Ontario Community Newspapers

Port Perry Star, 14 Mar 1929, p. 6

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Siege of , corps. me eat f Afghan Palace Depicted by Royal Tutor Queen's 2Modern Dress Added to Anger Over Reforms, - Frenchwoman Relates ' Mallahs Spread Hostility By SONIA TOMARA In New York Herald-Tribune Paris. --The first refugee to arrive in Paris from Kabul, where civil war has been raging for the last two months and where kings have been rising and disappearing, was Mme. J. C. Ott, a Frenchwoman, who since last spring has lived in close touch with King Amanullah, Queen Souriya and their family. 'When the Afghan monarchs were in Berlin--during their trip to Europe --Mme, Ott was asked by Queen Souriya to take charge of her nine-! year-old daughter, Sultanja, and to teach her French cnd English and European manners. Mme. Ott became a member of the Queen's household She traveled with her through Soviet Russia, Turkey, Persia and the wil derness of Arghanistan From June to Deceniber 31--when she left Kabul as a refugee, on a Gor- man Junker plane--she lived in the King's palace, with little Princess Sultanja, meeting the King and Queen many times a day. Amanullah prac- ticed his little knowledge of French talking to Mme, Ott. When the revolt broke out she was surrounded by the rebels in the palace, together with the royal family, and slept in Queen Souriya's room during the eight days of the siege. King Welcomed by Throngs "When we first arrived at he Afghan frontier, coming from Persia, I was astonished to see how extremely popu- Jar King Amanullah was among his subjects. All the way from he fron. tier to Kabul we were met with en- thusiasm by crowds of simple people, shepherds and peasants. We pro- ceeded in a caravan of fifty motor cars, and behind us came an enormous _ queue of lorries filled with the lug- gage--all the gifts the King was bringing from the various European countries and all the purchases made by him and the Queen in Europe. A special road had to be made through the Afghan hills for our journey, and the people themselves built it for their sovereign. Table Implements Introduced From the day we arrived the Queen became busy transforming the former harem into a regular Western palace, with fine reception rooms. A big table was put in the middle of the dining room and chairs replaced the carpets, for the King would no more eat in the Eastern fashion. All his relatives and guests were told to use forks and knives during the meals whereas be- fore they always ate with their fingers, "Twice a day, for lunch and for dinner, we all assembled in this dining room. King Amanullah took the head of the table, Queen Souriya sitting on his right. There were as a rule about forty people sharing the King's meal --his children, his numerous half brothers and half-sisters, the Queen's sisters and relatives, the widows of the King's father, who had remained in the palace after their husband was murdered. "At first it seemed very difficult for the elderly women to get accustomed to Western ways, to eat properly, to #it unveiled among men. But little by little they became modernized and seemed to like the new fashion. Queen Wore Western Dress "In the afternoon the Queen re- ceived guests from the diplomatic At these receptions she wore some of the Western frocks she had brought from Europe. She was very fond of dressing in European clothes and passed all her mornings trying on new ollettes and having them changed for her by the Rumanian dressmaker. In the evening Queen Souriya wore delicate gowns, and although none but the family's relatives saw her in these clothes, the rumor abou the scantiness of her attire soon spread in Kabul and was amplified by the mullahs 'who saw their prestige diminished by the King's reforms. Some of Amanullah's enemies received from Europe photo- graphs of the Queen in evening dresses and these pictures were re- printed and sent to chiefs of tribes. "In July he Queen shingled her beautiful hair. She ¢id not want to do it, but Amanuliah had insisted on it ever since they came back from Europe. Princess in New School "However, everything remained quiet' until the beginning of September, when we 'went over to Kabul, for my little pupil, Princess Sultanjs, was to enter the French school. It was & new mixed school, where girls were to be educated together with boys. King Amanullah ordered all his min- isters to send their children to it so that Sultanja should have distinguish. ed company, But there were also sons and daughters of quite simple families. + "All the trouble began when King Amanullah decided that the time had arrived for his country to be Euro- peanized. On September 15 he went, with his Queen, to a public gathering and there, in front of thousands of people, he