The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-24
STUDENTS SOCIETY.
An Address on the Rise and FAN of TIL
Persian Empire.

An AuufesS on tue hlse anu all OF IN
Persian Empire.
The Students Society of the Latter-day
Saints college met i'll regular session on
Friday evening, the 22nd inst. The presi-
dent, Willard Done, delivered an instruc-
tive lecture on the subject, "The Rise and
/ Fall Of the Persian Empire" He reviewed
! briefly the classification of the human fam.
/ lily into its three types, the white, the
! yellow and the black, stating that only
the first or these presents any great his
torical interest. This type in turn is
divided into three branches, the Semiti
the Hamitic and the Japhetic, or Aryan,
TO the last of which the nation under dis
cUssion belongs.
Persian history commences some eight
or nine centuries before Christ. at which
time that people, together with the Modes,
were IN subsection TO the AssyrianS. The
Modes asserted their independence in the
year CPS b. c., and at the same time lib
Grated the PersianS, who gave their allegi-
auce to the Modes During the reign of
Astyages over the Modes, Cyrus was born,
about the opening of the sixth century
u. c., he being the son of the Persian king
Cambyses, and grand son Of Astyages.
The lecturer related the legend com
monty told OF the prophecy by the sooth-
sayers to the effect that Cyrus would gain
control over all Asia; the plans of Astyages
to put the boy to death; the failure of those
plans; the ultimate revolt of the Persans
under Cyrus, and the establishment by him
OF the great Persian empire. Although
the details of this legend are overdraWn,
there is enough truth in it to give US an
outline of the adventures of this great man
during the time ne was ascending to his
height of power
Immediately after his instanment on the
throne of Persia Cyrus turned his attention
to Western Asia, where he conquered a
number OF nations, among them Babylon
\ graphic picture of tue details of the fall
of Babylon was drawn, the account closing
with the death of the dissolute King Bel
shaZzar and the capture of the city.
After the death of Cyrus, $50 b. c., his
son Cambyse5 came to the throne. The
character of this man was much different
from that Of his father. Cambyses was eX-
tremely moody and cruel; he secretly put
his brother Smerdis to death on account
of suspicion, and made himself particularly
unpopular among his subjects. The con
quest of Egypt was accomplished by him,
but upon news reaching him of the acces
sion to power in Persia of man claiming
to be his brother Smerdis, Cambyses com
mitted suicide, 522 b. c.
When Cyrus conquered Babylon he gave
the Jews permission to return to their
homes in Jerusalem and rebuild their tenn
pies, but this PERMISSION was Withdrawn
from them by the false Smerdis, and the
work already accomplished by them was to
d certain extent undOne.
This man, however, remained in power
but short time, for in 521 b. c. he was de
posed by seven MOBILES, chief among whom
was Darius Hystaspes, who became mou-
arch of all Persia.
Darius was great ruler aud 4 patronizer
Of the arts, but he was not a very success
full warrior. He established twenty-three
divisions in his empire, called satrapies
over which he appointed men to rule He
guarded carefully against revOlts by insG-
tutlng system OF spies TO watch the sat
raps, or governors, and then appointing
someone else to watch the spies. In this
he operated on the principle that one rogul
will watch another
Darius attempted the conquest of Greece
but III all his attempts against that Iittl,
nation he was entirely unsuccessful His
son XerXes, who assembled the throne about
4S4 Be, continued the attempts againsi
Greece, but his army was so severely de
feated in the battles of Salamis, Platae;l
and Mycale, that he gave up the attempt.
From this time the Persian power began
to decline. Up TO 1874 B G. the decline was
gradual, and in that year the last Persian
king, usually known by the title of Darius
came to the throne. Alexander the Great.
who became king of Macedon at the same
time, invaded Persia in 1873 BIC, defeating
Darius in two important battles For
year aud half hostilities were suspended
and at the end of that time, or in July, 33l.
BE. the two armies met in the battle oi
Arbela The Persian army, although much
larger than that of Alexander was totally
defeated, and the Persian empire fell into
the hands of the Macedonians.
Since that time Persia has made no per
ceptible advance in civilization and en-
The one man power is re
cognized there, as the Shah rules with |
despotic hand Customs which prevail
there prove TO US beyond the possibility OF
a doubt that had Persia overcome the
Greeks and thus gained control of Europe |
the nations of that continent would never
have attained to the high civilization they
have reached under the present circum
stances Rrf fhiQ xrOt.11 r1n lo, hno /