Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-10-24

bazaars, not to buy things, but to see
oriental life; and in the bazaars are
to be seen many interesting phases
of it. When you really wish to buy
anything you will find the peddler,
that supreme nuisance of America,
your best friend. He will bring to
your door anything that you wish to
see and give you all the time that
you desire in which to examine it.
You must needs be a haggler to deal
with any merchant in Persia, but usu-
ally you can make a better bargain
in the quiet Of your own home than
you could make in the bazaar.
In one respect the theory of the Per.
sian merchant and peddler in regard
to buying and selling is the opposite
OF ours. Instead of giving you a re.
duction II you buy a large quantity Of
some one thing, he will almost in.
variably charge you more in proper
ton than If you buy small guam.
tity. The reason is. probably, the
lack of small change in Persia and
the fact that it can always be disposed
or at profit. l am told that the
same thing is true in Constantinople,
where, for example, bridge ticket
emitting you to cross bridge ten
times costs more than if you paid
single fare ten times. This scarcity
OF small change and the consequent
value placed on it makes the money
changer an important person in the
east today, as he was in the time
when Christ found it necessary to
drive him from the temple
Foreign Goods In Evidence.
When he carries out his own ideas
exclusively the Persian is always ar
tistic. The bazaars in which oriental
goods are displayed in oriental fashion
are always pleasing. But there is a
growing demand for European arti-
cles; everywhere in the bazaars one
Is confronted by cheap broadcloth,
cheap cotton goods, shoddy cutlery
and glassware and tawdry foreign
articles of all kinds. These things,
displayed with the native goods, cheap
en- the latter without themselves
gaining dignity by the contact.
Save for one month in the year, the
bazaars, even in the capital of $50 900
people, are never open at night. Dur
ing the month when the Persians fast
every day from sunrise to sunset it is
customary to do some marketing,
some business and much visiting at
night. Then the food bazaars, tea
shops and SO forth are open; pedes-
trians with huge lanterns of oiled
paper and carriages give an appear
ance of life and gayety to the streets
which is quite unknown at other
times. To one who has known the
quiet Of an oriental city the noise Of an
American city Is almost uncomfortable.
Many occupations which in west
ern lands are carried on in shops are
in Persia carried on in the open air
This is due partly to the poverty Of
the people, partly to the warmnsss
of the climate. partly to the fact that
the Persian Is pre-eminently social
being, and-with the exception OF his
domestic life, which is lived in great
seclusion behind high walls-he likes
to be with his fellowmen.
The only things that are free in Per
sia are air and sunshine. Water, not
only in the cities, but everywhere, is
one Of the most expensive commodi-
ties and one of the most difficult to
obtain. The entire water supply of
Teheran comes from the snow on
the mountains north of the city. 1t
Is brought for distance Of many
! miles In underground water courses.