Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-07-04
PERSIA'S RULER.
WHY THE SHAH Is ABHoRED
AT EUROPEAN COURTS.
His Barbaric Conduct and Abuse of
All Hospitality Extended to Him
A Curious Superstition.


Europe, is far from being considered as
a welcome guest by the various courts
which he has announced his intention
of visiting. In the first place the royal
| ties of Europe have retained a most un-
pleasant recollection of his disgusting
and repulsive habits ON the occasion Of
his first visit His character is treach-
erous, cruel and deceitful, and his man
ners are distinguished by that utter
absence of all ideas of decency which is
such a peculiar feature of Oriental life.
On various occasions during the past
thirty years Eastern potentates, such as
the Sultan of Turkey, the Khediye, the
second King of Siam and quite number
of Indian maharajahs, have visited
Europe. In almost every case they
have displayed much refinement, ele-
gance and courtesy in their dealings
with their European hosts. The latter
were, therefore, but ill prepared for the
offensive and unmannerly ways OF the
defendant of Xerxes and Darius.
After spending couple of weeks at
st. Petersburg in 1873, he came to
Berlin. His behavior, however, was 50
intolelable that the old Kaiser withdrew
from the festivities ON the plea of indis-
position, and refused TO see his Persian
guest any more before his departure.
The whole burden of entertaining the
Oriental potentate fell on to the shout
ders of the Empress Augusta, whose
poetic hankerings for the Orient, how
ever, were subjected to a most severe
shock. Thus to this day she loves to
relate in her shrill and high-pitched
voice how during the grand state ban
quet given in his honor at Berlin, when
ever he got some food which was not TO
his taste in his mouth he would cody
remove it from his jaws and place it ON
Her German Maiesty's lap, to the in
tense horror of all present. Her mag
nificent robes at the close of the ban
quet presented a most woeful aspect.
On his arrival in England he was
quartered at Buckingham Palace, and
while in London he sorely tried the
Prince of Wales temper by cody plac
ing his hand ON the bare shoulders of
the Princess while talking to her. HAY
ing been entertained by the Duke of
Sutherland at the latter's magnificent
country seat at Trentham, he cody sug
gested to the Prince of Wales that ii
would be in every way advisable to put
the Duke to death, ON the ground that
he was much too powerful and wealthy
for subject. Over $4,000 was re-
quired to make Buckingham Palace
habitable again after his departure.
The furniture had all to be burned, |
while not only the silken panels, tapes
tries, carpets and paper-hangings had
to be thrown into the flames, but it was
even found necessary to entirely remove
the plaster of the walls and the parquet
floors of the rooms which he had inhab- |
tied. The slaughter Of live sheep for
sacrificial purposes in one of the Queens |
daintiest boudoirs was one of the most |
pardonable of all his offenses, and the |
stencil of the rooms occupied by His
Persian Majesty was so intense and I'M
bealable that quantities Of disinfectants
had to be used before even the palace
attaches could muster up courage to at
tempt TO clean up matters.
At Paris he was received in great state
by Marshall MacMahon, at that time
President of the French Republic, and
on leaving the country his baggage was
stopped on the Swiss frontier by several
Paris jewellers, from whom he had pur-
chased presents, but which he had re-
fused to pay for At Vienna he was
quartered at the Chateau of Luxemburg,
now the residence of Crown Princess
and before he left got into
serious trouble with respect to a young
Austrian, whom he had subjected to the
most gross brutality. His presence at
Vienna was indeed a sore trial TO the
courteous, chivalrous and refined En-
peror. The Persian monarch had dur
ing the previous portion of his tour de-
yeloped strong taste for champagne,
and was staggering about in a mnudlin
state during the major portion of his
stay in the Austrian capital. Nothing
was more curious than to watch the
Emperor present some distinguished
statesman or soldier to his Oriental
guest. The latter would gaze with
bleary eyes at the parsonage bowling |
before him, and then with a short, con- :
temptuous laugh and twirl of his long
would leave the unfortunate
courtier standing there in a state of {
mingled indignation and perplexity {
until the Emperor had stepped up and
whispered few comforting words in his 6
ear.
vi Vic OtCtioAOA VI BlSoClb u AAC
S accompanied by suite of seventy
persons, among whom is a chaplain,
whose sole duty it is to perform for his
imperial master the fasts prescribed by
he Koran, but which the Shah is too |
much of a glutton to submit to. The S
most important member of his suite, i
however, is a young boy of twelve, whom
he Shah has covered with honors, dig '
mites and titles, and who is an object I
# envy and fear to most of His Majes- c
VS. Ministers. His name is Goolamali c
Khan. He is the director of the Corps I
# Royal Pages, and one of his titles is /
which, being interpreted, {
means ''Favorite of the Monarch. e
Not Minister, not Vizier, not royal c
'rinee has ever yet been allowed to sit at T.
he same table as His Majesty, the only "
to this law of the Persians n
'eing Goolamali Khan, who is constant a
= by his masters side, and who has
lore servants to wait upon him than any h
wo of the rOyal Minister'S A Persian u