New-York tribune., 1900-07-15
THE FORBIDDEN LAND.
THE GRAND LLAMA SAID TO HAVE DE
CREED RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN
THIBET -T THE COUNTRY
OPENED TO FOR
EIGNERS

OF an lnsurrectionary movement which is prin-
cipaly directed against the foreigners. and
which has for its avowed object the exclusion
o. the white races from Chinese territory, there
comes from the Roman Catholic Bishop Biet
Vicar Apostolic Of Thibet. the news that the
Grand Llama has issued az edict procIaiming
religious liberty in the Forbidden Land" and
tAst he has repealed the strict laws prescrib-
lEg death to any white man who entered his do
Tninions without permission who attempted
e engage il missionary work. That this totally
unexpected piece of intelligence should arrive
al this precise juncture viii appear less aston
i5hing when it is explained that Thibet al
though nominally vassaI of China, has always
Tna-ntaineC d species Of more OF less open re-
s-stance to the wishes Of the Pekng Govern
Taent- 50 much so that il was sufficient for the
El--Eese authorities to desire q thing in order TO
."sure the Grand Llama doing precisely the
07atrary- Hence il is in keeping with the past
story Of the Forbidden Land" that. as soon
- ever the Thibetans learned that the Chinese
-ad resolved TO drive the foreigners out Of
-Aina- they themselves should at once decide
70 throw their doors wide open 10 the strangers.
4 NATURAL EXCLUSIVE INSTINCT.
Exclusion Of the white races IS the natural
instinct OF all dusky hued nations, alike il Asia
aid in Africa China, Japan. Corea, the nu-
merous independent States Of Central Asia as
well as Arabia Morocco, Tunis and Abyssinia
were all closed to the foreigners in the early
part Of the present century. and whereas today
a can travel from one END Of Africa TO the
other without firing shot in self-defence. it
Impossible a hundred years ago TO venture
into the interior Of the Dark Continent without
counting certain death the hands Of the
natives who were firmly resolved to keep the
stranger from setting foot on their territory
Little by little the barriers thus raised against
the white races have been removed and one by
one every country has abandoned its policy Of
exclusion Since the Emperor Of Corea some
fifteen years ago opened his ports TO foreign
commerce ana sanctioned intercourse between
his people ard the outer world, Thibet has been
10 al intents and purposes the only land Of the
universe that kept its doors closed. Il Is there
fore a subject for congratulation that the closing
yea Of a century which has witnessed the
throwing open TO Western civilization Of SO
many Asiatic and African countries should
have been signalized by the reported removal
OF the barriers Of the last remaining nation
that had preserved its soil "Undefiled" by the
presence OF the foreign devils"
Inasmuch as the insurrection is spreading
throughout the western and southern part Of
the Chinese Empire. where foreigners and native
converts are being tortured and nlassacred il
every direction the reported establishment Of
friendly relations between the Grand Llama
Of Thibet and the foreign Powers viii prove OF
inestimable value the latter; for the Forbid
den Land instead Of forming, hitherto,
impenetrabIe barrier against access to China
from British India and from the Russian pos
sessions in Central Asia, viii, the contrary
serve as a means Of invading the Empire from
& point which the Chinese have always regarded
as absolutely secure against all foreign attack
Indeed one may be tempted TO believe that the
Grand Llama cas- been prompted 10 establish
friendly relations with the great Powers by
some idea Of forming an offensive and defensive
alliance with them against China. For the
Tnibetans have from time immemorial hated
the Chinese even more bitterly than the white
races have tolerated the presence Of the Chi
uese traders only under certain stringent re
srrictions and are naturally at the present mo
raent alarmed lest the upEeaval which is taking
r1ace in China should result IN armed irrup-
t5on OF the insurgent h0rdes across the Thibetan
frontier overwhelming them by sheer force Of
numbers and destroying their cherished inde-
rendence Called upon 70 choose between the
r,a-iI OF A Chinese invasion on the one hand, and
the Abandonment Of the traditional policy Of eX-
cl7,sion on the ether the Grand Llama. who is
mentally and physically strong man has
selected the latter alternative. and may be said
-, have thrown IN MS lot with civilization IL
lieu Of with barbaFism.
AN UNKNOWN LAND
Little is known abou; Th-tet, the only white