The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1922-06-15
NElE: ! : !
ARE NOT WANTED
A!eAnnlstae Year. Aco Put Up
i''kSsS 0ukr .fds Means
f6Ur Warning.
SEN BVOY 70 WASHINGTON



Washington.--Ths arrival In Wash
ington Of an envoy from Afghanistsn
now perhaps the most mysteriou
eountSy IN the world. seeking the rec
ignition Of bis home land and the -
tab,tsAment Of diplomatic relation
with the United States. seems TO In
dicate that the policy Of absOiute tsola
fion from the rest Of the world ioni
followed by this Mosiem Kingdom Il
70 he modified. Light on conditions
IN this iIttle-known region Ia shown
BY the following communication to the
National Geographic society from
Frederick Slmpich and Hail Mira
HuAeein:
-rbe buffer state q AfGhanistan,
historic shock-absorber between Great
Britain and Russia In Middle Asia,
years ago put up = Keep OUT sign, =
EAis Means You' warning. to ell white
men and Christians. The land IL
.poated'--to use I poachsr's phrase
posted against trade and concession
hunters. against missionaries. and
against al military and political hunt
srs In particular.
~kesp Our Sign W.
"And tha Keep Out sign u still up.
Today tAs foreigner b NO more vel
come 10 Afghsnistan thna he was .
hundred yean aEo. Forbidden LhaDa
itself II no more exclusive than brood
Ing. Suspicious Kabui. the capital Of
this isolats. unffiendly raaln of
fanatic tribea, Of rocks, deserts. irft-
gated valleys. and towering unsur-
veyed ranges.
"Fov reasons Of foreign policy. the
amir has long Ieft the necessity Of
secludinG his little-known land to the
greatest possible extent from the out
side world. Only = few Europeans,
mostly British. bur occasionally also
IN American and now and then . few
Russians or Osrmans, .have had per-
mlnaiou 10 come into this country and
60 sojourn for Q while in ita curious
capital. hut even on Huch rare occa.
sions ~ when = foreign engineer. or
Q doctor whose survives are badly
needed. IL admitted BY the grace Of
the amir. the victor IL subject to .
surveillance that amounts almost TO
Imprisonment
mo ambassadors or ministers. not
even missionaries. are permitted to
reside IN this forbidden Moslem land.
To-day no other monarch anywhere
vields such undisputed authority Or
Il In closer touch with the everyday
life Of his subjects. He personally
runs his ccuntry's religion. IN foreign
Affairs, and he even supervisea much
Ct its commerce. lie also owns and
eensors the only newspaper printed In
ell AfUhanlstan
.From the World war. though he
tooh no active part In II. the amir
emerged with singular pronts His old
and once rival neighbour, Great Brit
ain and Russia. drawn together a. al
Iles Ia the world conflict. left him .
free hand. and In 1919 Great Britain
ofseially f~coGnised the political In
Of this much-buffeted buff
fer state. to whose rulers she had -
long paid . fat annuity.
.with an area Of $4,000 square
mIiea. Afghnnistsn II. next to Tibet.
the largest country In the world that
Il practically closed to the citizens Of
other nations. Hut political life at
vary. alert Kabul II In sharp contrast
TO the meditative seeluslon and classic
aloOfness Of the pious lamas ut
LhaAa. Amir Amanullah Khan.
his agents In India and else
where. II In close touch with the
worlds current events; and, a. the
last remaining independent ruler Of
a Noslem country. now that the pow
er Of the CAilph At STEAMBOAT II bro
ken, he Yields fRr-reaehing influence
throughout the Aohammetinn world;
also. because his land happens to lie
world, II Is plain that for long time
to come he VIII be an active force In
tho political destln,es Of middle Asia.
Wives Distributed ~ 0lfta
"From the Persians the Afghans got
the idea Of marrying more than one
WHes nut. IKE tue t-eTSihuA. tuo, tuey
have found. to their dismsy. that
poiyRamy Ia nowadays more expensive
than exciting.
Sometimes, when the amir wants
to favor his fxithful officials with
presentA or perhaps to play practical
Jokes In certain cases. he distributes
women among them but these gins
often prove 20 troublesome that no
great degree Of gratitude L. apparent
amo0k the recipients.
Amir Hahibullah Khan (who was
n 40 aainatsd In fotnA -: innrvm or /
over 100 women. and among these.
strangely enough, were = few Euro
peans. The present amir. AmanulIAh
Khan. has but one wife.
The women OF AfEhanistau arc
kept In more rigid seciusien and ars
more closely yelled than the women
Of any other Moslem land.
The trade Of AfKhanistan Is moved
snttreiy BY caravans and Is largely In
~ AmoAs Of Hind1s and Tadjfka
Xlngo b not . mile q railroad In the
kSne0p2. - anir fearing shat steel
ts~~wuyU WogiA nAks isolation impos-