The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-02
THE CONDITION OF PERSIA
REV. I. ID. SCHLEMAN, A NATIVE
PERSIAN, SPOKE ATST. THOMAS.

His Experiences and Failure Intentions
Persia's Lack of improvements.
At the services at st. Thomas church
yesterday afternoon the Rev. Isaac D.
Schleman, native Persian, spoke up
on the condition and needs of his ma
tive country. He has been in this
country receiving an education and is
about to return home. He is particu-
larly interested in the condition of the
women of Persia and intends to start
several schools for women alone. He
said in part:
''It was about eight years ago that I
started to come to this country. 1 had
never seen a railroad and when | first
saw one Travelled upon freight train
going about twenty miles an hour, al
though it seemed to me to be two hun
bred. There We're four or five of us to-
gether, but started across the Attain
tic by myself. I knew no languages
except a few Oriental ones, which I
had learned in a Persian college.
gave my money into the hands of the
steamship company and received in
structions as to what should do in my
own language When landed in New
York I was met by two friends, who
started me upon the train.
II have been five years in college,
spending the last at Cambridge. l in
tend now to return to my own country
carrying the light of Jesus Christ, and
/ expect Him to be with me. There
will be many hindrances and much OPP
position, but He will support and guide
me.
Il want to tell you the needs of my
country. Railroads are almost I'M
known. The short one erected there
some time ago has not been in use for
the last two years. All modern i'm
provements are unknown and the peo-
pie are satisfied with their old customs
and ways because they know of no 9TH
ers. None of the improvements of this
country are brought there.
"You will not see houses there built
miles apart, as here in the country.
They are all built together in villages
and towns. This is because the people
are very socialable and also because of
the thieves and robbers who would
plumber and destroy such houses. The
larger cities are walled as are the cit
les described in the Bible. Why? Be
IF modern
weapons of defense and are thus COM
PEELED to protect themselves.
when l first went to Boston L was
pleased to see that the business parts
of the city were much like those of an
cent cities. The streets are narrow
and crooked and 1T is so easy to lose
ones self The roofs are fiat and the
boys frequently jump from one to an
other across the street. All the bust
ness is done by 6 o'clock In the evening,
and the shops are all closed and the
streets deserted. When / first came to
New York city / was struck by the
sight of SO many ladies on the streets
after dark, and I Immediately decided
that the American lady was no good.
With us the women are never seen up
houses are not the same as those here.
They have no frame houses. They are
all made of brick, stone or clay, and
are only one or two stories high. Some
houses are furnished very richly with
Persian rugs and mats, windows of col
ored glass and even stores On the 9TH
er hand, many houses may be found
with scarcely a thing in them.
There are two classes of people in
my country One is very wealthy, the
other is very poor. The families grow
very large and it is possible to find as
many as forty people in one house.
When the young men marry they bring
their wives home and live with their
father The father has command of
the whole household and every one
must do as he says. They sit in one
large room during the evening, the men
on one side and the women on the 9TH
err, and all is quiet. At dinner the men
east first and when they leave the wo-
men take what Is left. The women in
Persia have no rights whatever. In
most cases the ancient ovens are still
used to cook in and to keep the house
warm. When the fire has been taken
out the people go and put their feet in
to keep warm. AS many as sixteen at
a time have their feet in them.
unlike this country, there are only
a few ways of making a living. They
have no factories and all the things
that are made are made at home by all,
Their wages are not large, the average
being thirty-five cents day, while
field laborer will only get twenty-five
cents With this money every one has
to keep a large family. There are no
bachelors or old maids in our country,
for every one marries as soon as they
are of age.
More than one-half of the Persian
people cannot read or write. The
schools only teach how to read and
write. When a boy has learned this he
has finished his education. Then he
goes and marries, and after bringing
his wife home he begins to learn his
trade. The people are not anxious to
learn. They think that the child must
not be greater than his father. The
boys only are educated. There is not
a school for girls in the whole country.
A woman cannot claim that she is her
own. She belongs to some one else all
the time. Her education consists in
learning how to cook and to sew.
Il have interested myself in the edu-
cation of women and will go back to