AGA KHAN

Hutt News, Volume 12, Issue 10, 3 August 1938, Page 8

AGA KHAN

EONBLY PHlLtfsdfftEß.

Once wheii I was talking a meal wiiij.. th<s Aga Khan, writes Sisley Htiddjestoh In; the '/Christiaa Science lie turned -;to.me made this amazing speech: "You know I am not a Bolshevik, in the Russian sense but sometimes when I think of ihe *" precaripusnesg' of riches, Ifeel that it Would lie' more satisfactory if we were all in the employ of the Government, and were isure of our salary. I am supposed ;to be a wealthy man, but who can can say whether I shall leave any-thing-to my. heirs? Who can say that I shall be assured of a sufficiency all my life?" The idea of the Aga Khan in poverty, the idea of the Aga Khan preaching Communism, certainly surprised me. For of all men I have known I regard the Aga Khan as occupying the most favoured position from a worldly viewpoint. In the Orient he is looked upon with veneration, as the head of a religion; in the Occident he is looked upon with indulgence, as a leader of society. Incidentally, he is' known to the public as the most successful owner of Tacehorses. Yet he was in earnest; and though I wondered what would be the dimensions of a salary which would be considered satisfactory to the Aga Khan, I have no doubt that he really believes in a better organisation of communities, by which everyone should be assured of a competence, and would in return give of his labour to the State.

Indeed, he possesses unsuspected but clear-cut views on the governance of the world. H. G. Wells long ago suggested to me that it would be interesting to cultivate his acquaintance. I had thought of him as a "man-about-town," a "sportsman" whose life in Europe his humble devotees in India could not possibly imagine. And however amiable he might be, I did not expect to learn anything from him. "That is a mistake," said "H.G."; "he is fell worth talking to, so much so that he finds himself lonely." It happened that the next day I.took a train from the Midi to Paris, and found the Aga Khan, badly dressed in baggy grey trousers, was also on the train. I discovered that "H.G." had not exaggerated, that under the somewhat, frivolous exterior there is hidden a profound philosopher. From Zanzibar to Bombay, the Aga Khan of the Ritz exercises power over millions of Musselmen, by whom ho is reputed to be the direct descendant of their Prophet. The Begum is a French girl, Mile. Carron. At the lovely Cap d'Antibes he has his villa, in Hertfordshire he has a mansion, at Bombay he possesses a palace; and at Geneva some time ago he received thousands of delegates of all nationalities in the splendid new Palais des Nations. He was President of the Assembly on that occasion. He has been a regular visitor to the Lac Leman since the foundation of the League. FABULOUSLY WEALTHY. Almost inevitably he wears a wide smile, revealing his dazzling white teeth. His eyes gleam behind thick glasses. His big round face, his corpulent figure, not unlike that of Mr Pickwick, make a perfect picture of good humour. But there are other aspects of him: as when he is seated on a gold-brocaded divan, clad in gold-brocaded robes, glittering with diamonds and emeralds. He is fabulously wealthy, for tribute pours in upon him. But he has no territory, and one of his ambitions is to wield temporal as well as "spiritual power. From time to time one hears that the British are about to furnish him with a kingdom. Unhappily, kingdoms cannot be found easily, and so far the Aga Khan is without a domain.

The services he has rendered to the British are incalculable. His influence, is enormous; as was "well seen during the World War, when the Musselmen of India refused to proclaim a "holy war." Since then he has played an occult, but highly important part in the struggle now proceeding for the control of the Ar^bs* His life is full of contrasts. Whenever I have met him he has been exceedingly simple, asking for niy opinion on whatever public, affair was uppermost in his mind, or ready to discuss horses; and it is difficult to picture him in solemn state. East and West encounter each other in his person; he is at once the most magnificent of Easterners. If ever a salary as an official is to be given him, perhaps he could fill better than most people the post of World Dictator; for he knows precisely how he . would nationalise the map of Europe, federate the Arabs, colonise the unrivalled parts of Africa, and reorganise India.