The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-05

very latest au-
thority brings strong proof in. support
of a theory that the Celestials emigrat-
ed to the territory they now occupy
from region south of the Caspian sea
more than 4,0OO years ago. In religion,
political and social institutions, llnowl-
edge of astronomy and medicine as
well as in language the primitive Chi
nese showed a. marked affinity with
peoples who under different names
have inhabited the region east and
north of the Holy Land
The number of the original emf
grants cannot be determined, as the
history of the period is involved in
myth. But the migration of vast tribes
of Asiatics to distant lands is not cir
cumstance to be secuted. Plague. fam
Inc and war have been the disturbing
causes in these migrations The first
Chinese settlements known in contem-
poraneous annals were along and north
of the Hoang-Ho, or Yellow river, and
Sian-fu, in the province of Shansi. the
earliest known capital.
In the records of China the origin of
the first rulers is said to have design
ed written characters and the system
of measuring time. His successor dis
covered the medicinal properties of
herbs and taught the people agricul-
ture. With an eye to business he also
established public markets, and to him
therefore the farmers Of the empire are
indebted for their status as being in
the second rank of Importance. The
next ruler invented money and taught
mechanical arts Thus three great
agencies of civilized deyelopmert,
brains and muscle and their joint off
spring, skill, We're established in China
before the dawn of accepted history.
Accepted Chinese history begins with
the reign of the Emperor Yao (2oS3-
3004 B. Co. Confucius describes Tao
as a ruler of godlike instinct who eX-
tended his realm in the north and. be-
ing intelligent and accomplished, by
the power of example lied all men I'M
to him"
In the reign of the second historical
emperor, the successor of Yao, floods
devastated the country along the Vel
low river, calamity marking an epoch
in the life of the empire. EARLY travel
ers in China who were familiar with
Jewish chronicles believed this food
contemporaneous with the great del
uge. In comparatively recent times
the Yellow river has shifted it's bed
and found an outlet hundreds of miles
north of the original mouth, which was
south of Kiao-chau.
x Ancient China was not free from
evils which cursed other nations and
led to their downfall, for although
there We're great rulers like Yao, who
founded dynasties and gave an impe-
tus to civilization, cruelty, corruption
and Righteousness invariably brought
discredit upon the throne, and some
man of destiny either by intrigue or
force of arms seized the helm and
brought the ship of state back to her
right course, and so while Egypt AMI
Babylon, Assyria and Chaldea, Greece
and Rome had their periods of opu-
lence and power and then passed into
oblivion China survived without 32sy
marked changes of destiny.
Monarchs who aspired to world con-
quest let China alone, yet in the days
/. of Xerxes, Alexander and Caesar she
was rich and austere, receiving tribute
from surrounding nations. In ancient
records a variety of names came into
use to designate China, among them
Chin, Sin, Sinae, Sinim, Zenia and Ze-
nastan, lastly Serica, the land Of silk
from Sores, meaning silk. In the time
of the Caesars silk from China was
brought to the cities of the AIediterra-
mean by traders who got their supplies
from caravans which journeyed from
the south the whole length of the pres
ent empire to the settlements along
the Yellow river. The eggs of silk
worms were struggled out of China
and carried to Rome during the reign
of Justinian.
Assimilation of other races with the
Chinese in the Middle Kingdom is a
feature of modern rather than ancient
development. The aborigines Of Chi
na, the Miaotzu, have never been civil
lized. According to tradition, the Mo
hammedans, who comprise the major
ity of the population of the province of
Yunnan, began their settlement in the
eighth century of this era. 1t is said
that during revolt in China the reign
ing emperor brought in 5000 Turkish
soldiers from Bagdad, and these form
ed the nucleus of the Mohammedan
population by settling in Yunnan and
taking Chinese wives.
The Mantchoos, who during the past
200 years have spread over northern
China, have been absorbed into the ma
tive population. In the case of the
Miaotzu the difference between them
and the Chinese invaders has been in
eradicable. They inhabit the widest
mountain districts and cling to primi-
tive old world customs. Gradually they
have been pushed back into southwest
II - rhino hnt have not suffered at the