San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-16
London University Man
Made First Photograph
in IF orbidden City,"
WENT In DISGUISE
Dr.. McCovern Tells Inter.
esting Things About
Strange Country.

charger, where one man out of fou
is monk, where 20 out of Sc let
tiers in the alphabet are unpronounce'
and where the women may choose !
multitude of husbands but a man cal
attach himself to but one spouse, DR.
William Montgomery McGovern o
London University, arrived in Sal
Antonio Saturday morning.
This curious country is Tibet, ir
Asia, about which Or. McGoverr
lectured at S o'clock Saturda,
night in the Main Avenue High
School auditorium under the auspices
of the Girls Friendly Society.
The subject of DIR. McGovern's talk
was ITO Lhasa in Disguise" in which
he told of his trip to Lhasa which
is known as the forbidden city. Here
he took che first motion and still pic
lures ever taken by any man and
these he showed Saturday night to
illustrate his lecture.
DR.. McGovern is a scholar on Bud
dhist philosophy and he went into the
interior of Tibet in disguise in order
to secure the information which he
desired. This was the only method
by which first hand information
could be obtained in Tibet for it
meant death for solitary white man
to wander into the interior of this
desolate land.
Death was not the only thing that
endangered the course of DIR. Nc
Gov, MS tour. While very near his
goal, the city of Lhasa, the doctor
stopped at a place where travellers
were put up. The landlady was at
tracted TO the newcomer and was on
the point of making him her sixth hus-
band when be fled to the next stop
ping place. DR.. McGovern explained
that in Tibet the women are allowed
the greatest of freedom and that they
select as many husbands as they de
sire while the man is allowed but
one wife. This eternal leap year"
exemplifies the freedom OF the women
in Tibet, according 10 DR.. McGovern
who stated that women also run most
of the shops and places of business.
There is but one carriage in Tibet
and it is kept in Lhasa the principal
city. Only the deities and the priest
hood are allowed TO ride on this carr
rage when gods are pulled through the
streets for the alteration of the pop
ulace.
Donkeys are considered more de-
sirable than horses as mounts for the
reason that horses jog and as a re-
suit jolt the nder while the donkey
tr0ts at a smoother pace. The pc
culiar saddle used by the natives makes
the donkey's trot more comfortable.
The stirrups are placed high and the
saddle slants back so that the rider
can lean back on it. When a horse
yalks along with a saddle like this
Jon its back it has more of a jog than
pony which jolts the rider. 1t is
considered undignified for a Tibetian
noble to be jolted in this manner.
Are Very Religious.
The people of the Tibet are in
tensely religions. One man out of
four is a monk. These monks live in
monasteries which hold as many as
5000 monks in the larger cities. The
nuns also enter the church und live
in nunneries. The monks abstain
from smoking and from intoxicating
drinks.
The monks have a method OF do
ing penance which also is peculiar
to Tibet. They sometimes have them
selves walled up in cells on cliffsdes
with only holes through which food
is given them. They remain in these
cells as long as their vows require
them to do, this being from short per-
iods to lifetime. Always they name
a mystic number to desirnate the
length Of time, such as seven years.
seven months, and seven days or SINH
lar periods.
Although a forbidden thing, tobacco
has strong attractions for the Tibctian.
Smoke emanating from the human
body is considered an I'll vInen ny the
monks generally but when>the laymen
20 to India or other countries they
smoke profusely.
Another popularity OF the country
is its language. There are 80 letters
in the Tibetian alphabet but 90 of
these are silent.
King Occupies Big Palace.
Although the natives are afraid that
they will release the spirit or devil
when they dig in the ground. gold is
one of their methods of measuring
wealth. They only use gold which is
washed out Of the esrth by streams
and which is exposed at the surface.
Other things of value are horses, mules
and similar articles.
There is no natural fuel in Tibet.
Much of the food is eaten raw.
The only Telephone and telegraph
system in Tibet is merely the play
'hing of the king who uses them for
communicating with his provincial
rulers and does not SEND messages
commercially.
Although the country is very .prim.
tive the natives are great builders
The palace of the king or Dalai Lama
is fifteen stories high and built of sun.
dried materials with mud for cement.
Poor Have no Lamps.
Time is measured by the rising and
the setting of the sun or the first and
second crow of the cock. When night
comes everyone goes TO, bed except the
very wealthy who have butter lamps
which are made Of wicks stuck in bowls
butter
DR. McGovern has been in San An.
tonic before. his mother having taught
in st. Mary's Hall in 1905. DIR. Me.
Governs coming to San Antonio al
that time was not very ostentations
While travelling from California to
Georgia with his mother, DIR. Nc.
Govern became sick NTH the measles
at FL Paso. When the passenger: