{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_21512/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_21512","id":"gutenberg_21512","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21512","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Other","Category: History - Religious","Iran -- History","Iran -- Religion","Islam","Missions -- Iran"],"text":"Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMODERN PERSIA\n\n\n\nBY\n\nRABBI MOOSHIE G. DANIEL,\n\nMcCORMICK SEMINARY\n_Late Professor of Ancient Syriac in Oroomiah College, Persia._\n\n\n\nWHEATON COLLEGE PRESS\nWHEATON, ILL.\n1897.\n\n\nCopyrighted 1897,\nby Mooshie G. Daniel\n\n\n\nTO THE CLASS OF 1897\nOF MCCORMICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,\nTHIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED\nBY THE AUTHOR.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThe author, in spending four years in America, has come in contact with\ndifferent classes of people who have raised serious questions\nconcerning modern Persia.\n\nThose who are interested in politics and government, have asked: Is\nmodern Persia a province of Turkey? Is it as large as the state of\nMichigan? Is the king still absolute as in ancient times? Have the laws\nof the Medes and Persians undergone no change? Are there any remains of\nPersia's ancient beauty and grandeur?\n\nThese, and questions like these, have been from time to time presented\nto the author. On the other hand it is to be observed that many\njournalists traveling through Persia have greatly misrepresented that\ncountry. Their limited stay made it impossible for them to acquire any\naccurate knowledge of the country.\n\nIt is no easy task to familiarize oneself with the ideas and customs of\nthat ancient and historic country. To thousands in Persia the\nliterature and history of their own land is a sealed book.\n\nQuestions the most serious and earnest have been raised by godly\nministers and devoted people who have for years been generous givers to\nthe cause of Foreign Missions. I have been asked questions like these:\nIs there a solid foundation established by missions in Persia? What has\nthe gospel done? What changes have taken place? What are some of the\nfruits of our mission work over there? What are some of the temporal\nimprovements? Very recently Rev. O. N. Hunt of Edwardsburg, Mich.,\nwrote the author asking what is the moral condition of Persia to-day in\ncomparison to what it was when the missionaries began their work?\n\nQuestions like these prompted the author to write this small book.\n\nIts object is to encourage the mission spirit; to quicken and kindle\nanew the fires of divine love in the hearts of all those to whom it\nwill come; to promote and advance the blessed gospel of our Lord and\nHis Christ; to hasten the day when millions that now sit in darkness\nand the shadow of death may set their faces toward the light.\n\n    Oh, Jehovah of the East!\n    Who was once born in the East,\n    Who preached and was crucified in the East,\n    When wilt thou again visit the East?\n\n        Remarks: The author wishes to say that in the survey of modern\n        Persia free use was made of the International Encyclopedia,\n        especially in the matter of dates.\n\n        Dr. Philip Scaff's Church History was also consulted in the\n        account given of Mohammed.\n\n        The leaves of the trees, are the gift of the poors.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\nPART I.\n\nCHAPTER.                                                         PAGE\n\n   I. General Survey of Persia--Climate and\n      Products--Inhabitants--Manufactories and\n      Trades--Government and Taxation--The Army                 17-22\n\n  II. The Ancient History of Persia.                            22-30\n\n  III. Architecture of Persia                                   30-35\n\n  IV. The Language and Poetry of Persia                         35-41\n\n\nPART II.\n\n_Religions._\n\n   I. Parsee Religion--Bible and Doctrines--Their Rituals       42-49\n\n  II. Mohammedanism--Mohammed--His Birth and Character--The\n      Conquest of Islam                                         49-58\n\n III. The Mohammedan Religion                                   59-60\n\n  IV. The Creed of Islam                                        61-62\n\n   V. The Priesthood--Mujtahids--Arch-Mujtahids, Common\n      Mujtahids--Mollah--The Sayyids--Darwishes--Their\n      Service                                                   62-75\n\n  VI. The Laymen--Middle Class--Low Class                       75-81\n\n VII. The Mosques and their Services--Special Service           81-86\n\nVIII. Moslem's Private Prayer and Fasting                       86-90\n\n  IX. The Pilgrimages--Preparation--Alms Giving--Carrying\n      the Dead--The Motive in Pilgrimages for the Dead--The\n      Female Pilgrims--Their Returning                         91-101\n\n   X. The Shiite Moslem's Mu-har-ram--Singers                  101-11\n\n  XI. Heaven and Hell                                          112-15\n\n XII. Matrimony                                                115-20\n\n\nPART III.\n\n   I. The Royal Family--The King in his Palace--His\n      Table--Treasury--Wives                                   120-28\n\n  II. Governor--Prisons--Executions                            128-34\n\n III. Counts or Lords                                          134-36\n\n  IV. Cities--Holidays--Schools                                136-44\n\n\nPART IV.\n\n   I. Bobeism--Bobe--His Doctrine--His Personal Appearance     145-52\n\n  II. The Kurds--Occupation--Their Character--Houses--Religion 153-59\n\n\nPART V.\n\n   I. The Nestorians--Their Place--Language                    160-62\n\n  II. Their History                                            163-64\n\n III. Clergy                                                   164-65\n\n  IV. Churches and Ordinances                                  166-70\n\n   V. Assyrian or Nestorian College                            170-71\n\n  VI. Assyrian Missionary Spirit                               172-74\n\n VII. Their Persecutions                                       174-79\n\nVIII. Their Condition at the time American Missions\n      were started                                             179-80\n\n\nPART VI.\n\n   I. Introduction of Mission Work                             181-83\n\n  II. Method of Work                                           183-86\n\n III. Development of Mission Work                              187-90\n\n  IV. Religious Education--College--Ladies'\n      Seminary---Medical Schools--Country\n      Schools--Translation of Books                           190-201\n\n   V. The Gospel and Temporal\n      Improvement--Temperance--Conversion to\n      Mohammedanism--Morals Elevated                           201-10\n\n  VI. Mission Work among Moslems                               210-11\n\n\n[Illustration: M. G. DANIEL.]\n\n\n\n\nLIFE OF MOOSHIE G. DANIEL IN PERSIA.\n\n\nThe ancestors of M. G. Daniel, a true stock of the Nestorian sect and\nSyrian nationality came down from Kurdiston mountain in 1740 and\nsettled in Persia at Oroomiah district. The one family now increased to\nfifty, all live in villages near to each other. G. Daniel with his four\nbrothers settled in a small village four miles east of Oroomiah city.\nThe inhabitants of this village are composed of fifty Mohammedan\nfamilies and twenty-eight Nestorians. His parents had four sons and two\ndaughters, all died in their childhood. Daniel was their seventh child\nborn in 1861. His native village was visited by Rev. G. Coan, D.D. and\nDr. Perkins, missionaries from America who preached the gospel message\nto the Nestorians of that village, at the same time also started a\nschool for their children. At this time Daniel was thirteen years old.