The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-12-02

n ciety. Washington. D. CO.
ERSIA, whose throne has IL
- been assumed by Riga XII
after the deposition of Il
9 shah, is one of the olde
t empires In existence. 1t has h,
;, royal ruler for % centuries-ev
t since Cyrus the Great, about $50 B.
, conquered Media and united that cou
, try to his under the name of Persi
1t has had many glorious episodes
Its long history; has produced tn
great teacher Zoroaster, such worlt
famous poets as Firdawsi, Oma
Khayyam, Saadi and Hafiz, and sue
great soldiers and rulers as Darius
Shapur / and Shah Abbas.
Again and again the empire ha
been a prey to anarchy; again an
again conquering hosts have swep
through the country. The most de
structive conqueror was Genghis Khal
with his hordes of savage Mongols-
a leader who boosted that he ha(
slain 100000 of his fellow crea
lures!
AT the present day, though shorn OF
Its former dimensions, Persia is more
than three times the size of France,
yet 1t has only nine and a half mil
lions of inhabitants-ffteen to a
square mile. AS the population of the
whole country is not equal to that Of
London, New York and Paris com
bined, none will be astonished to learn
that it Is possible to travel for DAYS
at time without coming across a vii
lage or even human being.
The center of the country is a great
plateau. rising from 1000 to 5000 feet,
and crossed by frequent chains of
mountains, while lofty mountain
barrier bounds 1t on the north and
south.
The climate on this plateau Is
nne one-dry and bracing, cold in win
ter and often intensely hot In summer.
The Lut. or desert, once an inland
sea, occupies the center of Persia. cut
ting Off the north from the south and
the east from the west, and thus rem
dering communication difficult In
Iact, 1t helps to make TRANSPORT so
costly that the different districts and
principal towns are practically iso-
lated and cannot depend upon other
parts Of the country, even In sucb a
ease as that of famine.
There are great differences Of cli.
nate In the Kingdom, the low-lyinp
everish district around the Cosnian
With Its dense forests and so inches 81
alnfall, being In complete contrast IN
ne arid uplands. where as rule not
tree or blade Of grass is to be seen
ave on the irrigated ground round q
illagc.
again. on the shores of the Persian !,
ulf. the humid heat during summer
well-nigh intolerable to Europeans :
no the groves of date-palms that :
onstltute the wealth as well as stanIo =
200 OF the Inhabitants are only nos.
Die where there is irrigation. so rain. ,
IS Is this torrid region. =
Poor Transport and Hotels. n
In the whole Persian emnira tho. W
e only $50 miles of railway. There a
only one navigable river, the Karin 81
at hows INTO the head of the par. fe
IN guir' and on this sea the so-csllad W
IT'S are merely open roadsteads ~
iich cargo cannot be landed T., OF
'rmy weather. al
Inc merchandise Of Persia is proc- WI
ally all carried on the hacks fu
nels, mules and donkeys. a slow ons m'
mode Of transport, and tbe
veier usually rides through tho tn
lhtry Following the tracks made hu I'M
passage OF caravans during tho rig
turies. oie br,
Will be readily understo ing
els must be bad If not nonexIston,.
indeed the ordinary carayansora, hn'
'rming with vermin, with only onan ma
IN Its walls in place of doors ana pai
dows. with no furniture OF INV u
ption' and hardly any food wouId tax
al any one unaccNstomed to east slal
travel cast the
ne Persian is Of Aryan stock end I'm,
the same words as ourselves r,r "'e
er' mother, brother and daupbter ,,n1
ar, madar, bradar, and dukbtor, "s'
the construction Of his language - tnu
that OF English. He is q 49,, une
well-bullt man with regular ,sa s,ru
and tine black eyes. his compIeY- s Ia.
being no darker than that ~ ~ spI'
an. In manner. he is most co., n 700
); he IL quick. alert, fond q, con an''
anu nas been ated