The Raymer enterprise., 1921-09-29

last Teihultilng independent ruler OF 4
Moslem country, now that the power
Of the Turkish callph st Constant.
nople is broken, he wieldsa h far.reach-
Ing influence throughout the Moham.
medan world. And 1t is probably that
because his land happens to lie Just
as II does on the map Of the world, he
will be for long time to come an
active force In the political destinles
Of middle Asia.
The amir's word, his yeriest whlm
Is law to his millions Of subjects. He
Is. In truth, the last Of the despots, 4
sort Of modern oriental patriarch Oh
grand scale. His judgments are, of
course, based primarily on the Koran.
or Oh 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 a prisoner from the
cannon's muzzle, sabering of his head,
stoning him to death, burying him
alive, cutting of 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 a filthy
Iron cage. perhaps to die eventually
Of starvation.
The way Of the transgressor In Al.
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 dellber.
ately blinded, there being q tradition
here that no man with any physica
afiilction may hold public ofiice Of
honor or profit.
lts Mountains and Tribes.
Politically, Afghanistan Is divided
into four provinces: Afghan Turke.
stan, Kabul, Kandahar and Hsrst.
Geographically Its most conspicuous
features are the high peaks In the
northeast; where II touches the great
Hindu Kush, the Tirnch Mir attsins
height Of over $4,000 feet.
Through these mountains Of north.
east Afghanlstan wind some of the
most picturesque and historic trails Of
the whole world. For centuries the
trade between Turkestan and Indlr
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.
Afghnnistan Is a Babel Of races and
tongues; more than half Its population
are not Afghans ut alI. The maj0rit.
group embraces the Iranian.Aryan
Tadjlks, who lilhabIt the settlements
and large towns: the MongolIan Haza
rahs. who roam the mountainous cen
tral regions Of the country. and the
Turkomhns and Uzhegs Of northern
Afgllnnistan. The real Afghans, or
"FahtOs" Pathans). as they call them
selves. live In the high ranges stretcl
Ing from the Sollmhns past Ghaznl and
Kandahar To the west, toward Herai.
The tribes nre divided into minor
clans. called "kllel." and they five al.
most entirely or their herds Of cattle
camels and sheep.
Persian culture has nodded the 30.
rial life IN Afghanistan through cen
turtles: Notwithstanding the religious
hatred between the Sunnis and the
Shias. Persinn customs have been more
or less adopted In the upper ranks
Of all middle Aslatic Moslein society.
From the PersIans the Afghans got the
idea Of marrying more than one wife;
hut, like the Persians. too, they have
found to their dismay that pelyeamy
10 nowadays q most expensive eustsu.
Amir Habibullah Khan (whs was
assassinatsd ID l81s) had Aareo 4
100 women. and among thsee, stranoe
IL enough, were q few DUrspeaAA H
present amir. Amaep,'aA naA -,
but one wt5A -----