The sun., 1896-08-02
THE SLAYER OF THE SHAH.
FACTS ABoUT THE SECRET SoCIETX,
WHICH HE SERVED.

ne Hoped by the shnh'- Death to Promote
the Interests or Babi-m--A Society OF
Exalted Principles Greatly Ipiured bY
Fnnatio Who Murdered In Its Name.
The fanatic who assassinated tho Shah Of
Persia whilo ago was q member of the Babist
Society, and the Frenchman CASTOR Dujarrio
who has made special study OF the many scots
OF Mohamniedism, has been telling What Babiam
Is. II was this society which the Shah 90
sorely prosecuted after he began his reign.
Over flfty years ago Ali Mohammed, an ep.
ceedingly bright and eloquent young man, on
returning fro.n pilgrimage to Mecca, begea
TO preach In Persia tho reform Of Islam ana
the publication of the lives of the people. He
took tie surname B6b which signifies "The
Gate" and his followers called him 'Tho
Gnte OF the Truth" Tho reforms no preached
won great popular favor, and In 1s4s the Shah,
father of the recently murdered ruler, ordered
the Bah into his presence that he might hear
from his own mouth the doctrine he preached.
He heard and approved. He declared that the
new sect should be protected throughout Per-
sia. Put he died that year, and Nasr ed-din,
n boy Of Il years. came to the throne.
The rich and powerful OF Persia feared the
rcformer and his tenets and the young Shah
sided with them. He ferocious In his re-
preston Of the sect. Hundreds OF the Bab's
followers were cruelty put to death. The Bah
himself was taken prisoner In ls+9 and ex-
that hSs wth eaTs
world can fail to admire them: ,
The Bdb professed tc be most faithful fol-
crept, into the practice &C Of religion, and: many
had outgrown many things that were admis-
sible il Mohammed,s day, The fervent
Ioting OF passages from the Koran. Charity
is duty, but nendicity should be prescribed.
iiSlous Belief. There err p should be freedom @ ON Of
conscience. 4 man should be the husband
Of only one wife. Concubinage should be pro-
htbited. Woman is the equal of man. Like
him, she has destiny, peronality, a mis-
sion. She should be taken out OF the harem:
minRle in II with uncovered face.
81, These statements are but small part OF
less Utoopian. and much of It wa, far, ahead
Of Of the Persian n age in yhGh Si he lived: But But
seed Of the faith. Babism grew under tho
bloodest persecution. Many were tortured to
death; One e. Of the most no conspicuous @ mar
preached the new. faith with turning zeal
ticularly in the harems, where her. sex Sc
cured admission for her without difficulty.
jure the new teachings. She refused to pur-
to eops ho
flames had touched her body. her executioners,
more merclrul tnan the Shah, ChORtd her 10
death with q womans veil, the veil she
had rejected contrary to tn law and custom
of her people.
The sect thus bloodily suppressed, ceased
70 be an open branch of Mohammedan-
ism, and became secret sSociety. II has
spread among all classes, It seems intangi.
BILE TO the outer world. but 1t is powerful
and active. 1t is no longer merely, rcliG-
ious sect. 1t is party. and into the secret
fold are gathered. besides many of the best
among Persians, the disappointed. the dream
ers, the cranks. 1t was one Of these cranks,
who. in 1862, aftemDtpu To XIII the Shah:
and IT was years later that the Shah RS,
GREETED the crueltes Of his early reign. and
ceased to persecute the Babiets.
One day the Shah asked Babist how nu-
merous were his corelgionists. Your Ma
jesty." said the man, you may be sure that
wherever two Persians together,
one of them is a Bdbist." This. of course.
was a great exaggeration, but there are
many thousands OF them.
The other day Babist. in the name Of his
society. killed the Shah. II is another il
lustration OF the fact that even the most hu.
name and liberal philosophy may enlist
In It's support fanatics who. for the cause OF
their propaganda, may commit deeds that
make the world shudder.