Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1921-09-30

last remaining independent ruler of
Moslem country, now that the power
of the Turkish caiiph at CONSTANT
nOple is broken, he yields a far-reach-
ing influence throughout the Moham-
medan world. And it is probably that
because his land happens to lie just
as it does on the map of the world, he
will be for long time to come an
active force in the political destinies
of middle Asia.
The amir'S word, his veriest whim,
is law to his millions of subjects. He
! is, in truth, the last of the despots, a
sort of modern oriental patriarch on
grand scale. His judgments are, Of
| course, based primarily on the Koran,
| or on the common law of the land.
There is no statute book, NO penal
code and no court.
The amir reserves to himself the
right of passing death sentences. The
cruel Afghan forms of punishment
such as shooting prisoner from the
lannon's muzzle, sabering off his head,
stoning him to death, burying him
alive, cutting off his hands and feet
or putting out his eyes, are seldom en-
| ployed nowadays; yet often the crimi-
nal himself will choose quick, though
violent. exodus to paradise rather than
suffer long Imprisonment in filthy
iron cage, perhaps to die eventually
of starvation.
| The way of the transgressor in At
| ghanistan continues to be unc0mmonly
hard, however. Time and again, in
| the recorded history of this land, de-
posed amirs, troublesome relatives and
political enemies have been deliber-
ately blinded, there being tradition
| here that no man with any physical
affiiction may hold a public Office of
honor or profit.
Its Mountains and Tribes.
Politically, Afghanistan is divided
| into four provinces Afghan Turke.
stan, Kabul, Kandahar and Herat.
geographically its most conspicuous
| features are the high peaks in the
northeast; where it touches the great
Hindu Kush, the Tirach Mir attains
height of over $4,000 feet.
Through these mountains of north
east Afghanistan wind some OF the
| most picturesque and historic trails of
| the whole world. For centuries the
| trade between Turkestan and India
has flowed over these high passes,
and the story goes that often these
annual caravans number as many as
| 10000 loaded animals, including CAM
| els, mules and horses.
Afghanistan is Babel of races and
| tongues; more than half its population
| are not Afghans at all. The majority
group embraces the Iranian-Aryan
! Tadiiks. who inhabit the settlements
and large towns; the Mongolian Haza'
rahs who roam the mountainous GEN.
/ trail regions of the country, and the
/ Turkomans and Uzbegs of northern
| Afghanistan. The real Afghans, or
ssPahtos'' (Pathans), as they call them
| selves. live in the high ranges stretch
/ ing from the Solimans past Ghazni and
| Kandahar to the west, toward Herat.
The tribes are divided into minor
clans, called "khel," and they live al.
most entirely off their herds of cattle,
| camels and sheep
Persian culture has nodded the So
cial life in Afghanistan through CEN
turtles; notwithstanding the religious
hatred between the Sunnis and the
Shias Persian customs have been more
or less adopted in the upper ranks
Of all middle Asiatic Moslem society.
From the Persians the Afghans got the
idea of marrying more than one wife;
but like the Persians, too. they have
! found to their dismay that polygamy
is nowadays a most expensive custom.
Amir Habibullah Khan (Tho was
assassinated in 1917 had harem OF
100 women, and among these, strange
ly enough, were a few Europeans. The
present amir, Amanu,lah Khan, has
but one wife.