Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-22
ATTRACTIVE PERSIA.
A COUNTRY FOR THE SPORTSMAN,
soTANIsT AND ARTIST.

, Soil Greasy with Saphtha-The Per
sian water-Pips - Antiquarian Won
ders-A HowIing De.ert-Life in ths
Capital.
But there is vet play ground almost
untrodden by the tourists foot, lana
where hotels are motor where, at any
rate, there is but one; land where ths
eastern CaTayansary opens Its hospltaDIe
doors to every man, riCh or poor, lahu
where one can travel en- prince, or ~pao
the hOof' and live deCently on niuepence
day; a country to all intents and purposes
the far east. yet touching Europe: "A cnun-
try interesting Ia the bJtInIst and natu-
ralist for its verdaut soil teens win ami
NAL life its streams are full al il~H inho-
cent of the arts of the angler, a country
of magnificent forests, aboundInH Win
game large ant smail-pnea~ant-, par
tridges, wild dICN. snIpr. bears, VIII
sheep, antelope, panJhers. tigers-aye, ana
lions. a country wu~rr a servIc~ab.e horse
is TO be had tor 80 note, and where ieri
never exceeds q pence day. A. for eli
mate, perfection.
IN NORTHERN PERSIA
This is not a mere 4ani OF dr-aIs-It Is
northern Persia Here peace r"iSas. The
roads are safe. crime, Of violence are an
known, the people are tranquil L'Na -
to Berlin, day and a hall Ber IN 6" En-
zelii, on the Caspian, ten days, total eleven
DAYS and "A half An tnts eieve. and
half days Of travel is very varied. FROM
Berlin TO wilma well worth haltE
| thence TO Eydt tkhunen, and then Rus"lA-
dear old dirty RussIa-where they may 6e
rough, but where they are 80 kind and
hospitable, charging nothing for the clII-
dren on rail or boat. ILarlt-
| Zin Then the river steamer, with It's
| good living, its ZakOuskas or SnacNs, lts
vOdki, and its piver or Russian beer. and
| fresh caviare discretion IL l. almost
worth the journey to eat fresh cavlare, TO
say nothing of sterlet. Then AstrahnHn
| and the Caspian sea And here good Dye
civilization. goodbye tall hats ana var
nished boots; good bye To female society;
good bye to Europe and European civi!lzi-
ton. but not to civilization OF another
kind and hospitality of more than even
| Russian excellence. A few hours halt IS
made at Derbend This is an As.atIc, not
| a European town, in fact. On to Baku-a
halt of two days. you land to ride TO the
watered with naphtha water. Just out
side the town you scratch the earl n, apply
a match. and, 10! a flame. The surface of
the sea may in some spots be ignited- The
place is greasy with naphths; the ruble
notes smell OF it. Baku, since it struck
ile,n has become very rich. The inhab-
itants seem 10 do little else but talk OF
naphtha. play at cards, and drink cham
pagne.
On the twelfth day. having passed
thickly- wooded LenkOran, you arrive at
your destination. The shah's tower, with
its bright culors, looms into sight like
fairy pagoda. The orange groves Of En-
zelli run down to the waters edge. The
blue clOudless sky hangs over an earthly
paradise; while the distant dim blue
mountains, capped in places with snow,
tower above the dark and many-shaded
greens OF the dense forests. This is Persia:
the land whose customs never change; the
land Of Hahji Baba: the land where q
despot rules patriarchally, where almost
all religions are tolerated; and, be II not
forgotten, where a pound goes further
than anywhere else.
Here, then, il the country for the sports
man, the bOtanist, the entomolOgist, and
the artist. Also here is change, novelty,
freedom from restraint. Here is the place
for the dreamer of dreams and the smoker
of pipes For the Persian water pipe or
hubble bubble is the poetry of smoking
and "A pound of the best Shiraz tobacco
costs pence
The brio a brac hunter will 60 on to
Teheran or Ispahan. The antiquarian or
archaOlngist will proceed TO Rhe, the
ancient Rhages-tO the tomb Of Cyrus, to
the statute of Shahpur; he Will visit Per-
sepoiis and the tombs of the kings, or he
will cross to Hamadan and see the ruins
of Ecbatana, Shushan the palace, and the
tombs OF Esther and Mordecai Thence
he will go on 10 kermanshah, and visit
Besitun for the sake of the rock sculp-
lures of Darius the Mede, with the temple
of Diana on the way Returning home
via Bagdad, he will ponder over what was
once the Tower of Babel. As for the man
who Journeys for change of scene, a few
stages will take him out OF the fertile belt
near the Caspian sea, and. after travers-
ing many mountain passes and rocky
river gorges he enters a bowling desert,
leaving the dense forests and plains OF
pasture Not IL tree, no water, an arid
plain, high mountains on all sides, and in
habitants none, or next To none
In the capital Europeans are few, and
the gorgeous magnificence of the shah
and his count is somewhat oppressive.
Yelled beauties with their eunuchs are in
evidence; the crowded baZaars, the loaded
camels, mules, horses, and asses, all as in
the picture books. The prodigality OF
dress and of ornament and the habitual
use of the precious metals astonish the un-
travelled and even the Travelled European.
Here men are bastinadoed and blown from
guns in true eastern manner. The jew is
prosecuted by the Mussulman. Wine and
spirits are forbidden; but the court and
the lower classes in the capital indulge in
hearty libations. The dervish, in his tall
hat and leoI>ard skin, stalks the streets
with his club or huge AK, or stops you and
asks for aims stark naked The palaces
and country seats of the king and his
mobiles are open to all Even the royal
! Jewels, the Deryah- iNur, or Sea of Light,
the great diamond; the pigeon's-egg pearls;
the coffee-cup followed from a huge tur-
quois; the ruby ring-hOop, coilet, and
all carved from one stone; the heaps and
skeins Of royal gems-all these will be
shown TO the inquiring foreigner.-St
James Gazette.
Brain Work for Old Folks
Jane Welsh Carlyle said she always
I - har