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

10 IdheH 10 TASK ms cruelty. "A IGt WlIe
is preferred, and she who cannot take on
flesh Is liable to be divorced. A husbands
guests must not mention his wife's name
under any circumstances. and the husband
refers to her. in roundabout fashion, as
''the mother of Ismie" A Turk does not
display half the diligence that a Persian
does In guarding his wife from the eyes
of strangers. A pigeon trainer went to his
roof to fly his birds. He was warned to
desist, the roof overlooked his neigh
boris yard where the women were wont to
stroll. But the man persisted In his busi-
ness. and before the week was over he was
shot dead.
The love of Persian for his mother is in
pleasing and startling contrast with his
treatment OF the sex In general, and his
wives in particular. A son has never been
known to let his mother starve, as some
times happens in the occidental nations.
Even when he Is a man Of family, his
mothers slightest wish is law to him, and
he will put himself to great trouble to sat
iSfy her sliest within.
Nor does he make his various mothers
in-law the butt of his favorite jokes.
Strange as 1T may seem to the western
mind, he welcomes his mothers-in-law with
uIffeigned pleasure under his roof; he looks
upon them as faithful guardians of the vir-
tue of his wives.
Persia's AlI-round Man.
The all-around man of Persia is the molla.
The molla is the religious minister of the
leads in worship and prayer; he also
teaches In the schools In villages and
mosques, writes all sorts of business pa
pers, such as deeds and contracts, and is
Judge of civil and religious cases at law,
deciding these according to the Koran.
Also he is frequently trader or mer-
chant, and by the time he has risen to the
position of chief molla Cor mujtehid) he is
generally owner of score or more vii
lagos in the farming districts. The Occi-
dental preacher would cut g. sorry figure
trying to fill half the rules that are usurp-
ed by the Persian.
The molla is able to accumulate cons!d-
cradle property by reason Of the religious
tithes and offerings and the fees he
charges for writing documents and teach
ing and making legal decisions. He dearly
loves to discuss the proofs of the existence
of God His mercy is SO great and his
high sense of justice 80 universally recog-
nized that criminals seek his gate as q
place of refuge. He has no scruples about
taking q goodly number of wives and con-
cubines. He is rarely known to live IN
any other than pretentous style, ana nis
favorite riding animal Is a large White
donkey.
LAS meek as theolog' will not Mt the
molla In school. When student he fights
on the slightest pretext. He fights not only
for himself. but for his brothers as Wei.
This spirit crops out continually after ne
has become full-nedged molla. 1t caused
the Muttehid of Tabriz even to defy the
governor of his province some years ago
when the latter demanded the surrender
of a criminal who had fed to the Mujtehid
gate Only when the Shah himself I'm
peratively ordered the man to be given up
did the Mujtehid curb his bellfgerency ana
make his peace with the civil authorities
The mollas are numerous, the saylds more
So The sayids are all supposed to be di-
rect descendants of Mohammed on Dotn
the male and female sides. But there are
thousands of false sayids. 1t pays to have
a seal made with "sayid'' engraved upon
Il. and thereafter go about proclalmins
oneself a direct descendant of the prophet
until everybody at last comes to believe
the lie For the sayids are exempt from
Ali forms of taxes and the liberal aims
that the faithful are enjoined to give. nc
become a sayid Is only another way OF
sswearing off, ones taxes. There Is tnis
additional advantage-the sayid can black
guard and browbeat with impunity Dretn-
rem who are not as holy as he.
The great majority OF Persia's WeaHny
men have declared themselves to be sayids.
lust as many of Now York's mlliionaires
once a year declare themselves to be WIN
out any taxable personal property wnatso-
ever.
The Persian method of escaping taxa
tion is much the neater of the two. the
Persians are now preparing to adopt the
western form of government. why
shouldn't our millionaires return the COM
pIiment by adapting to their use the sayid
method Of putting all the burden OF gov
eminent on less favored mortalsf