The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-22


the Persians the religion and principle
| OF Zoroaster were forever abandoned, e,
| cept by the small sect OF Guebres. Thos
who would not accept the new fat
descendants are now the Parsees Of India
The Guebres at this time In Persia mum
Der less than twenty-five thousand. The
are to be. found in Yezd and Tehcran, AM
| rev OF them are agriculturists. Ihe'
| hold on TO their ancient faith, and wor
ship the sun; though the more inteliiseh
among them maintain that IT Is nor tn'
actual sun. or actual FIRE, that they wor
ship, but rather the spirit or principle
symbolized by fire. But most or the,n OF !,
undoubtedly fire-worshippers IN null a,
sense. They have never intermairie IT,
with other races, and are the purest typs
of the ancient Persian stock. he men ,en
| who followed Cyrus TO battle. lnuesu tne
name Parsee. by which they are known
points TO this. for II is derived irJ parsians
originated and the word from when tne
| modern name OF Persia is derived. Inc an
Client name was Iran, an appeliation tnat
| Persian gulf and the indus. These Cue
| bres a1here. among other ancient rites,
! 10 the custom Of exposing their dead TO
| OF the air. For this purpose they erect
| large and lofty circular walls. flowers
OF Silence" as they, are called. within
which the, dead bodies are placed One
miles from Teheran, and overlooking the
site OF the ancient city OF Rhages. In the
Apocryphal scriptures, the Book Of Toblt.
mention Is made, OF this city OF Rhages
afterwards called Rheil, and now known
as Rhe. In the time of Darius II was a
mighty city, the capital OF me Parthian
dynasty, with q population OF a million
OF souls according 10 accounts that are
regarded as authentic. Among the ruins
yet visible is spacious brick mawso-
leum large part still standing' SAID TO
be the tomb OF grandson OF Ttmour
aattE sH1e To Love. a
tiful Shad-ul-Mulk is TO mis- day eele-
brated in song and story. The lovers
were for awhile united but re died =
exile. and she in grief put an end to
were buried in the same tomb, I've Pyra-
mus and Thisbe in the pretty love tale
OF Ovid. These remains If Rbages, or
Rhe, are interesting, but not so consid
cradle In extent as the -uns Of some
other ancient Persian cities. no'lbly those |
OF Persepolis. that are truly awe inspir- |
Ing. The majestic proportions of the tom !
pies and public buildings OF thAt great |
city, which Alexander laid in RUNS. may |
be inferred from the imme use htght OF |
the pillars still standing in solitary and |
eloquent grandeur justifyi1g the veil
remembered and striking ne.aptor OF |
Moore:
Whose lonely columns stand sublime,
Casting their shadows from on high,
Like dials which the wizard Time
Had raised to count his ages by.
] see. Mr. Mcdonald that you have
lot forgotten your Lalla Dookh. al hCugh
'ou tW1t me for receiving from IL my
IDEAS Of the Persians and tie Fne-Wor-
hippers.
TIE LOVE or FI,OwYRs
Moore as a poet and Moore rs n histo-
IAN, replied Mr.. Mcdonald, are too very |
Inherent persons. And yet II is certainly |
rue that his descriptive references ard
Illusions are, In general, wonderfully ac-
urate, so much so that one ms DIT sup
ose, as has been remarked, hat his
)yIe-laden and aromatic verses were act
aiiy written amid the very scenes and
lcidents which they describe. Blu NJ
walls himself unstintedly of the license
ccorded to poets in the pictures of
omoient luxury and sensuOus Incidence,
no the delirium of love-lorn .cstacy with
men he endows the subject of his
ing, unless. indeed the Persia Of Fada-
zen and Feramorz was different from
lie Persia of the present day. Yet
as o1ten reminded OF the accuracy, and
may say felicity, Of his descriptions
OF instance, nothing could be more true {
the life than the line in NOurmllaPs !
hg' the acacia waves her yellow hair" !
ne acacia abounds in Persia. and in
eherdn is everywhere to be seen. The | /
ee Is ten or twelve feet in helght and I
e shape Of the human head, with sx2- !
r. %SiiioW;like twigs that droop in /
ID covered with bright flowers that i'm !
ri 10 the whole the striking appear ]
ice of a huge head resplen1ent with !
OG Gw ha amd the % @s add ada that ,bs
ranium. and the lilac arrayed in purple. d
I'd the narcissus that fills the sir With $
fragrance. 1t may be that The pro O
sion OF mowers insensibly plays a rsrt O
cultivating the hatterlng and fiowerv 4
eech OF the Perslans. On my way from | T
. caspian port TO the capital a rfCep- / |,
M wa" a. given give me at Kasyin by the Gov
hoi VI the province. After the elegant ! r,
1ner was served he escorted me to The II
Ieony that overlooked such a profusion
mowers as my eyes never rested upCn' Il
ieast Two acres in one compacted ted II
roses with fountains playing in the n
dsSt. very paradise of bewildering "
eIlness. Noting my speechless admtra ]
y ~ ny most gravely remark sd, "All W
~, se nave DIoomed out TO bid you vel e.
ne. This overwhelming explanation of ir
spectacle / was contemplating re- Y,
1eu an my suspended powers Of artlcula-
thousand miles 1 have travelled 10 V,
atty" Soui HoS- ~
could give. many instances within my 81
a. observation of their ready and re- IL
inVarie efHHrc cnst OF compliment. It is n
de 10 serve tea. and often coffee fol. or
ed always by the Kalian, or nine
me occasion of a call by me at the
luence or gentleman of rank there
considerable delay in the appearance
'ne servant bearing the Kalidn. a de- RI
mat approached the point Of awk- Pt
r pp Sou ! haye ordered a delay in of tn
er 10 detain you longer In this Plea We
visit. In this connection | may men- III
1, mat tea is the national drink of the no
conion .ney 1 TIf,H II on all occasions fe
universally. like tea, a circumstaD ce 0tl
cult to understand seeing thai Ibev al
,b so near and to Arabia. the home of the no
'''ss anu nna o'ner superior varieties, If tn.
as many insist, The original lt-.k a.,
'e OF that delicious bevsr,%a 80, Io,
fersians. IKE the Russians and Eng cal
are distinctlvely tea-drinkers. Tn no
our transatlantic progenitors hou- MA
!, they drink nothing stronger excc%+ he
ne rare instances where they eva1e ala
express precept of the Koran & ainst wo
ana strong drink. This Interd,ction VIC
M, ~ .e ~ 80 , Iar as TO FORBID trer manu- Of
ure OF wines, whereby tie Commerce tur
ne article which otherwise mieht he &
y; y much repress ID. Grares are OF
iua NJ an ana yield a ed and white enc
> the red resembling the RnrgI.ndy | ser.
of Europe. The AmerioaHs ' my ~b
APPS DINERS who are not of the feith- hv
carry on a consid ~ lble fr,fiic in Is
- . put an inconsiderlole che COM len
article or commerce. sto
TIL FRUIT "a THE COUNTRY. smi
nile you are on this topic. Mr. Nc zen
al, what fruits, besides the Crane ann$
~ almost all of them in abundance g .r,lC
piy me melons, Doth water D.Clon and ~
k-melon, the pome g-a.la:e uh Oh is pe
uced In great perfection, the ouioce ~
rlor In size and .,avor to ours rhe .l
'ot ana nectarine which ave dried oe
sent abroad In large u5nt as ~
the peach, the apple. . f,1e' IN
ana Others | might n;en:lon. '"N ~.
ne orange and ci:rol are fairsst1 &c
uits CdLhot say that they are The ~
abundant, and while the We OF so 5
= |