Bulletin of Catholic University of Peking

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF PEKING 55 :

struggle for existence is so severe that the people can afford few books or teachers.

On our first visit in 1899, a pint of millet was the unit of exchange. We paid the men who served us about four pints of millet per man per day. Itinerant merchants supplied them with cloth and other necessities, but all was reckoned according to the purchasing power of grain. When we were settling our accounts, before departure, difficulties presented themselves. We, of course, had no supply of millet on hand, so brought out a small lump of silver and offered it to our landlady. She was nonplussed, as she had never seen silver used as currency before. She had no scales for weighing it, and did not see how nor where she could dispose of it, even if she could learn its value. Furthermore, it might be pewter!

She was in considerable distress of mind for several hours, till she remembered that the medicine vendor had

constant dealings with the outside.

world and he must have scales for weighing silver. She accordingly sent her son and another man with us to this person, in order to see that she was not cheated in the amount of silver that she was forced to accept in lieu of millet. On subsequent visits, the people were willing to accept Mexican dollars.

There were no conspicuously large temples, but shrines were scattered about over the mountains. When asked what gods they worshipped, they replied: ““The gods of the mountains.”

At the time of banishment, two restrictions were made with reference to women. The first was that they were required to dress their hair in a pecu-

liar style, which gave the head the ap-_

pearance of a tea-pot with the handle at the back. This handle was tightly wrapped with a heavy red cord about the thickness of the little finger. The second restriction did not permit them to bind their feet. For a Chinese woman to have unbound feet in those days was not considered respectable, so the “Lost Tribe’ women defended their reputations by pinching their toes into pointed shoes. Men, women, and children all wore shoes made of red cloth. Everyone wrapped squares of cloth about their feet in place of stockings.

The language differed somewhat from the Pekinese, but was intelligible. The women were modest in behavior, dressed neatly, and wore conspicuous ear and finger rings of silver but used no hair ornaments. After the peoples’ suspicion of us was dissipated, they were hospitable and friendly.

With the abdication of the Manchus, the ban was lifted from the colony, and they are now at liberty to go and come at pleasure. As a consequence, the characteristic features of the people have rapidly disappeared. The last time we passed through the valley only one old woman was seen who still clung to the peculiar tribal head-dress. The congestion of population is relieved as young men are at liberty to go where they will to seek their fortunes. Some time ago, the writer was surprised while in a shop here in Peking to have one of the employees ask if he had not been to Cho Chou San P’o. He was one of the ex-exiles.

The natural boundaries of this region leave little need for artificial reinforcement. On the east there is a high range of mountains, over which the lowest pass is more than five thous-