\nThe parents were very glad to send their children to this school which\nincreased to thirty students.\n\nDaniel was very anxious to attend this school. This desire was\nencouraged in every possible way by his earnest, self sacrificing\nChristian mother, Rachel, who came of high and noble lineage. But his\nfather vigorously objected for fear his son would change from his old\nNestorian faith. When Daniel saw other boys going to school he would\noften cry and pray that God would change his father's heart and lead\nhim to send his son to school. This earnest desire on the part of the\nyoung and earnest lad led to an earnest discussion and difference\nbetween his parents as to the future policy with their boy. Finally\nafter two month's earnest prayer on the part of the mother and her son\nthe Spirit of God reconciled the opposition of the father and made him\nwilling to send his son to school. Daniel continued his studies in this\nschool four years and read a chapter of the Bible to his parents every\nnight. The father thus became interested and in the second year sent\nDaniel's two sisters and brother to school. He soon became the first\nstudent in the school. Rev. G. Coan when visiting the school embraced\nDaniel and his sisters and kissed them with the holy kiss of joy as the\nfirst fruit of his labors.\n\nAfter four years this school closed on account of lack of students.\nThere arose a dark cloud of sorrow and disappointment to poor Daniel.\nWhat shall I do to continue my studies, was the despairing cry of the\nconsecrated boy. But his strong will soon found a way. He was now\nsixteen years old. There was a small village of three hundred families\ncalled Golpashan two miles distant from his home town. Golpashan\ncontained a high school and a Presbyterian church of three hundred\nmembers. Daniel decides to go to school at this place, but again meets\nopposition from his father, who wants him to stay at home and work for\nhim. But his mother met his father with the strong argument that she\nhad consecrated her child to God before he was born, because God gave\nhim to me after the death of my six children. But the mother lived in\ncontinual fear that her son would be devoured by wolves on his way to\nschool and then she said, \"I will go down to my grave in a miserable\ncondition.\" But the son, willing to sacrifice even life itself for\nstudy, said, \"I will go, mother, trusting in God and your prayers.\"\nEvents soon proved that the mother's fears were well founded. Once,\nvery early in the morning, while on his way to school he was attacked\nby a large, ferocious wolf. But he made good his escape up a tree near\nby. But he received such a shock from this attack that he was\nprostrated three months and his life was despaired of by all his\nfriends. But God graciously restored him to health for His holy\nministry. Daniel always believed in the out-stretched hand of God that\nsnatched him from the wolf. Hundreds of times he thanks God in his\nprayers for this deliverance.\n\nWhen Mr. Daniel was seventeen years old he reached the greatest crisis\nof his life. His parents decided to marry him to a girl a few steps\nonly from his residence, because the parents of the couple had decided\nwhen they were children to marry them to each other. This was in\naccordance with a foolish custom of the Nestorians. His father had\nfirmly decided to make the match, but his mother said, \"Only if he\nhimself wishes.\" But Daniel's aim was very high, he was running to\nobtain a higher prize. He said to his mother, \"I am married to my\nstudies.\" His mother replied, \"My son, I have dedicated you to God, I\ncannot compel you to marry.\" His father was full of indignation and\nanger against the disobedience of his son, and he said, \"I will never\nsend you to the Presbyterian college. I cannot spend one cent on you.\"\n\nDaniel was very fond of fishing, hunting, and raising grapes, and was\none of the best husbandmen in Persia. One morning when fishing, a young\nman whose name was Abraham, and afterward a classmate for seven years\nin college, handed to him an envelope in which was written by Dr.\nOldfather, a missionary, and President of the Presbyterian College at\nOroomiah, Persia, \"We have accepted you in our college.\" Daniel thought\nthis a calling from Jesus Christ just as He had called four of His\ndisciples from their fishing. He threw his net on the shore of the\nriver, and kneeling down, thanked God for this, His holy calling.\nRising up from his prayer he took his net, and started for home. On\narrival he told his parents that he wanted to go to college. Again his\nfather objected, saying that he could not spend any money for his\neducation.\n\nBut his mother sold all her jewels and sent him to college.\n\n\nCOLLEGE LIFE.\n\nIn 1875 Daniel went to Oroomiah college. For first two years Rev. Dr.\nOldfather was President of the college. In the second year he was\nconverted by hearing a sermon and a song by Dr. Oldfather whose singing\nquickens sleeping souls of sinners. His class at the beginning was\nthirty persons, but at graduation only twelve. He studied very hard,\nsitting up at night with his book until eleven o'clock. One of his\nclassmates, Rev. Abraham, was his bosom friend. They recited in a small\ncloset often until midnight and then had prayers before going to bed.\nDaniel graduated in 1882 under the Presidency of Dr. J. H. Shedd, one\nof the most eminent men ever sent as a missionary to Persia by the\nPresbyterian Church. All his classmen are leaders in the Presbyterian\nchurch as well as of the Nestorian nation. For two of them have lately\nbeen offered the title counts by the late Shah. Dr. S. J. Alamsha a\nnoble consecrated Doctor of Medicine, one of the fellow graduates of\nDaniel, shows the tenor of the spirit of Christian fortitude and\ndevotion in declaring his faith in the Trinity in the very face of the\nGovernor of State who had just threatened him with persecution by\ncutting off his hands if he insisted on repeating the confession. But\nDr. Alamsha replied that he was a Christian, and if ever questioned as\nto his faith would confess it not only at the cost of his hands but his\nhead also. He further stated that he would not impose his faith on any\none unless they requested, and that if the Governor did not want his\nconfession he had better not ask for it.\n\n[Illustration: WIFE AND DAUGHTER OF THE AUTHOR.]\n\nTwo weeks after Daniel's graduation he was elected instructor in the\nhigh school for three years. Each year he had a week of revival\nmeetings which was very fruitful in the conversion of many students.\nNearly one hundred students were graduates under him in high school. In\n1885 Daniel was married to Miss Sarah George, a young lady graduate of\nthe Ladies' Seminary, whose mother was instructor in this seminary for\nseven years. In 1886 was offered to him the chair of Ancient Syriac in\nOroomiah College which he occupied for seven years. His many friends\nrejoiced with him in his call to this higher and wider field of labor.\nWhen he moved to college Mrs. Daniel was very ambitious for his success\nin College. She said, \"I like to tell you I want you to teach your\nstudies better than any professor in the college; I want you to devote\nall your time to your work; I want you to be a shining example to all\nstudents; I want you to love all students as your brothers; I want you\nto respect yourself. Be kind to all students, let our home be as their\nhomes. I want you to preach the best sermons, then you will be the\ncrown of my head and I will love you as the pupil of my eyes.