New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-09-29
n.u.,,,s and Studies in the Land of
ZoroaSter.

eAos Ff- ->~N-'
company
,,.,,son's account of his few months
Profess. .s-o,,eh Persia admirably fulfls the
!onrn" . ,hs title of the volume. Saturated
pTonHsS r,storv and literature of the ancien'
VIII - he,ore making his personal acquainI-
ShtuS s.s che country under its modern aspects
anoe W.. Us ahIe 70 assinlilate his often hasty
Tie ss with thoroughness impossible 10
-. ordinary traveller. In his effort 10 hiaNo -
u' - the time at his disposal, he pushed Oh
s-o-n point to point with indefaugaDie e"o4 81
IT, ~, earlv and riding hard to reach the places
- - he desired 20 tarry long enough satls-
..-,v 10 carry on HIS studies Of ancient mon
'-osnts and inscriptions and Of the present su-
- If the olden civilization and religion he
,n.kes light OF the discomforts and dangers VI
-, ,rsn writing with graphic touch and hui
.,-ous appreciation of his efforts to save tiiiie
-. .,roeless Persia" of his diet OF ra" eess
.t,rteen upon one hungry occaslon) ana Fel-
"a, hread-a long, WIDE fiat, pancakehKe ViaIiu'
n.,.sI not only as food. but 'as a wrapper 10
ga m q knife and fork, chicken. sweetmeals
:. wbst-not, Just as one would use heavy brown
-" Generally moist and soggy when
- ,he author found this bread excellent to
-. taste after # had become dry and crisp
.,soush sometimes fatal 10 the digestion"
-,..,.s,ning as Professor Jackson is IN his de-
..a,.,ons OF his own experiences and in the side
,sb,s thst he throws upon the Persia of to-day
-, cb,.t interest Of his work lies in his identi-
action OF ancient sites, his verihcation Of an
r,nt euneiform inscriptions and his analytical
,,rnsrison Of ancient and modern Zoroastrians
am zoroastrianism. While many Of the chap
ears IN the book Will be principally valued by the
s,udsnt of Iranian literature. philology and
s-cheoiogy the author introduces enough of
p.rs,sn history and OF reference to the work Of
,-.vtous explorers and investigators TO supply
rhst is necessary 10 make these chapters intelli-
gbjs 10 the general reader. In a trip under
,sten IN the deep SHOWS of midwinter around
,sks urumiah, a body OF water only slightly
smaller and less salt than the Great salt Lake in
Utah Professor Jackson succeeded in locating
.b. Mace where Zoroaster. after ten years OF
missionary efforts. made his first convert. Zorro
ssers case was not that of a prophet without
honor IN HIS own country. since his first convert
was also his first cousin. Two years later, how
ever. with the conversion OF King Vishtaspa,
"Tto became the Constantine Of the faith" his
doctrines spread rapidly and still persist in his
own country and IN India.
az Takht-i suleiman and Hamadan, the author
gives oogent reasons for holding, contrary TO
the opinion OF Sir Henry Rawlinson. that the
latter, and not the former, place is the site OF
Bcbatana, the ancient capital OF the country.
He accepts, however. Rawlinson's Identification
Of TakhtI sulenan as the olden city Of shiz
II he does not agree with him IN believing that
shiz and Ecbatana were Identical He pays.
hn- ri 20 I9o-
his notable work in transcribing and decipher-
ing the monumental records inscribed by Darius
XerKes and Artaxerxes upon the great Rock
OF Behistan. He was the better able TO appre-
cate the labors Of Rawlinson from the fact that
be was the first arohaologist If not the first per-
sal since Rawlinsons day. with sufficient dar-
hgio make the dangerous ascent of the Rock and
stsct study 'of the tablets. Professor Jackson.
hssd. succeeded in taking the only photographs
aEi have ever been made Of the inscriptions
Strangely enough he discovered that since Raw
hson visited the Rock and made his squeezes
shd subscriptions. the tablets. which had sue
c'sstuly weathered so many miIlenniunls. have
benme seriously mutilated and defaced in parts |
laicugh the action Of water, which has begun in |
recent days 10 ooze through cracks in the Rock |
AFould be interesting 10 delay here a while with
1' @uthor and to follow him in his restora- |
uOh OF doubtful passages IN the text but we |
1Ss pause only long enough 10 quote a pas
S4se OF H. which shows how little modesty was |
,-ulsiea with the more mastery qualities of |
Darius the Great:
AnaaS sn tb DARIUS Is the King by the grace Of
~ NAch Il not written I'm this inscrintfon. On MS
eons ~, IL IS not written, lest that which have
S Sse may seem exaggerated to him who shall here
- l-.-S upton. and not n 4
--~ Uue and may seem TO be a lie.
Fioiessor Jackson made pilgrimages to the |
"Ao o. Cyrus the Great at Pasagardae. TO the |
"P1'rnfe OF Darius at Naksh-i Russian, 10 the |
--1sAloeht ruins Of Persepolis and to the /
s-''o4 stone grottos Of Taxi Bostan with |
--I oass-reliefs and statues, perhaps the best
-~"' examples OF Sasanian art" These sculpt- |
~ough OF a comparatively modern date, |
- special interest, as being, in the case of |
zoo Aecutec by order Of Khosru Parviz "a D.
me work Of Farhad, a favorite hero
ca feis-ah poets Farhad loved the Princess
I'll ana according to Nazami's version OF the |
s' Ahosru discovered his attachment and 1
- ~0Fsniage OF Il to evoke new miracles in /
- - rom the inspired sculptor's chisel under /
.--as OF receiving Shirin's favors as a re- /
- "hen the work was done, however,
-, C - was falsely Informed Of Shirin's death,
,. ,l 'as following result. as translated by Cos
Rs sr@Lte tAe fatal news-no word, no groan.
Ter "a ny moved not-stood transfxed TO etone
Els arms ms q irenzied start, he raised on high
Ft Il ~. ~, wildly tossed them toward the sky,
40 fro-ae VIC, woe eKpanse his axe he flung.
rhe 100 ne precipice at once ne sprung
bent bscy bI ~ sc.lptured caves the valleys green
MS dying cry-'Alasl Shireen'
,,....' authors visit 10 Shiraz affords him op-
,,,' BY lor discoursing entertainingly upon the
Va. me poets and other distinguished men
a., !, u'e city has given 20 Persia-Hafz, Saadi
a. The great religious reformer, in par
~ Sasoi was humorist. as well as a poet.
Illustrated by the following anecdote:
mt % Who was suffering from inaamed eye.