Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-10-06

Moslem country, now that the power
of the Turkish caliph at CONSTANT
nople is broken, lie Yields far-reucI1-
Ing influence throughout the Moham-
medan world. And it is probably that
because his land happens to lie just
as 1t does on the map of the world, he
will be for long time to como an
active force in the political destinies
Of middle Asia.
The amir's word, his veriest within.
Is law to his millions of subjects. He
is, In truth, the last of the despots, q
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
cannon's muzzle, sabering off his head,
stOniny 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 uncommonly
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
affection may hold 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 itAtouches the great
Hindu Kush, the Tivach Mir attains a
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 tile 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
I Tadjiks, who iEha5it the settlements
and large towns; the Mongolian Haza
rahs, who roam the mountainous cen
! trail regions Of the country. and the
1 TurkOmans and Uzbegs of northern
Afghanistan. The real Afghans. OF
"Pahtos" (Pathans), as they call them
selves, live in the high ranges stretch
ing from the Solimans past Ghazni ant
Kandahar to the west, toward Herat.
The tribes are divided into minol
clans. called "khel," and they live ii
most entirely off their herds Of cattle
camels and sheep.
Persian culture has nodded the 80
cial life in Afghanistan through cen
turtles; Notwithstanding the religious
hatred between the Sunnis and tn,
Shias. Persian customs have been NOR,
or less adopted in the upper rank
Of all middle Asiatic Afoslem society
From the Perslans the Afghans got tn,
idea Of marrying more than one wife
but. like the Persians. too, they hav'
found to their dismay that polygam!
is nowadays a most expensive custom
/ Amir Habibullah Khan (who wa
assassinated in 1919) had a harem Q
100 women, and among these, strange
~ enough, were 4 few Europeans. Tn
tpresent amir, Amanullah Khan. ha
but ons wife. 5s ].