Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1885-05-27
The knrus and Their Ways.

sian who is studying for missionary
service in his own country, tells some
interesting facts about his native land
Mr.. Neesan is dark skinned, wears q
black mustachef and has bright
intelligent .face. He does not look
very different from an American.
There are only three newspapers
IN Persia he says. "rhe women are
uneducated and can't even read. II u
village of 800 inhabitants, i'm which
| once lived, a man. began TO teach his
wife her letters. The neighbors iecred
al HIM on the streets and went and
reyiled the woman's parents, telling
them that their daughter was behg
made lawyer. The news became
intolcrahle that the .,arents finally had
to take the wife away. They did not
allow her 10 go back 10 her husband
until he signed contract ,piedging
himself not to interest himself any
further in her intellectual develop.
ment.
They are getting more tolerant of
Christianity" he went on. :" Formerly
when AlobaInmedan killed n Chris.
tian he was fined SIS. Now he has TO
pay $50 tor the same privilege. If Il
Mohammedan can capture Christian
girl and convert her to his religion.
when her father dies he inherits his
property to the exclusion of all other
heirs This causes great run after
the daughters OF rich Christians, even
when they're not prep5. Ifa Mobah-
medan, when out walking, meets a
Christian oo horseback, the latter hts
to surrender bis steed and allow the
follower of the Prophetic ride to his
destination.
"The kurds are a pretty bad lot,
They are warlike and terocious. The
women are very pretty, though living
out IN tents and drinking nothing but
water A Kurd is not allowed wife
until he Is II practicedrobber. | know
a case where the son of rich kurd
who had never had occasion To steal
fell In love with II girl, but her father
laughed ut his suit because he could
neither burglo nor pick pockets. The
kurd went TO his aged parent fol
advice. My son. said the old mun,
'getup at sunrise and steal some sheep
and COWS from your own pastures
Drive them through the village and
everyone will suppose you have stolen
them This the young man dii, bul
ON his way to the village he fell in
with some real bandits, who so admired
bis pluck, for they believed he had
stolen the animals, that they made him
one of their number, and he became 4
real thief and got the girl, too.
When Kurd wants to join band
the chief stands him on rock
and makes him swear by the beard oI
the Prophet that he is not standing ON
"a rock. This is in order to give him a
chance to show what liar he Is. Ii
he cannot stand the test he is rejected
If he does stand 1T he is next made to
swear that he is not among the thieves
and has never met any IN his life.
This is To see If he would be able To
lie with straight face if the Phills.
tines caught him.
Among the Persians the first time
a man Is caught stealing he is bastina.
doed aud made 10 sign paper 10 The
effect that robbery has no more allrac-
tions for him. With the solcs of his
feet smart ing from the bastiuodo he is
usually willing to do this. AT the
moment the statement Is often lrue.
Ii he be caught II second time his hands
are cut of, and # third time he is
decapitaled.
Mr.. Nassau speaks t~elvelanguages.
He is being taught Engls Greek and
Latin at Annandale, N. y where he
has been three years. He will remain
three more years in this country, two
of which will be passed IN a lheologi
Cal seminary in New York. At the
expiration of that time he will return
to ,'ersia as missionary of the Protes
tant Episcopal Church. He was born
in Assyria, about eighty miles from
Nineveh, but when he was yonng his
parents We're compelled, through perse.
cution, to take refuge in Persia. He
was schoolteacher in that country,
with a wife and child, but he tore him.
self away from everything, in order
that he might become qualified to
improve his countrymen.- Mat and
Ernrsss