The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-12
In the Land of the Shah.

tries-China,1 Turkey and Morocco being
the other three-which have been mark
! ed out as ready for partition Its pres
eat condition is so wreteled thai It's In
habitants are utterly indifferent 20 what
ever political changes may take place.
as no change could well be for the
worse. The Shah is apparently a we'll
| Intentional man, but so far he has done
nothing, nor does it seem Likely that
he viii be able 70 do anything for the
welfare of his people. The prevail
ing misery and organized outbreaks
against the existing condition OF affaifs
is due to two causes; the first, thar the
Persians. like all Orientals, are easy-go-
ing and long-suTering; the second. that
they are vaguely looking for help from
without
The Persians-like the rest of the Quad
ripple Alliance to which they belong
have the highest possible opinion of
themselves, and call themselves the
Irani, the noble; the rest Of the world
they name the Turani, the ignoble
Practically ali the Persians are Par
sees or Mohammedans, the latter being
by far the more numerous The Parsees
are the direct descendants OF the cid
Persian fre-worshippers. whose religion
they maintain in its pristine purity. Like
their co-religionists in India, they are
distinguished for ther nobility and up
rightness of character. Because OF their
fire-Worship they were formerly sub
jected TO persecution but now live in
peace among the Mohammedans. There
are but some 100 or 500 families Of Par
sees left. Their capital is Obest.
It is noticeable that even among the
Mohammedans there are taints of fire
worship, for in the walls eff many OF
the towns through which / passed / no.
ticed inches in which, at sunrise and
sunset, trumpets are blown and drums
banged in honor Of the great luminary.
The noise made is enough TO wake the
living. The Mohammedans belong to the
Shite sect, and they have the most live
ly, natural and religious hatred of ard
contempt for their Turkish co-religion-
lists. who belong to the unorthodox or
Sunnite sect.
The Persians are a gifted and charm
ing people. OF a high grade of inteln-
gence, although their character is mar
red by strong shadows. Between the up
per and lower classes there is a great
gulf-a gulf as great and impossible as
that which divided Dives from Lazarus
The "uppers" treat the lowers" as #
they were dirt: the lowers" bow to the
"uppers' as if they were gods.
What impressed me most among the
Persians was their universal thirst for
gold and their abnormal greed for titles.
decorations and honors. If Mr.. United
States England Astor would go TO that
country he would be received as a man
after their own heart, and would get
more titles than he could remember
and new ones every day.
The Persian is the most consummate
swaggerer conceivable In his mnd
clothes come Immediately after money
and titles in Importance. His idea OF
happiness is to strut about IN the most
magnificent coats, and to produce due
effect, he frequently piles six or seven
on top of each other. But, to go hack
to titles, such appellat!ons as excellen-
cy, worthiness honor, etc, are as COM
mon there as Mr. in the northern states
or colonel in the South. Even the serv-
ants in the kitchen address each other
in the most highfalutin style; for IN
stance: will your Honor scour the
dishes?" Il will see your Exceliency
hanged first. It's your turn today
The Persian women may have rights,
but they have yet to be discovered. The
marriage bond is not allowed to become
tiresome to man, who very easily gets
rid of a wife he no longer wants by
sending her back to her father. The
Shah has the most delightful way of
freeing himself of those who are no
longer pleasing to him, and az the same
time of gratifying his spite-he gives
them to his ministers.
The relations between the Persian mon
arch and HIS people are less those OF
ruler to his subjects than OF a father
to his children-a father whose children
have the right 10 support him. If the
Shah learns that one of his beloved sub
jects is getting wealthy, or alth er,
ne visits him. This visit is rendered all
the more serious an honor as his majesty
never travels in his own country with
retinue Of less than several hundreds
all Of whom have to be fed and who ex-
pect land obtain presents, from their
unwilling host. The only way to get rid
of them is to pay them to go away.
The Shah's (fgurative) tent IS pitched
at Teheran. There rests his ark-in other
words his private city. This consists Of
the Birnum, or outer city, for men; and
the Fndirum. or reserved inner city. for
women There is not one but several
palaces, in one of which IS a large room
devoted to the storage Of the treasures
of the Shah. In this room there are
Twelve hollow pillars, Of from six %
seven feet high and one foot in diam
eter. all If which arr FUN # rea Is
Foxes lie about full of rubles. ensrdlds.
diamonds and other precious stones.
These boxes are from Delhi, AMI we're
part of the plumber brought back from
that city by an ancestor Of the present
Shah who made an annexation trio
there. One of the most remarkable OBJ
jects Of interest in the room IS a globe,
enc and a half feet in diam ter. II sold
gold which reyolves in a goiie1 fame.
on this globe the equator and me tvop-
les are marked IN diamonds; the bord 7rs
~
turQuoises and paris; while the place
occurred o., the earth's surface by the
Persian monarchy is complste ely covered
with diamonds of remarkable briiliauce
The noble Persian does not condescend
TO walk about the streets, but drives IN
a closed carriage. attended b nuEnero %
and attendants The wnoie
cortege moves at A great rate and * l.
well for the common people IN the way
~ they can get off the earth il some
times happens that the overhangfng bur
den Of a mule IS caught By the wheel
and thrown on Tire ground The mu'etser
naturally curses, the driver lashes I'm
IN the face with his wh ? foT daring 70
BE- In the way. and drives on.
one q the sights II Teherau = ths ap- /
Of the shah and the ladies ~
Zey.ana. Relocated out-rlinners' SI1h /
canes. and headgear Ike +
the COMB = rOostfT- sF-s4i ftF'fa <'" 4
he 1ovaI nouladic tribes. and the eXecu- i
toner. with his mule bearing his wee
D-ns These form the adv ance Euarc 4
ana surround the Shah. The lads s feach .
~ v-born Is bsgre III q litter szung be-
,zvsa7 twa MULE nr herses} ere mn p .
mers thI-kiy surroundez. and ! was
warned not 70 1Tg % Sc hem. "a Z
might result "a an application q the
bastiEa6o.
T4s Instruments with when the gov
eminent Is carried % are TIE Tesck
AID The Tschork- Ire 6rst Is SOUS
s.srk- the later a bundle Il Sim anf .