Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-17
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
ABOUT KABUL

Had you picked up a London
newspaper a few weeks ago you
would have wondered why a visit of
an Englishman to Kabul without
any official reason for going there
commanded as much space as would
be given the discovery of a new ISL
and or another transatlantic air
plane flight" remarks a bulletin
from the Washington, d. c., head
quarters of the National Geographic
Society.
"Kabul was not planned to be in
accessible, like Katmandu, of Nepal,
nor is it insulated by temperament
from foreign contact, like Lhasa, of
Tibet, Pianolas and monographs
given the ear an inkling of the home
life Of Afghanistan's capital-a home
life which is screened from the eye
by interminable mud walls. Prob
ably nowhere in the East is the i'm
murement of m more complete
than in Kabul. The extent of a
mans wall is the barometer of his
social station. The more prosperous
he is the more wives he can afford;
and the more wives he has the more
walls he will need to guard them
from the eyes of his neighbors.
One Wife and so Autos
AUTOMOBILES and ever motor
cycles jockey camels and elephants
on thoroughfares that are wide
enough; telephone lines and electric
lights add a touch Of the modern.
The predecessor of the present amir
had more than a hundred wives;
the present ruler has n wife and
fifty-one automobile. When a wes-
tern idea hits Kabul the impact az
ton seems exaggerated. The story
is told of one wealthy Kabulian who
would have nothing less than a
grand piano. which arrived minus a
stool, so the purchaser had its legs
cut off so he might play it while
sitting on the floor in his accus-
toned cross-legged position.
Then, too, there are in Kabul
machine shops, munitions works and
factories for making soar and shoes
and cloth, all built up under English
supervision. It's tanneries establish
ed through the cooperation OF Brit
ish experts are sources OF especial
pride.
"Splendid Isolation"
THE key to this anomaly is the
Splendid isolation policy Of Afghan
istan's amirs. The first casual visit
of a European to Kabul is an his
toric event not because the Afghan
is a dreamer, nor ne is
| afraid, but because he is extremely
| clever. He loves intrigue. He takes
what he wants Of civilization but
| keeps civilization at arms length.
He is a fervent Mohammedan. but
| realizes that there are more things
in the world than Mohammed
| dreamed of. The Amir Habibullah
summed up the Afghan philosophy
| of recent years when he proclaimed
knowing the Koran, you may learn
| what else you choose
Zone political result of this policy
is that Kabul discloses the one ab-
solute monarch reigning today whose
word is unquestioned law among
some seven million people. 1t is a
tribute to the enlightenment, rather
than to any c~urtailed powers OF the
| present ruler, hat men no longer are
tied to the muzzle of cannon nor
| have their tongues cut out. There
frequently was more irony than
cruelty in Afghan punishments. one
| amir of not so many years 6 Or
| dered three fingers cut off the hand
| of a man who had previously stolen
| three coins from a blind beggar.
| JJpon another occasion he ordered
| that a baker who was repeatedly
| guilty of selling s~hort-weight loaves
be roasted alive in his own oven be-
| cause there was so much spare room
there. Yet the Afghan holds all lie
| sacred to the extent that he Will re-
move a flea from his person instead
of killing it. A swat the fly cam
| paign in Kabul would be Impossible