\" This was\na very hard charge and very precious work, but it proved for Daniel\nvery precious jewels. Mrs. Daniel is one of the most intelligent ladies\nof Persia. For the first three years he went to bed always at eleven\no'clock and taught each week twenty-six studies. Three times a week he\nconducted gospel meetings and each alternate Sabbath conducted\nSabbath-school. He was a leader of the college church, secretary of\nBoard of Education, Superintendent and Quester of County schools. The\ntestimony of Faculty and Board of Education was that he taught ancient\nSyriac better than any of his predecessors. Daniel was the youngest\nmember of the Faculty. He had students ten years older than himself but\nthey all loved him as their brother. Sometimes he would spend as much\nas two hours a night talking and praying with individual students. Four\nmonths of winter for several years he was visitor of the county\nschools. Besides this he worked in revival meetings during one week in\nhis own church. While working with the pastor he preached twice each\nday and forty-two persons were converted. When he was leaving town all\nelders, deacons and other prominent men escorted him a long distance\nwith much gratitude. His piety and integrity were taken as an example\nby Christian and un-christian.\n\n\n\n\nLIFE OF MOOSHI G. DANIEL IN AMERICA.\n\nCHURCH, SCHOOL AND CLASS.\n\n\nOn the first of October 1895 I entered McCormick Seminary. Immediately\nfeeling the need of identifying myself with the church I accordingly\nbecame a member of the Church of the Covenant, Dr. W. S. Plummer Bryan,\npastor. It is impossible to set down in words the comfort,\nencouragement and assistance that has come to me through this relation.\nDr. Bryan has been to me a steadfast and faithful friend. His sermons\nhave been to me a continual source of instruction in things spiritual\nand divine. Many of them have left a lasting impression upon my mind.\nOne I remember with great distinctness. It was upon the last seven\nwords of Christ, so real and vivid did the scene appear that the whole\nof that mournful tragedy was enacted before my eyes. Concerning the\nChurch of the Covenant I can say with David, \"If I forget thee, Oh\nJerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember\nthee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not\nJerusalem above my chief joy.\" Even though I were on the other side of\nthe globe, I will not forget the kindness of the church and its pastor.\n\nNaturally my life at the seminary at first was lonesome; but as soon as\nI became acquainted with professors and students the seminary became a\nhome to me much prized and enjoyed. From my studies I derived much\npleasure. Systematic Theology was to me a continual banquet of\ndelicacies. In Pastoral Theology and Homiletics I was inspired with the\nhigh and sacred duties of the Christian ministry.\n\nBy the study of Greek Exegesis I was taught the invaluable benefit that\ncomes from close attention to the original texts and manuscripts which\nare the source of interpretation in the study of New Testament Greek.\nIn Old and New Testament literature belief in inspiration was\nreinforced and fortified. The whole scheme of the Christian religion\nwas to me rendered plain and reasonable.\n\n\nMY CLASS.\n\nThe class of 1897 is unique and original among all the classes\ngraduated from McCormick Seminary. It was said by one in position to\nknow, that it was perhaps the strongest class ever sent out from the\nSeminary. This was evidenced by the character of the orations delivered\nat the Graduating Exercises. Among this class are many who will be\nadorned by degrees and honorary titles. All, I hope, will meet with\nmuch success in winning souls to Christ.\n\nIn personal appearance there are among them princes and lords; but one\nthing made me sorry every time I looked upon their faces, namely that\nso many shaved their mustaches. My advice to all of them is to raise\nmustaches, and not appear like girls, but as princes. Some of them had\nsuch long and difficult names that I could not pronounce them, but a\nfew had very easy names, for instance Mr. McGaughey, which means in\nPersian Language, \"don't say so,\" a phrase used by young girls. Mr.\nEarhart which means in ancient Syriac, \"I will run.\" Mr. Ross in Arabic\nmeans \"head.\" My class was very loving and kind to us two Persians.\nEvery time we made good recitations in classes, they were gladder than\nwe were, and when we failed they became even more sorry than we. I\nremember once failing in my recitation, and after class Mr. Earhart\ncame into my room to comfort me. The memories of my class are to me\nlike sweet spices, and will be cherished by me everywhere I go.\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nThis book is by a native who knows at first-hand of what he writes. He\nwrites of those features and facts of Persia as a country and a people\nin which an intelligent American is most sure to be interested. Very\nancient and renowned among the Asiatics, Persia, persisting in her\nnationality and gradually improving her condition excites inquiry\nabroad. In this volume we have a view of her geographical divisions,\nher form of government, system of taxation, methods of merchandise,\neducational conditions and the state of religion.\n\nThe author also particularizes and portrays the character, creed and\ncourse of Mohammed: how Moslemism was propagated by violence and\nperpetuated by deceit, and of such false doctrines, as hatred toward\nenemies, and rewards in heaven and hell. The reader is informed of\nBobeism, a new sect which has arisen in opposition to government and\northodox Mohammedanism. The book was written for the reading public and\nby its style, movement, and contents is calculated not only to enlarge\nones general knowledge of the land of the Shah but to quicken interest\nin the enterprise of Christian Missions which are the chief hope of the\ncountry.\n\nREV. JOHN L. WITHROW, D.D., LL.D.\n\n_Ex-Moderator of General Assembly,\nChicago, Ill. July 19, '97._\n\n\n\n\nPART I.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nGENERAL SURVEY OF PERSIA.\n\n\nOnce, in ages long past, Persia was the home of heroes and was studded\nwith palaces of splendor. Bards and poets of all nations have vied with\neach other in singing of the bravery of her sons and the beauty of her\ndaughters. The names of Cyrus the Great, Darius, and others are\nengraved in ever-living letters on the pages of history.\n\nTo-day, though her glory has flown away and her splendor has faded, her\nnatural beauty remains untarnished. The words of the poet Sahdy are\nstill true: \"It is a paradise making men drunken with the odors of its\nroses; it is a garden whose streams wreath the faces of men in smiles.\"\n\nIn 1826, in the war between Persia and Russia, the territory of the\nformer was greatly reduced. It now contains 628,000 square miles or\nthree times the number in France or Germany. It is divided into\nthirteen states as follows: Ghilon, Mazandaron, Ostorobad, in the\nnorth; Azerbijon, Persian Kurdistan, Luriston and Khuziston on the\nwest; Fariston, Loriston, Kerman with Mogiston in the south; Irakeston\nthe capital state where the king resides being in the center. On the\neast lies the large state of Khorason, which is mainly desert.\n\nPersia is dotted with many great and small mountains, interspersed with\nfertile valleys, flowing fountains and silvery streams. Dense jungles\nabound in the states of Mazandaron and Ghilon.\n\n\nCLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.\n\nThe great extent of the country gives rise to an extremely varied\nclimate. Cyrus said of it: \"The people perish with the cold at one\nextremity, while they are suffocated with the heat at the other.\"\nPersia may be considered to possess three climates: that of southern\nDashtiston; of the elevated plateau; and of the Caspian provinces.\n\nIn Dashtiston the autumnal heats are excessive, those of summer are\nmore tolerable, while in winter and spring the climate is delightful.