The Washington times., 1914-03-29
By ]. R. HILDEBRAND.

By ]. K. HILDEBRAND.
Juggling the diplomatic affairs OF
civilized nations is admitted to be
ticklish business. But how would you
like to be assigned to make treaty
with q people from a lest world?
That was Sir Francis Younghusband's
job.
II another man cannot understand
Your language you can hire an inter
prefer. But II he Cor three or four
million of hirn0 cannot understand your
making friends with him..
Then. too, II he lives on a plateau.
ard you have to combine the hardinooo
OF an Alpine climber and an Arctic ex-
plorer to get to him, you might think
twice before tackling the job.
He Won Lasting Fame.
Sir Francis did not. He won lasting
fame by heading the famous British
mission to Tibet's capital in 1903 Brit
ish relations with the Chinese only re-
Gently reached the stage where the full
story Of that remarkable expedition
could be divulged. Sir Francis told
portions of II in his lectures here De-
fore the National Geographic Society
this week, and he recounted the entire
thrilling narrative, with sideMShts on
the quaint life ana manners Of this
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES people. to q
The ,nvarteble modesty Of the ex-
plorer tinged the tale as related by
this remarkable Englishnan. AS told
BY him the whole story sounded like
a tale Of fiction. in which he merely
exercised the roveli3ts privilege of be-
ing behind the scenes at all STAGES OF
the game
And it was a game. game of life
and death. A game Of the foremost
T.kA IL 1r1n-
on the globe. A game where slip of
the tongue meant wsr, with its tre-
mendous cost of human life and money,
and the added consequence of an ORR
entail complication it might have taken
4ears to unraveL Beside the world
consequences of this impending dis
aster, the Mexican situation suddenly
looked like child play.
Matter of History Now.
Blu. that is history. though it has
not yet all been written. And this is
the personal story of Sir Francis
Younghusband Observation-Disclosures
rior- globe trotter.
What ] set out to accomplish in
Tibet not only was the signing OF this
treaty, but to get the good Will OF the
people. A paper treaty would not have
been worth much after ] had returned.
What We wanted was lasting frleno'
ship with the Tibetans.
Inc offenses committed against the
British by the TiHetans, were suffered
for nearly century because the Eng
lish knew they were committed through
ignorance. So Sir Francis was given
this task Of educating them to modern
way of looking at International affairs.
His adventures salrted after he had
trieo in vain to communicate with the
Tlbetan monarch by letter. Because
the Tibetans feared the British threat.
ereo their religion they wanted no IN
trusions. They baked even at ordinary
communications with the outside world
Napoleon took a long look at the Alps
before he went over into Italy But
higher still doomed the towering III.
maIayas beyond when lay the secluded
plateau in which this lost world had
run its secluded course. Beside 1t the
Chinese, backward as they seem TO te
had achieved a progress that was ultra
modern in comparison.
Confident In Seclusion.
These Himalayas gave the Tibetane
o0nfdence. because they believed all
they had to do was to play waiting
game for a few months. then winter
would come and no one ever had
thought the soldiers Of the sun-scorched
plains of India could cross the Himala-
fas in winter, much less endure TIE
Freezing cold and rarified air when they
arrived there.
$50 the first thing to do" explained
Or Francis. was to disabdse the
Tfbetans of that idea. With a military
escort. headed by General Mcdonald.
and authorized by Lord curzon and