Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-05

AAOI1G d large album COulu De IOIlueQ Vi pc
lures, usually Photographic portraits of royal
- personages, which under the ban of the
law Not only does their exhibition and sale entail
penalties such as fine and imprisonment, but even
their possession is calculated to invite unpleasant
attention the part of the police. These pictures
of the most diverse description. Sometimes
exception is taken to them the ground that they
of seditious character, while in other instances
it is because they calculated to give serious
noyance to the illustrious personages whom they
concern.
Thus in India the British authorities have re-
Gently been dealing very severely with those
gagged in circulating among the natives picture
object of which is to excite Hindu sentiment against
their Moslem fellow citizens, thus provoking SAN
culinary disturbances. Thousands of lives have
been sacrificed, and vast amount of property
destroyed, in the riots caused all India by this
picture, the authors of which aim at arousing the
Hindus not only against the Moslems, but likewise
against the English, by showing that the latter
powerless to protect the Hindu divnities from
SacrieglouS lnd1gnltleS.
Another form OF pictorial sedltlon is the EXPOSE
ton and sale of pictures of those who avowedly
seek the downfall of the rulers of the land Thus, in
Spain the portraits of the Pretender Don Carlos
and of his son Don Jaime are forbidden; while
similar prohibition exists in Portugal with regard
to the pictures of the Legitimist Pretender, Don
Miguel, Duke of Braganza, now actively engaged
in fomenting the agitation against King Carlos at
Lisbon.
The French Government which is very liberal
in such matters, took strong exception to the dis
semnation throughout the land of pictures showing
seated on horseback arrayed in the undress uniform
of a French General, and wearing the star of the
national order of the Legion of Honor 1t
foolish picture at best; for Prince Victor quilted
the French army corporal, and had he been
content to have himself portrayed in the uniform
of that rank he would not only have evoked men,
cries of his grand-uncle, the first Emperor, who is
remembered with pride and affection in the French
army by his popular nickname of lie Petit Cor
poral but would also have avoided the reproach
of appearing in borrowed plumes.
The Shah's Watchfu1ness
TT is hardly necessary to add that the pictures of
the i'll fated King Alexandra and Queen Draga
are prohibited in Servia, not merely because they
members of rival dynasty, but likewise be
their portraits recall the particularly horrible
crime by means of which they removed In
Turkey the portraits of the Sultan are barred, and
the foreign illustrated newspapers passing through
the Turkish post Office likely if they escape
conhscation, to reach their destination with all
those pages BACKED that contain any pictorial
representation of the Padishah.
Portraiture, may add, is art that is strongly
discountenanced by the Koran. In fact it is abso-
lutely forbidden by canon law, and the Sultan as
supreme head of the church, and as the principal
representative of the Founder of the Faith cannot
afford to disregard one of its best known tenets
Moreover he has wish do so; for he is haunted