\nIn the plateau the climate of Fariston is temperate. About Isphahon in\nthe same plateau the winters and summers are equally mild, and the\nregularity of the seasons appears remarkable to a stranger. The Caspian\nprovinces from their general depression below the level of the sea are\nexposed to fierce heat during the summer months, though their winters\nare mild. Heavy rains are frequent and many of the low districts are\nmarshy and unhealthy. Except in the Caspian and northwest provinces the\natmosphere of Persia is remarkable above that of all other countries\nfor its dryness and purity.\n\nThe cultivated portions of Persia, where there is a good rainfall or\nthe land can be irrigated, produce an immense variety of crops. Here is\ngrown the best wheat in the world. Other characteristic products are\nbarley, rice, cotton, sugar and tobacco. Vineyards are plentiful. The\nvines of Shiroz are celebrated in eastern poetry. Mulberries and silk\nare two other famous Persian products, while the finest perfumes are\nmade from the countless varieties of roses with which the land is\ncarpeted.\n\nThe forests of the Elburz mountains abound with wild animals, such as\nwolves, tigers, jackals, wild boars, foxes and the Caspian cat. Deer of\nevery variety inhabit some of the mountains. Lions and leopards are\nalso found in Mazandaron. Among domestic animals the horse, camels and\nthe buffalo hold the first place. The horses of Persia have always been\ncelebrated as the finest in the East. They are larger and more\nhandsome, but not so fleet as the horses of Arabia. Sheep are one of\nthe main sources of wealth of the country. All the rivers are well\nstocked with fish, especially with sturgeon. Silver, lead, iron,\ncopper, salt, antimony, sulphur, and naptha are mined in large\nquantities. The late Shah found a little gold, but not in quantities\nsufficient to pay for mining.\n\n\nINHABITANTS.\n\nIn the days of Darius and Cyrus the population numbered not less than\n40,000,000, but that number has diminished until now not more than\n10,000,000 people dwell in this once-populous land. These are from\ndifferent nationalities: the Kurds, numbering 500,000, Arabs, 500,000,\nJews, 20,000, Nestorians, 60,000, Armenians, 60,000, Zoroastrians,\n15,000, and the remainder are a Mohammedan sect.\n\n\nMANUFACTURIES AND TRADES.\n\nThe manufacturies of Persia are by no means extensive, but Persian rugs\nand shawls have a reputation the world over. The deft fingers of the\nwomen have contributed for centuries to the glory and wealth of this\ncountry. In the marts and markets of the world these rugs and shawls\nsell for fabulous prices. At the World's Fair I saw a single rug valued\nat $15,000.\n\nTrade, both domestic and foreign, is carried on by caravans. Tabriz is\nthe chief commercial city and from this point goods to the value of\n$2,500,000 are exported annually. From the province Shiraz about\n$900,000 worth of opium is sent out each year.\n\n\nGOVERNMENT AND TAXATION.\n\nThe government of Persia is a pure despotism. The Shah is absolute\nmonarch; he appoints governors for each of the thirteen states and\nthese governors, in turn, appoint minor governors for the cities. Six\ncabinet officers assist the executive, but their function is wholly\nadvisory. Upon the least pretext, any member of the cabinet may, at the\nwill of the Shah, lose his head.\n\nThe country has been impoverished for ages from two principle sources.\nNomadic tribes, wandering bands of Kurds and Arabs swoop down upon some\nunprotected villages and carry away everything of any value. Taxation\nis the second cause of poverty. The burden of the taxes falls upon Jews\nand Christians, the most cruel extortions often being used to obtain\nthe desired amount. In 1882 the revenue was about L1,880,000, of which\nnearly L1,500,000 were from direct taxations. But notwithstanding so\nmuch is collected, not one cent goes for public improvements.\n\n\nTHE ARMY.\n\nThe standing army numbers about 130,000, of which only 30,000 are well\ndisciplined infantry, 10,000 artillery, 10,000 cavalry, and irregular\ninfantry and guards constitute the remainder. The officers in the\nPersian army are for the most part ignorant and inefficient, while the\nsoldiers are described as obedient, sober, intelligent and capable to\nendure great fatigue. The peculiar power of the Persian army lies in\nits irregular cavalry of Kurds and other tribes who are famous for\ntheir courage and daring, and are equal to the Russian Cossacks and\nvastly superior to the Turkish Sultan's Boshibozouks.\n\n[Illustration: PERSIAN OFFICER.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE ANCIENT HISTORY OF PERSIA.\n\n\nAccording to the poet, Firdusi, in his Shah Nomeh, the history of\nPersia begins some thousands of years before the Christian era.\nProfessor Yooseph of Oroomiah College one of Persia's most scholarly\nmen holds that as early as the time of Abraham there was here an\norganized government. The first king was the Chedolaomer of the Bible,\nKing of Elam (Gen. 14:1). This opinion is confirmed by the fact that\nthe name Elam is in reality the name of Persia. Persians call their\ncountry Ajam. Thus it can be seen that the Hebrew letter j has been\nchanged to l. However there is stronger proof of this theory in the\naccounts of Greek historians. The northwest part of ancient Persia,\ncalled Media, was known to the Greeks as a part of the Assyrian Empire.\n But the Medes under Dejoce in 708 B.C. threw off the yoke of Assyria\nand gained the dominance over the other tribes of Persia. In 538 Cyrus\nof Persia rebelled against the Medes, led an army to victory over them,\nand extended the Persian Empire as far east as the Oxus and Indus and\nover Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotania. He was succeeded by\nhis son Cambyses (529-522) and the latter by Darius (522-521). This\ndynasty ruled till Darius III. (336-329). He was compelled to yield his\nthrone to Alexander the Great, who conquered all Persia. Under the\nleadership of the tribe of Arsocide Persia became independent in 246\nB.C. But the dynasty of Arsocide came to an end at the hand of Ardasher\nBabajan, who managed to gain possession of more than half of the entire\ncountry, _i.e._, of the provinces of Fars, Kerman and the whole of\nIrakiston. Then in 218 this valiant warrior conquered the whole nation\nand was crowned \"King of Kings\" (in Persian, Shah in Shah) with\nArdasher begin the famous dynasty of the Sassanidae who brought Persia\nto an unprecedented eminence of power and prosperity. Their last king\nsuccumbed to the Arabs in 636 A.D. and the latter ruled till 750 A.D.\nThe tribe of the Abbossides went to the throne at this time but were\nsoon in turn overthrown. Persia was then divided into different\nprovinces until in 1253 it was conquered by the Mongols under\nGenghis-Khan and his grandson Khula-kun-Khan. The former was a\nChristian. During his reign Moryaw-Alaha was the Nestorian patriarch\nand under him the church was very successful. The Mongol dynasty lasted\nuntil 1335.\n\nA new dynasty arose in western Persia in 1500. The first prince of this\nline was Ismael, the descendant of an ancient family of devotees and\nsaints. He was held in the highest esteem by his followers, who revered\nhim not only on account of his own valor but for the high standing of\nhis family. Having become the leader of a number of tribes, he\noverthrew the power of the Turkoman and made Azerbijon their Capital.