The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-07-19
PERSIA'S RAGGED SOLDERY
QUEER MAKEUP OF THE SHAH's
ARMY.

inees-Payment OF "Bfoed Tax" "a
Evade Servfee-Tribes o Greas
Cow ards TO Re Drafted-Cavalrymen
That Fight Only for Their Own Good
The Persian soldier, in tor clothing apd
barefoot. is more like a beggar than a war
| rior. For all this he killed the recent coun-
ter revolution when he refused to fire upon
the Parliament. As to the size Of Persia's
| fighting hosts, It is difficult to arrive at
accuracy; Officially the Persian army
numbers 1o5 800 men, but the actual stand
ing army says the London Globe. consists
Of only 24,sOO men, who. are quartered In
the larger towns and on the frontiers.
The infantry numbers seventy-eight to
eighty battalions. each Of 800 to 1000 men.
but the full strength is never maintained,
for only half the battalion Is called up, and
then In a reduced number. The men called up
often receive no pay for six months. and
thus in esery own the soldiers are forced
to work at a trade or to become beggars.
There are no proper barracks in most of
the towns and the men live with their fami-
lies In private houses.
+ There is no systematio drilling, and there
Ia no practical instruction In rifle firing;
in fact, many men cannot handle a rifle at
all. The rifles used mainly are the Werndt
gun, which was rejected by Austria in the
,Sos and sold e Persia but there are also
men serving use nearly always guns with
percussion caps and ramrods.
The ages Of the soldiers vary very much;
there are undeveloped Toys and toothless
men Of 90 years, for the unfit are not w.eeded
liable to serve are badly kept, 50 that on a
levy 1t 10 found that some Of the men called
up have been dead for several years.
The army is q source OF revenue to the
Governors Of the provinces. On his APP
wishes to get rid Of the older men and to
have a younger type Of soldier. b local
people know what that means; a deputa-
ton waits upon the energetic new Governor,
he In asked to name a sum which shall in
doss st% and 10 is sv sdss 20 is se content 8 . Sao ne
More than twenty regiments are recruited
from the Axerbijan province in Northern
Persia. while forty. regiments come from
the Aratsohk- E-Anjim province; the rest
The blood tax paid for evading military
service varies. In some provinces 1t is a.
mNch a. Els per man, in others 1t Is only
about e..
The town populations. certain khans
from service. as are also the Jews. the
Armenians and the Fire .Worshippers.'
but the last named are made by the Gov
no Of Kerehan to contribute the main
tenance Of twenty foot soldiers. A few
no men as soldiers, as the people of those
regions are distinguished by extraordinary
oowardice.
The artillery branch is similar to the
infantry. but the men are much better
trained and clothed, while they receive
force. On paper. consists OF 5000 men, yet
only 1000 men are on service, and they
in battalions. each Of from 200 to $50 men.
The men. horses and guns are all man
aged by independent oficie Is. thus the
horses are In the care Of a General who keeps
them not near the guns In the arsenal, but
in some place where the forage Is cheap.
The horses are not trained TO gun firing.
The projectiles are kept in the a~rsensls and
generally they arenot charged. The powder
very poor Quality. There are about fifty
guns Of the Uohap Plus type. and also nearly
one thousand obsolete guns, of which
scarcely a hundred can be used.
The infantry possesses no properly organ.
people are .oommandeered. especially
the village folk when they bring their garden
stuff and products into the OWNS. Thus
when the word goes round the countryside
that q regiment has to be moved from q
town. then the villagers stay at home until
the soldiers have been moved.
Even the animals conveying v
Of goods are seized, and the owners Of
beasts Of burden will refuse to convey
goods for the time. as they dPead losing
their beasts. Every soldier receives a
the provisions. IFS soldier has an ass Of ex-
cellent quality allotted to him he often
runs away with the animal at the last stop
ping place.
The command of a battalion Is sold and
sometimes for as much as E2 200 or sfs. 200.
Wishes to become an officer. ma
officer pay IL continued to his family
after his death. thus there are many detach-
ments Of ninety men with twelve officers.
Persia's cavalry is regular and irregular.
The former comprises the Ispahan Cavalry