New-York tribune., 1903-05-17

exacts certain percentage or ''mudakhil' from
his underlings.
The taxpayer, too, has his revenge in obtaln-
ing ..mudakhiI" from those below him If he is
a merchant ne adds 10 per cent to his prices for
reimbursement If a broker he puts into his
bill to his client the simple item ''mudakhll
and tl4e item cannot be stricken out The
Judges of the courts take their "mudakhI from
the accused. and should it be large enough the
prisoner goes free. The police have their
.mudakhil." the same as under Tammany, to
wink at evil. and fail to arrest. Servants
also have their "mudakhil.' As II is an indica-
ton of low birth for d Persian to buy anything
i'm market himself. he is compelled TO trust MS
purchases to mis- servants The cook, who puys
his provisions, adds 10 per cent as her 'mudak-
hill The groom who buys for the stable, pock-
cts his 10 per cent Even the laundress has her
graft" and buys soap with a fat 'mudakhn'
lathered on the bill.
should a man of station visit a friend he IS
supposed to tip the servants, much the same as
in Europe and some parts of this country. If
he forgets however he is likely 10 be reminded
a little more vigorously than is customary
further West. An American who had visited
wealthy Englishman in Persia gave on his de-
parture 30 kerans about 500, to the head
servant to distribute among the half hundred
other employees of the establishments Though
the amount was far in excess Of the ordinary TIP
the head servant scowled, as if offended, in the
hope of still more. As the American was drlV-
ing out of the gate donkey boy suddenly ran
up and grabbed the bride
Where is nv present?'- he demanded, giving
several vicious jerks at the bit. In his astonSh-
ment :he American said he had given the head
servant q sum to be distributed, and that the
boy would get something The lad grew only
the more importunate, and said the head SER
want was a thief, and always took everything
himself. He even threatened throwing rocks at
the departing guest unless something was COM
ing to assuage his injured dignity The Amerl-
can however true to the principles of the Dec
Iaration of independence. finally struck the IN
solent servant d smart blow with his whip and
drove on.
At the bottom of the ladder of graft are the
beggars who shove their hands into the faces OF
strangers with the exclamation, My right
Among the most importunate of these mendl-
cants are the dervishes who strike terror into
the souls of the more ignorant with theIr
threats of eternal punishment unless their de-
mands are satisfied.
The Persian, unlike the Moor, does not believe
much in prisons. Death is a quicker and less
expensive method. When death is too drastic
torture then affords hundred varied means or
Satisfying justice" well as affordlng a d.
version to society. 1t is an ordinary sight for
"A SO'AAc
standing stock still against wall. Sometimes
Investigation will show that he is held there by
a nail through his At other times nails
will have been driven through his hands or
feet An ordinary execution only attracts few
loungers who wont as in this country 10
FREQUENT parks. The body lies where 1t fails,
and the relatives should there be any, must pay
the police their "mudakhil" in order to take
away the corpse. Burial alive is the punIsh-
ment accorded more desperate criminals
The present Shah, imbued with much the same
modern views as the hapless Sultan of Morocco,
has set his face against the barbarisms of his
people and has sought to discourage the graft
method Of raising revenue, and torture in exc
cutions His reforms, however. are watched
with suspicion by the masses, and because or
incessant runors of assassination he IS sald 10
have grown prematurely old
The land being unproductive, the natives cam
not all turn to farming for their daily breadf