\nHe then rapidly subdued western Persia and in 1511 took Kurason and\nBalkh from the Uzbeks. In the year 1514 he encountered a far more\nformidable enemy in the mighty Salim, sultan of Turkey, whose zeal for\nconquest was fanned by religious hatred of the Shiites, who were\nfollowers of Ismael, and who in turn were fiercely inflamed against a\nsect called Sunites. In the ensuing conflict Ismael was defeated but\nSalim did not gain greatly by his victory. The son of Ismael, Shah\nTah-masip who reigned from 1523-1576 subdued all the Uzbeks of Khorason\nand frequently defeated the Turks without suffering the loss of a\nsingle battle. He takes rank as a prudent and spirited ruler.\n\nShah Abbos I, the great, who was one of the most glorious of Persia's\nmodern kings ascended the throne in 1585 and ruled until 1628. He\nrestored internal tranquillity and repelled the invasions of the Uzbeks\nand Turks. In the year 1605 he gave the Turks such a terrific drubbing\nthat they made no more trouble during his long reign. He also restored\nto his kingdom Kurdiston-Mosul and Diarbekir which had long been\nseparated from Persia. Abbos' government was strict, but just and\nequitable. Roads, bridges, caravansaries, and other conveniences for\ntrade were constructed at great cost, and the improvement and\nornamentation of the towns were not neglected. Many of his large\ncaravansaries which bear his name remain to this day. Isphahan, his\ncapital, in a brief period of his reign, doubled its population. His\ntolerance was remarkable, considering the character of his ancestors\nand subjects, for he encouraged the Armenian Christians to settle in\nthe country, well knowing that their peaceable industrious habits would\nenhance the prosperity of his kingdom. His successors were Shah Sufi\n(1628-41), Shah Abbos II, (1641-66), and Shah Soliman (1666-94). During\nthe reign of Shah Sultan Hussein (1694-1722), a weak and foolish\nprince, priests and slaves were elevated to high offices and the\nSunnites suffered sore persecution. The result was that Afghan besieged\nthe king in Isphahan. Hussein abdicated the throne in favor of his\nconqueror, who ultimately became insane and suffered deposition in 1725\nat the hands of his brother, Ashrab. The atrocious tyranny of Ashrab\nwas suddenly checked by the celebrated Nadir-Shah. Hussein and Ashrab\nbelonged to the dynasty of Syydes, a holy sect, descendants of their\nprophet, Mohammed. Nadir-Shah was one of the greatest warriors of\nPersia. He raised Tah-Masip (1729-82) and his son Abbos III (1732-36),\nof the Suffivian race, to the throne and then on some frivolous\npretext, deposed Abbos III, and seized the scepter himself (1736-47).\nNadir was assassinated by Imam-Kuli--Khan, of Oroomiah, whose\ndescendants now live very near our Mission Station in Oroomiah. Again\nafter the murder of Nadir, Persia was divided into many independent\nstates and became a field of blood. Bloogistan and Afghaniston became\nindependent till 1755 when a Kurd, Karim Khan (1755-79), abolished this\nstate of affairs, reestablished peace and unity in western Persia, and\nby his justice, wisdom, and warlike talents acquired both the esteem of\nhis subjects and the respect of the neighboring states. He received the\ntitle, \"Father of Persia.\" Karim Khan was succeeded in 1784 by\nAl-Murad, then by Jaafor and the latter by Lutf-Ali-Merza.\n\n[Illustration: KING KARIM KHAN KURD.]\n\nDuring Lutf-Ali's reign, Mazandaron became independent under Agha\nMohammed Khan a Turkoman. Lutf-Ali-Merza rushed on Mazandaron and\nkilled all the relations of Mohammed Khan who were ruling there, and\ntook captive Agha Mohammed Khan a boy only six years old, making him a\neunuch. This boy was of Kojor race. When he was in the harem of\nLutf-Ali, he kept thinking how his cruel master murdered his father and\nall his relations. When he sat on the royal rugs, he would take his\nrevenge by cutting them. When he was of full age, twenty or twenty-five\nyears old, he ran away to his own country, Mazandaron, and joined\nhimself to his relations. He frequently attacked Lutf-Ali and defeated\nhim in 1795. He was then able to establish his throne in the southern\npart of Mazandaron. This great Eunuch king founded the dynasty which\nrules to-day, restored the kingdom as it was under Karim-Kurd and\nconquered Georgia and Kharason. But he was assassinated May 14, 1797.\nHis nephew Futten-Ali-Shah (1797-1834) engaged in three wars with\nRussia and was defeated each time. As a result he lost his territory in\nArmenia, and a great part of Persia, namely from the Caucassian\nmountains to the river, Aras, which now fixed the boundary between\nRussia and Persia. Futteh-Ali in his last war with Russia in 1826 was\nentirely defeated. Beside losing some part of his territory he paid the\nsum of 1,800,000,000 rubles ($9,000,000) to Russia. The death of the\nCrown Prince, Abbos Mirza, in 1833 seemed to give the final blow to the\ndeclining fortune of Persia, as he was the only man who seriously\nattempted to raise his country from the state of abasement into which\nit had fallen. Futteh-Ali had seven sons. One of them Johon-Suz-Mirza\nlives to-day. Seven years ago he was governor in the author's city; and\ncame to visit the college of Oroomiah with a hundred princes and counts\nwith him. He is a very ostentatious man. After the death of the Crown\nPrince each of the seven sons claimed to be inheritor of the throne,\nwhile the father was still living. At the same time the Crown Prince\nAbbas-Mirza had a son named Mohammed. Futteh-Ali when quite old and\nnear to death, by the aid of Russia made Mohammed, his grandson, king\n(1834-1848). Nayib-Al-Saltana acted as regent during the boyhood of\nMohammed. When he came to power for himself he conceived the idea of\nrestoring Bloogistan, Afghanistan, and a great part of Turkoman to\nPersian dominion. He was especially anxious to take Herat, the key to\nIndia, but was resisted by England. The war was terminated in 1838.\n\n[Illustration: FOUNDER OF THE PRESENT DYNASTY.]\n\nNasiruddin (defender of his religion), the late Shah who was\nassassinated May 1, 1896, a young man eighteen years old and very\nenergetic succeeded to the throne of his father in 1848. Following his\nfather's example the new Shah tried to restore Afghaniston and\nBloogiston but was compelled by England to sign an agreement on Jan.\n25, 1858 by which he was bound not to interfere further in the internal\naffairs of Herat.\n\nIn 1856 he violated this treaty and took the city of Herat. After a\nsevere war with England in 1857 in which his loss was 20,000 soldiers\nhe relinquished Herat but he added to Persia many provinces in the\nwestern part of Afghaniston and Bloogiston, and also some states in\nTurkoman. He was one of the best kings of Persia. He visited Europe\nthree times, once in 1873. He had European ideas and was a well-educated\nman. He started a good system of postal-telegraph and had trained after\nthe European discipline 30,000 soldiers. Above all he founded a\nbeautiful college in Teheran which is called in Persian Daralfnoon (or\nthe place of science). The present Shah, Mozuffur-uddin was born March\n25, 1853 and succeeded to the throne of his father May 1, 1896. In 1892\nthe author saw him at Oroomiah College. He came with a large retinue to\nvisit being entertained at the home of Dr. Cochran. The work of the\ncollege pleased him and he made it a gift of thirty pounds. He is a\nvery kind and liberal man, especially toward the poorer of his\nsubjects. We believe God will make him to be good to the oppressed\nChristians.\n\nThe list of kings who have reigned over Persia as regular kings make a\ntotal of 255.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nARCHITECTURE OF PERSIA.