A RULER IN TIBET.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 November 1925, Page 13

A RULER IN TIBET.

'T'HERE is no'more mysterious country

in the world than Tibet, and the news has lately been received of 'the death of a man who has added a romantic. career to that country’s many strange talcs. He was known by the picturesque title of the Tsarong Shape. To English eyes he seemed just Cardinal Wolsey come to life again, remarks a London writer.

The Tsarong Shape began life as a very humble person, belonging to the arrow-makers, a despised caste in Tibet, | and he owed his rise to power to the timely help he was able to give his master, the Dalai Lama, who is the most important person in the country, something like a pope and king combined. He is the head of all the monasteries of Tibet, and therefore the country’s ruler, for in that strange land one out of every four men is a monk, and religion, statesmanship and education are all mixed up together. Tibet lias a number of huge monasteries, many of them housing 5000 monks, and one famous one, the largest religious house in the world, the Dropung Monastery, has .10,000 inmates, li: the scheme of thought of this strange land, which dwells for over remote from human stress and progress,’ no power can be greater than the Dalai Lama, for not only is he head of the Church and State, but is believed by the Tibotians to have Divine power. The- Dalai Lama, for all his mysterious station and grandeur, found himself m trouble with the Chinese some years ago. He was obliged to flee to Indian territory and was hold up at tin Brahmaputra River. The Tsarong Shape, who was already in his service, did noble. He drew the fire of the nt-

LIKE WOLSEY COME TO LIFE END OF ROMANTIC CAREER.

tack of the Chinese to himself while his master crossed the river. Again, in a few days, being something of a genius in military tactics, the Tsarong Shape was able to rescue the Lama from an enemy attack; and finally landed him safe in'lndia. That was the beginning. The ruler of Tibet naturally thought a great deal of the man who had shown such devo- | tion, courage and skill, and the Tsarong Shape was promoted from office to office. Before ten years had passed lie held the strings of the Government in liis own hands. He became so powerful that the old aristocracy and the slumbering powers of the monasteries were stirred to fear the outcome of his dominion. The Tsarong Shape, blind to danger am! .indifferent to public opinion, thought last year that he might take a holiday. He left Lhasa for India and stayed away six months. It was six months too long for a man in so unusual a position. Rumour began to be busy with his name. It was said that lie was forming a military conspiracy to overthrow the power of religion in Tibet. The monasteries were badly scared, and the Dalai Lama, at last realising that, in a well-ruled country, the ■ servant must . not be greater than his lord, took steps, against the absent official. When the TsarongiShape returned ho found his* power gone. His offices and dignitaries were taken away. _ This strange masterful man passed some time against liis will in the safety of a monastery, .and very soon the whole fabric of liis life lay in ashes: Now ae is dead. It is a pity that none said to- him in time what Wolsey said to Thomas Cromwell: “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition.”