Lowell Thomas

In Tibet, unlike most Asiatic countries, women have had equal rights with men ever since the early days of Buddhism. Rockhill says that the pre-eminent position of women in Tibetan society has been from the ancient times one of the "peculiarities" of the nation. this may surprise many Americans who have an idea that our progressive country was the first to promote equal standing of both sexes. Actually, some of our states are still in the Dark Ages as far as progressive legislation for women is concerned. Here's where remote Tibet is ahead of us!

Perhaps it would be a good thing for the world if, [...] Tibet were left « the one nation where life might continue unchanged from that of the earliest times ». [...] We wondered if it could any longer be possible for a nation, no matter how remote, no matter how isolated by high mountains, to shut itself off from the problems of the world, especially in this age of high speed, high-flying planes, radio short wave, and atomic energy.

[...] we were rather surprised that polyandry [...] prevails in Tibet [...] The secular experience of the whole human race showing that several families cannot live in peace and concord under the same roof, the only solution of the problem in this case was for the sons of a family to take one wife among them, by which means their ancestral estate remained undivided, and they also saved considerable money.

As if out tent problems were not enough, a group of monks, deciding it was an auspicious night to drive the demons from a nearby hut, beat on drums and blasted their horns of bone without pause. It hardly sounded like music to is, just a terrific racket. We had no sleep that night, but the demon must have been frightened away.

Among those who come to pay homage are such zealots as [...] "the rollers," who prostrate themselves at every step, measuring each mile with the length of their bodies like inch-worms. Some of these pious and painful excursions take three years.

With the gold-roofed Potala, the monasteries and temples glistening in the sun, the crowds of people in their gay, picturesque costumes, Lhasa seemed to me like a rich illustration from a medieval manuscript, magically brought to life.

The Tibetan sky at night is pictured as having a glow of scarlet.