The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-04

The Persian Monarch's Reception I'm
EnglAnd--Soda Water, Diamonds,
shahs and Showers.
A thrill of pleasure when accompanied by
pang of agonizing doubt helps to form
complex emotion. For the production of this
Mr.. Mark Twain is responsible. The editorial
bosom of the HERALD has heaved under it's
perplexing influence upon reading his account
of the Shah of Persia's progress from Ostend
to Buckingham Palace. He has worked up
the English attempts to empress the Shah "
with fine success; he has accomplished his
mission of bringing over the Persian poten-
much grim confidence as O'Kelly a. much
fearlsssness as Fox. and as magnifoently as
MacGahan. This is indeed high praise. and
it is first administered in order that the poi
sonous doubt which his story leaves may be
commented on. he has not satisfied US on
the point whether the Shah was impressed or
not by the English show. To be sure he was
not satisfied himself, and we take it as mark
of conscientiousness that he refrains from
pursuing the matter into the Pickering flame
Of fancy, wherein even q newspaper CORE
spondent has been known to SINCE his wings
before now. But the doubt rankles deeply,
and although we admit that Mr.. Twain may
not be legally responsible for the uncertainty,
we regret that he could not say at once that
the Shah was Impressed" or that he de-
cidedly was not. Our commissioner, it will
be observed, was kept on board q steamer
which followed in the wake Of that which car
ried the Shah His operations with the Per-
sian host were confined to Grand Viziers and
to have wrestled as pluckily as Leonidas did
with their ancestors. and to have Impressed
them without any of the lethal weapons en-
ployed by the Greeks His weapon was tele-
graph pole. This is not, we believe, the first
time that we have heard of Cyrus or de-
scendant thereof being interested in tele-
graphy. With the telegraphic lanterns he
was also as successful in "impressing'' the
Persians as Gideon's band were in impressing
the Midianites with their lamps. The sorrow
that overspread his heart when he was forced
to confess that in this optical tele-
graph business he could only elm
press" tho Shah at secondhand is
finely visible in the way he subsequently
sought the champagne and soda particularly
the latter, we hope,) in the wardroom below.
It is worthy of remark that even in this mad
momentary plunge into oblivion from sour
reflections he found time to note how soda
water (and possibly champagne, for on their
relative powers he is not very exact) acts as
an acquaintance-maker. 1t was well worth
the trouble and anxiety of bringing over so
remote an individual to sift out this great truth.
1t is not at all our intention to find fault with
our commissioner yet on one point the public
will naturally look for further information. In
describing blazing star of diamonds on the
Grand Vizier's breast Mr.. Twain says it is as
large as the palm Of his hand. Diamonds are
very costly articles, and although in times
not long gone they shone as profusely around
the City Hall as ever they did in Golconda, they
should not be described in as vague manner
Mr. Twain, for instance, may have q manual
member as small as ''airy, fairy Lillian's or
he may wear q number twelve pair Of kids
with difficulty when he goes to the opera, and
the difference Of acreage would be something
considerable when the area is to be sown with
diamonds. There is, however, an air of truly
princely magnifcence in the margin of three
thousand gems which he gives the public in
the emeralds and brilliants wherewith the
aforesaid Grand Vizier' scabbard is encrusted.
He had forgotten to take notebook with him,
and had to rely upon pack of cards. With
true republican candor he stops short in his
narrative to say he cannot recommend court
cards for the journalists purpose in such an
emergency-they play the deuce with notes. 1t
may have been appropriate enough to display
the jewelled splendors of the Persians on q
tray of diamonds, since diamonds were trumps,
although Mr.. Twain has forgotten it; but the
v.sole thing would have been better If his des-
tination wis Deal instead of Dover. The euchre
deck of q man-of-war Is not, perhaps, so
great novelty as it at first appears. When
the big thirty-odd guns opened fire Mr.. Twain
appears to have been still witnessing the
rlpeuinB VI uiehuSAPo uhuei ono hh"enSo VI
soda water, and gives us his opinion on look
ing through the lenses Of other peoples eyes
We may note, en- passant, that the fashionable
mamma of America has great faith in the SYM
pathetic powers Of mineral waters, else why
does she bring her unmarried darlings year
after year to the temples where Congress and
High Rock may be imbibed as they gush from
the limestone2 On second sight," as in
stanced by reading newspaper reports, Mr.
Twain is playful, and we shall charitably
attribute it to the soda. But he brought the
Shah TO London and handed him over to the
English people and made them present of
him. He thinks the Shah was Impressed
by a shower of London rain, but if they could
only have furnished him with London fog
he would have been Impressed" if he ever