\n\n\nThe architecture of Persia is of considerable interest from the fact\nthat the Persians added to their own the architecture of Assyria and\nEgypt, when they conquered those mighty empires. Hence the composite\nnature of the designs of some of her most famous buildings. A brief\nstudy of the old city of Persepolis will enable us the better to\nunderstand the nature of the architecture of this land so rich in\nmagnificent ruins. (The author wishes to give credit to McClintock and\nStrong's Encyclopedia, for a large part of the following pages. He has\nextracted many quotations from this work.) This city called \"The Glory\nof the East,\" the ancient capital of Persia, is situated in the\nprovince of Faris, on the river Araxes. Darius, Hastaspes, Xerxes,\nArtaxerxes and others tried to make it one of the grandest cities in\nall the world. Unfortunately it was destroyed by Alexander the Great,\nand now contains only some ruins of the royal palaces. First is the\nChehly Minor (_forty pillars_,) also called Tokhtie-Jamshid, or\nthrone of Jamshid. Some suppose that Jamshid was the founder of the\ncity. Next in order is Nakhshie-Rustum, to the northwest. Near each of\nthese palaces are the mounds of the tombs. The east building is the\nHarem of Jamshid, situated on a vast terrace of Cyclopean masonry, at\nthe foot of a lofty mountain range. By far the most important is the\nfirst group, situated at the foot of a lofty mountain range. The extent\nof this terrace is about 1500 feet from north to south and 800 feet\nfrom east to west, and was once surrounded by triple walls 16, 32 and\n60 feet in height respectively. The internal area is further divided\ninto three terraces, the lowest one to the south; the central being\nabout 800 feet square and rising 45 feet above the plain; and the\nthird, the northern, about 550 feet long and 35 feet high. On the\nnorthern is the \"Propyleum of Xerxes,\" but most distinguished here is\nthe \"Great Hall\" of Xerxes, called Chehly Minor by way of eminence. The\npalace of Xerxes and that of Darius towering one above the other in\nsuccessive elevation are also on this terrace. The stones used for this\nbuilding are of dark gray marble, cut into gigantic square blocks, and\nin many cases exquisitely polished. The ascent from the plain to the\ngreat platform is made by two flights, the steps being nearly 22 feet\nwide, 3-1/2 inches high and 15 inches in tread so that travelers have\nbeen able to ascend on horseback. The Propyleum of Xerxes is composed\nof two masses of stone work which probably formed an entrance for foot\npassengers. The steps are paved with gigantic slabs of polished marble.\nThe portal is still standing and bears figures of animals 15 feet high.\nThe building itself is conjectured to have been a hall 82 feet square,\nclosely resembling the Assyrian halls of Nineveh. It bears the\nfollowing inscription: \"The great God Ahroomazda, He it is who has\ngiven this world and who has given life to mankind, who has made Xerxes\nboth king and lawgiver of the people. I am Xerxes the King and Great\nKing, the King of Kings, the King of the many peopled countries, the\nsupporter of the great world, the son of King Darius, the Achoemenian.\"\n\n\"Says Xerxes the King, by the grace of Ahroomazda I have made this gate\nof entrance. There is many another nobler work besides this,--Persepolis\nwhich I have made and which my father has executed.\"\n\nAn expanse of 162 feet divides this platform from the center one which\nbears many of those columns of the Hall of Xerxes, from which the ruins\nhave taken their names. The stairs leading up to the Chehly Minor are\nstill magnificent according to the statement of Prof. Jooseph whose\nresidence was near this historic palace. The walls are superbly\ndecorated with sculptures, representing colossal warriors with spears,\ngigantic bulls, combats with wild beasts, processions, and the like,\nwhile broken capitals, shafts, pillars and countless fragments of\nbuildings with cuneiform inscriptions cover the whole extent of the\nplatform, 350 feet from north to south and 380 feet from east to west.\nThe great Hall of Xerxes, perhaps the largest and most magnificent\nstructure the world has ever seen, is computed to have been a rectangle\nof about 300 to 350 feet and to have consequently covered two and a\nhalf acres. The pillars were arranged in four divisions consisting of a\ncentral group six deep every way and an advanced body of twelve in two\nranks, the number flanking the center. Fifteen columns are all that now\nremain of the number. Their form is very beautiful. Their height is 60\nfeet, the circumference of the shaft 16 feet, the length from the\ncapital to the turrets 45 feet. Next along the west front stood the\npalace of Darius and to the south the palace of Xerxes measuring about\n86 feet square, similarly decorated with lions, birds, heroes, kings\nand warriors.\n\nOf course the present architecture of Persia is not equal to the old\nfor the evident reason that the country is not so rich as it was.\nHowever the work in some cities is equivalent to ancient buildings. In\nmodern times some splendid palaces have been erected of brick, either\nof raw or hardened by fire. These tower to a considerable height. The\ncustom of Persia is to beautify without rather than within, so the\nexterior is painted with different colors. Blue, red and green are\nfavorites. The walls are adorned with the pictures of flowers, birds,\nlions and many verses of Al-Kuran. Favorite poems also appear. Inside\nit is more plain, whitened by chalks. But the roof is wonderfully\ndecorated with delicate chalk work. Here are sculptured designs of\nladies holding bouquets of flowers, playing with doves on their\nshoulders and surrounded by beautiful objects. Usually in the center is\na large mirror. This is all hand work. A single mason may work a month\nin completing the roof decorations of one room. All buildings are\nsquare. Village architecture is very poor. Buildings are one story in\nheight, especially of Mohammedans. Most all are built of unburnt\nbricks. A Mohammedan peasant does not know the joy and pleasure of\nliving. Though he has plenty of money, he is content to live in a small\ncottage, spending little.\n\nChristians, on the other hand, are the direct reverse and are learning\nto enjoy having things nice.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE LANGUAGE AND POETRY OF PERSIA.\n\n\nThe ancient languages of Persia are three (1) The Zend or East Iranian,\nor Bactorian language. But this became obsolete during the third\ncentury before Christ. This was called the Zoroastrian languages,\nbecause the name Zend is that of their sacred book. (2) The ancient\nPersian language, the chief remnants of which are found in the\ncuneiform inscriptions of the time of Archemides, discovered in the\nruins of Persepolis on the rocks of Behiston. The inscriptions contain\nthe names of gods, men and of Daniel the prophet. (3) The third\nlanguage was Pehlawee spoken by the West Iranians, Medians and\nPersians, during the period of the Sassanidae--3rd to 7th century, A.D.\n\nAt last a new form of commentaries to the sacred writings came into\nexistence, in which clearer and more distinct characters were used.\nAlmost all old words of the Zend were replaced. This new form is called\nPazend. In later times historians and the Arabs have called it Parsee.\nIt was in use from 700 to 1100 A.D. At 1100 the old Persian language\nwas revived. This is called Jamie or Nizamie.\n\nA purer dialect came into use as the direct result of the writings of\nthe poet Hafiz 1100 A.D. and has continued down to the present day.\nThis is spoken especially in Shiraz, a city of great note in the\nhistory of Persia, and the capital of the state of Faris, which gives\nPersia its name.\n\nUnfortunately after the Mohammedan conquest Persia fell under their\nreign. Arabs tried to infuse Arabic into the Persian language. The\nKoran was the only Holy Bible to them they believed that its teachings\nshould be accepted by all Parsees. All writers in the country now, as a\nmatter of course, became Mohammedans. With the fanaticism,\ncharacteristic of a conquering religion, with the ruthlessness which\nIslam has always shown, all the representatives of the old Persian\nliterature and science were grievously persecuted by Omar's general,\nSayid Ibn Abou Wakkas. All priests and writers were compelled to accept\nthe new order of things: \"Allah the only God, and Mohammed His\nprophet.