Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-22

The public bPths are another source of
pleasure 10 the lower class of PerSians.
They are nearly. if not quite as numer-
ous as the teahOuses The big majority
of them are very meanly built of sun
baked mud bricks, and careleSsly con
structed.
The towels used in there by the custom
ers. male and female, are never washed,
but only dried in the sun, hung up on
strings along the wall facing the street.
The price of bath is generally be
tween cents and 10 cents, which sum
includes the services of the "hammamd
lees Servants and professional kueaders
the bath. These are common tanks
illed with hot water, in which the first
Iblutions are performed. The water in
.hese tanks, although often serving for
300 or 500 persons a day, is changed
ibout twice a week, seldom oftener so
here is not much fun about bathing in
here. But the fun begins when the
)ather emerges from the tank, when he
lr she is kneaded, cOmbed, anOinted,
lyed, etc, these offices being performed
or the men by the hammamdjee and
or the women reciprocally. The women
'esort much more to the baths than the
nen. not because they are cleaner, but
because the Koran Obliges them to, and
because the bath is the great place for
gossip, the focus whence all the scandal
nonging, all the idle tales and all the
)ackbiting. of which Persian women are
70 fond, radiates.
PROFESSIONAL STORY TELLERs.
The story teller is another great Per-
Iian institution. The Persian is by ma
ure and inclination a story teller, and
lere you will still find the gift of charm
ng recital, of graceful, animate gesture,
# well mOdulated voice, such as you will
earch in vain for elsewhere. On pub
ic square, on the ruins Of some deserted
houses, on the steps of large mosque,
he story teller will plant himself and be-
yin, with sOnOrOus voice and sweeping
lrms. tale from the Arabian Nights,
rom Persia's legendary history, from
he great national poets, or he will recite,
n a voice vibrating with the emotions he
peaks of, page after page from Hafiz,
Saadi. or Djellal-Eddin Rumee. He will
10 this in such way as to intensely in
crest his audience, quickly formed, SO
hat they are as much excited and inter
,sted as the Sultan was in Scheheraz-
Ide's tales when he, like her, breaks off
he thread. TO be taken up after the col
ectiOn his assistants make with the
'keeshkhull' (hollowed cocoanup has
rielded what he deems his due.
NATURAL POETS.
Some of these fellows, haggard,
jagged, their cheeks followed by too
much "bheng'' Chasheesh smoking), are
natural poets, men of gifts, but there
5 no other channel for them to get rid
If the divine afflatus, for modern poetry
despised in Persia, and the poet of the
PRESENT is even worse off in Persia to-day
han in the days of Hafiz, who Was also
Iften near starvation point.
The 'lOuters' are a peculiar kind of
people, always in alliance and on terms
If intimacy with the story tellers. They
gre jugglers, sleight of hand performers,
downs, prize fighters, etc, are very quar-
elsome, are nearly unbelievers and
ttheists, and hail generally from Shiraz,
farsistan and the whole south OF Persia.
They are tramps, never marry, let their
lair grow, carry always the "khand-
ihar" (curved dagger, eighteen Inches
ong) in their "kamerbund" (belt) and
ire quick to take offense and fight.
They are always up to mischief, secretly
iNcite revolts and big fights, and are in
or anything which will give them
:hance to spill blood. From their ranks
generally the professional robbers and
hieves graduate, and their strolling life
makes it difficult for the authorities TO
ieep track of them CT arrest them when
hey have done some big deed of dark
less.-WOlf Won Schierbrand in San
Francisco Chronicle.