Evening star., 1935-01-20
BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.

After March 81 those two charm
ing people, Ghaffar Khan Djalal and
Nine. Djalal, will no longer be
known as the Persian Minister and
e his wife, but as his eXcellency the
Iranian Minister and Nine. Djalal.
IT seems the doctrine of self-determi-
. nation had nothing to do with the
changing of the designation. for as
q matter of history, the country has
always been known officially as Iran,
the southern province being called
Persia. Besides, except those who
have been fortunate enough to have
sojourned in that ancient country,
enjoyed the beauties of the landscape,
the arts and literature, but little is
known by the average person of its
history.
In speaking of Persia one thinks of
Omar Khayyam, wonderful illumi-
mated manuscripts, exquisite braSSeS
with cobweb-like traceries, Persian
rugs and the extraordinary anatomy
of the horses and other animals as
depicted in ancient Persian paintings
and sculpture. In the old Persian
stories Turan was the land of darkness
as opposed to Iran, the land of
light.
Mr.. Harold Lamb, Americas leading
authority on the medieval East. has
written charmingly of the country,
its history and literature and has
made many of its legends living,
breathing realities. His omar
Khayyam," while evidently 8. work Of
pure imagination, based upon reality,
is most absorbing and one wishes it
were just twice as long.
It's more a collection of episodes
told as a story. There are only few
meager facts known about Omar, royal
astronomer to the Sultan, whose quat-
rains are read and often quoted seven
centuries after his death. Mr.. Lamb
Travelled in Omar'S country, studied
whatever ancient manuscripts he
could find which would throw light on
the life of the poet. He believed the
Rubaiyat is the story of Onar's life
and constructs his fascinating book
accordingly.
"Ghengis Khan" and 1.-The Crusad-
ers" and Kirby" are among Mr.
Lambs most popular and romantic
stories. But after all ones heart
turns to Edward FitZgerald's para
phrase of the Rubaiyat, as the most
satisfying-perhapS because Edward
himself had that wandering spirit
which Omar depicts so intriguingly in
his quatrains. What delightful COM
panions they would have been, and
how much Omar would have enjoyed
going for little jaunt on the Thames
with Fitzgerald in his rickety old boat
in which he would store away few
days rationS consisting largely of pork
or mutton pasties, a few bottles of
wine and quart or so of harder
liquor.
FitzgeraldS Rubaiyat was put out
by Bernard Quaritch, the noted book
seller, publisher and antiquarian, who
issued it as a paper-bound booklet
1t was not very popular and was soon
put in the penny box for sale. Poor
Fitzgerald'S last days were not happy
ones and he spent more and more
time on his river trips. The poet
Thomas Hood had left him as legacy
his daughter, whom Edward married
but he could not conform to the
more conventional life of a house
holder, SO consoled himself with his
pasties, his bottles and what books he
could pack away in the leaky old boat.
The Town Hall meetings held on
Sunday nights at the Shoreham Ho-
tel are waxing more and more inter-
esting. Free speech is rampant-and
so was Representative Hamilton Fish
last Sunday night when he called Mr..
Lewis Corey. author and economist,
down for some of his utterances.
Every one was all a-twitter and things
seemed upside down-Mr. Corey in
dinner jacket and Mr.. Fish actually
in business clothes, although it was
well along after 6 o'clock. At first
the uninitiated-just the average man
in the audience-mistook Mr.. Fish
for the speaker of the evening. The
Representative from President Roose-
velt's district in New York State,
however, soon put every one in his
place and reprimanded the manage
ment of the Town Hall meetings for
permitting any one to speak disre-
spectfully of the Government of the
United States, claiming that it had
been repeatedly done there.
The speaker tonight will be Lieut..
Col Stewart Roddie, C. v. O., of Lon
don, who is said to be a dramatic
speaker. The colonel will tell all
about Germany and Hitlerism. He
served for seven years on the Inter-
allied Disarmament Commission in
Germany, and should be familiar with
his subject. He is the author Of
peace Patrol"
Last Sunday evening Mr.. Wayne
Williams, assistant to the Attorney
General, sat on the edge of his chair
with a copy of Mr.. Corey's latest
book, "The Decline of Capitalism"
in his hand, waiting for the moment
to attack. Every one seemed quite
perturbed except Mr.. Corey himself.
He appeared like small boy enjoy
ing the excitement which he had
created. After all, these meetings
are quite the thing and, seriously, are
very interesting. Those who are not
members can buy single admission
tickets at the door and may rest as
sured that the entertainment is worth
the price of admission.