Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-29

A"o oCAS ' liz IId IlliC6HC property OIL |
the duke of Portland, he remarked to the
prince Of Wales: |
why doesn't your mother cut off this
mans head and take his property? I
Should do so in Persia"
When the governor of the Bank of En-
gland placed a million dollars worth of
bank notes in his hand to let him feel
what they were like, the shah thought it
was a slight tribute to his majesty's
greatness, Il held on to the wad. 1t
was only with great difficulty that he
could be prevailed upon to relinquish it.
Muzaifer-Ed-Din was the second son
of this monarch, but the Oldest by a wife
of royal blood. His elder brother, Lii
Es-Sultan, is a man of strong and violent
character and a power in the land. 1t
is expected that he will soon grasp at
the throne. That is why Muzaffer's in
sanity is regarded as a grave event from
a European standpoint.
The fact that the present shah of Per-
STA really occupies the throne of Xerxes
is evidenced by the way in which he
chooses his wives. This process is car
ried out today aEmost exactly as it is de-
scribed in ''The Book of Esther" which
referred to the time of XerXes.
When Nerxes deposed Vashti, all the
maidens in the kingdom We're brought be-
fore him in a long procession, in order
that he might choose from them. Today
NAAN ~ . AZ "a = NAN ~
raded before the shah once a year. 1t is
his custom to select % of them annually.
Thus, if the shah reigned for SO years he
would AVE at least 1850 wives.
On December 25 of each year an Off
cial notifies the parents of pretty daugh-
ters to get them ready and to bring them
before the shah A month later the exhi-
bition takes place. A distinguished
| French journalist who witnessed the GER
emony furnishes the following dsscrip-
ton of it.:
There is a suppressed murmur of eX-
element, ard then an Involuntary eN-
clamation of 'Ah!' as, emerging from the
further end, comes forth a body of royal
trumpeters. In dazzling array they pass
before the vision, causing one to ponder
whether. after all, decked out in all their
finery, they are not persons of high de-
gree.
Twice, thrice they wind their horns and
then the spectacle for which all have
waited bursts upon the view. There is a
%furtive craning of necks to catch the first
glimpse, the murmur of suppressed
breathing, the babbling of half-muttered
interpretations and then, bursting forth in
dazzling array from the opening through
which the trumDeters have so recently
filed, like a lily expanding into bloom.
come the debutantes, arrayed in Whlte
and fairly binding the eye with the
sumptuousness of brilliant display.
Forward they come toward the open
Enclosure, singing as they go, and pre-
ceeded by pages in livery bestreWing the
way with flowers in every direction. In
the closely massed group of 100 human
beings are gathered the fairest maidens
in all Persia. Now they pass by us,
laughing and chatting, but in every eye
the faint light of dubious imagining and
the knowledge that, after all, there may
be others more fortunate than she.
"Three times they circle around the
narrow court yard, then, at a signal from
the %trumpeter, take up their positions lr
a long row. Not a heart in all that groul
but is weighed dow and elated at thu
7 same time, with conflicting hopes anG
2 fears; not one but will be glad when all i:
over, though the cost may be many
! heart-burning and tear.
L But now the last great moment ha!
. arrived. Again the trumpeters peal fortl
:, a note, the royal salute, and then ever!
head is touched to the ground as the spec
: tacle of an insignificant little man rapid!
| making his way across the court yard
preceded by the Star Salar in his mag
, nificent robes of office, and followed by al
escort of magnificent otficlalism. ANT
1 this, the most unDretentious and unas
suming of them all, is The Sun of tn
Universe the one toward whom all eye
I are turned in rcverent alteration, tn
a Shah and Shas, he whose word is law t
!; millions of people.
u 1T is almost impossible to perceive hi
body. so closely is he covered with mag
. ~nificent jewels, not a portion of his gar
ment but reflects every color of the rain
bow, a vision of opulence for which tn
y rest Of Persia lies buried in squalor an
filth.
HE has paused for an instant now an
y the end is at hand Slowly preceding hir
. marches the Star Salar, at each ste
taking a maiden by the hand and raisin
her face to her monarch. A nod of ap
prevail or one of negation, not a wor
. spoken. not one word of love or affection
and hearts are sickened or filled with sc
cret joy.
THE Sun hides his face for a momen
the great shah passes on without
change in his stole countenance. Persl
has offered up the fairest in her land t
her sovereign, the royal will is satisfied
Twenty-Five hearts are filled with a
abundance of joy, the life and happines
of IS are blotted out.
"Once more that dWarfed, almost hlt
eous little body shuf1les u~neasily acros
the courtyard, the trumpeters blare fort
the regal salute, all is over"
1t is not unusual for the shah to have
hundred or more children. The preseI
one has II of unmixed royal blood, but tl
Others are not counted accurately.
The shah has 5000, DOC, 900 Of treasure
the form of precious stones, largely rubl'
and pearls. These he keeps in glass jar
so that he can always tell at a CLAN,
whether many lave been stolen. If on
half a dozen or so disappear he does n,
worry, but if the pile in the glass jar fal
an inch or two he has somebody's hes
cut off.
CURIOUS WATCH.