The Ordway new era., 1922-01-13

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. d. CO
Few countries are more isolated
than Tibet with the huge bulk of
China hemming it in on the east, the
worlds greatest rampant of noun
tains to the south and west, and vast
desert eXpanse to the north. Behind
these bulwarks Tibet has existed for
centuries, inhospitable to the knock
ing of modern ideas; and it is today
therefore, in institutions and customs,
one of the most primitive of the larg-
er continental countries which have
any semblance of governmental ma
chinery. Buddhism seems TO have
been the only one of the great forces
molding the outside world which made
itself felt behind Tibet's towering
mountains; and even that force, hav-
ing once gained success, has been al
most swallowed up in the devil wor-
ship which is the highest religion that
the Tibetans themselves have evolved.
Until a few years ago the West
knew practically nothing of Tibet eN-
cept the rather doubtful information
brought to the outside world by few
adventurous travellers of the middle
ages. Explorer after explorer dur
ing the past century was turned back
with but fleeting glimpse of the
edge of the unknown land, usually in
the sparsely settled regions of the
aorth. slA-tl
But though much of Tibet is un-
known, civilization has set a few out
posts in the eastern edge of the coun-
try close to the Chinese border, and
so has come to know provincial Ii
bet" fairly well. The valley of the
Yangtze, where that greatest of Chi
nese rivers flows almost due south mt
the eastern end of the Himalayas,
forms the southern portion of the bor-
der between China proper and Tibet.
Theoretically Tibet is a vassal state of
China, but actually since the Chinese
revolution Tibet has kept all Chinese
officials out and has swum free under
her ruling priests. Even the region
on the China side of the YangtZe is
more Tibetan than Chinese.
This border region, which is better
known to the outside world than any
other part of Tibet, is country of
high plateaus and muntains. The prin-
cipal city of the region, Batang, is
one of the lowest points, yet its alti-
tude is 5000 feet above sea level,
nearly twice that of Denver. Much
of the surrounding plateau is 1900
to 5000 feet high. From this great
upland rise numerous peaks 10000
feet and more in height.
Tremendous Mountain Panorama.
The view from the submits of some
of the passes that must be traversed
in travelling about this marvelously
rugged country can hardly be sur
passed anywhere in the world. The
panorama for hundreds of miles on
a clear day is one of countless high
peaks interspersed with greater snowy
masses that exceed in height the top
most pinnacles of all other continents.
Below timber line are some fine for
ests, and the Alpine-like flowers of
the short summer are exceedingly
beautiful. Here and there among the
mountains are clear, sparkling lakes,
their waters so cold that in most of
them fish cannot live.
Many of the Tibetans are nomads.
tending tlocks of sheep and yak on
the uplands, and living in black, yak
hair tents. In those valleys which
are low enough to permit the matur-
ing of grain, other Tibetans practice
rude sort of agriculture.
In spite of the cold winters the tent
is the year-around home of the no.
mads, and they seldom even enter a
house. AS the snow melts on the
lower slopes of the mountains in the
spring, they follow their herds up
ward from the valleys in its train,
until in midsummer they are living
far up in the highlands and on the
sides of the peaks. When winter be-
gins to set in they make the reverse
journey, going down to the valleys
only as fast as the descending snow
line drives them.
The farmers Of the lower valleys
live In substantial houses of mud