The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-22


Sir Joseph Dickson, TO order him fsrmented liquors
incidentally, ana the Doctor has Just been knighted
Tor hts readiness TO understand hint. Az the Shah
has been reignipg now since 1s4s. and spends 80
little money, he must have immense savings, for
his revenues OF which he has the uncontrolled dis
posal, exceed two millions sterling yearly He Is
very avarictous ard grasping. There must be an
treasure hidden away somewhere. Per-
hsps the Russians will get 1t when they sack Tehe-
ran. as they certainly will do, some day or other
rEHERAN As REsIDHNcE.
II would be difhcu,t to imagine moro desolate
place OF abode than the capital OF Persia. II ID
Struggling collection OF houses. rarely more than
one story high, and there Ia no part OF the city
IL can be called city, which deserves the name OF
q street or Q square There are no places OF pup
lie amusement, no buildings Of any Importance
The money which should or might have gone
to make Teneran habitable ID all In the
shah's pocket. Indeed. 1t would be IN the highest
degree dangerous for Persian to live In such q
manner as to Indicate to his government that ne
might be squeezed with good results. Now and
then sly person treats himself TO soft carpets and
delioate food, ana he hangs few nawed and gene
rally worthless jewels about his womankind; but
he taxes care to preserve On appearance OF the ut
most squslor outside his house, In order that his
luxurious mode OF life may at least attract no at
can be spent In Tehran. There II no social life
tpere--no parties no balls no park or prater or
promenade. When man has bought few shawls
ana made them into long robes, when he has got
together halfa dozen horses and few wives, there
Ia practically the end Of his tether. He may multi
ply his female establishment II he chooses to do 80;
but he very seldom does choose to DO u, because
custom exists of taking wives upon lease, or mar
rying for o dennite period. Concubnage, In tho
sense OF o disgraceful Intercourse between the
sexes, Ia almost unknown In Persia. The Ma
hometan religion allows Of four wives to begin
with and these wives are div0rceable upon easy
conditions and for variety OF reasons. Then
Persian may contract as many ''legalized' mar
rtages as he pleases That Is TO soy, he may take
up ladies at short dates ana get rid Of them for
trning pecuniary sacrince, as soon rs they become
too numerous or he has not room enough IN his
house for them, or whenever their presence be-
comes in any way inconvenient to him. Therefore
his establishment frequently changes without tn
creasing materially in the number Of persons whom
he has to maintain at the same time. These
arrangements, OF course, have q marked eject IN
weakening family ties and utterly destroy heredi-
tary rank and property. A Persian gentleman may
sometimes count his children BY tho hundred. and
one OF tho predecessors OF tho present Shah left
nearly four hundred OF his recognized offspring
when he died. Some Of them made their way In
the world and became Prince Governors OF prov
inces; some wandered about tho country as
utter beggars. Persian children, as rule,
have no claim on their parents. and tun-
Bile up anyhow with few clothes and
no education, which materially diminishes the
expenses OF family man. A Persian generally
marres at about fourteen years Of age, or as soon
as he arrives at the age Of puberty. II his family
ctrr far
about him his mother probably presents him with
one OF her maids, and there is legalizod marriage
terminable at Will between them. The result of
these early marriages Is very noticeable The pas
sions being allowed absolutely free play, and being
neither unduly excited and prematurely forced by
high living and strong drinks, or repressed by any
considerations Of conventional morality or local
custom, produce race OF men and women nearly
all OF the same height and size. natural phe-
nomenon Is very seldom seen among them. There
few or no very tail or very short people; sckly
and deformed children, children with six fingers or
six tues. children subject to hts inhrmtles are
almost unheard Or pereian has no need to
heo.o up money to provide for his family.
He knows that they viii always md
enough rice ana melons to satisfy their hunger,
and he leaves the rest To chance. He may dress
them and his wives aso II he pleases to amuse
himself, in some scraps of red and yellow satin
but there is public rivalry in dress or equipage
between families. There are no wheel carriages to
haunt fine feathers about; no tailors' and MILL
ners bills to pay. II q Persian likes to dress his
wives gayly, he only does so for his own satisac-
ton; and they remain, nevertheless, shut up, or
are supposed to remain shut up, in the auderoon
or women's apartment far from the eye Of enter
prising man. AS o matter of fact, however, the
Persian ladies are terrible gadabouts, and In this
respect they present remarkable contrast to the
Turkish women. Even at Constantinople, where
there is 90 large an influx OF foreigners love
affair between o Frank and Turkish woman Is
almost II not quite impossible; and whenever 1t
does happen by some extraordinary chance (such
as an abuse OF confidence on the part of Frankish
physician who may have been admitted into the
harem), It is nearly always followed by murder.
The Persian ladies, however, have no scruples at
all In their dealings with foreigners, and no
sooner has smart young attache or Indian offcer
arrived ct Tehran than he IL pursued by letters
thrust into his hands In the streets and declaring
in the choicest language that he Is q pearl
pomegranate, q rose, star, and that lady who Is
dying for him would be glad OF . shawl worth lfty
tomans and burns to have o private interview
with him. Some Of the shah's wives play these
tricks, for shawls are among the current coins Of
Persia and the merchants buy them back at q
fixed price, scarcely differing more from the nrst
cost of them than French or Austrian bank note
after it has passed through the hands of money
changer. The poetical love letter therefore merely
means that the sender Is In immediate want Of
about Ave and twenty pounds and Is ready to come
to any terms for 1t. Now, II the young attache or
Indian oflcer. being moved by too much youth and
reading or by divers romantic fancles, is disposed
to fall violently in love with lady whom
he has never seen upon the strength
Of an epistle which has been penned
by her n,eerza "a servant kept for literary pur-
poses), this is commonly what happens: The first
time he goes out he will meet an Old woman, who
win sign to him to follow her into some unfre-
quented part OF the town. and presently the lady
who Ia bent upon his conquest will pass by,
rapidly uncover her face and disappear. After
that he viii be able to recognize her. and when he
comes home In the evening from his constitutional
ride he will probably md croucnng somewhere
about his stables bundle Of rags containing fe.
male voice. which whines plteousIy for Alma His aer