took the veil of the Queen's face and made a long speech. He de- creed that, like Souriya, all women were to go about unveiled and wear 'Western clothes, instead of the long trousers and shirt of the national cos- tume. The felt hat and the Western snit were to become obligatory for men. "The sight of the unveiled Queen made a profound impression upon the King's audience, But in the palace we did not realize what the conse- quences would be. We continued" to live as before, the King being very busy with his reforms. He went out a lot in the car and received minis- ters and foreign representatives. We often saw the Soviet minister, Stark, drive up to the palace and stay' quite a long 'time in the King's study. Queen Helped Poor "The Queen's time was takeu up by receptions, by dressmake.s and cahr- ity. She was extremely kind to any- body who was in need of her help. Frequently poor men or women came to the palace and asked to be received by the Queen. 'She had them come immediately to her reception room and, whenever it was possible, she helped them. "However, the King's order to wear Western clothes had caused much dis- content in Kabul. Western clothes were expensive and it was often difii- cult to get them. The Afghans were used to their tarbans and baggy trousers. But the King's orders were strict. At first he decreed 'that men and women clad in the old way would not be allowed to walk in the main st vet of Kabul or pass through the town park. Guards stood along the main street driving away 'old-fashion- ed' people. This made the population very angry. "Soon we noticed that the King was becoming nervous. He spoke of the Shinwari tribe that was revolting against him, But he did not want to take drastic measures against them. 'They are Moslems,' he said, 'and we must spare them.' At the beginning of the rebellion Bachi Sakao, who later crowned himself as King Habi- boullah, was made prisoner by Ama- nullah's troops, but Amanullah let him go, as he gave his word never to fight against his King any more: Palace Under Attack "At the beginning of December we all were in the palace--all except the King, who had gone out for a drive-- when the servants begen to run around the rooms shouting that we were sur- rounded by the enemy. The rebéls hal entered the town and raised against the King the lower popula- tion of Kabul, The scene outside was terrifying; ragged armed crowds were voclferating and shouting threatening words against Amanulle' and Souriya. The Queen was pale with fear, for her husband was out and she did not know what fate he had encountered. Soon, however, he returned, having dashed in his motor car through the insurgents. He organizd the defense of the palace, even his twelve-year-old nephews receiving weapons. Guns were loaded and the siege began. It lasted for over a week. Bullets fell on the upper floors of the palace, so I had to go down with my pupil to the Queen's room. About te: of us slept there 7a mattresses on the floor. Royal Family in Flight "The rebel's first condition was that the King should repudiate his 'shame? less' wife. He refused flatly. After a week's sigge the King's Guards eject- ed the rebels and cleared a part of the town. He cCecided to put Queen Souriya and his children out of danger. His whole family--about fifteen peo- ple, among wohm was my little Prin- cess Sultanja, were packed in the huge plane he had received in Germany. I was to go on the same day to the French legation and to Le evacuated from there. On the morning I had to part ith the Afghan rc ' family we all wept. We had lived together so many days full ¢f anguish. Poor Queen Souriya was dreading to leave her husband in Kabul, where the re- bellion was far from being suppressed. "The same evening I left for Pesha- war, and there I learned later that King Amanullah had soon joined his family in Kandahar. He did not want to continue civil war 'vith the feeble forces he had in the capital. On the eve of departing I had heard him say: "I do not want to kill uselessly." Civil Flying to Serve Canada Dominion Takes Steps to Con- vert it into Emergency Divisions of Royal Ve Air Force Commercial flying is assuming such 'proportions in Canada that the au- thorities are taking steps to control the traffic and to utilize and facilitate the new developments with the pur- pose of converting them into emer- gency divisions in the National De- fense scheme of the air service. All matters pertaining to aeronau- tics are to be administeréd by the Minister of National Defense. The air services from = part of his depart- ment and are to be divided into four branches; the Royal Canadian Air Force, the directorate of civil air oper- ations, the control of civilian aviation and the. aeronautical engineering di- vision, The Royal