In 1872 the Shanghai community provided the funds required to erect the Society's first building on this site, a building which served for os 80 years and when it had to be demolished in 1929, and the ci unity was once more appealed to, it responded with even greater generoswhich resulted in the erection of its present fine office, many times the size and capacity of the old building. By a series of unfortunate circumstances this building cost considerably more than the original estimate, with the result that the Society was sodyths go back in their origin to the pre-Han times and are partially traceable to the animal cult of the Huns, Scythians and other Central Asiatic tribes.
"Undoubtedly," the speaker continued. "this ancient animal cult, not only influenced the early art of the it also impregnated anà mythology, which ere strongly animalistic.
Mr. Sowerby then went into details regarding certain myths apd legends and after he had concluded, a number of questions were sashed by members of the interested audience. died with a burdensome debt, which continued adverse economic and political conditions have made impossible to remove, Those conditions have seemed to render it inadvisable to moke a further appeal to the community to remove the debt, which, in spite of every effort on the part of those responsible for the conducting of the Society's affairs, has increased. Running expenses have been pared down to a minimum, end many channels have been explored with a view to increasing. the Society's income and reducing its debt. Other channels in foreign lands are even now being explored, but the fact remains that the Society, while alive and active in many ways, is in an extremely serious financial position.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.