Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-11-11
ROOF OF THR WORLD.
An UNKNOWN COUNTRY AND ITS
STRANGE INHABITANTS.

" STRANGE INHABITANTS.
Lassa. In the Land OF the Lama. the I'M
penetvable Mountain Realm Of Thibet'--
It's People Are Savage and Depraved.
A few years since. two Russian ex-
plorers, NM. Menkhoudjinofr and Ori-
anon, arrived at Shanghai after
journey of two years and nine montas
through Thibet, in the course OF which
they penetrated to the capital, Lassa,
and had actually had an interview with
the great Dalai Lama himself. the
wonderfulness of this feat can only be
appreciated in the light of The KNOW
edge that no European has ever bcfore
entered Lassa within the memory OF
| the living world. The few explorers
who have dared the perils OF the wild
and snowy changs, lofty plateaus, the
robber Dokpas or jewellers In black
tents, the Chinese guards and the
| Thibetan soldiery, have only succeed
| ed in struggling through dreary miles
| of deserts and along monsoon swept
marshes, and have returned with only
| half-glimpsed descriptions OF the In
Vulnerable monasteries, the prayer
mills or rattles and the buttered tea
| Of this unique and most unknown
| country.
This impregnably barred I.assa is
| the dwelling place of the Dalai Lama,
the chief priest of Thibet and Mongo-
liza. This religious pretender ~ wor-
shipped as the earthly incarnation OF
Buddha. Incense is burned to him be-
fore a gigantic idol of the god OF jam
ba. a monstrous image of clay and
gilt with jeweled head, which sits en-
throned in the great white palace CT
the Potala. Lamaism is hybrid
Buddhism, just as Mohammedanism is
hybrid Christianity.
The utter exclusion of all foreigners
from this strange land has been and
is undoubtedly due to the FEAR of the
Thibetan hierarchy of priests that THIS
absurd imposition of their red and
yellow religion, which has completely
enslaved the Thibetans, might be
speedily overthrown by the Christian
devils" They are afraid the wealth.
of the monasteries would be revealed.
At present the priests own Thibet as
absolutely as though they held fcc-
simple to every foot of its ground.
The Chinese empire holds noninal
temporal sway, but dares motif II
would-disturb the Dalai LAMA and
his army of priests. NM. Mcnkhoud-
iinoff nd Oulanoff are the first travel
ers who have gazed upon AMI entered
that city hitherto as inaccessible os
the north pole.
The immense territory of Thioet il
almost completely surrounded by
mountain ranges of appalling masni'
tude, which, especially along the south
| ern. western and northern frontiers
constitute formidable barriers against
ingress. From the Pamir plateau, II
the extreme west, c'the worlds back
bone,") radiate the great natural ram
parts, which shut out India on the one
hand and the Tartar countries OF Box
hara and Turkestan on the other M
Asiatic or western conqueror has eve,
dared to penetrate this mountaii
world. and even Genghis Khan, tn
scourge of Asia, whose ravaSes eX
tended from Pekin in the east to Mos
COW in the west, was obliged, when i'll
yading northern India, to take the Gil
cuitous rout via Kashghar and Afghan
istan, instead of crossing Thibet. Sc
cure on their lofty plateau, and prac
: tically isolated from the rest OF tn
world. the people have remained un
disturbed for ages, and have develole'
. characteristics for which we woul'
vainly search in any other race 9. tn
globe.
The Thibetans occupy very low pc
: sition in the scale Of human advance
ment, especially If judged from on
western standard of civilization. Thei
culture is inferior to that or mos
semi-barbarous races, comparing I'm
favorably even with that of certai
. Indian tribes of the American cont
nent. such as the Pueblos, Zunis, etc
In physiognomy and general appear
: ance they strongly resemble the in
I babitants of Swedish Lapland, as we
as the Eskimos of Northern Siberii
. being short-sized, broad-shouldere
:, and possessed of the same angula
u Monaghan features Indeed, the Tn
. betans are, perhaps, the most ill-faN
y ored of Turanian races. A close inter
= breeding during many centuries OF |!
= olation has produced striking faci;
= similarity, and has developed pecu
iarly repulsive normal type OF counr'
:, nance. A broad, very low forehea'
= excessively prominent cheek bones, oil
= lique eyes, and coarse bristly blac
= hair are characteristics which do III
: materially enhance the beauty OF II
y human form divine" but the mo-
singular popularity of the Thibeta
. face Is the almost total absence I
:, :, the bridge of the nose. Among dcze
= Thibetans, chosen at random, hard
g one will be found whose nasal orga
= is not so completely fiattened or sur
- in the middle as to be practically lev
y in the middle as to be practically lev
with the eyes. Seen in profile such
face presents a ludicrous appearance
there Is one continuous line of chez
bone, with the tip of the nose stickir
y out like a solitary beacon. But a cor
Oh pensatory providence has added to q
y. ears what is lacking in probosial ci
~ conference, and 1t is but fair to sta
10 that the auricular appendages OF Il
average Thibetans are of genero'
ne size.