The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-08-17

| in many ways to that of medieval
with large groups Of retainers. Some
Of these till the fields while others
carry on industries necessary for the
maintenance of the establishment. In
the factory wings of some Of the
great castles many girls and women
are kept busy weaving silk, wool, and
Gotten fabrics. Men make excellently
tempered swords and other weapons
from charcoal iron, and others Engage
In gold and silversmith's work. In the
mOnasteries bells and images are cast
from metals.
Their swords are Every handsome
weapons, with finely finished blades,
deliberately wrought, silver-handled,
inlaid with turquoise and coral, and
silver scabbards with gold-washed pat
terms, attached to handsome leather
belts with brightly colored silk cords
and tassels. Their daggers are also
very fine, many of them with triangu-
lar blades and fiuted sides with sheaths
of exquisite open silver and gold work
set Win turquoise.
The monasteries possess an art
which is probably peculiar to Bhutan.
They make most beautiful needlework
pictures of the saints on hanging ban
ners. Innumerable pieces of colored
silks and brocades are applied in q
most artistic manner with elaborate
stitches Of all kinds. Many of them
are veritable works of art.
Another industry In which the
Bhutanese excel is basket-wOrk and
fine mating, made from split a
The baskets are beautifully woven of
very finely split cane and some of the
lengths. are cOlored to form a pattern.
They are made. in two circular pieces,
rounded top and bottom, and the two
pieces fit so closely and well that they
can be used to carry water. They are
from 6 to 10 inches In diameter, and
the Bhutanese use them principally
to carry cooked rice and food. They
also make much larger and stronger
baskets, very much In the shape of a
~mule-pannier, and these are used in a
similar way for pack animals.
Why Their Work Is Excellent.
Possibly the excellence of the work
produced in Bhutan owes much to the
feudal system which still prevails
there. Each penlop and jongpen has
his own workmen among his retainers,
men who are not paid by the piece
and are not obliged either to work up
to time or to work at all If the spirit
is not In them, and consequently they
put their souls into what they do, with
the result that some pieces of splendid
individuality and excellent finish are
alike, and each workman leaves his
impress on his work.
If Bhutan is ever opened up as q
resort for sightseers Americas Grand
canyOn and its Yosemite valley ma
have to look to their laurels. The gorge
of the Tchin-chu is bordered by stu
pendous cliffs of the most weird
shapes, among the lowest OF which Ei
Captain of the Yosemite would be
dwarfed. The towering rocks are cleft
in numberless places from top to bot
tom, leaving narrow Sits or assures,
some Of which are said to be a mile
or more long.
The B~hutanese men are fine, tall,
w~ell-developed, with an open, honest
cast of face, and the women are come
ly, clean and well dressed and excel
lent housekeepers and managers.
Their religion is Buddhism and their
language a dialect Of Tibetan. The
population of Bhutan is about 100000.
The clothes of the higher officials
are always immaculate, their brocades
and silks fresh and unstained In any
way, and even the coolies are a great
contrast TO the usual Tibetan or OAR
feeling coolie. A great part of the
country is under cultivation, and they
raise sufficient crops to support the
whole population, including the lamas.
AS the lamas In Bhutan are fed,
clothed and housed at state expense,
and as their numbers have steadily
increased. they have become q very
heavy burden.