The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-08-16
Afghanistan Years Ago Put Up
Keep Out" "This Means
You" Warning.
SEND ENVOY TO WASHINGTON
Believed That Policy of Absolute Isoia-
ton From Rest of World Long
Followed by Moslem Kingdom
Is to Be Modified.

country in the world, seeking the rec
Ognition of his home land and the es-
tablishment of diplomatic relations
with the United States, seems to in
dictate that the policy of absolute isola-
ton from the rest Of the world long
followed by this Moslem kingdom is
to be modified. Light on conditions
in this little-known region is shown
by the following communication to the
National Geographic society from
Frederick Simpich and Hail Mira
Hussein:
"The buffer state of Afghanistan,
historic shock-absorber between Great
Britain and Russia in Middle Asia,
years ago put up Keep Out sign, a
This Means You warning, to all white
men and Christians. The land is
'posted'-to use a poacher's phrase
posted against trade and concession
hunters, against missionaries, and
against all military and political hunt
ers in particular.
"keep Out" Sign Up.
"And the Keep Out sign is still up
Today the foreigner is no more well
come i'm Afghanistan than he was a
hundred years ago. Forbidden Lhasa
itself is no more exclusive than brood
ing, suspicious Kabul, the capital of
this isolate, unfriendly realm Of
fanatic tribes, of rocks, deserts, irri-
gated valleys, and towering unsur-
veyed ranges.
For reasons of foreign policy, the
amir has long left the necessity of
secluding his little-known land to the
greatest possible extent from the out
side world, Only a few Europeans,
mostly British, but occasionally also
an American and now and then few
Russians or Germans, have had per-
mission to come into this country and
to sojOurn for a while in it's curious
capital. But even on such rare Occa-
sions as when a foreign engineer, or
a doctor whose survives are badly
needed, is admitted by the grace of
surveillance that amounts almost to
Imprisonment.
mo ambassadors or ministers, not
even missionaries, are permitted to
reside i'm this forbidden Moslem land.
To-day no other monarch anywhere
yields such undisputed authority or
is in closer touch with the everyday
life of his subjects. He personally
runs his country's religion, its foreign
affairs, and he even supervises much
of its commerce. He also owns and
censors the only newspaper printed in
all Afghanistan,
"From the World war, though he
took no active part in 1t, the amir
emerged with singular profits His old
and once rival neighbors, Great Brit
ain and Russia, drawn together as al
lies In the world conflict, left him a
free hand, and I'm 1919 Great Britain
officially recognized the political In
dependence of this much-buffeted buff
fer state, to whose rulers she had so
long paid fat annuity.
with an area of 245,OO0 square
miles, Afghanistan is, next to Tibet,
the largest country in the world that
is practically closed to the citizens OF
other nations. But political life at
wary, alert Kabul is in sharp contrast
to the meditative seclusion and classic
aloofness of the pious lamas at
Lhasa. Amir Amanullah Khan,
through his agents in India and else
where, is i'm close touch with the
worlds current events; and, as the
last remaining independent ruler of
a Moslem country, now that the pow
er of the Caliph at STEAMBOAT is bro
ken. he Yields far-reaching influence
throughout the Mohammedan world
also, because his land happens to lie
Just as it does on the map of the
world, it is plain that for a long time
to come he will be an active force in
the political destinies of middle Asia
Wives Distributed as Gifts.
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 more expensive
=
than exciting.
Sometimes, when the amir wants
to favor his faithful officials with
presents, or perhaps to play practical
jokes in certain cases, he distributes
women among them; but these gifts
often prove so troublesome that nc
great degree of gratitude is apparent
among the recipients.
amir Habibullah Khan (who was
assassinated in 1919 had 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 yelled than the women
of any other Moslem land.
1.-THE trade Of Afghanistan is moved
entirely by caravans and Isl largely in
the hands of Hindus and Tadjiks
There is not q mile Of railroad in the
kingdom. the amir fearing that steel