The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-24
Tut NEs AN tx.

Abdur Rahmann khan, the late
Aneer of Afshanistan, was thil'ty-nine
wears old when his opportunity came.
For eleven years he had nursed ms
wrath and ambition as 4 guest, VINO
Was almost prisoner, of the Russians,
and when at last he came TO his own
over the wrecked ambition OF his I'M
Gle Shere Ali, he was ready, as the say
inc goes. to pour death out of buck
ct In a very few years Abdur Kan
mann was able by his sagacity, force
and relentless despotism TO make MS
turbulent country as peaceful as aug
Asiatic State can be. When we CEN
slider that Afsllanistan is half again
as large as France. that 1t is filed with
enormous mountains, whose narrow
passes offer every opportunity for
iilYsandage and border warfare, Tie
magnitude OF the task which the Alneer
accomplished becomes more striking
From the beginning the AfSllans
have been 1awless and fierce. AS Kip
ling says. and twas TO tame IN
-Afghan's pride nor heaven nor hell
could bind but what was impossible
in Mr.. kiplins's opinion became eX-
ceedingly simple under the fierce meth
DDS Of the dead Alnecr. The first poems
of Mr.. Eipling's that attracted wide
attention were those which told some
of the incidents of the life Of Abdur
Ralmann, who melted out justice
swift as running moose and straight rs
plunging knife" And with such SCI
verify and uncertainty that even lis
strongest satraps who held tie power
of life and death, could not bring them
selves to open unexpected LETTERS from
him without fearful dread: for he was
a man whose methods We're as unfore
seeable as they were harsh, and none
might know the day Of his reclloniuss.
The need of Just such methods as
these for ruling Asiatics is thorough
~ understood by those who have at
tempted that difficult task. Even tie
Chinese, who as a race have less fear
of death than any other people, can
only be controlled by such means as
those which made Abdur Rahmann
strong and kept him so. Whether,
Habib Utah, the new Ameer, viii have
the force to drive his people Us his
father did, is a question that deeply
concerns the British interests in Eng:
land. If border warfare flames Ill
along the Russian boundary again, the
Russians may well undertake to come
in, for the preservation OF peace. and
take Herat, which lies nearest to Rus
sia. and is sifnated in broad and open
plain and thereby made very easy of
access. While Cabul, which lies near
er to the northern border of India. is
strongly fortified by nature. 1t is
thought that Habih Eliah will take the
British subsidies and keep the British
friendships. as his father did But |
should he be either unwilling or unable
to do this. England may find herself
with more serious problem on her
hands than sleilas al present in South
Africa And as the London Spectator |
truly says, the fact that Iahib Utah |
should have been his fathers contidea- |
tial minister without a clash for ten |
years, does not argue well for any ill.,
diHiduality that he may have
The British are consoling themsai=es
with The thought that Russia is almost |
bankrupt, but the Afghans can per- !
fectly Well start a border war. without |
any help from Russia, that viii require
an enormous outlay of English men
and money if the peace is 10 he KEEP. |
IN Northern India; and whether Rms /
STA stimulates Afghan unrest or not. I
such troubles VIII certainly break out
u Habib Ellah shows any Weakness
towards the men WHO his father has 81
relennessly held down. /
1