The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-24


there 10 another college nominally on SINH
lar plan at Tabriz. but in the absence OF direct
royal supervision II is Ill attended and but lit
tie work Is done. At Isfahan q college has
been opened under tho direction Of q Persian
ohicer who had passed tho examination OF an
artillery lieutenant at Fontainebleau.
vi.
Tho author Of this book has purposely avoid
cd the study OF tho religion OF Persia. and es-
pecially the differences between the Shiite and
sunnite scots. Thore are some questions, how
ever. connected with the state Of religious
sentiment In Persia. and especially the condi-
ton OF the Babi movement, which. as Mr.. Cur
zon recognizes. cannot be overlooked In
work dealing with contemporary thought and
action. The reader OF this book will f1nd con-
densed In q foot note the carly history OF the
Baoi sect which. II Is we'll known was founded
about nifty years ago by one Mira All Moham-
med. who assumed tho title Of the Bah.
or gate on the pretoxt that through him
alone could knowledge Of the Twelfth
Imam Mahdi be attained. His pretensions.
however. became more extravagant as time
passed. and he successivey announced him.
self as the Mahdl. as reincarnation OF the
Prophet. and as revelation or incarnation OF
God himself With energy that scorned per-
far and wide through Iran. They were pro-
scribod. hunted. imprisoned. and tortured. and
In 1850 the Bah himself was put to death. Babi
rebellions afterward occurred at Yet and else
where. and In 1852 m attempt was made BY
four members Of the sect to assassinate the
Shah while out riding near Teheran. The ap-
palling massacres which followed have given
Babism vitality which IL seemingly In
destructible. The lowest estimate places the
present number OF Babis in Persia at half
million. and Mr.. Curzon Is disposed to think
that the total should be doubled. They are
to DO found In evcry walk Of life from the
Ministers and mobiles to the grooms and
scavengers. and even In the ranks OF the Mus
sulman priesthood ITSELF Many proselytes
have been made among tho Jewish Inhabitants
OF Persian towns There 10. It seems. but one
Instance OF q Babi having rocanted under the
threat OF torture and Of death. and he reverted
to the faith and was executed within two years.
It Is We are assured. q mistake to look upon the
movement as political In origin and mills
tic in character. At the present time the
Babis are as loyal as any other subjects OF the
Shah. Mother docs there seem to be any
foundation for the charges OF communism and
immortality The only form Of communism
recommended by the Bah was that OF the New
Testament and tho early Christian Church.
viz. the sharing Of goods In common BY men,
bers Of tho faith and the exercise Of slmsgiv-
ing and acts Of charity. From this point OF Wow
the Bah was simply Persian TolstoL Tho
accusation Of immo rality seems to have arisen
partly from the malignant invention OF oppo-
nents. partly BY the freedom claimed for
women By the Bab-a freedom which In the
Oriental mind is scarcely dtssociable from
profiigacy. Babism Is In truth Q movement
OF religious protest and reform. Its primary
object Is revolt against tho tyranny OF fanat-
cism and the Koran. and against the growing
laxity Of Mussulman practice. Foremost
among the objects thatit inculcates is. as We
have said. the emancipation OF women. an
idea apparently derived from the Christian
doctrine. The Bah and his chief apostle. the
Beha. have. in their writings. enjoined the dis
use Of the veil. the abolition Of divorce. OF
polygamy. and OF concubinage. In other
words. Of the harem. and they have demanded
greater liberty Of action for tho female sex.
They declare war against mendicancy. but
recon mend q system Of poor-law relief. As
regards the corrupt practices Of the modern
Mussulman. the Bah forbids smoking.
but Beha permits wine drinking In mod
Grafton. Generally regarded. Babism may
be defined as the creed OF the brother
hood OF man. Brotherly love. kindness
to children. courtesy combined with dig
nifty. sociability. hospitality. freedom from
bigotry. friendliness even to Christians are in
cluded in its tenets. Only secondarily does
it construct body Of theological doctrines
According to tho Babi view. God is not person
as Heis in the Bible or in the Koran. but spir-
itual essence perpetually communicating and
reproducing itself. Man is compounded Of
this essence. subject to the deflements OF the
flesh. but by reason OF his origin essentially
IIyina Uhatayar AytaDf fht. "a
BAH has imbibed these doctrines. he seems
to have cut himself adrtft from the Moham-
med and tho Koran. He believes in the d.
vinity OF Beha and likewise OF Christ. as
so many incarnations OF the deity. and his
scriptures may be described as an amnlgam Of
the Bible. Suaism. and the Koran. 1t Is said
to be an error to credit tho Babls with q belief
in the transmigration OF souls. 1t may be
added that among tho properties claimed for
tho members OF this sect Is the gift OF clair
voyance or foresight. OF which some instances
related appertain to the miraculous They
have also peculiar sort Of handwriting. seal
with a peculiar Device particular form
OF salutation. and an elaborate burial SER
vice. 1t is the authors opinion that II Babism
continues to grow at its present rate OF pro-
gression. time may come when 1t will Gust
Mohammedanism from the field in Persia. Even
the orthodox Shiite. whose minds eye has
ever been turned in antic ipation upon tho van
ished Imam. is amenable to the reasoning by
which it Is sought to prove that either the
Bah or Beha Is the Mahdi according to all tho
predictions Of the Koran and the traditions.
The pure and suffering life Of the Bah. his ig-
nominious fate. the hcrosm and martyr
dom OF his followers. appeal to n multitude
who can find no similar phenomena in tho
contemporaneous records OF Islam.
As regards the prospects OF Christianity In
Persia. Mr.. Curzons testimony Is that tho
missions are complete failures. He often in
quired for a converted Mussulman. but was
never able to find ono; he excludes. OF
course. those derellcts. or orphans OF Mussul-
man parents. who are brought UP from child
hood in Christian schools. No objection, how
ever. Is raised by the Government to tho set
Element OF missions or the building OF schools.
chapels. and dispensaries in the country. to
the free circulation OF the Christian Scrip
lures. or the distribution OF Christian
books But the attitude OF tho Govern