Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-21

Several years ago an English physician
rode up to the entrance of the Ameer of
Afghanistans palace in kabul. lie had
been engaged to act as court surgeon to
the Ameer Abdur Rahman. and had called
to pay his respects to that potentate on
arriving in his capital.
The amCer was away, suppressing an in
surrcctiOu-a familiar occupation to the rul-
ers of the turbulent Afghans-but the doc
tor was told that his eldest son, Prince
Habibullah Khan, would receive him.
He had never met an oriental prince, and
he expected to see a stout, indolent, ignO-
rant, bejeweled creature reclining on cush-
ions and sleepily smoking opium pipe.
He wondered whether he would be expect
ed to grovel on the floor, and mentally re-
solved that he wouldn't.
When he entered the reception room a
dark-skinned. clear-eyed, athletic young
man, dressed in European-looking militia
ry uniform, stepping forward and shook
him heartily by the hand.
How do you do. doctor?" he said In ex-
celient English. I'm awfully glad to see
you. Hope you had good journeyi I've
been looking for you anxiously I'm in a
fix, and you can help me out. Do you know
anything about the water supply of Lon
don and other big cities? l want to provide
good water supply for kabul and I've
been reading up the subject. but there are
some points can't understand"
This was not the kind of oriental prince
the doctor had expected, but as soon as he
had recovered from his establishment he
discussed the subject and was surprised to
discover how much Habibulah knew about
It, and about thousand other poins of
western science and polity
How ever did you manage TO learn ca
much?' the doctor finally asked in amaze
ment You never studied abroad, did
you?"
His High Ideals.
No, replied the prince but I learned
what l could from my father. and from
Europeans who came here and 1 read a
great many books and newspapers. 1t is
my duty to work and TO study, night and
day, to fit myself to rule my people and
make them a great nation. That is what
my father has taught me since 1 was a
child, and ne teaches the other princes the
same"
Abdur Rahman Khan. the Amer of Af
ghanistan in whose stead Habibullah now
reignS, one of the worlds few great
men. Competent judges ranked him with
such supreme statesmen as Prince Bis
marck. Cavour and the present Emperor
of Austria. He found the Afghans a tur-
bulent horde of barbarian tribes; he left
them a strong, united nation, for whose
alliance Russia and England eagerly COM
pete. Out of chaos he created law order
III.
And Habbullah, who now carries on his
great work. was his right-hand man.
Europeans called Ahdur a barbarous ty-
rant, and certainly his methods seemed
cruel and merciless. He ruled with an iron
hand. but he had to rule an iron people
Travellers who entered his kingdom
through the Khyber Pass saw, swinging
a hundred feet above their heads, from a
precipitous rock, an iron cage containing
a skeleton. 1t was the skeleton of a bandit
who had robbed and murdered wayfarers
In that pass. Abdur Rahman caught him.
put him in the cage, and swung him over
the rock to die miserably of hunger and
thirst. Cruel. no doubt, but after that
this section of the Khyber Pass became
safe as 9Th avenue. New York.
In such a spirit he and his son Habibul
1ah administered the law until they
Samed the Afghans, suppreSsing hun
ared rehellions in the process. Then they
were able To make the laws milder and
Introduce education. civilization and
western arts and industries, until today
Afghanistan is far and away the most