Lhasa, the Forbidden City

are a few congregations of our missions in India that haYe added this festival to their church calendar. Not only the congregations that hold mission-festivals are eager, ready, and happy to do mission-work; there are some within all our Christian congregations who believe that they must "go" with the Gospel. But, oh, how many at home and in our India congregations are weak in fnith and lack the initiative to "go"!

Our Lutheran congregation at Vadakaugulam, South India, has about 200 members. The fathe1·s and mothers of the congregation were not always Lutherans. The children and young people have been taught in our own schools; for work was started here fi[teen years ago, in 1916. The conexceed Inst year's contributions. A program was prepared and printed, with thought-provoking questions added on the Inst page. The object was to put a copy in the hands of all who could read. Missionary G. C. Schroeder was invited to preach. He showed on the basis of the great missionary command who it is that commands us to go and who is to go. 'rhe morning service was well attended. 'rhe collection amounted to twenty rupees (about $6 in U. S. money). In the evening ,10 slides on the life of Paul were shown. Brief expla11a.tions were rendered by the undersigned. Much to our surprise and delight there were a great number of Hindu students and villagers present. The collection, though small, increased the amount for the day to such an extent that it exceeded that of last year.

When one considers that the average Sunday collection is about one-tenth of this mission-festival collection, it seems that the members have laid aside a great deal for the occasion. While there is much cause for rejoicing in this fact, it is our hope, aim, and prayer that our Indian brethren and sisters will contribute more and regularly, each week, and bring a special offering on the day of the mission-festival. CL~\REYOE RrrTl\C~lNN.

Vadakangulam, South India.

Missionary Clarence Rittmann and Wife.

gregation is made up of teachers, masons, farmers, coolies, cooks, and students of the high school living in the boarding establishment.

The mission-festival has been an annual affair with us here for a number of years. Usually a missionary from a near-by station bas been invited to preach on the occasion. This year again special efforts were made to acquaint the members with their opportunities and obligations.

This congregation has a splendid opportunity to spread the Gospel in the surrounding villages by sending men (its own teachers) and contributing according to its means. Two sermons on "Stewardship" and one on "Personal E,•angelism" were 'given on the Sundays preceding the day of the festival, September 13. The members were told bow much they had given during the past months and bow much they would have to contribute in order to Lhasa, the Forbidden City.

Lhasa, the . capital of Tibet, up to this century had never been entered by a foreigner except by an Englisl1man named Manning, who ·resided in the city a few months over a century ago. But in 1904 a British expedition under Colonel Younghusband entered Lhasa to insist by authority of his government that proper treatment be accorded British and Indian travelers in Tibet. This journey of the British envoy to "the Roof of the World" was a s.tirring and bloody march, and what members of this exp,edition saw after they reached the Forbidden City is of more than passing interest to the mission-minded person. The head of all things in Tibet, the person around whom things and events in Tibet seem to revolve, is the Dalai Lama, the Lama "whose power is vast as the ocean"; for that is what his name means. The Dalai Lama is supposed to be the reincarnation of the great and original Buddha· . All Tibetans venerate him as a god. But for all this, his power is limited and is largely dependent upon the good will of the lamas, or high priests, who surround him. Just what this all means may be in-

£erred from the fact that the three immediate predecessors died mysteriously nt the early nge of eighteen years nnd were in each case succeeded by regents, who performed the duties of the Dalai Lama till a new one could be found and inducted into his office as priest-god.

The finding of a new Dalai Lama is connected with considerable trouble. Fit-st of all, upon the death of the reincarnate Buddha a search is made for a boy baby who was born at ihe time when the Dalai Lama died. Such a baby must be found within two years, and when found, he and his parents are removed to Lhasa. 'l'he mother's work is soon over, but the father o.f the new priest-god is given a palace and is created a "duke." The child is carefully trained till he is eighteen years old, at which time he is inducted into his office as the head o.f the Buddl1a cult in Tibet. The present Dalai Lama, who is now over fifty years old, looked forward with dread to the time when he ,vould be eighteen years old; and when that time came, he fled to China, aud in this manner no doubt saved his life. Four years later he returned to Lhasa and took over the control of affairs. He found two parties among the priests, and as a wise man he decided to ally himself with the stronger party. ,

When the expedition of Colonel Yow1ghusband visited Lhasa, the Dalai Lama was twenty-eight years old; but he was not in Lhasa upon. the arrival of the foreign ,,isitors, for he had taken flight to China. In his absence the Chinese .Amban, the actual head of the Tibetan government, entered upon a treaty with the representative of Great Britain, establishing friendly ,relations and guaranteeing fair treatment in f}lture to all British subjects.

Lhasa is beautifully situated in a fertile plain. Mountains of considerable height surround it on all sides. The plain around the city has a number of fine groves of trees. The city itself has not a few public buildings of considerable size and of pretentious a.ppenrance. On Potola Hill is the palace of the Dalni Lama. This great building covers the east side of the hill from top to bottom, while the center of the structure ·crowns the summit of the hill. Golden pavilions have been erected on the flat

roof of the palace. A great stairway lends from the main entrance below to the very summit of the hill.

The palace measures almost a mile in circumference, and in it dwell 500 monks. There is a spacious

promenade on the highest part of the palace, from which t~e Dnlai Lama can look down upon the up-

turned faces of his worshipers five hundred feet below.

The city of Lhasa itself is not very large, possibly no more than a half mile from end to end. The street are very narrow and unpaved. The flatroofed houses are all of brick or stone and generally quite low, the highest not exceeding three stories. The exteriors of these houses are usually whitewashed; the interiors, however, al'e Yery filthy and malodorous. In every house may be found a shrine and a prayer-wheel. These prayer-wheels ha\"e on them written and printed prayers, and he that turns these wheels is supposed to get credit for saying the prayers printed on them. Charms, such as bits of turquoise attached to the .wheels, are supposed to make the prayers more effective.

