Evening star., 1921-07-19
AFGHAN ENJOYS ARRIVAL HERE
II MARKS END OF HERMIT POLICY
Effort to Obtain United States Recognition
Evidence of New World Interest
In Asiatic Nation.

military and economic control in his
own hands, the amir vests subordi-
nate authority only in his relatives
and close friends: and woe betide the
incautious underling who dares think
for himself or act. contrary to the
amir's wishes, for in this primitive.
secluded region there still survives
many unique and startling methods
of rendering a culprit innocuous.'
From the Persians the Afghans
one wife; but. like the Persians, too,
they have found, to their dismay,
that polgyamy is nowadays more
expensive than exciting.
sometimes. when the amir wants
to favor his faithful officials with
presents. or perhaps to play practi-
cal jokes in certain cases. he dis
tributes women among them. but
these gifts often prove so trouble
some that no great degree Of grati-
tude is apparent among the re-
cipients.
amir Habibullah Khan (who was
assassinated i'll 1919, had a harem of
over 100 women. and among these.
strangely enough. were few Euro
peans. The present amir. Amanullah
Khan. has but one wife.
THE women of AfghaniStan are kept
in more rigid seclusion and are more
closely veiled than the women OF any
other Moslem land.
Like the Arab. the Afghan consid-
ers it unnecessary and even unwise.
that women should learn to read or
write. No girls are admitted to the
bazaar schools and no mullahs are
employed to teach them. and Afghan
iStan knows nothing of woman teach
erS.
THE bill of are of the Afghan is
very simple and reflects the poverty of
the country. Bread. fruits, vegetables,
tea, sweet milk. sour milk and cheese
are the main foods. Rice. mutton.
fowl, and sweets cooked in various
well-to-do. The average Afghan has
no particular fondness for wine or
spirits.
Caravans for Trade.
''The trade of Afghanistan is moved
the hands of Hindus and Tadjiks The
chief route lies through the famous
Khyber pass, the great gateway from
India. which has been fortified by the
British government.
This pass is open every week. on
Tuesdays and Fridays. ~..Cept in very
hot weather, when it is available to
trade only on Fridays. A most rigid
scrutiny is exercised by the amir's
agents on all who come and go. As
soon as caravans from India enter the
country their Indian leaders are
turned back and heavily-armed
Afghan guides take their places.
"Camels leaving the country are
usually loaded with wool. skins. dried
fruits and vegetables, assorted gums
and spices. Thousands of horses are
also driven along for sale in India as
cavalry and polo mounts.
Apart from rugs. few xylograpnS,
some crude adornments for women. a
little silk and felt, and few simple
woven tissues. no products of native
skilled labor are on the market. And
even much of what is produced IN
these few lines is merely an imitation
of western and eastern art. Small in
dustries supply only the most urgent
needs of the lower classes. The rich
people buy their luXuries from
abroad. and the poor make shabby
shift with the cheaper fabrics.
'.The amir keeps at Peshawar po-
litical agent. who occasionally pays
a visit to the viceroy of India. and.
since Afghanistan's formal independ-
ence of 1919 ENJOYS have been sent TO
Persia and one is perhaps now In
soviet Russia"