Daily Kennebec journal., 1903-08-10
Persia's Part in the Carnival.

PersIa's Part IN the carnival.
Persia is a country of which we hear
very little, but just now it is gaining
some newspaper prominence through
its part in the worlds fashionable car
nival of persecution. The Persians saw
the Russians wiping out whole villages
of Jews, the Turks keeping up the good
work of Armenian determination, and
the citizens of free and enlightened
America burning negroes at the stake
and evidently felt that it was up to
them to make a move in the bloody
game. So the populace of Yezd pro-
ceeded to massacre all the Babists
who could be found. Let it be noted
that the victims were Babists, not
Baptists as some headline writers have
had it. There is quite a difference in
the sects. But whoever the victims,
the Persian atrocities seem to show
that barbarity, cruelty and intolerance
are infectious. What pity that vir
tue is not a sreadily given the flattery
Of imitation!
The Babists of Persia are not Chris
tians, as some have reported them to
be. A writer in the Boston Trans
cript explains that they are Mohamme-
dan heretics, which, perhaps, is almost
as honorable a designation. The sect
has been in existence for over 60 years.
1t Is practically a new religion, built
upon selected teachings from the
Christian, Jewish, Mohammedan and
Parsee faiths. The followers of Bah,
their original leader, are the progress
sivists and reformers of Persia, and as
such they are regarded with natural
hatred in that corrupt country. The
prescription to which they are sub
jected prevents many who hold the
claiming themselves though the mere
fact that a person shows an improve
ment in morals and social practices is
frequently sufficient to fix upon him
public suspicion.
The Babists are not themselves ag-
gressive though they have been knowr
to valiantly even if vainly resist perse-
cution in times past. They are indus
triofs amid inHolence and moral in The
midst of all forms of social vice. The!
hold to one wife, discouraging concu
binage, and forbid divorce. They be
lieve in the equality if the sexes, ant
their women discard the veil where i
is safe to do so. Their mode of lift
is a credit to themselves but a re-
proach to the great mass of that so
ciety of which they form part; hence
the intense hate with which they arr
regarded by the mollahs or priests
Human nature works in the same wa,
in all ages, and what the early Chris
tians experienced under Nero the!
are in measure experiencing unde
the shah, and for similar reasons. Ne
ro had no cannon from whose moutl
he could shoot his victims, as was dom
in one instance during the recent hor
ror, but he had substantial equivalents
Yezd is commercial and manu-
featuring city of central Persia. with ;
population of some $4,000 people, ant
in it the mob for two days indulget
their blood lust to the full. The mu
tilated bodies of their victims were
dragged about the streets, followed b,
hooting and bowling populace. Their
was no particular provocation to in
dulge in such savagery at this time
The outbreak simply means that th
passions of the prosecutors had full,
matured and the hateu objects upol
which to wreak them were convenient
ly at hand. The blood of the marty
is the seed of the Church, and the leav
en- of Babism will doubtless still con
tinue to spread over that country still
STEPPED in social, political and religious
rottenness. 1t is the only saving elc
ment at the present time. But Persif
is weak, and sooner or later she may
find herself called to account for brut-
ish indulgences that some other coun-
tries can practice with apparent inn
punity.