Canadian Air Force is to be responsible for the air defenses of the Dominion to the chief of the general staff, Its work will include the administration and training of the air force and its reserves, the supply- ing of training facilities for all gov- ernment air enterprises, the collection and dstribution of air intelligence and the co-operation with the militia and naval services. It will also pro- vide trained personnel to be attached to other branches. At present the air force has five units: headquarters at Ottawa for the adminiciration, organization and intelligence bureas; a land training station at Camp Borden; seaplane training station at Vancouver; the stores depot at Ottawa, and the com- munications flight department at Ot- tawa, The Conroller of "Civil Aviation 1s to be responsible to the Deputy Min. ister of National Defense for the ad- ministration of air regulations, the swcvey, location and equipment of air- ports, airways and afrcraft. A minimum of fifty hours of solo flight is one of the requirements of the applicant for a commercial pilot's license. All except the private pilot's are required to pass written examina- tions on the construction, main- tenance and operation of aircraft and engines. te omen Honest George An attorney who advertised for a chauffeur, when questfoning the ap- plicant, said. "How about you, George, are you married?" Yoost ToosH ma! Don SHOW 16 NORANCE THAT WAY IN FRONT OF HE CHALD poe Eiger i ei TE Prisoner Sees Strange World After 30 Years The world is indeed a strange place, to a man who has been femoved from all contac' with it for three decades. The things he was used to 30 years ago, have disappeared. Their place is taken by things he knows not of. Such is the fate of Albert Gauthier, aged 49, who has just returned to his Bre of the US. Navy EVEN THE U.S. MIDDIES TAKE UP GOLF Midshipmen at Annapolis Naval Academy are taught the rudiments of the noble game of golf by Jimmy Roche, middle Atlantic professional title-holder, : Speaking of how this feeling grows Jon you. Gauthier said: "There never was a wan sentenced to life who thought he would serve more than five years. The lawyers tell you you'll be out in five years, and for that time, that is all you think of. But during that period you get used to prison life. When. the five years are over, you hear nothiag of a re- prieve. You are disappointed, but not very disappointed. And after another year or two ,you quit think. ing about getting out." He could tell the habitual crim- native Montreal, after 30 years in alinals in prison; he said, by the way United" 8tates prison, --served as punishment for a crime regarding which he still disagrées with the ver- dict of society. Like a former fam: ous prisoner, "his hair 1s gray, but not with years ... his frame is bent, but not with age," and the iron of his chains has entered into his soul. .« * @ - Thirty years ago, his father de- serted him and his mother. Hot- headed and indignant, he sold his Sunday suit top buy a revolver, made his way. to St. Paul,. Minnesota, no mean journey 30 years ago, and there found his father. He challenged his father to return home and give to his mother the cure and protection a wife and mother advancing in years was entitled to expect of a husband and father. His father not only refused, but added itisult fo injury by offering the boy a railway ticket back to Mont- real. > The boy's rage, smouldering for weeks and fed daily by brooding, over the wrong done the mother he wor- shipped, suddenly burst into flame. Hig fingers found the weapon. for which he had sacrificed his finest wearing apparel. Three shots rang out, and Albert Gauthier was a pris- oner, arrested a few minutes later on the charge of murdering his father. A LE I There is no capital punishment in Minnesota. Gauthier went to jail for life, found guilty of patricide. He knew practically no English then, and during the weeks that he waited for trial, and the adys that his trial last- ed, he thought his life hung in the balance, for he did not know that the death penalty had been abolished in Minnesota. 'oe To-day, after 30 year and two weeks of prison life, he speaks Eng- 1sih fluently, but only beginving to learn what life means as the world understands it now, Of his crime, he speaks with the same detachment, as if. he were speaking of someone's else's act. It was premeditated, he says, and therefore it was easy for the state to convict him, But he does not admit that it was unjustified. He never saw his mother again. The impulsive act by. which he sought to redress or, failing that, to avenge the wrong done to her, de- prived her of her last means of sup- port, and after struggling for 16 years to maintain herself, she died when only half of his imprisonment was over. Speaking of prison he ad- mits that he was well-treated and, in fact, he loves the routine of prison life, the shelter from all outside wor- "Naw, sir, boss; Ah makes mah ries, the absence of any .eed to care ing potato chips by measure,--Boston own living."