The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-03-14

SSooAul AACMoAUOOs
In the olden times, when the star of
Persian Empire was at it's brightest,
and the land of the Lion and Sun was
one of the foremost countries of the
world, the Persians used to be great
sportsmen. Old paintings made by
Persian artists centuries ago depict
spirited scenes of the chase, and, among
other things, prove that the game of
polo was played on horseback by the
young mobiles of Persia long before any
thing OF the kind was known to Eu-
ropeans. This was at time when the
Persiaus were civilized and cultivated
people, and Europeans were neither
cultivated nor civilized. As for Ameri-
cans, they were not yet in existence,
except the Aztecs and the aboriginal
savages we now call Indians.
All this has now changed. To-day
1t is the Europeans and Americans
who are civilized, and the Persians but
partially SO. With this great change
In the Life of the Eastern and Western
nations, the rise and fall of sports and
pastimes has kept even pace.
The Persians no longer play polo,
either on horseback or afoot, but the
English and American sportsmen play
1t both ways. On the other hand, fal-
coming, which Sas one of the chief
sports of European princes and mobiles
in the old semi-rivilized days, but
which has now gone out of fashion in
civilized countries, is one of the very
few sports in which the Persians nova
days indulge.
On my bicycle ride through the
shah's dominions, saw more of falcons
and falconing than of all other sports
combined Almost all the Persian no
bles and Koordish chiefs keep falcons
and among their retainers may always
be seen the falconer loafing about, witt
one of these birds resting on little
portable perch, to which be is attached
BY means of a tiny brass or silver chain
Beside their use in their Legitimate
field of sport, the keeping of falcons
is considered sign of nobility, and 81
many well-to-do Persian gentleman
who, in these degenerate days OF thei
country, are altogether too indolent Il
care about sport, still keep the falcons
for the sake of the prestige it give
them.
One day. on the Tabreez Plain il
Western Persia, / fell in with a part,
Of young Koordish mobiles engaged il
flying their falcons after wild pigeons
They were. Of course, greatly i'm
pressed with my novel mode of convey
ance, such thing as bicycle .neve
having been seen in their country before
They invited me to accompany then
as long as cared to do so and promised
me rare sport in return for riding bacl
and forth over a smooth stretch o
gravel several times on my wheel fol
their amusement.
Their falcons, observed, instead 0
being hooded in the way practised by Eu
ropeGn falconers, had their eyes blinded
IN a manner that impressed me as be
ing cruel. Small holes had been boreC
In the eyelids and threads of silk fas
tened therein. The threads were passet
over the top of the falcons head ani
tied so that he could not open his eyes
When the European falconer desired U
make a flight he used to remove tn
hood; the Koordish or Persian sports
man simply loosens the silk threads
Thus the bird is permitted to open hi
eyes, and he flies after the game wit
the little silk threads streaming iron
ms pierced eyelids.
On all the plains of Persia are mile
and miles of ancient underground
Water-ditches called KdnGats. TIL
water is conducted along these sub
serranean passage-ways from far
M mountain streams and spring
70 the cities on the plains, chief
g avoid the waste by evapora
aon and absorption that would occu
"a surface bitches in hot desert eoun
Try. The course of such waterway
can always be traced by mounds c
earth above the surface, which repre-
sent the excavations from perpendicu
s@ sasfts, at the bottom Of which th