\" So the pure language of the Parsees was infused with Arabic\nwords to such an extent that one-third of the words of the language are\nArabic.\n\n\nPOETICAL LITERATURE.\n\nUnder the dynasty of Samanides, a writer comes into view, one Nasr,\nliving about 952 A.D. under the third ruler of the dynasty. Also Abul\nHasson Rudige, the blind, lived under the same ruler. This man wrote\n1,300,000 rhymes. About 1000 A.D. Kabbas wrote, being a contemporary of\nMahmud who surrounded himself with four hundred court poets. Ansarie,\nanother writer, wrote 300,000 rhymes in honor of the king.\n\nThe reign of Atabek dynasty was the brilliant age of Persian poetry.\nAnhaduddin Anawaree was one of the greatest writers of that period. The\nbest mystic poet was Sunayi, author of 30,000 distichs. Nizami about\nthe twelfth century, was the founder of the Romantic Epoch. The greater\npart of his Jami- or collection of five romantic poems, are about\nKhosraw and Shirin, a king and his betrothed; Magenoon and Leila, a\nlover and his beloved.\n\nKizilarsalon, the king offered for each one of his poems not less than\nfourteen estates. His tomb now at Gendsheh is visited by hundreds of\npious pilgrims.\n\nIn the eastern part of Persia the theosophical mysticism was\npreeminently cultivated, especially in Azerbijon state. A great number\nof these mystics are in Oroomiah, my city. They speak in allegorical\nform in glowing songs of wine and love.\n\nAgain in this province we find Sunayee in the thirteenth century and\nFariduddin Attar, born 1216. A still greater man in this peculiar field\nwas Djalal Eddin Romi born at Balkh and who died 1266. He was the\nfounder of a still existing and most popular order of darwishes. His\npoems on contemplative life have made him the oracle of oriental\nmysticism up to this day.\n\nI will give one of his rhymes which will show the spirit of his\nmysticism: \"Gar Kasi wasf ou Zman Posad, bidil oz binishon chiguyan\nbaz, ashikon kushtagon mashookand, bar nayayad Z kooshtagon awaz.\" The\nthirteenth century was one of the most brilliant in the annals of\nPersian poetry. The greatest seer of the era was Sheikh Musli Eddin\nSahdie of Shiraz who died in the year 1291. He stands unrivaled as\nPersia's foremost didactic poet. His Boston and Guliston--\"the fruit of\nthe garden and roses,\"--are universally known and loved in Europe.\n\nAt the beginning of the fourteenth century we made several meritorious\nimitations of Sahdi in didactic poetry. But far above all these as\nabove all other Persian lyrical and erratic poets shines Hafiz. The\n\"Sugar Lip\" is a book in which he sang of wine and love, nightingale\nand flowers, bee and roses. Below is given a quotation from one of his\npoems about the nightingale and the miller: \"Ai morgh saher ashk\nzparwana beyamoz, Kan sukhtara jan shud wawaz nayamab\" translation: \"O\nthou the bird of morning, you must learn love from the miller. It\nburned itself in the fire but did not make any noise.\" Haji Mollah\nKozim translated this rhyme as follows: \"The morning bird is the\nnightingale--little smaller than the sparrow, but it has a very loud\nvoice as clear as a golden bell.\" All poets in Persia agree that it is a\nbetter singer than any other bird in Asia. Besides his singing he is\nthe bird that has more love for his mate than any other bird in the\nworld. They generally sing in the morning and the evening time. When\nthe female is on her nest the male sits in the same tree, or very near,\nand sings for his mate. At times the male sits on the nest and his mate\nperched near by sings for him in a wonderfully sweet voice. The\nnightingale is a general favorite, and many popular songs have been\nwritten about this bird, and are sung by nearly every young man and\nyoung lady, boy and girl in Persia.\n\nThis author says of the miller that it loves light more than any other\ninsect. From its love of light it throws itself into the fire, as\neveryone has seen in America of a summer evening about an electric\nlamp. Sahdi takes this example for himself to illustrate his love to\nGod. He says the love of the miller is more than the love of the\nnightingale because the nightingale shows its love by singing and\nmaking noise; but the miller, though it has a living body, makes no\nnoise when it is burning in the fire. \"So,\" says he, \"ought to be my\nlove to God.\"\n\nThe city of Shiraz from the beginning until this day has been the seat\nof religion and especially of poetry because these two eminent poets,\nSahdi and Hafiz, were born, lived, wrote and died here. Their tombs are\nvisited annually by thousands of pilgrims. They are dead but their\ninfluence still lives and it has much effect on Persia and especially\non the inhabitants of the city of Shiraz. Many students are enrolled at\nthe great cathedral mosque in the city, where some of the ablest\nprofessors of the country are instructors. Professor Yooseph, a\ngraduate of this institution, told me that the air and the very dust of\nthat city has in it the spirit of poetry. Even the small boys who sell\ngrapes, apples, etc. in the streets sing some very charming poems about\ntheir fruits, though they themselves may never have learned to read.\n\n\nTHE SWEETNESS OF PERSIAN LANGUAGE FOR POETRY.\n\nThe Persians have one poem about the sweetness of their language for\npoetry, as follows:\n\n\"The original language was the language of Arabs. The Turkish language\nis hard. But the Persian language is honey comb.\" In comparison with\nthe other Asiatic languages many scholars think it is indeed honey-comb\nand the sweetest of Asiatic languages, if not also of European\nlanguages, for the expression of poetry.\n\n\n\n\nPART II. RELIGION.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nPARSEE RELIGION.\n\n\nThis was the prevailing religion of Persia in ancient times. Zerdush\nwas either the founder or a reformer of that religion. The general\nbelief is that he was the founder, since the religion and its followers\nare called by his name. Some suppose that this religion, the religion\nof Hindoo, were originally the same and that they were divided by some\npolitical affair between the Iranians and the Aryans. The Hindoo branch\ntook the name Brahminian. The doctrines changed somewhat after the\nseparation, but the fundamental principles remained the same.\n\nDifferent dates are given for the beginning of the Zerdush religion.\nSome authorities date its beginning at 1200 B.C. while others place it\nat 500 B.C. The latter is generally agreed upon. There are two\nprevailing ideas about his place of birth, both Babylonia and Oroomiah,\nPersia being claimed as his native city. There are many good reasons\nfor believing that Oroomiah was his birthplace. First, the original\nworshipers were Persians, and the religion was started in Persia.\nSecond, all Oriental scholars and writers supposed that this was his\nnative city. Third, in the district immediately surrounding Oroomiah\nthe writer has seen more than thirty immense hills of ashes, the\nremaining monuments of the fire-worshippers of this religion. Fire was\ntheir god and a continuous flame was kept burning through the\ncenturies. Some of these mountains of ashes are so huge in size that it\nwould take a man an entire day to walk around it, and as high as the\nMasonic Temple of Chicago, a twenty story office building. Some of\nthese hills are named as following: De-ga-la, Sheikh-Ta-pa, Gog-ta-pa,\netc. Among these hills we find the \"Tower of Silence\", a large\nstructure built of stone and containing the remains of kings and other\nnotable men of ancient times.