Arizona republican., 1902-09-14
PERsIA's RULER AT HOME
The Poet Laureate Punished for Not
 Liking Royal Verse.

Formerly all positions of authority were openly sold at a price. Muzafir- ed-Din has put an end to all such prac tices. He is extremely kind hearted. Once he had to sign the death warrant of a gang of hill robbers. He inquired into their case and learned that they had been leading a hard life, and. turn ing to them, he said: Poor fellows, I suppose you robbed because you wanted something to eat" and he or dered their release. The present shahs father was very severe. Once his buff foon's antics were too much for him and he ordered his instant execution. In his agony the poor fellow remem- bered the words of a Persian poet, Fear kings, women and poets." But in his case it was not too late. He was was saved by the intercession of the sadr-azan (grand vizier), thus learning by bitter experience not to jest with kings.
 The fate of his court poet laureate was also not to be envied. On one oc- casion the shah read to him one of his own poems and asked for his opinion. Even if l deserve your majesty's an ger said the candid poet, "I must say that it is anything but poetry" The shah, feeling insulted, cried out to those who waited on him, Take this ass to the stable" After a little while, becoming calmer he tried the poet once more, this time with a fresh set of verses. When he had finished reading, the poet started to go away. Where are you going?" asked the shah. "To the stable, your majesty" was the re- ply of the poet This time the shah en- joyed the joke and the poet was for given.
 Muzafir- ed- Din is also open handed. Once when he was walking in the pub lie gardens of Contrexeville a little child gave him a flower: the shah took 1t and gave him a magnificent diamond in return. He once paid an English dentist 5000 for removing an aching tooth. He has granted considerable sums for charitable purposes to his Mahometan and Christian subjects without difference of religion. He has a considerably smaller harem than his predecessors, the number of the wo- men of his harem being sixty-five. The late shah had TYPO wives No girl with a pretty face was safe from the late shah. Persian women in the presence OL bHt nave lO uiNSu lHtlT faces, though yelled to all other men. The shah's great-grandfather had 1000 wives. 1S0 sons, 170 daughters, and at the time of his death had 5000 descend ants.
 It is a pleasant surprise for his maj esty's Christian subjects to find that they enjoy his favor. At the time of the Armenian massacres in Turkey he said to an Englishman: Why is the sultan killing thousands of his most able subjects? What a shortsighted fool he is! Doesn't he see that he is cutting his own throat?"
 His visit to Europe is not merely for pleasure, but for the purpose of intro ducing European civilization into Per sia. The religious authorities and fa- natic Mussulmans are always opposed to the shah's visits to Europe, for by their law the shah is not supposed to go to a foreign country except for the purposes of conquest. The whole world belongs to the shah and he has right to subdue it.
 European ways and usages are some times incomprehensible to an eastern monarch. The following extract from Nasr-e Din's travels will illustrate the case: At dn exhibition in Lon