The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-11

gez chief called the Sultan Jumabek. He
is by far the greatest of the Kirgez
around here. and owns hundreds of sheep,
horses, cattle camels. goats, etc. He
from here to A-270 miles.
1t may be interesting to you to know
that this contract is for a weekly mail
service, leaving here every Sunday morn
ing, returning on Saturday Thus, the
KirgeZ rides a total of $40 miles in seven
days, and this has been done so far
through all weathers without a hitch. The
cost is flVe and half dollars a trip IN
American money. He has, Of course,
changes of horses on the road, but, hon
estly, never saw such riders in all my
larry fast on such trip, but he never
seems to stop. He probably eats half
sheep before starting, but on the road
gels @ s%GaTcely %aey an ianythlng except what they
sheep fat and flour. The whole year
round this meat IS the peoples chief
diet. Quite smite at the vegetarian
crowd I consider, though undoubtedly for
those living in a city and doing little
physical labor much meat must be in
furious.
Kirgez. was going to tell you how
kind and hospitable this Sultan Juma-
bek and his household were to me. Fam
lily life here is indeed much to be COM
mended. The people are extremely moral,
and their lives might be copied to great
advantage by most other nations. The
general health and stability of every
race must depend largely upon its moral
character, and there IS no denying these
are grand people. One can only hope
they may not be changed by the onward
march of so-called civilization.
Nearly all the Kirgez are married
young, and great many have two wives,
perhaps more, though I have not seen
any INSTANCE of it. A man to possess
also, l suppose, endowed with an extra
amount of patience. A wife costs about
forty horses, and they say that a man
begins to pay for his wife at five years
Old. l. e., his father begins to pay. To
get married, therefore, he must have
SO many horses, cattle or cameIs, and
tne more he owns the more wives he can
OF course procure; though, as I have told
you, l have never seen a man with more
than two
The man marries quite young, about
seventeen or eighteen, and always selects
a girl a good deal older than himself so
that she can look after him well: then
when he gets older he marries one much
younger than himself so that in his old
well
The wives are only supposed to go to
heaven II the husband chooses, and this
is left entirely to his discretion. Did Won
ever hear of such an idea? What a Tar
tar the man must have been who framed
those laws. The women are not sup
posed to possess any souls. Pretty tough
on them, but, after all, it is the Kirgez
religion, and their religion is in many
ways beautiful one. They do not drink
thank goodness, for that is the worst
AS they grow old the women of course
pray like mad to Allah to induce him
to persuade their husbands to allow them
also In the place of rest.
In spite of this popularity, however
l cannot help thinking the Kirgez religion
possesses many. points of superiority over
some others l know of, and l swear one
might do worse than become as they;
living clean. pure lives, constantly in the
open air, loving the wind the storms
the wide steppes. the sky and all nature
in all her moods, horses, dogs. and
everything which is simple in it's life
and natural in its ways.
M has joined me here now. and
sometimes sends me into a very hell Of
Ihe Russians here say he is the English
man and they take me for Yankee
their opinion being that a Yankee is as
crazy as a flea and constantly on the
jump: They far prefer the Americans to
the English, and I must say l have to
agree with them most Of the time, SO
many of the English are too self -centered
and narrow minded to live.
Things are much quieter here now
since the contingent of Cossacks left and
I am quite alone again. Things NAV be
all right yet, though, of course, one never
knows to what limits war will go The
mobilization here, the vodka drinking,
crying women. etc, was something
shall never forget / only trust things
may turn out well and that the life Of
our mining syndicate will not be cut
short. You must realize that in this
country things are entirely different to
what they are in the states and most
other countries. They can stop you work
Ing in q moment, and thus the risk of
Investing money. unless the property is
(like ours( extraordinarily rich, is very
considerable.
You had better leave politics entirely
alone in your letters, though none of my
correspondence has been opened so far.
rI0b
scored when they arrive here, as any
thing not pleasing TO the censors is either
blackened over with charcoal or cut out
entirely.