DR. SMITH'S FIRST LECTURE

Rev. A. H. Smith, D.D., LL.D., of Tientsin, China, delivered the first of a course of six lectures under the Hyde Foundation entitled "The Present Crisis in the Chinese Empire" at the Andover Theological Seminary yesterday afternoon. His special topic was "The Predisposing Causes of the Present Revolution in China."

Dr. Smith began his lecture with a brief outline of the origin and history of the Chinese, and said that before one can understand the present conditions in China one must study the chief features of its civilization.

China has always been absolutely segregated from outside influences by the great barrier of mountains which surround it on almost every side, and by the sea also, as its ships were not adapted to voyages of any great length. Its tribes show a curious combination of unity and variety. All have practically the same habits and customs, yet a native of one province is regarded as a foreigner by the inhabitants of another. After 690 B.C. China was gradually conquered by the Tartars, yet its civilization survived, so that within a few hundred years little trace of the Tartar Dy- nasty remained. This mixture of races is largely responsible for the present rebellion, as many of the people are not in sympathy with the Emperor, who is a Manchu Tartar.

Self-centered conceit is another dominant characteristic of the Chinese. They have an innate feeling that they are superior to other nations in every respect. They regard their civilization as exclusively their own, and have never wanted to borrow anything from outside. Again, China's evolution has been very slow--so slow that hasty observers have made the mistake of thinking that it has never changed at all. It has undergone great transformations, however, for there was once a time when it had no silk, tea, rice, pagodas, or any of the things which are typical of China today. The Chinese are not fundamentally different from us, but are the result of a slower development.

The belief that the empire is ruled by the will of heaven, the high position of learning, and the general practice of ancestral worship are the chief principles to be found in China. These principles have lately come up under new forms, and have caused the present revolution.

Dr. Smith's Second Lecture This Afternoon.

Dr. Smith will give the second lecture of this course in Room A of the Andover Theological Seminary this afternoon at 4.30 o'clock. His topic will be "The Probable Domestic and Foreign Consequences of the Present Revolution." The lecture will be open to the public