day. The whole system of Chinese education is thoroughly organized.. The examinations are con ducted by high officers of the general government, and the surest road to fame, and the only road to official life, is through the examination halls. A few words of more recent history. The rul ing dynasty of China has not been Chinese for two centuries. The Manchn conquest of China two hundred years ago, was in many respects,' a remarkable event. Twice have the fierce nomad tribes of Eastern Manchuria established alien dy nasties on the throne of China. First, early in the twelfth century the savage Nijun, tinder the chief Agooda, from the fertile valleys and rugged country beyond, the Long White Mountains, formed an alliance with the Sungs in Southern China, against the Liao or Kitans, who had estab lished their Capitol at Peking, and were masters of the northern part of the Empire. The Kitans were driven out, after which 'the Sungo became subject to their northern allies. Thus was found ed the Kin dynasty, which extended its sway over the whole of northern China,•and beyond its pre sent boundaries in the north,:from the Yangtze to the Amoor. Then came the great Mongol invasion, which swept in a resistless wave over Chinese territory, as it had already over almost the whole breadth of Asia—one of the , most extensive conquests the world has ever. known. The glory of the reign of the great Khan was recorded by Marco Polo. • But the luxuries and ease of the court at Khanbalik, or Peking, sapped the foundations of the govern ment. and the conquer in garmies became idle and inefficient. - A Chinese Buddhist monk threw aside his priest ly robes, took up his sword,)as leader of a Chi. nese army, and drove out the. Mongols. Thus the famous Ming dynasty was established. We shall have a view of the famous tombs built for the Ming Emperors, not far from the Great Wall. Their reign was characterized by prosperity and bril liancy, but weak monarch brought it to a deplor able end. VMEE LAIftE. The second invasion from the north-east placed the present Manchu family upon the throne. The Manchu are near relatives of the earlier Kins, an offshoot of the same stock, originally occupy ing the beautiful and fertile country east of Monk • den. We shall not pause for an account of this last conquest. The Manchu once on the throne, found that they were hated as aliens throughout the length and breadth of the land, and their power was not fully established until their armies had conquered the southern proVinces, and utterly de stroyed the faithful adherents of the Mings in every province. Even now we occasionally hear rumors of incipient rebellions with the declared purpose of re-establishing the Mings by placing a decendant of that family upon the throne. One feature of the Manchu conquest will close these historical reminiscences. When the con querors captured a city they immediately pro claimed that the men should all have their fore heads shaven, leaving the back hair long, as a queue or tail. This was to be a sign of submis• sion, and those who refused to shave their heads would have their heads cut off. Hence there was con siderable unanimity of sentiment among the Chi nese, who considered that a shaven head was better than 'no head. The queue is therefore a badge of subjection, but at thesame time the pride and delight of the Chinaman. Fellow Students: We are assembled here to. night to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of one of the great turning points of history. Four hundred years ago to-day, this great conti nent was thrown open to humanity—the future home of its greatest nation and highest develop ment, All through the energy and dauntless am bition of one man, who, though less brilliant than an Alexander and less magnetic than a Demosthe nes, has accomplished more . for the good of the race than a Caesar or a Newton. Through calumny and abuse, through discour- ADDRESS ON COLUMBUS DA E.