Evening star., 1928-12-20

masters So the self-respecting tribes
men protested against the Queens pro-
posal for the indecent exposure OF
womankind-not their knees, but actu-
ally their faces, with no powder on their
noses and no rouge on their cheeks:
That was going too far! Ie ncited
righteous Indignation and war through
out the mountain ranges. Unveiled and
unshielded by purdah! What Is the mod
ern world coming to? Women'S knees
will vet be visible in Kabul, as brazing-
" as in Americal
If his majesty, King Amanullah, had
actually gone to America, there is not
man in Afghanistan who can conceive
what reforms" he might have brought
home and tried out, to demoralize
society. Companionate marriages and
State control of all children and wom-
ems clubs and women voting in political
matters! Women might, even run for
Congress or become preachers and law
yers!-or frequent the movies!
The Queens name, Souriya, Is so
nearly like certain French word,
"souriere." that it makes one smile to
hear what she has stirred up. But it
is no laughing matter now.
1t is quite probable that as the situa-
ton in that buffer state becomes more
fully reported, it will be found that
these reforms attempted by the King
are only the excuses of Bolsheyist-
led uprising.
It is alleged that the rebel army Is
Offered by Russians and that Bol-
shevist propaganda has been actively
circulated for some time. For nearly
a century possession of Afghanistan has
been a bone of contention between Rus
sia and Great Britain, for it was un-
questionably the hope of the Car to
gain that gateway into India. stir up
rebellion against the British. and
eventually drive the English out of
India whether to be followed by Rus
sian control or merely to weaken the
British prestige in the Far East. Since
the end of the Car, Russia is said to
have kept alive her ambition to control
India, but Great Britain subsidized the
buffer state, and through boundary
commissions definitely settled all un-
certainty as to where lines Of demarca-
tion lay.
The Afghan air force is offcered
wholly by Russians and the commercial
air lines lead only TO Soviet landing
places.
There is not a mile of railroad in the
country. and, owing TO its extremely
mountainous terrain, there probably
will never be railroads, now that air
travel is developed. Caravans of .camels
do all work of transportation on the
ground, with elephants for ceremonial
affairs, such as wedding professions and
royal paradeS.
X 4 X *
While the present revolt in Afghan
+ 0f
tereSt to us in the Far West, the ef-
feet in India which may grow out OF
it is likely to be serious. Said the
Manchester Guardian. on the occasion
of King Amanullah'S visit to England,
last year:
"Afghanistan is warlike: Afghan
istan is a hotbed of Mohammedan
fanaticism; Afghanistan is independent
of foreign control: Afghanistan enjoys
swara (self-rule), though its form OF
government is not modelled on Western
lines. The ruler of Afghanistan is not
constitutional monarch, as we un-
derstand the term, but neither is he
an irresponsible and all-powerful auto
crat. Evidently. Indian Mohammedans
will find food for thought in the eX-
ample of AfghaniStan. A knowledge Of
conditions prevailing in the Indian
states will save the elder Hindu poll
ticians from an excess of enthusiasm
over this new model. but the younger
men may begin to think of Indian Mus
solinis and Kemals We can hardly
blame them if they do. The process
of modernization is not likely to prove
painless in Afghanistan any more than
it has proved painless in China. Yet
the young men of India must feel some
shame that they are not free to share
with their neighbors the pangs Of
rebirth."
The meaning of the Kings name,
Amanullah, is "the Peace of God,'
but he is far from being pacifist. He
claims direct descent from Genghis
Khan and Tamerlane. A correspond
ent from Rome. who saw his visit to
Italy, described him as follows:
His indefatigable work at the tasks
of government, his love of discipline,
his hate of graft of ali kinds his will
ingness to run the government SINGLE
handed and his fierce desire to modern
i1e the country, have won him the So
briquet of "the Mussolin1 Of the East"
lcopyriRh.. 1923. BY Paul v.cciiins.l