West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-11-11
PLEASURE In PERSIA.
THE TEAHouSES, PUBLIC BATHS
AND STORY TElLeRS.

AND STORY TElLsRS.
Drinking shorhet and Smoking GhaiIans.
baths FOR tho rubiio--story reiIers and
Their AudIsnccs-SaturAi roets-rhe
Mischievous "Louters."
The teahousc is the Persian substitute
for our great American saloon Gu
riously enough, although nothing but
tea and shcrbet is ever called for iu
these places in tho way OF liquids, they
are termed galway khano coffee housc)
in Persian
Every large town in Persia has hum
drcds such places. In Teherau thcro are
between 400 and 500 OF them, some OF
them quite elegant and high toned, but
they are cheap, all OF them. There Is
generally n largo high room, through
the middle OF which n stream is rushing.
IN summer, with n species of summer
garden behind, where the nightingales
are performing and the roses arc blushinG
in their native pink. Dozens OF Porsinns
OF high and low degree are seated on
their launches hy the bubbling water,
smoking inccssant ghalzans and drinking
tea sweet a honey and hot Rs sheol
while n story teller unfolds before their
half closed eyes ali the Splendors OF Rus
tum and the Persian fold. To sit thero
couple ot hours enjoying himself
hugely, while u son or nephew is left in
charge of tho shop in the ncighboring
haZar, will cost no more than 3 10 10
shahi GA To 10 centsl. OF late, however,
the tenhouso business had become 80
much I'm vogue all over Persia aud the
artisans, mechanics and small merchants
had become SO addicted to the habit OF
resorting there, that tho shah issued a
81. n Ill al.
teahouscS I'm Persia. OF course. like oil
his firmans, II was not carried out, nj
though thousands Of the smaller ones
were RACED To tho ground. The Lilies
Sultan and Ispahan, for instance, had
about 200 destroyed. But that left several
hundreds yet, and the remaining ones, OF
course, did more nourishing business
than ever.
TIE DATus.
The public births arc another source OF
pleasure tn the lower class OF pcrsians.
They are nearly, il not quite, as numcr-
GUS ns the tenhouscs. The big majority
of thom are very mcnnly built OF sun
baked mud bricks, and cRrelessly con
structcd.
The towels used i'm 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 n bath is generally be
tween = cents and 10 cents, which sum
includes the services OF the "hammnmd-
ices' servants and professional kncaders
in the bath. These are common tanks
filled with hot water, in which tho first
ablutions are performed. The water In
these tanks, although often serving for
200 or 800 persons dny, is changed
about twice n week, seldom oftener, so
there Is not much fun about bathing I'm
there. But the fun begins when the
bathcr energies from tho tank, when he
or she IL kncadcd, combed, anointed
dyed, etc, these offices being performed
for the men by tho hammAmdjee and
for the women reciprocally. Tho women
resort much more 10 the baths than the
men, not because they are cleaner, but
because the Koran obliges them TO, and
because the bath Is the great place for
gossip, tho focus whence all tho scandal
monging, all the idle tales and all the
backbiting, OF which Persian women are
80 fond, rudiates.
PROFESSIONAL STORY TELLERs.
The story teller IL another great Per
sian institution. The Persian * by nm
ture md inclination n story teller, aud
here you will still find the gift OF charm
ing recital, OF graceful, animate gesture,
Ot well mOdulHted voice, such ns YOU will
search in vain for elsewhere. On pub
lie square, OF the ruins VI somo deserted
houses, ON the steps of n large mosque,
the story teller will plant himself and be-
gin, with sOnOrous voice and sweeping
arms, u tale from the Arabian Nights,
from Pcrsia's legendary history, from
the great national poets, or he win reeite
In voice vibrating with the emotions he
speaks Of, page after page from Haflz
Saadi, or Djcllal- Eddln Rumco. He will
no this I'm such way as 90 intensely in.
tcrcst his audience, quickly formed, so
that they are as much excited and inter
cstch rs the sultan was In Schoheraz-
Rdc's tales, when he, like her, breaks OF
The thread, 10 he taken up after the col
"tion his assistants make with the
kcc-hkhull" (hollowed cOcoanut) has
yielded what lac deems his due.
NATURAL POETS.
Some of these fellows. haooard
ragged their cheeks followed by TOO
much "bhcnR" Chashcesh smoking), are
natural poets, men OF gifts, hut there
b. mo- other channel for thom 20 get rid
of thc divine HfIiatus for modern poetry
IS dcspiscd I'm Persia, and tho poet OF the
present is even worse off in Persia to-day
than iu the days Of Hafz, who was also
oftcm'ncnr starvation point
The 'lOutcrs' arc peculiar kind OF
p'opl', always IN ulllaucB and on terms
of intimacy with the story tellors. They
arc iugglcrs, sleight Of hand performers.
clowns, prize fighters, otc.. are very quar-
rclsOmc, arc nearly unbelieyers aud
atheists, and hail generally from Shiraz,
Forsiston md the whole south OF Persia
They are tramps, never marry, let their
hair grow carry always the "khnnd-
7har' (curved dagger, eighteen inches
long iu their 'kamcrbund" (belD and
are quick 10 take Ofense ond fight
They arc always up 20 mischief, secretly
excite rcvOlts and big fights, aud are IN
for anything which viii Hive thern a
chance to spill blOnd From their ranks
generally the professional robbers aud
thieves graduate, and their strolling life
makes 30 difficult for the authorities 20
keep track ~ them or arrest them when
they have done some big decd of dark
ness Wolf Won Schicrbrond i'm San
Francisco Chronicle
1000 Horse Power Engine.
The most powerful engine in tho world
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