Evening star., 1928-05-13

pa,ises to wonder at THE fateful per.
sonality of Genghis Khan, which, al
/ bottom. We can no more account FOL
than the genius of Shakespeare"
Many things have contributed to keer
| the personality of GenghiS Khan hid
den from US. For one thing. the Mon
| gols could not write. or did not care
| TO do So In consequence the annals OF
| his day exist Sslly i'm the scattered writ
| ings of the Ug,lrs, the Chinese. the Per-
| SLAMS and Armenians. Not until re-
] Gently was the saga of the Mongo
Ssanang Setscn satisfactorily trans
| lated
There is a simple way of getting light
on the mystery that surrounds Genghis
Khan. This way is to turn back the
| hands OF the clock TOO years and look
at Genghis Khan as he is revealed In
the chronicles of his day. Not at the
miracle, or the incarnation of barbarie
power but at the man himself.
To visualize him. We must approach
him, among his people. We cannot
measure him by the standards OF mod
ern civilization We must view him IN
the aspects of barren world peopled
by hunters, horse-riding and reindeer
driving noma6s.
Here. men clothe themselves in the
skins of animals. and nourish them
selves on milk and flesh. They grease
their bodies to keep out cold and n1ois-
starve or freeze to death, or are cut
down by the weapons of other men.
Here are no towns or cities" says
valiant Fra Carpini. the first european
TO enter this land. but everywhere
S,my aAf hs1snAFpHfh
the whole being fertile except where 1t
is watered by rivers. which are very
rare.
This land is nearly destitute OF
trees, although well adapted for the
pasturage of cattle. Even the Emperor
and princes and all others warm
themselves and cook their victuals with
fires of horse-dung and cow-dung.'
This was the Cobb desert, AID. 1852.
the Year of the Swine in the calendar
of the Twelve Beasts.
Life did not matter very much In the
Cobb. Lofty plateaus, wind-swept. lying
close to the clouds Reed-bordered
lakes. visited by migratory winged crea-
lures on their way to the northern tun-
dras. Huge Lake Baikul visited by all
the demons of the upper air. In the
clear nights of Midwinter the flare OF
the northern lights rising and falling
above the horizon.
Children of this corner Of the north
ern Cobb were not hardened to suffer-
ing: they were born TO 1t. After they
were weaned from their mothers milk
to mares milk they we're expected TO
manage for themselves.
The places nearest the fire In the
family tent belonged to the grown war
riorS and to guests. Women. 1t Is true.
could SIT on the left side. but at dis
tance.. and the boys and gtrls had to
at In where they could.
So with food. In the Spring, when
horses and cows began TO give milk In
quantity, all was very well. The sheep
grew fatter, too. Game was more abun-
dant and the hunters Of the tribe would
bring In deer and even bear instead
of the lean ur-bearing animals like the
fox, narten and sable. Everything went
into the pot and was eaten--the able
bodied men taking the first portions.
the aged and the women received the
pot next. and the children had to fight
for bones and sinewy bits. Very little
was left for the dogs.
In the Winter. when the cattle were
lean, the children did not fare so well.
Milk existed then only In the form Of
kumiss-naiik placed In leather sacks
and fermented and beaten. II was
nourisi1iBg and slightly intoxicating.
for young chap Of or years--if he
could contriye 10 beg or steal some
Meat failing. boiled millet served to take
the edge OF hunger after fashion,
The end Of Winter was the worst Of
all for the youngsters. No more cattle
could be killed Oh without thinning the
herds too much At such time the
warriors Of the tribe were usually raid
Ing the food reserves OF another tribe.
carrying oil cattle and horses.
The children learned TO organize
hunts of their own. stalking dogs and
rats with clubs or blunt arrows. They
learned to ride. too. on sheep. clinging
10 the wool.
Endurance was the first heritage Of
Gcnghis Khan. whose birth name was
Temutin, gignifying The Finest Steel." /"
At the time of his birth his father had
been absent on a raid against q tribal
enemy. Temuttn by name. The enemy
was made prisoner, and the father. re-