Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



73 



CHIXESIFYIXG MONGOLIA. 



The Geograftliual Journal for June contains a very 

 interesting paper by Mr. Douglas Carnithers on 

 exploration in North-West Mongolia and Dzungaria. 

 He (lescrilKS his visit to Kumul, the capital of a pro- 

 tected native State, whose khan rules about twehe 

 hundred houses, and receives a subsidy from the 

 Chinese. His autocrat rule is not relished by his 

 subjects, who wish to come under the direct rule of 

 the Chinese. Already they are Chinese in everything 

 but name and religion, but they lack the requisite 

 enterprise. " The man that has ideas is exiled " : — 



Till- W.-in^', however, treated u^wilh all kimlnessand honour. 

 The Eni;li~h, lie said, were friends of Islam, and he was always 

 glad to meet them. Hindustan he knew of, and, being a 

 Mussulman of the strictest type, he appreciated the foreign rulers 

 who respected the religion of their subjects. The fact of this 

 extremely strict Mussulman community situated at the very end 

 of the Islamic world, and yet completely under Chinese influence, 

 is indeed a paradox. Herein lies the chief peculiarity of Kunuil. 

 It is cut oil I'rom any other stronghold of Islam, and outside the 

 sphere of influence that might go to keep its religion pure. Few 

 Mohammedan strangers pass through it, and it is situated 

 .amongst Buddhists and Chinese, without a faith. Moreover, it 

 has been so influenced by Chinese elements during the last two 

 hundred years as to have adopted its dress, to speak its language. 



and even in many cases to eat Chinese food. Yet, in spite of 

 this, the Kumuliks present a type of Mohammedan people that 

 it would be hard to beat for strictness an d the exact keeping of 

 the letter of the law. This, no doubt, is partly due to the 

 khan's eagerness to keep his people from becoming contaminated 

 by the Chinese, realising that by this he would lose his hold over 

 his subjects. So he strictly enforces the tenets of the Mussulman 

 faith ; men have to pray whether ihey like it or not, and for 

 oflenders large whips are kept hung in the courtyard of the 

 castle, and used without mercy. The drinking of spirits is 

 forbidden, and morality is a feature. A strange antithesis — 

 indeed, a moral town in Chinese Turkestan. 



The prince lived in a Chinese house, he gave us a Chinese 

 dinner, he and all his servants were in Chinese dress and wore 

 mock pigtails. On the other hand, he would scarcely drink 

 from a bottle of spirits he opened in our honour, and went out 

 halfway through the dinner to pray at the mo-que. 



We found the Turki town to be a rabbit-warren of a place 

 between high mud walls. It presented a harvest of pictures to 

 the artist, with its narrow alleys, overshadowed by fine old trees, 

 its little mosques, and groups of gaudily-dressed women. The 

 latter we stalked with our camer.as without much success. Shy 

 as rabbits, they dived into their houses when they saw us 

 appro.aching, and even locked the doors until we were well past. 

 Overlooking the town is the pile of buildings making up the 

 khan's residence, picturesque in its possession of several storeys, 

 high walls, great gateways, and a paved road leading up to it. 

 Here in Eastern luxury lived the khan, surrounded by his 

 retainers and courtiers, with stables for his horses, mews for his 

 falcons,, and a high three-storie<l harem for his womenfolk. 

 ,\round the palace was spread a ganlen of extraordinary luxuri- 

 ance. Here amongst orchards and flower gardens were built 

 miniature temples and summer-houses, even a shooting-range 

 found a place, where the archers might practise. There was an 

 arlilicial lake, where, on an island in the midst of iris beds and 

 under the shadow of great tree>, was planted a cool pavilion. 

 The garden of the Khan of Kmnul was a paradise, scarcely 

 excelled outside the "Arabian Nights." 



Chin* and the Foreign Loan.' 

 Will have to pay for it. 

 Poor C'linesc pi^ ! it i« hungr^_ unto death. .\nd such a heap 

 of delicious loan dumpling. 

 I)chind the beast ? 



' Wonder if he knows « hat is 



THE WILL TO CONC^'ER. 



Under the title of " The WUl to Conquer," an 

 anonymous writer in the Revue de Paris ol June 15 

 pleads for more moral training in the army. Naturally, 

 it is the French army he has in mind, but his words 

 apply with equal force to all armies. Since war to-day 

 makes greater demands on the constiincy, firmness, and 

 real bravery of the soldier than the wars of other days, 

 it is more necessary than ever to create and develop 

 moral force in the army. Obedience should be enforced 

 by persuasive, not coercive, measures. Example being 

 the most effecti>e of educative means, the military 

 chief should be a model in dist ipline, bearing, work, and 

 especialh in conscience and character. Ollicer and 

 soldier sjiould t)e made to feel that all their efforts arc 

 productive. The victorious arm\ will always be the 

 one containing the largest number of men capable of 

 abnegation, .sacrifice, and heroism. .\nd the duty of 

 the educator is to increase the number by strengthening 

 the wills of the men indi\ idually and collectively. An 

 army trained in such a school will possess the supreme 

 power— the will to conquer. 



