it is well above the roof, but that did not help. The location of the house may have something to do with it. The house is in a valley between two hills, about 50 feet taller than the house. Both hills are about 200 feet from the house. I would appreciate your advice. Answer: The force of the wind coming down from the hills may cause a down-draft condition in the chimney. A type of revolving chim ney cap, made of sheet metal, with a vane on top may help. The vane will turn the open part of the cap away from the wind, minimizing the downward sweep of the wind from the hill. Any sheet metal shop will be able to supply it. Disintegrating Bricks. Question: The brick on my bunga low seems to be disintegrating. Many of them had scaled off to depths of from one-eighth to one- half inch. The builder claims that all brick is more or less affected this way by the frost. He says a clear waterproofing brushed on the wall will correct this condition. Do you think this will be adequate? Answer: A porous brick will ab sorb moisture, which during the winter may freeze, causing the brick to chip or scale off. Waterproofing the brick will most likely prevent the absorption. If the brick is very porous two coats may be necessary. Sawdust and Cement Mix. Question: I noticed in several rur al publications a reference made to a floor made of cement and saw dust. What are the advantages oi such construction, and what is the formula? Answer: This form of cement mix ture is stiff in the experimental stages. The purpose is to obtain a concrete floor that may be some what warmer than ordinary concrete in barns and poultry houses. Fur ther information can be had by writ ing to the Extension Service Bureau, University of New Hampshire, at Durham, N. H., for Circular No. 217. Rust Stain on Cement. Question: Please let me know how to remove rust stains from white cement on a terrace; caused by iron furniture standing on it. Answer: Dissolve one part of so dium citrate in six parts of water. Mix thoroughly with six parts of commercial glycerine. Mix a por tion of this with enough powdered whiting to form a paste, then spread on the stain in a thick coat. When dry, replace with fresh paste. Sev eral applications may be necessary. Bedroom Ceiling. Question: I have the problem of bad ceilings in some bedrooms. The plasterer advised plastering on wire lath, then applying some kind of paper before painting. What is the reason for this? There is no wall paper on the walls now. Answer: The plasterer had in mind the application of “painter’s cloth” over the plaster. This is a strong fabric applied over plaster surfaces to prevent the cracks from showing through the paint. Separating Rooms. Question: My living room and din ing room adjoin with a wide space between the two rooms, so that they can be used as one, when desired. When privacy is temporarily de sired, is there aay way the two rooms may be separated without destroying the present lay-out? Answer: A set of folding doors can be installed, if the space is too wide for a pair of French doors. Your only other alternative would be to hang portieres. Leaking Leaders. Question: The outside leaders of my house are leaking very badly. Will this cause any damage to the house? How could they be replaced so I would not have trouble with them again? Answer: Leaking leaders should be replaced as soon as possible. A 16-ounce corrugated copper leader should give you long and satisfac tory service. Burst Boiler. Question: When we closed our house for the winter last faff, water in the heater was not drawn off. This spring delighting the fire, we found that the boiler had been cracked by the freezing of the water. Can this be repaired, or must I get a new heater? Answer: Boilers are built up of sections, any one of which can be replaced. Any plumber should be able to get new sections to replace those that are broken. It will not be necessary to get an entirely new heater; replacing the burst sections will be much less expensive. Tarnished Brass. Question: What can be done with old brass fireplace fittings and grate, which have become tarnished and darkened through the years? I would like to make it look bright. Answer: The tarnish can be re moved by washing with ordinary vinegar in which has been dissolved as much salt as will be taken up, followed by rinsing with clear wa ter. Use any good brand of metal polish for polishing. Remove traces of the polishing material by wiping with benzine, (be careful of fire.) Apply a coat of clear lacquer. This will prevent the brass from tarnish- ing. Farm | Topics [1 PASTURES AIDED BY PROPER CARE Turf Should Be Worked Before Re-Seeding. By C. H. FARNHAM (University oi Illinois College oi Agriculture.) Thinning hair is pretty hard to stop, but thinning pastures can be rejuvenated. Since the seedbed largely deter mines the success of a pasture, the turf of old pastures should be sum mer-plowed and worked down sev eral times before reseeding in late August or early September. In some cases thorough disking will help if existing grasses and weeds won’t compete too much with the new seedings. Because continued pasturing or cropping reduces the content of calcium, phosphorus and other plant food materials, most old pastures need limestone and fertilizer. Need of limestone, which can be deter mined by an acidity test, usually shows up first. Limestone should be applied several months ahead of legume seedings