CIVILISED WARFARE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4373, 3 June 1901, Page 4

CIVILISED WARFARE.

Tho conduct of the allied troops in China cannot, from a humane paint of view, he regarded as reflecting credit upon, the characters of the civilised western nations. Freni various sources shocking stories of the on-goings of troops in Northern China are reaching tho outside world. Tho cablegrams have resounded with narratives of base conduct on the part of the ‘'heathen in his blindness ; ” and while wo should not for a moment think of palliating such outrages, the acts of wantonnoss and cruelty performed by soldiers of civilised nations ought not to bo condoned. It is not long since many people evinced the utmost indignation at what wore described as 'The unutterable atrocities” of Celestials. The other day we had reported the murder of three soldiers who had entered unarmed a house near Liu-eho. The cablegram, however, gave no indication of what those troopers had been doing to raise the wrath of the Chinese. From intelligence to hand by mail wo learn that former outrages of a similar kind have been incited by cruel and brutal conduct on the part of.men wearing the uniforms of civilised rations.

The inhumanity of tho Russian and French soldiery has in many instances been appalling; and since Croat Britain, tho United States, and other countries arc allied with these nationalities, they cannot escape the shame and obloeuv connected with the horrors perpetrated. Most of tho atrocities are too hideous to bo detailed; but, as an instance, somewhat veiled, of what has actually happened, the conduct of four Frenchmen might h 0 cited. A war correspondent tells how loose soldiers pursued two Chinese young women—one sixteen, the other about twonty-ono. The women took refuge in a bouse, which the Frenchmen entered, and half an hour later tho lifeless bodies of the women were found horribly . outraged and mutilated beyond recognition. The correspondent gives a lurid word-pic-tnro of the scene, and tolls how the girls had been rubbed, and how their bracelets, rings, earrings and other valuables had been stripped from them. They were only two poor Chinese women, but surely tho crime committed against them was a crime against humanity, and merits the condemnation of all civilised people. The French Government is not to bo blamed for such outrages, still, it is necessary that it .should duly punish th c perpetrators of such criminality. For some of tho outrages committed by Russian soldiers the Czar’s Government is directly responsible. Trustworthy estimates give ten thousand as the minimum number of men, women and children slaughtered, by Russian orders in Manchuria in two months, besides tho '•mostly hecatomb of live thousand at Rlagovestchensh, while thousands of defenseless and inoffensive Chinamen were summarily shot or hanged on suspicion along the littoral of Manchuria. Major-General Orlov, a Russian officer of high standing, protested against tho savage orders of his Government, and entreated the Czar’s advisers to be permitted “to spare the peaceful inhabitants.” Tho upshot was that he was reprimanded for not carrying out his instructions from St. Petersburg No doubt the infuriated Boxers slaughtered the innocent and helpless, but surely no civilised nation could condone, even in the light of Boxer excesses, the looting of properly, the violating of girls, the slaughtering of helpless men, and the massacre of defenceless women. If it is thc duty of civilised nations to set a good example of humanity to the so-called heathen, then tho western Powers have lamentably failed in China; and the savagery of their soldiery must ever tarnish tho fame of the allied nations.