is China. This Empire has an important connection with the textile industry, being the native country of the most precious material for weaving, that is silk. In the year 2698 B. C. the consort of King Hoangti, named Louitsen, is said to have invented the rearing of silkworms and the weaving of their threads. The strict custom of destroying with fire the dresses of the dead accounts for the fact that few or no remnants of old

Chinese textile productions are preserved. Notwithstanding this, we are able to draw conclusions from modern drawings as to those of times gone by.

A great characteristic of the Chinese is their adherence to ancient customs, and a supervising power of resistance to foreign influences. With regard to art, the Chinese are neither progressing nor falling back. They employ objects of all possible kinds, such as clouds, the waves of the sea, groups of rocks, shells, vases, etc., and all the flora. The lotus flower of the Egyptians is often used, as is also the peony, as the symbol of the sky and the earth, deriving from the former perfume, and from the latter brilliancy.

We also find a number of fantastically shaped animals, of which the dragon is a frequent figure; a marvellous creature, with the head of a chameleon, the horns of a stag, the claws of an eagle, and the tail of a serpent.

This dragon is the symbol of supreme wisdom. Its empire is all space, above the mountain tops, among the clouds and also in the underground depths, in the air and in the water. The dragon is the martial device of the emperor and of the senior princes, possessing in this case five toes. The dragon of the junior princes, not being so important, has four toes, and that of the mandarins, only three.

cock's tail, and a head covered with protuberances.

izes a long and happy life.

It symbol

The Chinese horse or "Khilin" has the body of a stag, the horns and tail of an ox and horses' hoofs. This marvellous creature appears in Assyrian art as an unicorn, and it may be traced up to the 13th and 14th centuries.

After considering the textile industry of the three oldest civilized nations in Asia and Africa, we turn to Europe and give our attention to the nation which laid the foundation of European culture, that is the Greek nation.

Until 1879 we are only able to draw conclusions as to the designs on Grecian stuffs from the decorations of old buildings and old potsherds. Grecian authors give a good deal of information upon the designs of these stuffs. Excavations made in

South Russia in 1879 have confirmed the supposition that no branch of industry or art has its own decorations, but that the dominant style belongs to them all. Among the articles found in the tombs were a number of fabrics, the dates of which were noted positively by inscriptions.

A little piece of woolen material was found in a tomb dating 5th Century B. C.