Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-03

insane asylum before he is half through
with the job.
1t takes two fellahs Qaborers) to f1ll bod
with earth. 1t takes them a full minute to
handle a spadeful of earth apiece While
third fellah carries off the dirt, the other
two converse politely until the bod is once
more placed before them Then they ex-
change fluctuations with the returned
brother, and when they can't think of any
thing else to say they gravely begin filling
the hod.
When a master mason Is finally cajoled.
threatened or bribed into taking up his
trowel, a small army of apprentices accom-
pany him to the scene of toll
My child, give me mortar he sings to
one Throw me a brick, my Let me
see brick Let II come to me- Is the bur-
den of his lay to another. Brother, throw
me a baby BRICK" he gently intones to a
third. To a fourth he pleads, Give me NOR
tar. my father" The mortar. mixed by
five men. is handed to him by the hand
full, and the bricks a brick at time.
Garry Off the Materials.
Thus the mason plays he is working
throughout the day-and at night, when the
employer has left for home, the mason and
his apprentices deliberately and openly pro-
coed TO take away with them, for their own
use. all the material and implements that
they can load upon their backs. The ex-
preston. He'd steal the pennies from
dead mans eyes" was undoubtedly coined
by some Anglo-Saxon traveller who had run
afoul of some Persian workmen.
The wealthy Persian carries his dstaste
for work so far that he. unlike all other
slave owners ever known to history, actu-
ally stands appalled, at the thought of max
ing his black chattels do hard labor OF any
sort.
As some one has aptly said, Persia Is the
paradise of slaves Black field hands are
seldom or never seen. The slave is univer-
sally spoken OF as black brother" He
Is the confidential and trusted servant or
his master, the playmate OF his children,
the fellow student of his young master.
The female slave frequently becomes the
favorite wife of her master; If not that, his
chief Concubine; and II neither, then the
tenderly cared for wardrobe woman of her
mistress.
There Is no breaking up of slaves fam
lily for pecunary reasons. Persian who
has fallen on evil days financially, frees
his slaves, never sells them. But the slaves
do not want freedom. They recognize that
the worst punishment that can befall them
is to be turned adrift. How then could they
become rich? They would no longer be
trusted servants and so situated that
they could take brides rake-offs and tips
right and left from merchants and others
desiring the patronage or favor Of their
masters.
The importation OF slaves from Africa
was placed under the royal ban some years
ago. Since it is the common practice for
PerSldnS 10 take DIack women 10 VIE OE
concublnage, and It often happens that
master will give his daughter in wedlock
to his body slave 1t will. however, not be
very many generations before the slave ele-
ment is absorbed BY the native population.
How Persian Gains Title or Rank.
AS the treatment of slaves would imply.
caste does not exist In Persia. No matter
how humble a mans origin. 1t is no bar to
him in any way. He can change his social
status as often as he Iikes-provided, OF
course that he has the money.
Money does truly wonderful things in
Persia. A little of it, judiciously placed,
viii buy one rank in the army. and little
of 1t paid in yearly instsllments Will insure
the possessor his rank as long as he lives.
Also. the mans heir can take over the title
on the payment of stipulated sum.
missionary knew OF a young man the son
of a scribe, who tapped his fathers till, ran
away with the contents to Teheran and in
q few weeks returned to his home a captain
of ordnance. This sprout had not learned
how to load gun up to the day he so I'M
tremendously left the shelter of his IA
theirs roof.
SO with any title of nobility-lnoney will
purchase II. But you have no money!
Then do an official some service, such as
putting a patch in his mud wall, or press
ing the creases out of his trousers and he
will magnanimously confer the coveted title
upon you. The next time you chance to
meet up with titled Persian ask him II he
wasn't a carpenter when he came by his
title. Don't fear that you'll offend him. Ii
he was he'll say so proudly IL he wasn't
a carpenter. but a water seller. he'll cor
rect you Just as proudly. In this one re-
spect at least the, gilded snobs of America
could we'll afford to sit at a titled Persians
feet.
Harsh Proverbs About Women.
Among Mohammedans solicitude or re-
gard for the womenfolk L. never marked
! 1t is least so among the Persians.
"a mans worst enemy is his wife, Is a
frequently quoted saying. THE dog is
| faithful, the woman never" is another;
while a third runs; Their hair Is long.
their wit is short.
A molla. speaking in mosque In Ta-
briz, said;
They tell US that there are dragons and
| scorpions In hell. / am not afraid OF
| them. have worse hell on earth. My
! two wives, with their Jealousies. quarrel
ings, their demands for dress, ETC., give me