A. correspondent in far away Tateicaie sends ne the photograph Feprodnced be ne of women in Eastern "Tibet, from appear:
Ther She is described by our pondent as a hard working woman in spite of numerous servants. 'The girl by her side in the picture is her only daughter who has become a lama-nun. She has two sons, also, one of whom manages her' I estate in Tibet, while the other is in a lamasery at Goakaba.
Tibetan women are altogether interesting types. They are rather different from the Chinese woman, and some of the clements in their existence which go to make up this difference are worth mentioning. The Tibetan woman leads an independent life enough and has never been kept in the servitude which is typieat of most Jof her Oriental sisters. She inherits the nomadic qualities of her race and sits a horse admirably. She presents an inde-whole bearing shows the result of her life of nomadic freedom, Marriage customs, as described by the famous traveller of more than half a century ago, the AbbG Hue, have changed practically not at all since that time. Early marriage is the vogue, and the two young people ate entirely under the authority of their parents regarding: it, The parents may settle the contract without even mentioning the matter to the two most con cerned.
The daughter does not bring a marriage portion, generally. But the young man is expected to make presents to the family of the girl, and all this is set forth in a public document which is the equivalent of a bill of sale, When the day arrives for an auspicious marriage a delegation is sent by the prospective bridegroom to fetch the girl whose rela~ tives and friends have formed a circle round the door and feign a a tremendous amount of resistance, The bride is, of course, carried off at fall gallop on horseback after she has been led around her father's house three times, Then the wed~ ding feast begins for the surround= ing countryside, Polygamy is practised in Tibet toa great extent, The first wife is always the mistress of the ho hold, and the others owe obeisance and obedience to her. This system is described as being due directly to Lamaism which one would expect to throw hundreds and thousands of young, marriageable women on the market, Travellers in Tibet have found that the system is the natural outcome of a religion which prescribes that thousands of young men should forswear matrix many and go to live in the great Inmaseries of the country, In other places, more remote and inaccessible to the stream of, population, polyandry is practised.
Divorce is frequent and is carried out by the husband who repudiates his, Wife without the ald of ecclesiastical or civil authorities A student of Tibetan manners and customs says that the parents of the returned wife do not complain at having their daughter back, She takes her place in the family until another husband appears, and then she is sold again, thus being a source of considerable profit to her parents.
In the photograph reproduced fon the opposite page, the group of 'Tibetan maidens shown have been left to loneliness because the young. men they should have married have entered the Garjuba lamasery. This, place of retreat, our correspondent informs us, Ifes' at the foot of the highest snow mountain in Eastern Tibet, and can be seen from some points in Szechuan. The smiling faces of the girls, however, would indicate that hope is entertained finding other husbands
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.