OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS CORNER

FOB BOYS AND GIRLS. (Conducted by " Magistee," to whom all communications must be addressed.) THE THIBETAN EXPEDITION. The following cullings from a couple of educational journals will be interesting at tho present juncture. The first is, to me, very interestingly put : — Thibet's Strategic Value to the Powers. Thibet is a "buffer" State between British Ir.dia. and Kussia- In case of -war between England and Russia. Thibst would be worth a quarter oi a million of men. Naturally bo'ih countries would like to have control of it. China, too, would be glad to strengthen what little power she has there, but her Government is in such a feeble, disorganised state at present that it is not likely that she will as-pert any claims, even though she ©hares with Russia a rather loose, undefined treaty, for the joint control of the Dailai-Lama's realm. It is thought quite possible that Russia and England may each secure a portion of the barren plateau country, that is valuable only from a strategic viewpoint. In this case, each^ -ration would be strengthened in its defence against the other, and warfare between them ■would be more and more futile. It is all the 1 work of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India. Lord CuTzon went to India six years ago with -tike vowed intention of checking Russian advance toward India. Last year he -warned Kussia to keep away from the Persian Gulf. Now he, has seized the moment when Eussia is in difficulty wrlh Japan over Manchuria, to move intal Thibet from the south. Kussia has long been on the northern frontier of Thibet and France on the eastern— through Indo-China, with military scouts and so-called explorers ; and Russia has actually taken some native priests into her employ, as ambassadors. In time, through diplomacy, Russia hoped to penetrate to Lhassa. But now England is •taking a short cut, with a. military force. This force has no hostile intent, but it does not intend to be driven from the country, or prevented from completing the survey of the bbundary. The commander of it— Colonel Younghusband— doubtless has full authority to use his discretion ps to how to act in an emergency. It is clearly the intention of the Viceroy to open Thibet to commerce and to bring it under British influence. So far the expedition hps proceeded without a mi - Tn St. Petersburg it is reported that the Russian Government is chargmed at this stolen march of -the British into coveted territory. For Thibet modern history began when • telegraph pole was set in her frontier— and ■wtfih history, the beginning of the end. The bermit nation will become a pawn in the great came of expansion between Russia and Great Britain, and the game will last many a year. THE SACRED CTTY OP LHASSA. Tho English. expedition to t!ie inaccessible ' city of Lhassa has awakened new interest in all knowledge concerning it. This sacred city was closed to foreigners at the end of the eighteenth century, but aaveral Bave -succeeded in entering it and describing it. The population of Lhassa is roughly estimated at 45,000, of whom about 30,000 are monks and 15,000 laymen. Ther© is a Chinese garrison of 2700 about two miles out of the city. The government of the city is in the hands of the dalai lama and liis council, under the surveillance of two Chines© Ministers. The ohief trade? is in precious stones, gold, velvet, cashmere, Chinese tea, silk, lac©, and some Russian goods. The lama's palace, which dates from 1846, contains much accumulated treasure of gold: end precious stones, besides many priceless manuscripts, Btatues of Buddhist saints, and other religious antiquities. The present grand lama is worshipped as a living incarnation of Avalokita, » mythical Buddah-elecfc, the patron deity of the country, and the protector of the faithful. AUTUMN. Wo are well into the reason " when the trees are resigning their gorgeous vestments of red and gold," and, as Nature is to be mor© an object of study than formerly, I think that I'll occasionally wind up this column with, a piece of poetry suitable to the season or connected with Nature. To-day I give pieces from Keats and Browning: — ■ T^e Frtjitfulness or Autumn (Keats). Season of mists and: mellow fruitfulness! Close bosom-friend of the maturing stin, Conspiring with him. how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatchcaves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core ; To swell the gouid, and plump the hazel shells "With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For summer has o'ei-brimmed their clammy cells. j

Spbing and Autumn (Browning). Spring shall plant And autumn garner to the end of time. I trust in God,— the right shall be the right And other than the wrong, while He endures. I shall be- glad if pupils of Standards V, VI, and VII send in to me any poetical or other extracts suitable to this column. I am hoping to make the column interesting to pupils entering on their teens, and they can greatly help me.