The Washington times., 1936-02-29

ship, he said, would be nothing
to what he put up with during his
few hours in the air.
He's made the trip, and 100000
people were on hand to meet him
at Tsinging. That's quite a gather
ing any place. But when you fig
ure that the entire population Of
Tibet is not much more than g..
100000. and that it is probably
the most difficult country in the
world to get around in, the size Of
that reception committee takes on
amazing proportions. If, for in
stance, we we're to equal it in the
United States, it would mean the
assembling of 10000, 900 persons to
greet a president, a Lndbergh, or
some other hero or ruler.
The plump little man with the
alert little eyes is the Panchen
Lama, and his return to Tibet
marks the end of a 12-year exile
spent in China. He had been
driven out by the Dalai Lama, the
supreme ruler of the isolated,
mountainous country Of Central
Asia which plays such an impor.
tant part in the religious and po-
litical life Of the whole Of the
vast continent of Asia.
UNTOLD WEALTH
The Dalai Lama is dead, and
the Panchen Lama is to take his
place. He gives up his $48O, ,OoO
yearly salary from China and pre-
pares to be civil and religious
head of the mobiles, monks and
herdsmen who populate the desc
late plateauS beyond the borders
of Edward WIS vast empire of
India.
Word from the Orient is to the
effect that his years of forced
residence in modern civilization
have left their imprint on the Pan
chen Lama. He may get sick in
airplaneS, but that fact has not
turned him against them. It is
reported that he will introduce
them into Tibet along with ra-
dioS and automobiles. He won't
exactly introduce the automobile
since his deceased predecessor al.
ready had brought a motor car
into the country at considerable
expense and considerably more
trouble.
Primarily, the Lama wants the
airplane to export gold from Tibet,
according to a young American,
son Of a missionary, who says that
he will be in Tibet this summer
to arrange a syndicate for the ex-
port of gold. One thing is Ger.
tain, there will be no trouble
finding that metal.
The Tibetan Lama is really a
King of the Golden River. Not
a single stream in his domain is
without the glittering substance
in its sands. Heretofore, most Of
the metal washed out or worked
from the few mines has been de-
posted in the monaSterieS.
The TibetanS UP to now have
had little concern with the mon.
etary problems Of the outside
world and, like as not, could not
export the gold at a profit if
they so desired. There wasn't
much that they could be given in
return for it. But the supposed
desire of the Lama to modernize
his country in even a small way,
coupled with the prevailing high
price paid for gold, changes the
picture.
The photographs Of Lhasa, the
capital and the holy and forbid
den city Of Tibet, remind one of
those Of Boulder Dam. It's chief
features are the great monastery
and the palace of the Lama. With
mountains all about, these rise
from a plateau in a series of set.
backs which give them the ap-
pearance. at a distance, of the
concrete walls of the dams in the
Colorado and Tennessee Rivers.
i PANCHEN LAMA
The Importance of the Panchen
Lama lies in the belief of many
millions of persons in China,
Japan and India that he is the in.
carnation of Buddha. It will be
recalled, how on the death of the
Dalai Lama in December. 1888, the
world was intrigued by the search
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