The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-03
STRANGE TRIBES LIVE IN CHINA
Almost Inaccessible Coun- try Where a Conglomerate Race Live in Peace and Prosperity; May Have Been Inventors of Gun powder.

New York Feb. 3.-E1fteen thous- and miles from Broadway, in the wilds of Western China where the foot of a white man never before had trod, according to Rev. Dr. Joseph Beech, a Methodist missionary, lives a polyglot nation of more than A. 000,000 persons "9" per cent. of whom do not know that there has been a war"
 Dr. Beech today told of a journey he took alone, with a native guide last summer far into the depths of the habitat of "the tu-ren, or chill dren of the soiI,' the strangest people in the Orient"
 The doctor passed three weeks among the twenty or more tribes in the land, which is inaccessible as Thi- bet, he said, and while there found almost every type of mankind, in cluding pygmies, men and women re- sembling negroes, American Indians East Indians, Gurkas, South Sea Is flanders, Europeans and other races apparently from all four quarters of the globe. These people, of course he said, had never been anywhere  them, namely, in a region about the size of New York state. T found land of beautiful val leys, covered with fine farms and homesteads," said the explorer mis- sionary, while towering above them were mountains from 5000 to 16,OO0 feet high. The frontier of the coun- try was protected by queer looking stone fortified buildings manned by natives armed with weapons resemb- ling the old-fashioned blunderbuss It is not impossible that these peo- pie were the originators of gunpow- der, for the Chinese who for years have tried to rule them admit it is of better quality than the powder they make themselves.
 Although suspicious of warlike, and hostile to some kinds of Chinese, the 'tu-ren' proved to to be most hospitable and fed and sheltered us. Huge smokestacks in their communi- ties gave them the appearance of thriving industrial cities. When we arrived we found they were employe| solely for the purpose of drying and curing vegetables, meat and fish, which were suspended tier upon tier the entire height of the chimney
 '"The architecture of the country was distinctively foreign to China, re- sembling in many respects the feudal castles of Normandy. In other re- spects It was not unlike the struc- lures of Babylonia and Palestine. Grain, for instance. after being har- vested, was threshed upon the roofs of the houses, just as in the Holy Land. The houses themselves are nothing more than boxes, with per haps one window from which the odors and smoke of cooking escapes.
 "On top of practically all the for tifed castles a flag was flown. I was told these were prayer flags and had no special tribal or patriotic signi- ficance. Every man in the country, apparently Is "a law unto himself Each tribe has its chieftain but there is no national head and China ex- ercises nominal sovereignty.
 "Quarrels are settled on horseback by means of blunderbusses, spears, bags of stones and swords. The en- emies challenge one another and at g. given signal ride full tilt on small wiry ponies. at each other. It is sell dom that combatants escape alive but the survivor is required to feed and clothe the family of his dead adver- sary as long as they live and this makes 'duels' rare. In many respects these combats resemble the tourna- ment of the Middle Ages"
 Dr. Beech said that while he be- lieved he had penetrated further into this section of Western China than any other white man he regretted that he had not gone still further. ''For my guide" said he, said that four or five days journey beyond there were tribesmen near Sungpan who are just like you are.' That is natives who appeared like Ameri- cans" Their dress, conversation and mode of living, of course, he said, was characteristic of the country
 How so many different types of people located there is a problem for thethnologist," resumed Dr. Beech. '"One theory is that they represent all the warning tribal elements, that have come into the continent of Asia and driven by the Mongols and Tarters, made their last stand in this natural refuge between India, China and the northern part of Asia.
 Each tribe is independent of the other, all speak a patois of Thibetan and Turkestan, and their religion seems to be animistic or that of the Llamas The most numerous are the Lolos, which, again are Subdivided into smaller tribes. Others are the Miaos, who are polyandrous or poly gamous These people, I believe, are responsive to Christian influence and kind treatment and 15O missionaries would bring to them the enlighten- ment they so much need. Nothing has ever been done for therl by civ ilization.
 'All of the natives are farmers or herdsmen The latter raise huge numbers of goats hundreds of thous- ands of which can be seen on the mountain sides. Recently, or since the Chinese have equipped their army with modern rifles, the Chinese have opened up trading with the 'tu- rem and now vast quantities of raw wool and hides are being exchanged The Chinese, too are utilizing some of the valleys to raise opium but this is done without the approval of the Picking government
 Speaking of the possibilities for ex- banding trade in the Orient, Dr. Beech declared China alone could en- able the great Powers to recoup their war losses. ''They are hungry for American goods" he said. "and the field is unlimited. The Chinese peo- Dla ara I,iul,11, cJIf11red evo, +l,o ,oor