The courier., 1902-11-08
GBef,
the Land Of Mystery

DR.. Susan Carson Rijnhart. who spoke
so Interestingly at the meeting of the
missionary social union recently, is even
more interesting in conversation, and
she is very willing to talk of her ex-
periences. DR.. Rijnhart is a native of
London, Canada, and is a graduate Of
Trinity university in Toronto. Her hus-
band, Rev. Petrus Rijnhart. was a
Holland Dutchman. After some time
spent in missionary work, he came to
America for rest, and while here he
met and married DR.. Carson.
Mr.. and Mrs. Rijnhart went to Tibet
in 1894, going as independent mission
aries dependent upon their friends
rather than a church for support.
DR.. Rijnhart omits the "h' from the
name Thibet, giving as her authority
the royal geographical maps for Asia,
and says that it is so taught in the
schools in England, as they. too. spell
it Tibet" and in pronouncing put the
accent on the last syllable. The Ger
man map-makers were responsible for
the insertion Of the letter "h." The
natives call their country "Bhot," but
no one knows where this name came
from.
DR.. Rijnhart and her husband went to
Tibet in 1894, and in 1898 went into the
interior and began their work there.
Lhasa is the capital Of the country,
and since 1886 no European has been
allowed to enter the city and none is
allowed nearer than one hundred and
fifty miles. Their religion is that Of the
Buddhists or, as DR.. Rijnhart said.
Theosophists, and Lhasa is the Mecca
to which their pilgrimages are made.
The Buddhists send out missionaries,
and have representatives hard at work
in various cities of this country. notably
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and
Chicago.
DR.. Rijnhart said there are many
more Buddhists and Theosophists in
America than any one is aware Of. and
their growth is alarming. Their litera-
ture is printed in Chicago at the Open
Court Publishing House.
The best accounts published concern
ing Lhasa have been secured by Hindoo
travellers, who are trained for civil serv-
ice by the British government. One Of
these men disguised himself as Mon
golian priest and by the strict use Of
his prayer -wheeEthese people pray by
machinery and rosary-he succeeded in
getting within the walls. In order to
accomplish this he paced every step,
keeping account with his rosary. When
he was supposed to be at rest he made
maps of the road and city, and he con-
cealed them within his prayer-wheel.
These Hindoo travellers are not given
names when they go upon the road, but
are known simply by initials. This
mans initials are A. X.
The May number of Harper's maga-
zine contains the only known picture of
the city of Lhasa, and DR.. Rijnbart pro-
nounced it very good one. After the
death of her child, and the murder OF
her husband, DR.. Rijnhart was robbed
of her surgical instruments serious
loss to her, as her ability to relieve suf-
fering secured for her the respect of the
women. Apropos DR.. Rijnhart says she
has absolute proof Of her husbands g
death, and that the reports that he Is
simply missing, which have appeared In
many newspapers. are false.
In Tibet the Buddhist priests are called
lamas, and their houses are called lam
asteries. Mr. and Mrs. Rijnhart lived
in one of these lamasteries, and were
the only Europeans ever permitted to
do so. After the death Of her husband
the Tibetans wanted to get rid Of DR..
Rijnhart, 50 they gave her a passport
the only one ever granted to a white
person to travel in that country-pro-
vtded her with two men to Tave! with