Marble Hill press., 1920-07-22


- verify tales of "Ih" thousand
1arG pn. Persian Days which
r-ln|y .sg1n uI'h something
d.. "u.rs upon 'lm" there Uss ra-
Sab vau sa' upon golden throne, and
slept upui pearl erUsi aud built d
go.d.n.roo'sI pavilion fur a beautiful
queen sou may Journey comfortably
90 India. Then 90 20 Delhi Hnd Agra.
and see 'hr empty pglaccs ~ the No
gul s.nss which are very little
changed save rHut they now rever
kerat" r."grrfI'Iy 20 the fOotfall -
western -rUG feet. and their marble
walls have been mellowed to the that
~ old ivory by 20 year, - Indian
sun. So writes Eleanor Maddox In
Asia.
YUu may walk among the colon
nsoes ~ the great Hall ~ Audience
ininid with flowers of lapls lazuil.
jad. topaz and carnelian tha, seem 10
grow upon the walls, and burst Into
bloom 90 the very spot where rested
Sinh Jahan's Peacock Throne" q
glorfed four poster bedstead Of solid
gold with d pearl.frInged canopy upon
which the emperor sat daily TO dis
pense Justice. his turban ablaze with
diamonds and his Powered tunic al.
most hidden by ropes Of pearls. Be
hind him sapphires. rubies and emer-
aids plOwed from the outspread tails
OF two peacocks and over his head
hung parrot wrought from n single
emerald holding In Its beak the Kohl
nor diamond.
You may enter the great silent ha-
rem without hlndrBnce and pause be
fore the lace-like marble screen which
oyeriooks the cool scented garden.
heavy with the perfume Of orange and
mango blossoms. A staircase leads
from the garden to Queen Arjamund's
golden-roofed pavilion and rose water
baih--all solid mass OF exquisite In
lay--and In the thickness Of the mar.
BILE walls are cunningly contriyed
apertures just large enough TO admit n
woman's hand. where the queen kept
her Jewels at night.
II Is long time since Shah Jahan's
empress was laid under the swelling
dome Of the Tai Mahal across the Rly.
er Jumna, yet her personality fingers
In her boudoir OF fretwOrk arches.
where she bedecked herself with Jew.
els more dazzling and splendid than
any woman has ever worn before or
since.
Pearl Carpet Really Exists.
But that such thing as a pearl car
pet could exist outside fiction would
be tar on credulIty. did II not actually
hang on the wall Of the Nuzerbngh
palace at Baroda. This relic of past
era OF bizarre extravagance Is de-
scribed as Sx6 feet. Three large dla-
mond flower patterns form the center;
81 smaller diamond patterns, and 1.269
form the border; the remaining por
ton OF the carpet Is composed Of seed
pearls. although in places along the
outer ledge they have been removed
and replaced by glass beads. A more
absurd and useless object. apart from
its monetary value, would be hard to
nnd even In India. But. II we bark
back to the time before the rich gem
mines. the extensive pearl fisheries on
the west coast and on the island OF
Ceyion had been exhausted, when they
were yielding their treasure by the
bucketful, II takes little effort Of the
Imagination to picture IN eastern po-
tentate, laden with jewels until he
could scarcely sustain their weight, re-
elining on the Peacock throne before
the pearl carpet.
Such treasure. being In itself indie
structIble, has descended through the
dynasties OF the Hindu kings, and
later OF the Mogul emperors. when
laden caravans from Persia were con-
stantiy adding TO their wealth. SO
that the jewels owned today by the ra.
Jas and ruling princes Of India. esti-
mated not by numbers, but by meas