Page Twenty-one 



at loast 400 years old. The side-walls are hung witli beautiful banners 

 in the sacred eolors and symbcls. On a carved st()( I set with turcjuoise 

 and coral lies a holy book recitinji; in jj;( Id letters on dark blue j)archnier.t 

 the i)raises of Huddha. And most })recious of all, s]iread before th(^ altar 

 is one of the three Thibetan carpets known to exist. Tradition has it 

 that carpets were once woven in Thibet. But for many years none has 

 been known to be in existence. When, however, the first Sikh 

 Maharajah, Golab Singh, was installed over Kashmir, tribute was sent 

 to him from Thibet, and among the gifts were three beautiful carpets, 

 all of the same size and of similar design. For the best part of 100 years 

 these lay in the palace Tosha Kharta, or store-house, in Kashmir. Re- 

 cently they were sold at public auction, in Srinagar, where Mr. Scott 

 purchased one, and later obtained the others from two Indian nobles 

 who had secured them at the auction. The carpets, like the prayer- 

 mats, show Chinese taste blended with Thibetan symbolism, and were 

 doubtless made in Thibet by Chinese weavers. Just as the carpets and 

 mats show the influence of China, a large proportion of Thibetan metal- 

 work strongly reflects Indian culture, as from tim.e immemrrial the 

 Newaris of Nepal, in India, have wcrked in metal frr the Thibetans. 



Laid on the shrine as votive cfTerings are many little images, some of 

 gold inlaid with turquoise and lapis lazuli. In some cases, these are 

 images of Krishna, probably originally left by Hindus who, without 

 worshipping Buddha, reverence him, and are willing to make gifts to his 

 temples. 



Most of these objects were looted from Thibetan temples by the 

 Chinese expedition which was sent into Thibet after the British, under 

 Sir Francis Younghusband, had departed from Lhasa, the Lamaistic 

 Holy City. A part of the Chinese expedition returned heme by way of 

 India, disposing of their loot 'o Parsee or Hindu curiosity dealers on the 

 way. Thus many great rarities were for a time obtainable by con- 

 noisseurs lucky enough to be on the spot. 



Miss Helga Pearson, daughter of Karl Pearson, the noted 

 biometrician and eugenist of the University of London, has come to 

 study at the Museum. Miss Pearson was a student of Professor Wat- 

 son, under whom she specialized in vertebrate morphology. She will 

 take Dr. Gregory's courses in mammals, iving and fossil, the evolution 

 of vertebrates and comparative my logy, and will do research work 

 along those lines. 



