The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-07
THE HONOR OF PERSIA.

Since Persia decided not to submit
to the unreasonable demands of Rus
sia by repudiating ". Morgan Shuster.
the fearless American financial agent
OF the Persian new government. the
news from that country has been
rather meagre. TRUE. the Russian
troop We're called to prayer within
Il few minutes after the national as
: senlbIy had acted. and the impress
sion prevailed that they would march
Immediately pom Persia. Probably
Russia was not prepared to back up
the decision of Persia. This decision
had been taken by the nejliss. or
national! assembly. which is a epre-
sentative body. and therefore is as
nearly as may be the true Ole of the
rea! Persian people. OF ourse ev-
erything is Very crude and rudimen-
tary out there: but at any rate this
spark of resoluteness has not been
struck forth 10y a shah. or by the for
eisn legations, or by my outside au-
ihority or influence. but IN
straight from the combined sense Of
nationality on the part Of the Per-
slams themselves. In fact this decis-
- a VI VI
advice. Sir Edward Grey, speaking
for the government OF Great Britain,
telegrapiled his Urgent advice thai
Persia should take the medicine that
Russia wished to give her. and look
pleasant While she was swallowing it.
In the old days the advice of England
was accepted in Persia Well nigh as
binding and as a mere matter of
course: but that was another Eng
land. n not the N linked up to
Russia by the late Edward VII. and
now speaking through the mouth Of
Sir Edward Grey.
The argument against obedience to
the Russian command was simple.
Submission. it was said, would be ma
tional suicide. Refusal to submit
might also be national suicide, it was
said. but that would be Gods WILL"
AT any rate, Persia would show her
self fit to live as one Of the COM
munity Of nations by insisting upon
her right to rule in her own house.
If she were overthrow and trampled
I upon. it would not be by her own
consent-it would be her misfortune.
her misery. Then, too, somebody on
the outside might hear her and say
a word for her relief-might ask
what there was in this matter of
sending Russian troops into Persia
to drive out a mar capable Of col
lecting public axe honestly and pay
ing the debts OF Persia when they
We're due: might ask what grievance
it was to Russia that Persia should
be able to bring her financial house
into order and pay her own way;
Nigh. ask what Russia intended to
gain by keeping Persia bankrupt. in
solvent. u beggar for foreign loans
under conditions that placed the con-
troll of her financial in the
hands Of those who lent the money
We are not sure hat anybody on
the outside will hear: hut at any rate
the Persians have acted like men ir
giving other nations the chance tt
hear. IT must not be forgotten tina,
the Persians are white men. like our.
selves, Of Aryan blood. Max Nuclei
wrote:
There was a time when the
ancestors Of the Celts. the Ger
mans, the Sclavonians, the
Greeks and Italians, the Persians
and Hindus, were living together
o beneath the same roof, separate
Il from the ancestors Of the Sem
itfc and Turanian races.
k And he added in regard to thes,
Aryan nations that ut seems to b,
: their mission to link all parts Of tn,
world together by the chains Of civ
4 ilization. commerce. and religion.
The sun Of the desert has browne,
the faces Of the Persians; they wea
coats with queer quilted skirts; the,
II worship God through Mohamme'
II and not through Christ; but they ar
Of one blood with us; and although
Is m~isgoverned for centuries. backwar
IN their customs as far as to biblica
Sc times. and inarticulate and uninflu
n. entail in the family of nations. tn
lie living and undying germ of manhoo
g is still in them; and this senselee
if and t%yrannical march Of the Rus
Is slams upon Teheran has quickene
r that germ into speech. into actor
into defiance, into a well-considere
ie determination to be crushed by brut
force-and the force OF brutes, too
n before they will yield: and not t
t. yield, then. only in the sense that the
50 1t is n good thing for the worl
,e that it is now up to Russia to marc
ID her 1000 men in Tcheran IL sh
w wants to get Mr.. Shuster out. A
lie army after one a and he a
~ American, simply doing his duty VI