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.