The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-07-20
THE PERSIAN RULER.
An Accoua, Of His Remarkable caree,

An Account of His Remarkable Career.
This descendant of princes who once
held the same sUzsranity In the East
that Cnarlemagne claimed In the
West-this liking Of Ktuge," a. he Is
to this dsy called throughout Psrsia
and Afe tn many respects
a highly remarkable personality,
writes Rev. Mr.. Hsweis in the 81.
james Budget. He is between sixty
and seventy, but looks much younger.
He came to the throne quite a young
mau in lS4S. No one knew much of
him then. As Crown Prince he was
taciturn, fairly well educated, without
cOntidants, thoughtful aud reserved,
rather than studious. He was not sup
posed to be man of action or specially
apt for governing; but from the mo.
ment he ascended the throne Il change
came over him. Every province ia
his Empire was then in open revolt.
With tue aid of certain grand vizisr
of high Renius-a man so great that
had he lived he might have changed
the face OF the EAst-the young Per
sian monarch subdurd tue rebels and
soon got the rsins If power into his
own hands. He then quietly gave his
grand vizier the go-by, turned n deaf
| ear 10 his would-be c0unsellors, broke
| the insrigues OF the hsrem, smiled
down the dismay of the Jacks-in- Office
who had loIded 1t over his father, and
proceeded to surround himself with
numerous chsnberlains, who became
less his ministers than his executive
officers. AT fret he showed sigus of
what Is called Liberalism, and II seem.
ed as though he might give his people
some sort Of constitution but those
were stormy times. The Shah has
marked the fate Of Louis Philippe, of
Bomba, of the late Russian Emperor,
of Lincoln, of Garfield, of Napoleon
Ill. indeed, as he remarked some
tune ago, with the exception Of Queen
Victoria and the old German Empe-
ror, there was hardly crowned head
In the world but what bad been either
assassinated, threatened or deposed.
So he elected TO keep all power Ia his
own hands, and he has reigned for
forty years. without rival over the
most mixed, wayward and fanaticsl
people in Asia. From the moment he
ascended the throne, instead of exploit
Ing the country for. his pleasure, he
applied himself to the arts of war 10 or
der that he might be strong, and then
to an encyclopedia course OF study In
order that he might be wise. He has
learned French since he became Shah.
Geography Is a passion with him. He
is an excellent mathematician, and so
coed q tinancier that he controls per-
sonaily the whole expenditure of his
court. He revises the accounts and
authorizes the payments. He is
clever artist, an elegant poet, and
voluminous writer. Our Persian
minister, Malcolm Khan, by far the
most enlightened oriental now In
Eogtand-perhaps III Europe-has
been heard to say that every dispatch
received in England bears signs of
having been read and corrected by the
Shah, and the clearest and ablest state
papers are written with his own hand.
He is surrounded by Oriental fntrigues
but he dominates them all by sheer
force of personal superiority, and he
now leaves Persia without any govern
meut, except a shadowy authority left
In the hands of three sons all born IN
the same year of three different
mothers. What other Eastern poten-
tate would be able to WELD SO excep-
tional a sceptre without a catastrophe ?
At present the Shah rules through his
chamberlains. These functionaries are
personal friends, who, however, know
only so much O. his msjesiy's mind as
he chooses to reveal. They obey him
implicitly, and he rules by keeping
everything In a sort Of fine equipoise.
TIE harem, the princes, the States
functionaries, the army, the religious
fanatics, the merchants, the European
and Asiatic powers even, are all made
to balance, to check. to counteEact each
other, and the result is remarkable
enough.
No Shah for centuries has had such
reign, both as to quantity and
quality. In two centuries Persia has
has about ten dynasties; but the Shah
for near half a century has not only
reigned supreme, but has been what
perhaps no other potentaie in Europe.
Asia or Africa can boast of in an equal
measurable has been bis own master.
The Sultan Hamed never ventured
outside his palace grounds. The Shah
has twice quilted Persia to travel, and
he now leaves his three sons as nOmi-
nal viceroys-all, however, rivals, who
agree in nothing save in great re-
gard for and allegiance TO their father.
His government Is, in fact, real
tour de force-tbe result OF marvellous
sont In Iod nfh hntnon nasnrc onA