The “Duke of Mongolia”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1004, 21 June 1930, Page 20

The “ Duke of Mongolia”

Simple Life on High Plains

aHE opening lines of golia.” an autobiography by Frans August Larson, may seem a little I misleading: “I came out to Mongolia from Sweden in 1393 for the Christian Missionary Alliance of New York and worked under their direction until 1900,” he writes; but only ten pages are devoted to Christian missions and 256 pages give a most interesting and vital account of his life in Mongolia, of the people, their political history and their customs and beliefs. Frans Larson was created a Mongol Duke by the Emperor of Mongolia and has enjoyed rights equal to those of a prince’s son. He has lived among Mongols In commoner’s yurta and monarch’s palace for 35 years, and is filled with admiration for the charm, character, simplicity and generosity of the people. He writes with hearty enthusiasm of life in the open, of horse racing, of hunting the wild boar, of wolves, of wrestling matches, of fox hunting, and with affectionate understanding of the men with whom lie so happily threw in his lot. Few people understand the meaning of courtesy, kindness and true hospitality as the Mongols understand it. They are a strangely ungrasping people, for even at the time when they had conquered half the world they did not occupy the conquered cities. “Since we have beaten these peoples so easily, the;,- must be weakened by their civilisation,” they concluded. Simplicity is the key-note of their lives. Noblemen own palaces, but prefer to live in their tents out-of-doors and only use their palaces for State occasions. They seem to have little desire to dominate, and their women show plenty of spirit and initiative and lead very free lives. The women look after their herds completely, -keep track of every animal in every flock and don’t permit the men to sell or use them without their consent. The first marriage ceremony is complicated and difficult, but if the girl is not happy with her husband she may leave him at the end of three days. Subsequent are arranged without ceremony and divorces are arranged without any fuss at all. The Mongols consider it more immoral for husband and wife to live together -without love than for them to separate. Mongolian women have few- children, but children of either sex are welcomed. Murder is practically unknown in this extraordinary country, and with the exception of Urga, there are no prisons. “The -worse crimes,” Larson tells us, “are those sufficiently punished by a spanking administered at the Yamen,” and it is the Lama priests

who constitute a large percentage of the thieves and criminals. For business. Mongols care very | little, and several foreign enterprises j with large capital have lost millions endeavouring to persuade Mongols to j trade with them. The Chinese have been the most successful. They are patient, courteous, and with tactful handling the Mongols will -trade a little. Their chief interest lies in ■ export fur trade, their enjoyment of the hunting this entails probably is the reason. They don’t care to bar- i gain, and they don’t care for money. A man’s wealth is measured by the j number of horses he possesses. They j have no newspapers or postal service, \ and they resent the one telegraph line | they have and think it unnecessary. ; They prefer to send messages by a j camel rider or horseman. “Letters j would mean that we should bother! each other with all sorts of trivial j matters. A man does not travel a ! month on horseback for a trivial mat-1 ter, but he does if he has a real need \ to see a friend.” Larson describes a sturdy people j riding their horses, tending their herds j in a country where the sun shines over plains, where bluebells, butter-

cups and yellow roses grow. And how the Soviet Government has encroached on their peace, how the nobles have been driven from Utopia, and insurrections have disturbed the even temper of their lives. Mongols have never had any complicated government, and they do not want it.