The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-10-14

cut themselves after their manner Will
knives and Iancets until the bloot
gushed out upon them. king
XVIII, %.
THE MOTHER HOUSE.
Western coIloquielism som atime
designates q large building as 'ht
old building" but in Stamboul we hav
got a "she old building called tn,
VaIide khan (mother house,. 1t is
typical Oriental khan, built in the form
of q square and enclosing fully two
acres of ground. The walls on the in.
side compose numerous little open
faced shops facing spacious yard
which shops are used by many Persian
m erch ants.
1t was in the yard of this khan that
witnessed one of the most bloody acts
of reli gio IS fanaticism that is now to be
found in the world. 1t was the Per-
SLAMS mourning the death OF Hussein
and Hussan. I have related to THE
HERALD acts of other peoples of the
Orient in their religious ferVor, but
nothing yet seen can compare with this
fanaticism of the ShiG Mohdnletans,
whose spirited natures seem to SO Pc
culiarly adapt them to wild. exciting
scenes.
being alone at home should have
entirely missed seeing tn. fete, had it
not been for the kindness of a young
Turkish gentleman; he came aud men :
toned that there was to be bairGn, at
Valide khan, at which ambassadors,
consuls and Franks we're always in at
tendance, 80 he thought ought to go.
He was sorry that sickness 10 his fam
lily deferred him from escorting me, but
as l spoke some Turkish l should have
no trouble in going alone. He then
prepared me for the play by relating
the
TRAGICAL AND HISTORIC
deaths of Hussein and Hussan which
although 1 had previously studied
them, proved very interesting. Fer
want of space we will but briefly repeat
in this:
Fatima was the mother of Hussein
and Hussan, and the fsyorie daughter
of the Prophet Mohammed. She was
given in marriage to Ali. the Prophets
cousin and favorite. Everybody eX-
pected that the favorite Ali would be-
come the Prophets successor as leader
of the Faithful, but Ayesha, Moham-
meds pretty young wife, an intriguing
young thing, actually secured the COW
eted station for her father Ab1bekr.
Abubekr was succeeded by Omar and
Omar by Osman, as are matters of his
tory. When Osman died Fatim q 8 hus-
band, the iilustrious Ali, became Ca
liph, only to be shortly afterwards
murdered at Kufa He left two sons of
royal blood, however, Hussein and
Hussan, of whom the Prophet had said
great things.
Hussan had made great pretentions.
and was poisoned by wicked tyrant
Hussein fed to Medina, from whence
the people invited him to come and to
be their leader. He went against the
wishes of his friends, and at Kerebella
was attacked by the tyrants Yezd's
army and most foully murdered-Doth
him and his little band of followers.
This latter event is what Is most fully
represented in the play.
THE FEAST.
went to the khan, according to the
instructions of my Turkish friend, at
II o'clock Ia Turk, on the 10th of
Mohurrum, the 5h of September Old
Style, on the 18th of September la
Frank "a confusing lot of dates to keep
track of, and found that my precosity
had brought me there too early; so 1,
like many others, ssuntered about, |
looking at the preparation for the |
feast, and staring at the fast gathering |
c'oWd.
Twas somehow seized with the idea
should like to be an ambassador of |
some large country during an event of |
this. kind even minister of the United |
STATS would do me- You bet, our |
representative has a fat time. l |
thought, as L looked at the silk cush- |
i)ned chair he was to or cupy IN lis
turbed by the rude crowd, while Per
slams were there ready to treat him
with tea, ana show other attentions. |
The thought made me feel funny, so | |
left
l was not little interested at look |
ing at stout Arme nan lady with an
envlabie black mOustache; many of the |
Oriental ladies have fine growth OF |
hair on the upper lip, but believe this |
lady would lake the caken if it came |
to measuring. Then, there were Turk |
ish ladies' aud Persian ladies perched en- |
the roof of the house and the shops |
Like strange species of birds they |
were also to be seen in the windows, in |
corners and anywhere to be away from
the men. There were Turkish Der
ViSheS in their old dress; there were
Jews and Greeks in their various cos
TUNES, and b re comes the soldiers !.
The boys are good fighters if they can't |
always keep in step. They are sta
toned about the Enclosure about ten
feet apart. In being assigned their
several stations,
PERSIAN WITH BIG BELLY
Was first to order the boys about; this
wasn't his right, as the army officer
had them changed; lastly, The chief of
police, unto whom the Sultan had sent
the boys, gave orders. He had some
right also; but then this is Turkish Won
must understand. l don't blame the
boys for some OF them getting sulky.
Now the many hundreds of small
lanterns are lighted and hung about on
ropes in the large yard. 1, seeing the
play was soon to commence, and being
dressed Turkish made hold tn take mn