The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-01-06
YARNS ABOUT THIBET.
STORIES ABOUT LIFE IN IN Al
MOST UNKNOWN COUNTRY.

MOST UNKNOWN COUNTRY.
A Section Of Middle Asia That Has At
tr-etsd Many Able Chinese story Tell
srs-some RemarISabI- Accounts OF
Strange Doings i'm Chinese Writings.
4 curious collection Of facts respect
ing Thibet, as represented by vari-
ous Chinese authors and travellers. has
been made by Mr.. Woodville Rockhill,
who has himself explored that mysteri-
Gus country of middle Asia
On New Years day at the capital city.
Lhasa, there begins a season Of festiviiy.
One of the entertainments is called tine
Spectacle of the Flying Spirits" The
performers stretch an enormously large
rope made of hide all the way from the
top 20 the bottom of Mount Potala: then
they fasten grooved blocks of wood t0
their chests and sail down the line like
so many swallows. On top OF this same
mountain dwells tine pope of the Bndd-
hist religion, who Is called the tale lama
He is also the incarnation OF the god
which chiefly protects mankind.
On the 30th of the month there is an
other great sport when the king of the
devils is driven away A priest is chosen
to play the part OF the tale lama. and a
layman, selected for his wit aud activity,
takes the role of the demon. The latter
smears his face with blacl, and white
paint, and goes before the pretended tale
lama for the purpose of mocl1ing him.
The two have IN argument on religion,
the issue of which Is finally referred by
mutual agreement to cast of dice.
These dice are very big ones. about
the size of apples, bnt the poor fiend has
no show at ali in the gamble. for his die
is blank on every side, while the lana's
has the highest number on each Of its
faces. In Thibet. as in Christian conn
tries. it Is always laudahle 20 defrand
the devil
Being beaten. the king Of the devils is
frightened and runs away, with ali the
people after him, firing gnns and cannon,
so that he is obliged to hide at length in
a hole in the mountain. where provisions
have previously been placed TO feed him
for q few DAYS while he remains in CON
cealment. There are nearly rs many
demons in Thibet as there are human
inhabitants, and the priests or "laInas"
are kept very busy exercising them. be-
cause otherwise they wonld swarm every
where and do no end of mischief.
POWER OF THE PRIESTS.
If any one is sick or annoyed in any
way tine devils are responsible, and the
only sensible thing is to so and hire
priest to frighten them off. For this
purpose the lama reads aloud from the
sacred writings, blows horn made
from human thigh bone, beats drum
manufactured ont of two human skulls,
rings = bell and tells over rosary Of
disk shaped beads cut out Of human
skulls.
The iamas also do large business in
fortune telling. Sometimes they ascer-
tain the fates with barleycorns; at
others they burn sheep bones for the
same purpose or gaze into bowls of
water.
According to one author there Is a
very astonishing curiosity in Thibet in
the shape of a plant that flies. 1t re-
sembles dog in shape, is the color of a
tortoise shell and is very tame. II lions
or elephants see it they are frightened,
''hence it is the king Of beasts There
is a kind of black donkey which can
cope in fight with the tiger. On the icy
peaks of the Himalayas, says this imagi-
native writer, there is ''snow magSot,
resembling the silkworm in appearance
and weighing nearly pound. 1t is ex-
cellent to eat, but too much Of it VIII
inake one bleed at the nose.
Seventy Ii from Lh'asa is u convent on
top Of hill, and great hole fun of
white clay that is good 10 eat. As fast
as the clay is eaten more takes its place.
Behind the convent is a large lake. and
eyildoers who go near always tumble
into it. The Thibetans used to cast
Buddhss in copper, and the smaller they
yeIs the more they were worth.
PoLITENEsS ~ THIBET.
Chinese philosophers say that manners
differ every hundred Ii of distance, and
customs are nc longer the same every
thousand Ii. Thus the ways of the
Thibetans vary. but in most parts it is
usual for a woman going TO see a priest
to smear her face with molasses. II
this IS not done it is said that she is try
ing TO captivate the lama by her comeli-
ness-an objectionable crime. \ sign
Of politeness on meeting a person IS 10
hold up the clasped hands and stick ont
the tongue. When man dies one-haf
Of his property goes to charity and the
other half to the lamas. His family
gets nothing.
One of the writers quoted observes
that in case of death the corpse is tied
ND with the head between the knees,
and suspended in a rawhide bag from
the rafters. 4 few days later it is taken
TO the corpse cutters place, where it is
tied to post. The flesh is then cut of
and given to dogs and the bones crushed
in stone mortar and made up with
grain into balls, which are also thrown
to dogs and vultures. Both these meth
DDS of burial are considered highly de-
sirable.
For small misdemeanors men and
women are stripped and beaten in the
market place. Great criminals are
bound with ropes and whipped with raw
hide lashes. If this does not persuade
them to avow their guilt boiling butter
is poured on their chests. SuppoSing
that they still protest their innocence,
they are suffocated with water or splint-
ers are driven under their nails.-Wash-
ingtou Star.