Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-09-24
The Persians.

PECULIAR COSTUMES AND CEREMONIES.
From the door of the house where the
shah was paying visit, up to the man
sion of the minister, distance of over
a mile, the thoroughfare was lined with
troops. Though they had taken up their
position at 6 in the morning, the shah
did not appear till nearly l2 o'clock.
Some halt-hour previous to this, sundry
old-fashioned carriages, drawn by a
couple of horses each and driven by
nondescript-looking coachmen, who to
all appearances might have been royal
scullions in undisguised professional
costume, might be seen making their
way, outside the ranks of the troops, in
the direction of the minister's residence.
These carriages contained some of the
principal harem favorites, and were pre-
ceded by a crowd of men in ordinary
Persian civilian costume, beating the air
and the ground with long osier rods and
vociferating to the bystanders to "be
Dlluu anu w UuI IL bllCll 1dSCE w plO W ull0
lest by any ill-luck they might catch
sight of any of the lights of the harem"
in the carriages. The arrival of the
shah was heralded by the advent of a
number of mounted policemen dashing
along the ranks in an altogether unnec-
cessarily impetuous manner. They wear
a black tunic with violet facings on COL
lar and cuffs, and stripe of the same col
or down the dark trousers. A small
black cylindrical shake completes the
costume. The foot police carry short
sabers of European model, that of the
mounted men being longer. After the
police came a crowd of some thirty
horsemen bearing large silver maces,
and behind these about hundred others
armed with sabers and having double
barreled fowling pieces and old-fashion-
ed Persian muskets slung at their backs.
All these people were dressed very plain
ly in somber-colored civilian costumes;
to these succeeded some fifty oddly CO.'S
TUNED persons, proceeding at a trot
on either side of the way. They were
the kings running footmen.
Each man wore rather long-skirted
red tunic, ornamented with few scraps
of gold lace sewn horizontally on the
breast; pair of dark knee breeches,
white cotton stockings, and shoes with
buckles and rosettes. The oldest part
of the costume was the hat. 1t was of
black glazed leather, and was not un-
like fireman's helmet developing into
lancer's casque; or the headdress worn
by the eccentric pencil merchant in Paris
some years ago, when he used to drive
about the streets in carriage selling his
wares. From the center and forward
and rear ends of the tall, straight crest
rise three punches of red artificial fow-
ers, made to resemble sweet William
blossoms. These are fixed on long
stems, that in the center being the taller.
all nodding comically with every move
ment of the head of the wearer. On all
occasions when the shah appears in pub
lie he is invariably accompanied by
these comical-looking persons, who run
ahead, on each side of and behind his
horse or carriage. In the midst of these
rode group of forty or fifty of the high
est dignitaries of the state, including the
first minister and commander-in-chief of
the army, the Hessem ell Selteneh, or
"Sword of the Kingdom. Corr. Lon
don NelUs.