The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-29

CORY The wall Of the general reception
room is snowy white it being an article OF
domestic faith TO keep it so by constant
coats OF whitewash. which serves TO cover
many shortcomings, the interstices or the
rafters which compose the roof filled with
hoes. guns and other articles of nusbandry'
bIackened by smoke. A number OF splts
for the roasting of meat hang against the
walls above these a row of assorted Jars
used for as assorted purposes, come cheeses
temporarily filling various hooks, prior to
entering human stomachs, and hetero-
Eenous collection of tea-strainers, tsamba
baps butter boxes tea churns and straw
sleeves tufted with bits of red and yellow
cloth. the latter used for sitting the meal
ground by the donkey in the corner, and
likewise utilized extremely popular and
useful wedding presents. Save the above
articles, the room is empty Of movables-
always. however further excepting the
donkey and it's machine. Nothing takes the
fancy in these larger towns more than the
omnipresent, pot-bellied little ass, which,
with hood over it's eyes TO protect it from
giddiness, goes round and round, crushing
the grain between the two millstones to
which IL is attached by a rotating beam of
wood. The patience and diminutiveness of
the creature are alike remarkable. As
there is an ass to nearly every house, it is
the custom TO appoint a man to look after
all these charges of the community during
their hours of relaxation. At a certain
time of the day, therefore. one may see
the little dOnkeys capering out of the
houses with many a bray of satisfaction
and greeting each other, all frOlicking
in a troop toward the pasture-g ground of the
community. During playtime they are as
full of spirit and antics as they are
nnethodicalIy industrious when harnessed to
the mill. In the morning. however. the
ass-herd reappears among them to recall
them 10 their toll and they trOt along, kick
ing pIayfuIIy at each other. but when the
village is reached each little ass in sob
cred manner steps over the threshold of it's
masters house, and, with its tail between
it's legs and dropping ears, listlessly sub
mits 20 its fate, like a schoOlbOy about to
be catechized by dame.
The dress of these people of the settled
towns is more elaborate than that worn by
the nomads- Even the poorer classes hard
~ ever wear skins or furs as cloth of a
good quality can be obtained at low price
in the market places, and other articles of
civilized habiliment are cOrrespondingly
reasonable. The men usually clothe them
selves in a chuba Ga sort of OvercOat reach
ing TO the ground) of felt or padded duba
loose trousers of violet pulo tucked into the
top OF their high boots. Many of them
take great pride i'm their personal ap-
pearance. and often a young dandy, in ad-
ditiOn to the ordinary dress, is ornamented
with earrings. bracelets. breast plates of
repOusse silverwork and other elaborate
ornamentations in imposing array.
LAND OF GAY COLORS.
The ancient and still popular dress of
the women is the gown of coarse pulo,
over this the sarafan, a sleeveless cloak
gathered in a band above the BOSOM with
straps across the shoulders. and confined
at the waist by sash or belt, from which
hang a needle-case, a flint-and-steel box
often eye-shade case prettily embroid-
cred, and in some of the thrifty souls, so
as not to be unprepared for a casual invi-
tation TO dinner small bag in which to
carry wooden bowls and other festal nee
essaries. Among the weaker sex, whether
of high or low degree, there still is retained
passion, almost amounting to a mania,
for lurid color display. while the males
seem to have sought to foil this fippant
desire by going to the other extreme 1
remember seeing a woman here at Areki-
tang bargaining with Chinese trader over
neck-scarf. which would have outvied the
most bewildering erazy-quilt ever con-
structed complaining because it was not
bright enough.
But, by all the glories of your fathers
father" replied the exasperated dealer
who accepted this hesitancy to purchase
as reflection on his wares, what could
you want? There are no colors known in
earth or sky but that are found in that
scarf" And being assured of this aII-im-
pOrtant fact, the bargain was quickly
closed.
The everyday life of the town Thibetans
and Mongols is one of toll, but rarely one
of anxiety; they are philosophers on a
small scale in believing that to-day is
here to be enjoyed and that the morrow
has yet to come, ard very few grow old
by fretung about the future. They have
but little mechanical genius, and for other
then the commonest necessaries of life are
obliged to rely on the traders from the
large prefectural cities of China Wood
can here be easily obtained. but they have
no knowledge of the use OF tools or carpen-
tering implements OF any kind, and it is
very seldom that in their household uten-
sis one sees articles made of wood They
are, however, clever pOtters and basket
makers; some of the women weave cloth OF
good quality, and though they generally
lack ingenuity and adoitness, and are
satisfied with poorer work than the Chi
nese. yet when their ambition is aroused
under its stimulus they will rapidly master
any trade or accomplishment with re-
markable aptitude.
But ii is in the religious sentiment that
finds the greatest difference between
the semi-civilized Tlibetans and the bar
barous nOmad tribes of the less settled dis
tricts. The numerous cults and sects of
the latter. in fact constitute so many
widely varying religions of a merely local
character Though the basic principles may
be patterned after lama Buddhism, the re-
suit Of generations of enforced apostasy is
seen in the more literal and practical
character Of their beliefs. A child of ma
tore embarrassed by intricate theoretical
dOgmas, the nomad readily turns toward
nature TO find objects for his Worship
Not able to reason inteIligently for himself
naturally he is incapable of understand
ing anything that does not directly appeal
10 the evidence Of his eyes and ears, there
fore a catalogue of devils. demon-spirits
fantastic celebrations and magic num-
merry is necessary 10 his practical nature