In Lhasa there is also the cathedral, the greatest and most sacred of all the shrines of Tibet. Pilgl'ims from China and Mongolia generally may be met withiu its walls. 'l'he size and majesty of the cathedral is greatly hidden by being buried in the narrow streets of Lhasa. Near the city is situated what is said to be the largest monastery in the world. Depung - such is its Tibetan name - is five hundred years old and harbors no less than 8,000 Buddhist monks within its walls. The Dalni Lama lives at Depung for a short time every year. It may be said in passing that the whole country is dotted with monasteries, nearly every hill of prominence in that . mountainous country being crowned ,vith such a home for monks.

There nre four orders of lamas, - the red; the yellow, .. the white, and the black. The red are the oldest and most numerous, and the yellow come next . • The white and black monks are the workers in the monasteries, the painters, printers, potters, masons, and the like. They do the cooking for the upper two orders, cany the water and serve as shepherds. Of the 30,000 persons living in Lhasa 20,000 are monks or the servants of monks. The rest of the inhabitants are women. Only a few filthy children are to be seen on the streets, and old people are also very seldom seen. It is claimed that most people die before mid.die age because of the insanitary condition in which they l~ve.

Lamas are reputed to be great extortioners. They succeed in getting money from the ignorant people under almost every conceivable pretense. They are noted money-lenders and usurers, and their debtors are made the slaves of the monastery if they are unable to pay. The superior of every monastery is a so-called Grand Lama, who has supreme power

over the monks of his monastery. Lamas are notorious for their cruelty, which often verges on inhumanity, and for their frightful dishonesty and uncleanliness. ·

The market-place of Lhasa is a busy place. Here you may see the monks in·red robes mixing with the common people, dressed in none too clean garments, whose original colors have been largely obliterated by the dirt that has gathered on them. The white turbans of the Mohammedans make them quite conspicuous; so also the fair faces of the people of Nepal distinguish them from the swarthy natives of Tibet. Side by side with the rich man, dressed in a rich gown of yellow or blue, walks a man dressed in the skin of some wild beast. By no means least conspicuous are the Chinese, who show by their demeanor that they are the real lords of the city. A few women, some of them richly dressed, may also be seen. A strange sight to the visitor·must be to see all th~se people, no matter where they belong, twirling their prayer-wheels or counting their rosaries while they are talking or trading.

All Tibetans believe in charms and oracles. Their charms they ever carry with them, and they undertake notl;ting of importance unless they first consult their monks. At Lhasa there is a great national oracle, with a high priest and a hundred monks. The common people are certain that these monks can look into the future, prevent storms, cast out demons, and even raise the spirits of the dead.

Their medical and hygienic !deas are very crude. At Lhasa there is a national medical school, having a course requiring eight years' att.endance. '£he course of study consists in memorizing hundreds of foiDlulas. Students learn at this college that a woman's heart is in the middle of the chest. Each wrist is supposed to have three different pulses, and the nature of a disease is judged by examining these six pulses with due care. However, the common native relies more upon incantations, since in his opinion all maladies are caused by evil spirits and no man can get well until these demons have been I

cast out.

The food and drink of the Tibetans would disgust us. A concoction of leaves, boiled in butter with balls of dough, is their chief drink. This "tea'' they drink at all hours. Regular tea is sold in bricks weighing about four pounds each. These bricks are made up of tea-leaves and -twigs, wrapped :in yellow paper. instead of money These tea bricks are often used as a means of exchange. Their substitute for bread is a thin cake made of wheat- or barJ..ey-meal. Their favorite delicacy is a broth of meat and many vegetables. And here is one good thing to be said of the natives of Tibet- drunkenness is not known among them, for none of their brews is intoxicating.

And now a few words about the women of Tibet. There are fewer women than men, and so it often happens that a woman has more than one husband. Instead of polygamy, as elsewhere, we have here to do with the sin of polyandry. Those who claim to Jn1ow say that the women of Tibet are braver than the men and more intelligent. These also say that a good-looking Tibetan woman has never been seen. Whatever their looks may be by nature, they make themselves hideous by smearing their faces with some ill-smelling grease to prevent the chapping of the skin in the strong winds which are prevalent because of the high altitude. Many of the women of Tibet are nuns, and there are said to be almost as many nuns in the country as there are monks.

Just a few words as to the industries most prevalent in Tibet. The rural Tibetan moves a great deal from place to place in search of pasture for his sheep and yaks. Many of the herds and flocks are in charge of women. Many Tibetans are engaged in weaving into cloth the fine wools of the sheep and the long silky hair of the ya.ks; others are employed in making pottery and wooden bowls; still others make incense, of which great supplies are in constant demand.

Such are Tibetans, once thought to be the most religious people in the world, but now known to be the most degraded and superstitious and at heart a most unhappy people. Judged by their government., morals, and social life, they occlipy a very low level. The glamor and romance which once wa~ Tibet's has been dispelled, and we see it to-day in all its sordidness, ignorance, and debasement. They are to be classed among the most benighted people on earth. We cannot but shudder at their dreadful physical, social., and moral condition and cast about us for ways and means to bring tht;!m the only power able to uplift them, the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation. ·

Certain ev~nts have occurred in recent years to help open the forbidden land of the Tibetans to the coming of the messengers of the Gospel. Under British influence the government has become better, and a limited number of Christian missionaries has crossed the boundary that separated Tibet from other countries. God is apparently so shaping events as to work out a way to make known to the benighted people of Tibet His Son, the only Savior of the world. F. J. L.