, 1886-12-22
CRUELTY OF THE pgasIANs.
All Sorts OF WIckodness Concealed Unde
a Thin Veneer of Hospitality.

All Sorts OF NIckodness Concealed Under
a Thin Veneer of Hospitality.
Under a hin veneer OF good nature,
hospitality and politen ,ss the modern Per
sian conccals every one of the seven dead
ly sins. 1t is a significant fact that no
words corresponding to our love, graft
tude, virtue, honor, patriotism, conscience
or penitence exists in his language. The
words serving ms substitutes have alto
gethcr different meanings. "Takewah'
means picty or rather observance of the
ritualistic laws; hummer means not
honor but smartness and cunning;
"nomcki haelaln and ''nemeki haeram"
literally, good salt and lad salt) only
refers to the rules OF hospitality; ''peshi-
mani is not penitence but grief Mt the
non success of nm enterprise, and "ishk"
is not love but the only feeling the Per-
sian knows under hat name.
Like most towards the Persian is fond
OF infiicting pain where he may do so
safely. Cruelty seems Unborn with him. !
have seen little children of both sexes
stoning n poor cur TO death and literally
hacking II miserable cat to pieces just for
the fun of the thing, and without any in
reference from, often even with the
active cooperation of, the parent.
The death penalty is usually executed
~ a. = Oi ami nv II
undergo the most horrible tortures and OF
affording n welcome sight to the callous
populace.
On the Koop Kapu In Teheran, the
square in the heart of the city where the
executions usually take place, n half score
of ~delinquents are often placed on the
raised platform surmounted by n pole
painted n brilliant scarlet hue, and in full
sight of the rabblc they have their throats
cut, their hearts torn out, their ears II
noses slit, their tongues pulled out, their
eyes scared, or boiling pitch poured over
their naked bodles-to everybody's great
delight except that of the parties directly
concerned. Along the highways n
meets, stuck in the ground, short, hollow
pillars with the Upper opening closed with
gypsum Each of these confirms II man,
II condemned crinina walled up alive.
Faint grOans may often he heard by pas
sersby, for this mode of death is slow and
very painful, but nobody thinks il worth
his while to liberate the poor wretch or
TO terminate his suiferings by n mcrciful
blow. "kismet!' they say, 'such il
fate!' Very much depends mt executions
upon the hangman. A bride to him or
the guarantee thnt II qualification VIII be
paid him by the friends of the condemned
man after his death always insure II more
VI - HBNtbN 'dA shAit VI hAAt
fortunes otherwise inflicted.
But woe to the poor delinquent who
either has no more means left To buy the
good offices of tho eNecutioner or else
chooses to make oyer his last few tomans
to his fanily-he will surely ruc il in his
last hour and made to suffer twice as
acutcly us would otherwise he the case.
There were, for instance, four criminals
hanged up by they feet and nailed To the
boards outside the gates of Tehcran less
than n year ago who could be seen there
slowly dying for thirty six hours. \ well
spent bride to the executioner would have
shortened their troubles. and it remained
finally for one Of the diplomatic corps to
bestow II few kraus to have these unlucky
malefactors put cut of their misery. The
average Persian will look entirely un-
moved on a spectacle of human suffering.
There is no chord In his nature to respond
to N appeal for mercy. Money alone
will induce him To take compassion on
another mans pain.-Wolf ION Schier-
brand in New York Graphic.