--Unidentified Clipping. |for himself. . 3 say! wily Do You SUPPOSE HEY SEND POLAR EXPEDITIONS? WHY ARE THEY 6 THESE AIRY they talked. The men who Went to' prison for some one particular crime caused by special circumstances, would tall only of how they could put in the tine' until théy got out. The habitual 'criminals talked only of the made by those who go to India the first time, the Indian sun and the Indian moon, writes James Milne in "The London Daily Telegraph". One might say they are sun and the same moon. . The Indian sun is very cruel--so cruel at its worst that the human body, white or brown, almost melts under its torture. You see in the morning a brazen-looking ball on the "| edge of thé far sky. It is angry and flushed and you know that this brazen bolt in the blue will assuredly have you. He climbs the sky slowly, getting more and more brazen in the face, more a creature of flery particles burning in a furnace, At noon he is in possession of the earth, as well as the sky, and his savag is unbear- able and unsatisfied. He goes on: with the clock, grsping everything with his molten arms; your head, your eyes, your desk, or the pavement from which your feet retreat in pain. He balances an hour or two, at that swet- ing agony, playing with you, and then, sour of aspect, he condescends to grow less afflictive. But he is still angry and when he retires for the] night, a ball of red coal, you can fancy you hear him hiss, "Ah! I re- turn to-morrow." Meanwhile the Indian moon has crept faintly into the sky, and it is the loveliest thing imaginable. It Has a face of-al i del and innocence, a real paby face, until it grows clear and manly, and strong with the fullness of night. The Indian moon is all a hero, a lovely friend, and you give him your crimes they had committed, how clev-' full confidence, ws he gives you his erly they did them, and what they. would aclomplish when they got out again, - Their rapture was always a matter of bad luck. * On about a dozen occasions during bis imprisonment, Gauthfer had to do time in "the hole," Which was the ex- treme punishment, He had to spend his time under this punishitient, in a small cell' with neither chair nor cot, with no shoes on,only a mattress to sleep on at night, no covers to keep warm and only a slice of bread each morning to eat. He was thus punish: ed, he says, for Insolence to guards. They were not really bad, he admits, but a man got tried of being ordered about by other people all the time, * * 0» When released, he was given seven dollars pocket money and a railway ticket to the place where he was con: victed, namely, St. Paul. From there he hiked and begged rides to San- dusky, Oh, whence the Salvation Army paid his fare to Buffalo. From there he walked to Niagara Falls, a clergyman paid his fare to Toronto, and a little help was given him there which enabled him to reach Montreal, his home town. Before he went to prison, he was a good man at cutting stone window sills. When he left prison he had an idea that he should be able to make a couple of dollars a day at that work. In the world that he knew, two dollars a day was a comfortable liv ing. He has somewhat changed his ideas since He has been at liberty, but has not yet nearly become ac- climatised to civilization a¥ he now finds 1t. Automobfles, airplanes, short skirts, soft white collars, all these things are strange, unknown mysteries to Albert Gauthief, who is faced with the dual problem of earn-| ing a living and learning to live, in an utterly strange environment. rr ese 'Better Times for Copper The prevailing low price of copper during the past few years has been offset to some extent by improved mothods of concentration and metal lurgical treatment and the recent| strengthening of copper prices should have a very stimulating effect on the Canadian production, = reel ete After all, most business consists in buying potatoes by weight and sell: Herald. : soft radiance. He has no arrogance, 'like the sun, only beneficence and a curious mobile warmth of expression. You want to bask in hig light and shadow, loving both, because their interplay with each other tells you that he is romantic. It was Byron who said, possibly some: foolish night In St. James's Street, that the devil was in 'the moon. He is ust in the Indian moon, maybe because: al the Oriental devils with planetary homes are in the Indian sun. fb ee New Cereal lutreductions During the past three years the Cereal Division of the Dominion De- ypartment of Agriculture has intro- duced for