The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-01

veritable topsy-turvy land. Take, for
example, one striking contrast. The
tendency in the newer civilization is all
away from asceticism and monasticism;
in Tibet it reaches an extreme with a
class known as the Buried Monks, who
immune themselves each in his own cell
or cave in the. side Of the mountain,
merely opening a window upon signal
from without once a day to take in wa
ter and an unleavened cake for susie
nance. It was after witnessing the an.
swer Of ghostly hand to such signal
that Mr.. Landon wrote: " s~...
The Buried Monks.
do not know what feelings were uppermost
at that moment in the others, but l know that
physical chill struck thru me to the marrow.
The awful pathos of that painful movement
struggled in me with an intense shame that we
had intruded ourselves upon private misery;
and that we should have added one straw to the
burden borne in the darkness by that unseen
and unhappy man was curiously poignant re-
gret. We came away, and the abbot told US
the story Of the sect. These men, said the
| abbot. when we questioned him, live here in
this mountain of their own free will; few
of them allowed little light whereby
reading is possible, but these are the weaker
| brethren: the others live In darkness in square
cell partly hewn out of the sharp slope Of the
| rock, partly built up, with the window just
within reach Of their appraised hand. There are
| three periods of their immurement The first
| is endured for six months; the second, upon
which monk may enter at any time he pleases
] or not at all. is for three years and ninety
Ithree days; the third and Inst period is for
life. Only this morning" said the abbot "a
hermit died here after having lived in darkness
more revolving because the men entered willing
ly upon it. ''What happens when they are ill?''
O'Connor asked the abbot. The answer, came
| concisely enough, "They never are" 1t is true
| that when pressed he qualified this statement a
little, but it seemed still to have considerable
! TRUTH. He himself was waiting for the moment
| now not long to be delayed, when he should
bid his final farewell to the world.
Landon VS.. Hedin.
tsThe Opening Of Tibet - is in reality
the first authoritative report on life il
Tibet. Sven Hedin's book was more 6
scientific work, dealing with geographi
cal, meteorological and archaeological
matters. Mr.. 1andon's book, while i
chiefly to the people and the civiliza
ton, of course, also, including the rea
sons for the Younghusband expedition
and it's progress from the Indian from
tier to Lhasa Hedin was trying to sill
. into Lhasa in the guise OF an Asiatic
He had no fighting force. Consequent,
he avoided as far as possible meeting
Tibetans, which, of course, barred hin
almost completely from study Of Tibe
: tan life. The British expedition wa
armed and prepared to fight its way. l
took beaten paths and did not shrin1
from meeting the Asiatics, but rattle
courted social intercourse with then
l Hence Mr.. Landon saw Tibetan life a
: close range, and, as the progress of tn
, expedition was not rapid, he had tim
to make his study thoro. He write:
therefore, with authority and in deta
| Of "Life in Tibetar Town. of g Ke
f ligion, Manners and Customs. Art.' 0
;, "Lamaism," of !"Lhasa." He. tells
= tiers on g Crossing the Himalayas,
$ WThe Fight at the Wall,O {. Attacke
e by the Tibetans,'' "The Relief of til
s Mission,'' ''The Advance to Lhasa,
and others. "The Reasons for the E1
! pedition'' is clear explanation of tn
s events that led up to the invasion {
. the forbidden land by the British, an
sheds much light on the diplomatic
orientally diplomatic-efforts Of Russi
Is to gain the mastery there. 4.
=. Important from Two Viewpoints.
- Altogether, then, the book is impor
Il ant history, as well as important di
1t coyery. It marks new era in a Ian
l. destined to come more and more to tt
:, attention of the world as the orient
y reimbursement now under way ASSUME
n definite shape. While, then, Tibeta
life is almost wholly repellantt, to Il
western mind, offering practically not
. ing Of value, even TO- those who ha,
:. proclaimed widely that it could gi1
) newer civilizations lessons in religic
l. and in the occult, Mr.. Landon's boo
e as a record Of the opening Of a ter
! incognita is by far the most importa1
- hook Of it's kind issued for many year
y and it is issued in a form and max
IN worthy of it's Importance.
Doubleday. Page & Co., New York.
Il $3.50 net.