The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-03-19
How Daniel Noorian of Kurdistan
Has Made Success in
America.
LEARNED TRADE OF FAMILY
Position Of interpreter Gave Him
Chance to Come to New World
Where He Benefits by Fad
for Things Oriental.
BY OSBORN MARSHALL.

In Kurdistan every boy learns his
fathers trade. The cry for vocation
al fitness" has not been heard in that
part Of the world II your father is
farmer, so are you; If he earns his
bread making shoes. you do the same;
if he begs, you beg for living and
no one would expect the son of a
thief in Kurdistan to live by honest
labor
The Noorians in the hill country
Of Kurdistan have always been jewel
ers. They adopted that profession
nobody knows how many years ago
and have handed down the traditions
and methods Of their trade from IA
Their to son ever since. Daniel Noorian
was youngster some forty years ago
and he and his brothers were early
given the opportunity to work in their
fathers shop. AS mere children they
learned to distinguish the different
precious stones and to know their
value. When their arms were strong
enough they were taught to hammer
and mold the precious metals and to
cut and engraVe the precious stones.
All the boys were sent to school,
but Daniel felt thirst for greater
learning. He wanted to learn the
great languages of the world so that
he could read the books that had not
been translated into his native Arabic.
So when he was scarcely more than
boy he journeyed westward from his
home in the hills to Constantinople
Here he was admitted to Roberts col
lege His first aim was to learn to
speak English, his ultimate dream
was to come to America-that far
away land Of progress. freedom and
boundless wealth In that country, so
he had heard, jewelry was made by
skillful machinery-not by the pains
taking, slow methods of his fathers.
He would go to America and learn
these new, quick ways of doing things
and grow rich.
On an Expedition to Bagdad.
3 One. day after Nocrfans had been ii.
college CT a few months ana crs;s;s |;
speak only a little English one of .his
professors sent for him and said:
"Noorian. how would you like to go
to Bagdad?"
Noorian gave start
Why" he exclaimed, 81 have been
dreaming SO long of going to America,
the land of achievement and independ-
ence, and now you ask me to go East,
the land of superstition and stagna-
ton. What is there in the East to
do or to see?"
We'll" exclaimed the professor. II
have friend who has come to Con.
stantinople from America and is 60
ing on to Bagdad From there he is
going to go south in the valley of the
Tigris and the Euphrates, to the
cities Of Abraham and the prophets.
He wants an interpreter. 1t occurred
to me that as you spoke Arabic and
have good share of common sense
you would be just the one. To be sure
1t will mean you must leave college,
but these men who want to engage
you are great scholars and you can
learn as much from them as you
could here. If you care to accept the
proposition you will have to go at
once. What do you think of it,"
Noorian thought for moment.
Il will 60" he said at last. Since
1t Is with Americans perhaps this trip
to the East may be a means of going
to the West eventually"
So Daniel Noorian turned away
from college and home to join the ex,
petition to Bagdad-a city almost as
remote from his thoughts. although
in actual miles not far from his native
kurdistan-as it is from ours. He had
seen the rich rugs and carpets from
Bagdad, but that was about all.
The American who had sent ahead
for the interpreter was William Hayes
Ward. who was in charge of the Wolfe
Babylonian expedition in 1884. He
was minister and an oriSntalist, and
his interest in the ancient ruins of
Babylon was that Of a profound
scholar.
To America and Back Again.
Noorian's work as an Interpreter
was not easy at first because he had
but slight knowledge Of English.
The worst of 1t was that he could get
no Arabic.English dictionary. He
managed to get an English-Armenian
dictionary. So at first in order to in.
terpret the words of the Arabic ma.
tives of the plains Of Babylon, unless
he knew the English equivalent, he
had to consult three dictionaries.
1t was as Noorian had hoped When
in the spring of 1885 the Wolfe expe-
dition terminated its work in Babylon
Noorian followed Mr.. Ward to the
land of his dreams. A few years later.
when the University of Pennsylvania
sent out the expedition to excavate
most promising city in
the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates
-Noorian, as the most experienced
interpreter to be had, was one of the
oarty
During the exDeditiou the plains Of