A RULER IN TIBET.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 18 December 1925, Page 2

A RULER IN TIBET.

| END OF ROMANTIC CAREER * STORY OR RISE AND FALL There is no more mysterious country in tho world than Tibet, and the news has lately been received of the death of a man who added a romantic career to that country’s many strange tales. He was known'by tho picturesque titio of the Tsarong Shape. To Engksh eyes ho 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-, I r.nd he owed his rise to power to the timely help ho was able to give his master, the Dalai Lama, who is the most important person in tho country —something like a pope and king combined. Ho is the head of all the monasteries of Tibet, and therefore tho 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. j Tibet has a number of huge monas- ‘ teries, many of them housing 5,000 monks, and one famous one, tho largest religious house in the world. In the scheme of thought of this strange land, which dwel.'s for ever remote from human stress and progress, no power can be greater than tho Dalai Lama, for j. not only is ho head of Church and ; .State, but is believed by the Tibetans to have divine powers. Tho Dalai Lama, lor all liis mysterious station and grandeur, found himself in trouble with the Chinese some years ago. Ho was obliged to flee to Indian territory, and was held up at \ the Brahmaputra 11-ivor; _ The Tsarong j Shape, who was already in his service, did noble work. He drew the fii'o" of the attack of the Chinese to himelf while his master crossed tho river. Agaiu, in a few days, being something oi a genius in military tactics, tho Tsarong Shape was able to rescue the Luma trom an. enemy attack, and finally landed him safe in India. That was the beginning. The ruler of Tibet naturally thought a great deal of the man who had shown such devo- j tion, courage, and skill, and the Tsar- < ong Shape was promoted from office to | office. Beforo ten years had passed ho i held the'strings of the government in ! his own hands. He became so power- j ful that the old aristocracy and the ? slumbering powers of tho monasteries | wore stirred to fear the outcome of" his j dominion. 1

The Tsarong Shape, blind to danger j and indifferent to public opinion, ; thought last year that lie might take »| i holiday. Ho left Lhasa for India, and j 'stayed away six mouths. It was six ; ilionths too long for a man in so unusual a position. Humor began to :bo busy'with his name. It was said that lie was forming a military conspiracy to j overthrow the power of religion in j Tibet. The monasteries were badly ; scared; 'and the Dalai Lama, at last I 'realising that, in a well-ruled country, "The servant must not -bo greater than his lord, took, steps against the absent official.

"When the Tsarong Shape returned he found his power gone. His offices and dignities were taken away. This strange masterful man passed some time agaenst his will in the safety of a. monastery, and very soon tho whole fabric of his life lay in ashes. Now ho is dead. It is a pity that none said to him in time what "Wolsey said to Thomas Cromwell: “Cromwell,. I charge thee, fling awa3 r ambition.”