A careful and interesting study of industrial evolution in China was the subject of an address by Mr. Geo. 8B. Fryer at Monday's meeting of the Quest Society. Mr. A.J. Hughes presided over the meeting, which was held in the hall of the Royal Asiatic Society.
The lecturer began his address with a glance at industrial evolution in western countries, expressing the hope that grave errors which were still being combated thera would be avoided in the construction of the new industrial China. He then outlined the course of development in China, observing of the people that their religion, their culture and their arts, their isolation, their conservatism and their struggle for mere existence all moulded their natures and characteristics until up to a few years ago we find them past masters in economy, thrift and industry, patient and persevering, content and cheerful, but totally lacking in public spirit and sympathy. Each man or each family for himself with no interest as to who ruled their country or who lived in the next street. People wanted but little, and no more was made or grown by any district than just suppled the wants of that district. There was no foreign commerce, and hardly any domestic exchange of commodities.
The various native industries were developed to a high degree of efficiency without the use of machinery and were mostly carried on in the cruelest manner. Apart from the industries providing food and clothing, numbers were engaged in making articles for religious worship. Idols, joss paper, candles, paper articles and models, and fire crackers gave employment to hundreds of people. The fuel, meat, copper, alloy, oil, lime, wine and tobacco trades were developed to a marked degree; while boating was the means of livelihood of a large percentage of the population.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.