The Idaho recorder., 1921-11-11

| said 10 he among the most fertile In
the world. producing In abundance not
only the finest OF wheat and barley,
but grapes, apricots, peaches, nectar
Ines. ponegranates, fgs and melons
which are unsurpassed among the
fruits Of the temperate zone. Cotton
and tobacco thrive. and roses. as well
as other flowers. glorlously deserve
| the frequent association Of their
names with that Of Persia.
Now Has Chance to Develop.
The day Is at hand as one Of the
by-products OF the war. when Persia
has the opportunity to begin to learn
from British experts, not only how
to reclaim more desert land by build
Ing better aqueducts and by throwing
barrages across mountain gorges TO
store the surplus Of the spring fresh
cts. but how TO establish closer com
munication with the outside world
and TO develop her great potential re-
sources
Lacking In the energy. initiative
and cooperative spirit necessary 20
| develop their country themselves. the
Persians have suffered from the jeal.
Gus rivalry OF their neighbors. and
from a seclusion forced by nature, but
belied by their central geographical
location, In all the recent history.mak.
Ing disturbances In the Near and Mid.
die East.
In spite OF her position as YER
liable Asiatlc Belgium. Persia Ia
strangely cut or from world inter
course by those same natural bar.
riers which so affect her climate.
At the opening OF this century not
single highway suitable for wheeled
conyeyances pierced the mountains 10
the plateau. A few foreign officials
and Lnfrequent venturesome travellers
made their tollsome way by caravan
over tortuous passes TO the Persian
capital or to other Persian cities, and
the Perslans themselves for the most
part stayed az home, But about 1900
government. subsidized Russian com
pany opened post road as mill
tnry-commerclal venture. which
climbed from the Persian port of
EMAIL, on the Caspian sea, TO the
capital city. Teheran.
Five years ago three or four post.
carriage routes and narrow-gau
railway running Ave and half miles
from Teheran TO suburban shrine
we're the only competitors Of the pic,
turesqae but slow-moying caravan.
Tehsran's Fine Location.
No one knows how long there has
been a city where the present capl.
tnl of Persia stands. II has not al
ways been called Teheran. nor has Il
always been In the same spot but
city has existed In the locality as far
back as Persian history reaches.
Such suitable site could hardly be
overlooked. II is at an altitude OF
nearly 1000 feet. at the foot OF tower.
ing mountains, az the junction of three
great Asiatlc caravan routes. near
mountain passes, and beside an ample
supply or water, Favored In these
why's, II has accumulated population
or more than 100000 since the begin.
ming Of the Nineteenth century
The latitude Is that oe Cape Hat
FiaSs Inc tnIte summer months are
exceedingly hot and dry. but II one
wishes the luxury OF summer resort
II is AT his door.
Although occupying nm ancient site.
Teheran Is modern city IL has
been the capital OF Persia only III.
tle more than century. and has been
an important metropolis for much
shorter time than that.
In Journeying To Teheran from the
Caspian sea, 50 sudden is the tran
sltion from desert to city that before
one realizes that the Journey Is at
an end he tnds himself Gathering
across the stone causeway over the
moat toward the most surprising of
gateways. great multicolored facade
overlaid wt'h n CAV mosaic OF gllsten.
Ing tiles and topped with numerous
miaarets ornamented In the same
fashion.
Teheran is one of those numerous
cities hetvesn the Near and the Far
East which calls for modification of
kipi'ng's oft-quoted line: for here
East and West have met, but have
not mixed.