The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-11

} 1T 4. we'll known that 1~ndo-scyth!an rul-
ers held sway over India for centuries.
Their origin, migration and early history
would be unknown TO us but for the explicit
| accounts left to us by Chinese historians
Recent discoveries made by Russian.
| English and Swedish travellers in Eastern
Turkestan have created a new branch OF
scientific research.
Accounts Of cities buried in the flying
sands of the Tarim Desert for centuries. II
not Il thousand years or more. have been
placed before the astonished eyes of Euro
pean scholars interested in the history OF
Asia.
Objects OF great antiquity in languages
long forgotten are being collected and sent
TO the museums of the West
Manuscripts and stone inscriptions but
partially deciphercd are coming forward
in such quantities as to make Il difficult TO
furnish the necessary KEY 10 their under
standing in order to satisfy the curiosity OF
to-day.
IF there is any hope to obtain a clear in
sight into the early life and history of the
natives. who. to judge from the remnants
left OF their existence. must have hourished
in the now arid lands where nobody hitherto
had suspected such high civilization. it can
only come from Chinese literature
Central Asiatic research has for the last
fifteen years or so been very lively in Rus
sia. Russian travellers discovered some ten
wears ago stone monuments in an unknown
writ. which. known in fragmentary rock
inscriptions since the Eighteenth Century.
had been q puzzle to Orientais for genera
tons.
1T was reserved for Professor Thomson
Of Copenhagen to decipher that mysterious
alphabet. which was formerly suspected to
be a kind OF runes. The language repre-
scented in those inscriptions was found 10 BE-
I the most ancient form OF the Turkish Ian
guase of which We have any knowledge
.sr"b, 4a,-arul Cfn,1a inECrlnfi0nl FOUND IN
Mongolia. were translated by Thomson and
RadlofT, and proved to be accounts OF a very
important period of the Oldest history OF
the Eastern Turks.
"Lapidary as they were. these accounts
would have been more or less unintellisiole
but for the light thrown on them by con-
temporaneous Chinese historians.
There we find corroborated all the facts
historical. biographical. ethnoSraphical and
| geographical-mentioned IN these stone IN
scriptions. and. by applying the necessary
historical method to the Identification of the
Chinese and Turkish tradition we obtain \ f;
most valuable contribution toward the his
tory of 4 dark period in the life of Central
Asiatic nations.
The historical branch OF the seminars
which will be given advanced students at
! Columbia will lie devoted to the solution OF
! problems connected with the discoveries Of
! recent travellers in Central Asia OF course.
It is necessary that those who take this pare
of the course shall know Chinese.
This part OF the seminar is prepared
eSpaciaIlv for men thoroughly versed in
handling the Language and who know the
| literature of China.
Unfortunately. their number IS very
small, but seeing that the discoveries
already referred to are progressing at a
pace which thGSa who are interested I'm
China can hardly keep up with. it seems
highly desirable that as many minds as poo
sitie should be turned TO a field which is.
as yet. an uuwoTked mine.
1t need not be said that Chinese history
Itself is worth a careful study and that IL
VIII repay every one who is able to view it
from the standpoint of a man who IS not
satisfied with the enumeration OF EmperorS
and dates. but looks upon the Development
of that most ancient culture as the product
Of spontaneous growth nd foreign :nhu-
ences.
This culture deserves to be studied for
more than one reason.
THE most recent phases Of our own art
and industry show that certain branches o.
our decorative art have been borrowed
from the japanese. But few have hitherto
thought OF analysing the styles. whether
applying 70 works of art or industry. which
were first prac,iced in far Japan
The civilization Of this intelligent poo
pie. whether we talk OF philosophy. OF works
OF art or general culture. rests. TO a great
extent. on the shoulders of Chinese rrets-
CeSeorS.
"One OF the three seminars will b~ spe-
ciaI!y devoted to the study of Chinese art in
all its phases. to Chinese industry and OBJ
jects of general culture. the latter chiefly
in connection with exhibits in the Museum
of Natural History.
Exhibits will be increased materially In
this direction
The courses. presented by the new depart
men OF Chinese are divided into thrss
groups: ap Studies in the written language
for the purpose OF introducing future Of
fetal interpreters to the modern documsn-
tary language. OBJ Speaking. which will in
clude the Pekin dialect. followed by the
Cantonese and others. 1t IS hoped in this
course to secure native instructors az az
SS'ants. tD Lectures dealing with the re
Iation OF China to Europe. tho history OF
commerce in China. social life Of the
Chinese. the geography OF the Chimes En-
p!re-ancient and mudern-relision and folk
lore.