News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-06
TIDBITS FROM THIBET.
Odd Things from the Far Away
Land of the Lhamas.

The Thibetan hymn book is an odd
affair. The musical notes, the rise and
fall Of the voice, are represented by
curving lines. The ethnolo8ist at the
National Museum, who was explaining
matters to a Washington STIR reporter,
bent over the book and began singing,
or humming, to show how the music
went. When q limo curved upward his
voice curved upward, and when the line
curved downward he sang low When
he came to several little semicircles or
scallops he put his voice through q trill.
At intervals we're pictures of bells and
little spirals, not connected with the
vocal notes. These we're directions for
the instrumental music. 1.-The priest"
said the ethnologist, "has his hymn
book across his knee, his bell in one
hand and his drum in the other. He
chants OF sings his hymn, and when he
comes to one of these signs he gives
three taps on his drum or rings his
bell"
The hymn book is composed, like the
other books, of many separate sheets,
not stitched together, but loose, like a
pack of cards.
There are collections OF cards, each
decorated on one side with the picture
of q god, and on the other side with o
prayer suitable to that particular god.
When a mans religion has 100 different
gods, and each god has special rules as
to how he is to be addressed, there is
necessarily considerable red tape about
his ~devotions.
Among the sacred objects is a horn or
flute made fr IN q human femur or thigh
bone. Attached to it is a thong, like a
whip lash, made of human skin. This
flute is used, tho reporter was told, III
exercising evil spirits. When one plays
the flute the sound made has q depres-
sing effect on evil spirits, and they are
generally re@ay to give up and leave the
promises. Their movements can be ex-
peditcd by using the lash of human
hide.
The Thibetan collection includes a
prayer wheel Of copper of elegant work
ma ship and ornamental with silver. 1t
is Il hollow cylinder 3 or 4 inches in di-
ameter and about 4 inches long that re-
wolves about Il handle. Attached to the
periphery of this cylinder, by means of
n charm, is IL silver plummet or weight.
The cylinder is set in motion by swing
ing if, and is kept turning by the impe-
tus of this plummet swinging around.
The Thibetan who owns a prayer wheel
writes his prayer on q slip of paper and
puts it in the cylinder. Then he sets it
whirling, and every time it goes around
the prayer is supposed to be recorded
once in heaven. To render it et1icacious,
however, the prayerful Tibet man has
to hold in bis other hand q little wand
or stave known as a prayer sceptre. This
is trnAmented with NEUROLOGICAL de-
vices. A poor MAJ who does not own q
PRAYER wheel stands II slim chance. A
prayer wheel may be male to revolye q
hundred or more times u minute and
register for its owner hundreds of pray
ers, while "a poor nan without such an
apparatus is mumblin3 his way through
Que. Where there are so many gods to
address some devi C of the kind is al
most necessary, if IL mar expects to do
anything else in his life but to attend to
his deyotions. The prayer wheel i'll this
collection is run by hand power and the
application of centrifugal force. Some
prayer wheels, however, are made to go
by wind power. There is one huge n
IS feet in diameter, in front of q Tribe
tan temple, that is turned by two men.
This is loaded up not only with prayers,
but copies of the sacred writings, and
then fire | off. 1t costs something to
the priests turn this for a man, but
n turn or two will balance the account
q man who has neglected his religious
for n long while. There is in the
collection a small prayer wheel, on I'll
upright post or pin;on, made TO stand
on IL table and to be ~revolved by q flip
Of the finger. \ man not acquainted
with the rules, however, might do meal
culable damage with a prayer wheel. 1t
must be ~reyoIved from right to left. To
it from left to right is q sacrilegious
act, and, it is said, brings only harm
upon the ignorant and daring man E:-o