New-York tribune., 1908-02-12
NATIVE KNIGHTS.
Preserved from Indignties By Euro
pean Orders.

Copyright 1908. by the Brentwood Conpany-l
Anxiety on the part Of Oriental statesmen to
obtain European orders OF knghthood. especially
those belonging to the great powers, is not wholly
due to a sentiment of vanity, but rather to
considerations OF safety. For IL is known by the
various Oriental governments that the European
powers will not tolerate the maltreatmenr the tor
ture. the imprisonment, the subsection 10 bar
barous indignites OF any native statesman who
may be knight Of one or another OF the Euro
pean orders OF chivairy.
Many years ago Persian Grand Vfzier was sub
jected by his imperial master to the bastinado,
and was subsequently promeuaded through the
streets Of Teheran, mounted on a jackass, with
his face toward the tail. which he held in his hand
He happened to possess the star OF Grand officer
OF the Order of the Legion Of Honor Of France and
the French government SO beside Itself with
anger at the indignitfes thus imposed upon man
who held such high rank in It's national order that
1t threatened TO break or diplomatic relations IN
less 1t obtained positive assurance from the Shah
that every Persian who happened to be decorated
with the Legion OF Honor should be exempt from
Ill treatment the part of the Persian authorities
The English, the German. the Russian and the
italian ENJOYS subsequently obtained analogous
pledges from the Shah. and later on the Sultans
of Turkey and of Morocco. the Khedive of Egypt
and. in fact, all the Orienta; rulers. were required
by the great powers of Europe TO submit to sim
Tar stipulatons.
It IS because the recent Persian Premier. Nasir
el-Muk. happened TO be the fortunate possessor OF
English Order of Knighthood that the British
q illerVeneQ q
moments delay when he learned that the states
man had been not only dismissed from Office, but
likewise imprisoned by the Shah, who resented his
liberal programme and his attempts TO subject him
the restrictions of the constitution which he had
granted his people The result of this diplomatic
intervention by England that the ex-Preulier
was at set at liberty But those Of his col
leagues who did not possess European decorations
were less fortunate For not only were they kept
jail but the Shah, whose ideas of discipline seem
0g E--oE4a az eF7a
Great: did them the honor of administering sound
Gaming on their heads and shoulders with his own
hand.
A rather entertaining feature of the coup d'etat
Teheran, and OF the measures adopted by the
Shah TO suppress IT, that the Turkish Anlbassa-
dor thought It necessary to intervene and TO beg in
the name OF his sovereign, who Gladstone de-
nounced as 1.-The Great Assassin, that the Snah
would treat his people with moderation, for the
sake OF humanity and justics
While the Shah seems to have the situation
well in hand, both he and his government are
terribly handicapped by the lack of money. and
his difficulties in this respect have been greatly
augmented by the still unpUntshed murder IN
Teheran of the most eminent Parsee banker or
the city. The Parsees are the hnancfers OF the
Orient They all hang together, their headquar-
ters as captains Of finance being at Bombay
where all the loans to Oriental rulers and chief
tains are decided upon The unpublished assas-
sinatfon of their eminent corelfgfonist at
Teheran whether Il be the result OF religious
fanatic.sm OF an attempt 10 extort money ny
terror IS not precisely calculated 70 open their
pursestrings TO the Shah to his government
EDWARD VII WANTS A MOSLEM ENVOY.
While on the subject OF the Orient may men,
ton that King Edward has given great sattsfac-
ton throughout India and Egypt, as well as in
his Mosfen possessions IN Africa, by tntimatins
70 the Sublime Porte that he would be glad II
the latter in selecting successor to the late
m
instead Of Christian to the Court OF St Jaues's
as Ottoman Ambassador It seems that the late
Queen Victoria early in her reign made a point
Of recurring that the Turkish envoy IN London
should be a Christian. TO avoid the presence
at her court of q poIygarnist She did not relish
the notion of being compelled 10 receive an am
bassador who had g number Of wives and main
tanned huge harerp the banks OF the Thames
In consequences of this, the Turkish ENJOYS IN
England have always been Christians-that Is 10
saw Arneuians, Assyrians or Byzantine Greeks
After Queen Victoria had assumed the title OF
Empress OF India she became much more oroad-
minded In these matters, and not only received
with the most distinguished honors all sorts OF
noIvgau,ous potentates at her court but even add
e4 IN her household an Indian uunshi or secretary
whose domestic arrangements were OF the plural
order.
King Edward is equally sensible, and remember
,e- that he is the ruler OF the greatest Mahometan
er7n,re in the worId-he has IN India and Africa
five times more followers Of the Prophet subject
n his sceptre than the Sultan OF Turkey-he con-
elders II only right that there should be no dis
elimination at his court against any ambassador OF
the Mahomeran faith.