, 1879-03-01
AFGUANISTAN.

AFGHANISTAN.
Tho Country and Its People.
Hurptr's Nd0attne.
About 1000 miles eastward, rs tho bird flies,
Ia the beautiful wild intand country Of Afghan
istan,-a land OF lofty, cfosely-grouped hills,
connecting BY difficult pnsscs the smiling vaes
besueen which they rise into tho region where
the SNOW upon thclr submits never me1ts,
their brows white in eternal winter, their feet
beddcd iu flowers and bathcd by sparkling sum-
mcr-strcams.
Tits AslatLc Sutherland is pcoptcd with over
5000, ZOO OF warliku race, whose record ts ono
Of tho 1loodtest, and at the same time most ro-
mantle, In protane history. The tstaH, or land,
Of the Afghaus resembles Switzerland In tic
grandeur Of its natural features, and the Al
ghans, like the Swiss, arc bravo and absolutely
fearless Of loath; but herb the likeness ccascs,
for the Afglans aru turbulent people, blood
thirsty nnd troaclcrous, a,d most unlike tho
sturdy, Intelligent, and pcaco-toying though
bsayc nation Of the little Swiss Republic.
Tho courage which inspired the Swiss horo,
Arnold Won Winkcritl, when l,e gathered the
Austrian pixies into Ills own breast, lhat his
troops might pasa over their slain chief to ylc-
tory. wns tic courage Of the uurcst patriotism,
an Afghan chief would hayo embraced death
With IN equal introptdtty, but from tho impulse
of foroelty, a,1l from personal brarado.
''ln the Afehan's eyes" SAYS Col. Fosrter,
scouragc, SO called, Ia tho greatest Of a!l yr-
tues It stands IN tho place Of every other and
to take ycnGenucc upon MI clcmy, to kilt and
massacre plenty Of human beings, passes With
them for courage. As soon rs Il prince or chief,
or person Of lowur grade. IL In tic possession OF
absolute power, he Is expected to pruve tlat to
has it by the lnassacres l.c orders. They cannot
comprehend why an enemy Yanausllc1 or lla-
armed should bo pardoncd. ana tney REGARD
RucE an oct as one Of weakness and pusltlauitn-
fty. III thcir estimation he who makes tho
most victims Is tile most powerful, tho most
l,onorcd anl 1t Ia very doubtful whether tllcro
| IL a fatniiy In Herat wnlch has not brcr dc.
| rriYeti Of some one Of It's numbers bf bhah
| knmran'a barbarIty. Yet, nov that ho Is lcad,
tic people flock In crowds In plfgrfmagu to llfa
tomb With such scntisncntst 1t Is not sur
prstng to scc tho history pt this nation traced
! In blood ~
A more tncomprcLcna!ble study than TINT OF
! tho Afghan character, With Its constant tulnu!ts
life and to dcath lis total Ignorance Of tho aeu-
tEmcnt OF principle Of l.onor {as we understand
I'll, its delight In brutal exploit, Its headlong
| obedience tn Its oWn crude and violent cmo-
yorug Ncw-Eugiilnl mind; for thcru It proba-
bly, no 1!fu on tic face OF tu cnrth grounded In
principles SO morally stawnr,, and ST. little DO.
lic7int II, the unrestraint e tho pasalous Or tti
tho license Of Individual will, rs tho lfc uf tho
puritun stock peuplug Now England. For us
tu conceive Ut Ito mid character 10 radically
unt tku aI,l 80 violently different In lis llIanI[cs-
.ations y .; ;'isnlt; yst + 9 is tsiy stay
people nro for sonlu time TO cotna to take cart
III tlratna thuy themselves probably under.
stand least Of 81! among ttss actora.
AS to tue origin Of tho Afghan people, East
crn WrItrrk ]Inlt1 Yarfn1la f,t.tnin,1a tu.t iHe
uaioritY atTcu In believing tlc,n to be lcsccutl-
ants Of ono Of tho ton tribes Of lsrGea. which j.
the claim Of tho Afghans themselves. Thclr
word meaning nolso or luulult a,,i Afghanlstan
literally signifies tho la..d II The qs4arreto,ne.
AeSnrnE 10 the tt'terc.s1ta; tna!'asvspt ot Ab-
Ablolccs TO nRmeu frotn Abdai, so.l Of Tsura-
belld, who was the son Of Afghuu) In the Sull-
man Mountains, aud then conststGl of twenty
King Of thu Jexs) was, tie Gallicr. Tits Prince
had three SONS, Iaera-beIld, Arguutch und Krr-
len, md each Of them was tho father OF eight
ss;ps, q;'ss rho gave their n'ne' to n'' t"sn',f0ur
Ii1cso tribes multiplied and apread oycr tho
romantic country Of tl,eis choice, building tow
srs On its hrights, founding s'tics on its fertile
pains, an.l Transmitting. M WIt'' ,l.sr warlke,
unpr0n1u.lCcablu names lroM faftr 10 son.
fhH Afginn may be said to be born With n
dagger Ia hIs belt. II sword Ut ha side, and d
knio between hts teeth; a1nl from !he u,ou.uut
or suspected oEes1lcs, u1..i Oh lis own part
'esitaiss a. notn1ng by whIrh he cau push
"'e M,a[1 t9r"a y 1otes se ross ar tor pSTfsr
Or child teeome otstaelea lu thu path OF pur.
| saual ambition, 1t IL Ll,u wprse for them, cB-
peclnlly II tle goal hc wealth, for With ths al.
gnan ayarIcc atd cuptditY aEo pEcdoMnant % aMt
reflect ur yacll'a.e, but nccon1pllshes either By
direct atroclty or arttu trap tho desired snd:
Their a'ayes and the pr!soncrs taken III their
systom u organization et real wariare-alo yic-
thus not only Of tAs will ahd tc'nper ot their
tnastess anti captors, hut Ut y turE!blu eaurieo
tilat takes pleasure y personally tntl:sting tor
stead Of industries, piliasc, forage, and mlsaa-
cres aEe The ROUTING ot ,AfghAn lltc, aud each
Afghan we'll kuows that ho Ia Utmost eertalu Of
biz portion Of IT, desperate vlc!asltudcy y,-lhe
rich md despoilc chief OF serdar OF ono dav be-
ing often upon nlc next overcome a,ltl reduced
TO q seryltude such as ls has hituaclt tInpossd.
IN spito OF their savage character aud rcckless
mode ol life, a certata csudr, oaEbaslc scnse OF
turn slain By TIC nearest Of Kin to hIs victim;
and, II this ayonger happeus to 10 child, t!ls
to rl1uct It. Be can condone the otIense II 10
will, and which hu will more readily DO fof
money thau iprany other consideration, but ha
As i.c Atghans arc nation Of thieves, and
lEyu upon tic fruits d thls sce, thcy ars snivnt
toward it, and q th!vi "a not published With
death before tlle fourth oense. t!lo caIiitf ones
meeting with comparatively light pBnalt!es; but
for u1l cri.nos thu Al4Aan has always lhe Chance
left Of buying hmsslf freo trosn hts eentencc, II
he Ia rich enough to DO 70. Tile Afghaue are,
wlthal, supessslsous, lgnosaat, and generally un-
cleauly. With them life IL q Ea1nu wa0s0 end Il
almost aways certain to TO violent, aud which
ti,sy ploy o. il they Wesu q patioll ot Att!Ias.
But yet tho Afghan character ls not without
sedaeming gcama OF better traits. aud It's very
ytces aud excesses appoar to bs iu part owing TO
thosa external conditions for which th0y are 1t.
reaponsible, but moro 10 thoso tIunsNitted