San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-06
MUZAFFAR-ED-DIN OF PERSIA.
New Shah the Most Learned Monarch In
the East and Authority In Theology.

| Now Snhn the MOST Learned Monarch
the East and Authority In Theology.
According to Persian accounts, Muz
Rffar-ed-Din, the new shah-in-shah, be
sides having the largest private fortune
of any monarch on earth, is the most
| learned of all crowned heads. Nasr-ed
Din left behind him the most dazzling
collections of jewels in the world, anc
about $4,000, 900 in coin. He had picked
out his second son as his successor, be-
cause this son was the issue of a lega
marriage with a royal princess, while
the oldest sons mother was one of the
women of the harem, and he determined
in part for political reasons, that this
son should not suffer from the lack of
education which had hampered him.
The Kadjars are of Turkish origin,
and on that account suspected by the
Iranians who form the most influential
portion of the people of Persia. Nasr-
ed-Din himself used to talk Turkish
dialect within the precincts of his pal
ace. He was determined that the heir
10 his throne should be an educated
Persian of the old school and able to
hold his own in any theological dispute.
Misunderstanding education began
when he was IL, and before he was 20,
besides speaking the national language
of Persia, he knew Kurdish, Turkish,
and Arabic. There is probably no one
in the orient to-day who has a more
thorough knowledge of the classical
literatures of the east. He then de-
voted several years to the study of the
endless problems arising out of the in
depreciation of the Koran. He read the
works the chief commentators of the
Shilte sect, and before his accession to
the throne had become an authority in
matters of religious doctrine. This
study of theology he engaged in because
his father considered it the best means
of resisting the Babists, whose religious
and political opposition forms the great
est danger to the absolute power of the
Kadjar dynasty.
The new shah is a thoroughly good
in practice as well as in
theory. He observes with the utmost
scrupulousness the rules laid down by
the Koran. Five times day he goes
his additions and recites the
prayers obligatory on all faithful Isla-
mites. He has never drunk wine or
spirits, which is the more remarkable
as the Persians do not always follow the
precepts of the prophet in this respect.
Their poets have sung the delights of
wine as well as the perfume of roses and
the bulburs song
The Persian monarch has also studied
the philosophy of the west. He reads
Aristotle and Plato and is acquainted
with the ideas of Leibnitz and Kant. He
knows French well, and does not limit
his reading to scientific works, but tries
to follow all the phases of life in Paris.
He is fond of astronomy, and recently
had sent to him from London a large
telescope and other scientific instru-
ments. Besides this he is a first-class
rife shot and bold hunter. His tastes
and the turn of lis mind are said to be
European rather than oriental. One
way in which this is shown is the strong
Influence which he has allowed his wife
to obtain over him. Disregarding the
permission of the prophet and the temp
tation of his position, he has refused to
become polygamist. His wife is one
Of his cousins, q princess of the royal
blood of the Kadjars, and she was all
powerful within the palace Of Tauria,
and made her influence felt in the adj
of the province of Azerbi-
jan, over which her husband was gov
ernor.
Muzaffar-ed-Din' first step on ascend
ing the throne was to abolish the taxes
on bread, meat, and other necessaries Of
life, a measure which, however popular,
made big gap in the revenues Of the
government. 1t remains to be seen
whether learning and philosophy on
the throne will suffice to keep in order
Q country whose only law hitherto has
been the despotic will of the sovereign
and brute force-N Y Sun