They may be seen following
each other in long trains, with large packs fastened on their little
backs, and climbing up very narrow and steep paths.
And what is in these packs? Wool: not sheep's wool, but goat's wool: for
the goats of Thibet have very fine wool under their hair. No such wool is
found on any other goats. But though the people of Thibet can weave
common cloth, they cannot weave this beautiful wool, as it deserves to be
woven. Therefore they send it to a country the other side of the Himalaya
mountains, called Cashmere; and there it is woven into the most beautiful
shawls in all the world.
But wool is not the only riches of Thibet. There is gold to be found
there; some in large pieces, and some in small dust. There are also large
mines of copper. And what use is made of these riches? The worst in the
world. With the gold and copper many IDOLS are made; for Thibet is a land
of idols. The religion is the same there as in China,--the Buddhist;--and
that is a religion of idols.
But there is an idol in Thibet, which there is not in China. It is a
LIVING IDOL. He is called the Grand Lama. There are Lamas in Tartary, but
the GRAND Lama is in Thibet. He is looked up to as the greatest being in
the world, by all the Lamas in Tartary, and by all the people of the
Buddhist religion. There are more people,--a _great many_ more,--who
honor _him_, than who honor our GREAT GOD.
But this man leads a miserable life.
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