Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-05-10
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
Missing History

The claim to the region by Russia
and the apparent fact that it is at
least sufficiently under Russian con-
troll to make scientific work possible
by Russian psychologists is interest
ing because the site of kharakhoto
is little more than a stones throw
from Picking in a region long under
Chinese dominance.
A bulletin from the Washington,
d. c.. headquarters of the National
Geographic Society tells of the Mon
gols and their land.
CapitalN During Unknown Era
"~kharakhoto was the seat OF Mon
gol power during a very early period
of their history which hitherto has
been practically unknown" says the
bulletin.
What these world-conquering
people may have been and done in
the dim past has been obscured, in
fact, by their strange boiling over
in the thirteenth century when Gen
shiz Khan with his cruel, invincible,
hard fighting rough-riders from their
half barren plains, suddenly became
the scourge of East and West alike,
and came much closer to conquering
the world than even Alexander had
done.
Coming into prominence for only
a brief moment in the long period
of history, these people became mas
ters of China, Korea, Indo China
and Burma in the East, and practi-
cally all of Asia west and south
of their steppes, and even extended
their conquests through Russia into
the heart of Poland and Hungary.
"Kublai Khan, IL of Genghiz's
early successors, who made Picking
the Chinese capital and sat there
on the Dragon Throne, probably
ruled over a greater territory than
any man had done before or has
done since. But once out Of the
saddle-where they were more
pert and more at home even than
Cossack or American I~ndian-the
Mongols lost their power and after
a century their tremendous empire
was only a memory. So dramatic
was this sudden rise and fall of the
Mongols that it and the somewhat
drab period since have gone for
Mongol history, and there has been
little interest in what precedes their
brief excursion into world dominion.
Records. If they can be dug from
Kharakhoto, therefore, will fill out
a period of history now practically
blank.
Chinese Wall Built to Block MongoIs
zone hint of the importance that
the Mongols may have attained at
an early date is the worlds mo-
extensive work of man, the Great
Wall of China; for 1t was in an ef-
fort to keep their Mongol neighborsl
out that the Chinese began that tre-
rampant in 219 B. c. The
ruins of Kharakhoto are barely so
outside the Great Wall and
not more than ESQ miles from Pc
king. They lie on the southeast
ern edge of the Cobb Desert in al
the dryness of which is re-
to have preserved even papers
and fabrics of great age. The ruins
lie in what has come to be known
Mongolia into which there has been
a considerable inhltration of Chin
ese in recent centuries.
THE political pendulum has made
frequent Swings in Mongolia in late
years. 1t had been recognized as a
province of China for many years
when in 1912 Imperial Russia OBJ
tanned a treaty recognizing its an
tonomy and granting concessions to
Russia. When the Russian Empire
collapsed China cancelled the treaty
of 1912 and reassumed unrestrict-
ed control. Later on anti-Bolshevik
force took possession of the CAPT.
tai, Urga, and brought about COM
plete independence of Mongolia as
a nominal empire. The Bolshevists
then gained control and turned the
empire into q republic
Religion Made Pacifsts of Wild
Warriors
1.-THE Mongols of today are of the
same strain as their far-conquering
predecessors and many of them live
the same care-free nomadic life on
the plains. But among the people
as a whole there has been a tremen-
dous change in habits and outlook on
life. Buddhism-or rather its de-
generate phase, Lamaism-has
wrought the change; and furnishes
n of the most striking instances
known of tlfe power of a religion to
make over a people. The particular
aspect of Lamaism that has deeply
affected the Mongols is the growth
of monasteries. Some estimates are
to the effect that as many as one
third of allthe men among the Mon
gols are monks, living in idleness,
supported by the remainder OF the
population.
THE Chinese, after the Mongol
dynasty was driven from Their
throne, encouraged Lamaism be-
cause the growth of monasticism
tended to reduce the birthrate to
keep the remainder of the popula-
ton in poverty, and to discourage
war. Their plan worked SO well that
the people who 700 years ago were
the war-thirsty, ~ravening scourge of
the civilized world are now a ma
ton of p~aciists. Even the hardy
horsemen who remain are under the
dominance of the corrupt Buddhist
priests.
ut has been said of many peoples
who live much in the saddle hat
they are 'centaurs.' The Mongol of
today in spite of loss of his war
rior qualities has a better claim to
the title than most of his competi-
tors. The typical Mongol horseman
will ride fifteen hours without a
murmur, but bitterly resents having
to walk a hundred yards. So UNI
used is he to walking that he has a
rolling gait like that of the saltiest
sea dog He turns to his horse
in many emergencies. II a saddle
strap breaks the Mongol rider pulls
a few hairs from his pony's tail,
braids them n uses the resulting
strong cord to make his equipment
as good as new. Monaghan horse
races are grueling, straightway en-
durance contests. Some of the wiry
ponies entered in these contests have