trial in field areas by farm- ers two early-maturing = varieties of spring wheat, bearing the names Gar- net and Reward, variety of field peas known as Mac: kay and a strong-strawed two-rowed variety of barley known as Duckbill Ottawa No. 57. mim selcims The Wrong Place? "I want some turpentine." "I beg your pardon, but this is a drug store. Perhaps you might be in: terested, though, in some toothpaste, some fancy stationery, an ice cream soda or a sandwich?" om a The vicar of a suburban church was paying his monthly call, and the lady remarked that she had been thinking of bringing' her little boy to church the following Sunday. The Vicar: "Perhaps he is rather too young to attend divine service." Lady: "Oh, no. I took him to the circus yester- day and he was ag good as gold." --o : : IT HAS SIDES Teacher (sternly): So, a circle has sides, eh? How do you make that out? : » Stude: Inside and 'outside, of course, for] 1 sador to the U.S, speaking befcre the Tells Foreign Press Here of '94 'Humiliation * Katsujl Debuchi, Japanese Amibas- Association of Foreign Press Corres. |pondents at New York recently, as. serted that Japan, while disclaiming any ambition to aequire territory in: Manchuria, nevertheless would never permit that part of Chin tao lapse into a conidtion which might constitute a menace to our country." , Mr. Debbuchi recalled that Japan hau $1,000,000,000 invested in railways mines, habrors, iron works and other enterprises in Manchuria and is re- sponsible for the protection there of 200,000 Japanese nationals and 1,000, 000 Coreans, and added that his coun. try was "humiliated and disgraced" when Russia took Manchuria after the Japanese-Chinese war of 1894, "We can never reconcile ourselves to 'the thought that Manchuria will dition which may once again consti- tute a menace to our security," sald Mr. Debuchi. "At that time I must emphasize that Japan has no terri torial ami.ition in Manchuria. Research Institutes Planned As Mr. Debuchi was spokesman for the Japanese delegation to the- Wash- ington conference on limitation of arfhament and later was chief negoti- ator for Japan in the restoration of Shantung tc China, his utterances on the" Manchurian situation were re- ceived as authoritative. He made no mention of conditions in Shantung where rival Chinese forces are re. ported to have begun another war. To show its friendship for China, Japan, Mr. Debuchi said, {s preparing to establish at both Peking and at Shanghai an institution for scientific and cultural research, The expense is to be defrayed by revenues from the Boxer indemnity and from the pay- ments by China for the Shantung rail way. "These institutions will open .not only to Chinese and Japanese but to the scientific world at large and I am sure will contribute in no smell de- gree to the development of intellee- tual co-operation between Occidental anid Oriental peoples," Mr. Debuchi said. : "We have no intention whatever to monopolize the raw materials door and equal opportunity as the best policy for China hersell and for the a heavy-yielding | interested powers, Welcomes a United China "Whatever advantage we may enf in regard to China is due to our sd. vantageous geographical position and to a similarity between the lar /lage§ and races of the two countr' 4, We know the needs and taste of the Chis nese, and we can lay down our man. ufactured articles at Chine .e ports at much less cost than other nations can because we are' China's next door neighbor. i "Viewed in this 1i~'it, we have every reason to welcome a unified and peaceful China." We rejoice taht China has in the last year or so shown signs of stabilization and unification as she never had since the revolution of 1912. Of course she still has many obstacles to overcome before she can really establish a stable government. But if her leaders at the helm follow a sane and constructive policy formus lated with a view to the general tem. dency of the world snd thie real desire of the Chinese people, I am quite sure that Japan, as well as other interested powers, will gladly extend a helping hand Looks to a Modern China "With China reforming her admi; tration and stabilizing her social jeconomic system, there i3 little that she will become a groat natiom launching modern enteryrivas not only nig but also cultural and open- ing her doors to foreigners and foreign ' civilization as we ourselves 'have done." "I believe that the harmonious blending of the civilization of the East and West cannot fully be re. alized until China, with her ancient institutions and her vast territory and enormous population, is able to [Lo markets of China," ¢intinued the g ba ador. "We believe in the open ever be permittefl to lapse into fn Conuem==--"

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