Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-09-17

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 peddier.
that supreme nuisance OF America,
your best friend. He viii bring to
your door anything that you wish to
see and give you all the time that
you desire In which to examine II.
You must needs be haggler to deal
with any merchant in Persia, but usu-
ally you can make 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 la regard
to buying ana selling 10 the opposite
of ours. Instead OF giving you a re-
duction II you buy large quantity OF
some one thing. he win almost In
variably charge you more in proper
ton than II you buy small guam
tity. The reason is. probably. the
lack of small change ia Persia and
the fact that 1t can always be disposed
OF at q profit. I am told that the
same thing Is true in Constantinople.
where. for example. bridge ticket
emitting you to cross a bridge ten
times costs more than IL you paid q
single fire ten times. This scarcity
OF small change and the consequent
value placed on Il makes the money
changer an important person in the
east today, as ne was in the time
when Christ found II necessary to
drive him from the temple.
Foreign Goods in Evidence.
When he carries out his own ideas
exclusively the Persian is always ar
tlstic. The bazaars in which oriental
goods are displayed ia oriental fashion
are always pleasing. But there is q
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. 600
people, are never open at night Dur
ing the month when the Persians fast
every day. from sunrise TO sunset II 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-
TRANS 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. 70 one who has known the
quiet of ali oriental city the noise OF an
American city is almost uncomfortable.
Man: occupations which IA 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 warmness
of the climate. partly to the fact that
the Persian is prominently 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-
STA are air and sunshine. Water. not
only In the cities, but everywhere. is
one % the most expensive commodi-
ties aud 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.