so it will have time to sweeten the soil before seeding time. If the land is to be plowed, it is best to apply the limestone after plowing so it will sweeten the upper portion of the root system as well as the deeper soil areas. Lime stone does not move up in the soil but the solution goes downward. Lightly working manure into the soil before seeding pasture mixtures also gives them a boost in establish ing root and top growth. On steep slopes, it is best to do all the plowing and disking on the level contour. He recommends that any sod drawsr that have developed should be left undisturbed to form grass waterways. Pasture improvement, contour farming, seeding of legumes and applications of limestone constitute four of the five practices being stressed in 1940 to achieve more con servation of soil, water and human resources. The other practice is tree planting. Good Pasture for Hogs Will Reduce Pork Costs Good pasture for hogs is one way Of really cutting pork production costs, suggests A. L. Anderson, ani mal husbandry specialist at Iowa State college. Anderson points to the results of 18 swine feeding demonstrations conducted on Iowa farms by Iowa State college in which pasture was used. Eight of these pastures were poor to fair in quality, largely of bluegrass. Ten of the pastures were good, consisting of alfalfa, red clo ver, and rape. The same rations were used on all pastures. The pigs on poor pas tures fed corn and minerals made an average gain of .76 pound, while on good pastures the daily gain was 1.36 pounds, or two-thirds more. Good pasture is one of the best sdhrees of easily digested protein. Rich in lime and phosphorus, the legumes provide minerals which are easily assimilated by young pigs. Current Fencing Methods Follow Farming Changes Contour farming, high-speed high ways and rotation grazing bring new problems in fence-building which are discussed and solved in a recent publication written by engineers of the U. S. department of agriculture. A “bending fence” that won’t “bend” over, when wires stretched tightly, is needed where hills are farmed on the contour. Straight fences waste land under such conditions. Safe entrances on high-speed high ways require proper choice of loca tion and special construction, the bulletin points out. Gates set back from the fence line avoid sharp turns with farm machinery, and en trances on level ground give a clear view up and down the road. Agricultural News Cows will drink as many as 25 times a day. • * • Horses will stand the heat better if they have free access to com mon salt. * • * Soybean oil meal made by the expeller process contains 4 to 5.5 per cent of oil, meal made by the solvent process had about 1 per cent of oil, and meal made by the hy draulic process retains from 5.5 to 6 per cent of oil. • * • • Steers fed on ground ear corn tend to bloat less on legume pasture than animals getting shelled corn. * * • When making large piles of hay bales, scatter some loose hay or straw over each layer or row, to bind them together to prevent slip page or overturning. • * • Green ash seeds may be prepared for germination in the spring by storing them over winter in a box of moist sand which is kept in a root cellar or other cool place. Cute Sunbonnet Girl Is Flower .Trellis BESIDES being a most attrac- tive addition to lawn or garden in herself, this cute little sunbon net girl has practical features too. The parasol trellis she holds is ideal for climbing flowers and vines. Cut the girl from plywood or other thin lumber with jig, cop ing or keyhole saw, add the trellis, then paint according to the direc tions given on pattern Z9112, 15 cents. General cutout instructions accompany this pattern. Send or der to: AUNT MARTHA Box 166-W Kansas City, Mo. Enclose 15 cents for each pattern desired. Pattern No Name Address CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT HOTEL Wabash Ave. Hotel, 27 E. Harrison, Chicago. Near Barn dance. Choice rooms. Daily $1 up; weekly $5 up. Paul Marshall, Res. Mgr. 1 1 . 1 J Harsh Words A wound inflicted by arrows heals, a wood cut down by an axe grows, but harsh words are hate ful—a wound inflicted by them does not heal. Arrows of differ ent sorts can be extracted from the body, but a word-dart cannot be drawn out, for it is seated in the heart.—Mahabbarata. first choice of millions. Yet THEIR FIRST THOUGHT ~ FOR SIMPLE HEADACHE. #A^ST. JOSEPH ASPIBIM Choose Only the Best Life is short—too short to get everything. Choose you must, and as you choose, choose only the best—in friends, in books, in rec reation, in everything.—Anon. WEARY DESPONDENT Al Hi I Q a Crying spells, Irritsble 111 HI 31 nerves due to functional “monthly" pain should find a real “woman’s friend” In Lydia E. Pink- ham’s Vegetable Compound. Try iti Lydid E. Pinkhciin’s coShSmo Happy in Knowing It is a kind of happiness to know to what extent we may be unhappy.—La Rochefoucauld. A Vegetable Laxative For Headache, Biliousness, and Dizziness when caused by Constipation. 15 doses for only 10 cents; Dr. Hitchcock’s LAXATIVE POWDER Our Faults Other men’s faults are before our eyes; our own behind our backs.—Seneca. LIQUID - TABLETS - SALVB-NOSB DROPS checks MALARIA in 7 days and relieve* COLDS symptoms first day Try “Rnb-My-Tlam”—a Wonderful liniment WNU—7 33—40 Busy Hangman If lying were a capital crime, hangman would have to work over time. 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