\n\n\nBIBLE AND DOCTRINES.\n\nThe bible of the Parsees is called Avesta, which means the revelation.\nThe language is Zend from which the Persian language is derived. The\nfounder of this religion taught as pure monotheism as was taught by\nMohammed. Zerdush taught the existence of but one deity, who was called\nMaz-daw or as it is pronounced now in Persia, Hurmizd. To this god was\nattributed the creation of all good fortune, government, long life,\nhonor, health, beauty, truth, joy and happiness. But later this\ndoctrine of monotheism became dualism, _i.e._, the supposition of\ntwo primal causes of the real and intellectual world, the Vahu Mano;\nthe good mind or reality and Akem Mano or the naught mind or naught\nreality. Ah-ra-man, the god of darkness has created devils, he causes\nevil thoughts, evil deeds, wars, misfortune, sorrow, death, and hell.\nZerdush taught there are two lives, one mental and the other physical.\nHe believed in the immortality of the soul; that there are two abodes\nfor the departed, heaven, the house of angels and hell the\ndwelling-place of the devil and his angels. Between the two there is a\nbridge of judgment over which only the followers of Zerdush will be\nable to cross safely. Before the general resurrection the Sosiosh, the\nson of Zerdush, will be spiritually begotten. He will come as a\nmessenger from Ahuramazdoo and will foretell the time of the\nresurrection and judgment. The world at that time will be utterly\nsteeped in wretchedness and darkness and sin; will then be renewed,\ndeath, the arch fiend of creation, will be slain and life will be\neverlastingly holy; and righteousness will dwell in the renewed world.\nThis Zoroastrian creed flourished until the time of Alexander the Great\nthroughout ancient Ironiona including Cabuliston, Bakhria, Media and\nPersia, and then declined. But again under Ardashir, who has been\ncalled Bobegon, and who claimed to be the descendant of Zerdush, the\nreligion of his ancestors was renewed, and the lost parts of the holy\nbook, Avesta, were found and put together. He chose a magician the\nablest of 40,000 magician priests, to translate the book into\nvernacular language, thus renewing the religion. Unfortunately the\nAvesta was utterly destroyed in A.D. 640 by the followers of Mohammed.\n\nNow we have in Persia only 15,000 Zoroastrians. The Mohammedans called\nthem gabrees, _i.e._, ungodly. Most of them live in Kerman Yezd on\nthe soil of their motherland. The men are good citizens, humble,\nhonest, and generous, especially to their own brethren, and are\nindustrious, intelligent, handsome, clean in appearance and faithful to\ntheir religion. The women are most beautiful, delicate in frame, small\nhands, small nose, clear complexion, with pink cheeks, black eyes and\neyebrows. They do not cover their faces when in public, except to\nMohammedans, whom they consider wicked men. The women are good faithful\nhousewives and honest to their husbands.\n\n\nTHEIR RITUALS.\n\nA Parsee child must be born on the ground floor of the house of its\nparents as a sign of humility and that the child may begin its life\nwith good thoughts, words and actions, and as a sign of loyalty to its\nparents. The mother cannot go out for forty days. After that she washes\nherself with holy water which has been sanctified by the priest.\n\nA Parsee rises early, washes his hands and face, and recites his\nprayers toward the sun. He rejects pork, ham and camel flesh and will\nnot eat anything cooked by one outside of the Parsee religion.\nMarriages can be contracted only with persons of their own creed.\nPolygamy is forbidden except after nine years of sterility, then a man\nis allowed to marry another woman. Divorces are entirely forbidden. The\ncrimes of fornication and adultery are very severely punished. They\nworship the clean creations of the great Hurmizda such as the sun,\nmoon, fire, etc. Aha-ramazda is the origin of light, the sun and fire\nhaving come from him, he having first been created by Hurmizda. In the\ncase of a hopelessly sick person the priest will recite some text of\nthe holy bible Avesta, as a consolation to the dying person. After\ndeath the body is taken to the ground floor, the place of its birth, to\nbe washed and anointed with perfumes, dressed in white and put upon an\niron grating. A dog is brought in to take a last look, and he drives\naway all evil spirits. The friends and relatives go before the door,\nbow down and raise their hands to their heads after touching the floor,\nas an indication of their last respect to the departed soul. The body\nupon the bier is covered. Two men will bring it out and give it to four\npall-bearers dressed in white, who, followed by a great procession take\nit to the \"Tower of Silence.\" The last prayer will be recited in the\nholy temple, a building in which the holy fire burns continually\nthrough the ages. The body is then taken from the \"Tower of Silence\"\nand, placed on an iron bier, is exposed to the fowls of the air and the\ndew of heaven and to the sun until the flesh has disappeared, and the\nbleached bones fall through into a pit beneath, and are afterwards\nburied in a cave.\n\nThey believe the holy fire is brought down from heaven. Only priests\ncan approach it and they must wear a half-mask over the face lest their\nbreath should defile it, and never touch it with hands, but by\ninstruments. Tobacco smoking is prohibited as the smoker would defile\nthe holy fire. They say there are five kinds of fire and great respect\nis shown to them. I remember having had a conversation with a Parsee in\nwhich he said: \"Fire purifies all things, is stronger than all things,\nis cleaner than all other things, more beautiful than all things;\ntherefore, fire is _god_. Your own Bible says: 'I am a consuming\nfire.'\"\n\nThe Parsees have five kinds of sacrifices. These are the slaughtering\nof animals for the public and poor men; prayer, the Doruns sacrament\nwith its consecrated bread and wine in honor of the founder of the law,\nHeromah (or Sama) and Dahman. This sacrament resembles our Lord's\nSupper. It is eaten publicly as a feast of joy. Fourth, the sacrifice\nof expiation which is offered by all men and is killed in their\ntemples. Lastly the sacrifice for the souls of the dead. The removal of\nmoral and physical impurities is effected by holy water and earth and\nby prayer. Prayer and holy words from the Avesta are recited several\ntimes every day. Fasting and celibacy are hateful to the divinity. The\nethical code may be summed up in three words--purity of thought, of\nwords and of deeds. This, they claim, will become the universal\nreligion of the world.\n\nA Parsee believes the soul of a dead man is for three days walking near\nthe tomb where the dead body is laid. The fourth day the gates of\nheaven will be opened and he will approach the bridge of Chin-vat. Here\nthe good and evil deeds of his life will be weighed in the balances of\njustice. If the good deeds of his life outweigh the bad, he will pass\nover the bridge into heaven. If the bad are heavier than the good the\ncandidate falls beneath the bridge into hell. In both heaven and hell\nthere are three states. In heaven, good words, thoughts, deeds and\nwords. In hell, bad words, thoughts and deeds.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nMOHAMMEDANISM.\n\n\nMohammed means \"Praised One.\" One of the Mohammedan divines once spoke\nin the presence of the writer of the similarity in the Arabic language\nof \"Ahamad\" and the \"Holy Spirit\" and he claimed to believe that Ahamad\nor Mohammed was the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to send into the\nworld. When told in reply that Jesus promised to send the Comforter\ninto the world immediately after His departure, and that Mohammed did\nnot live until 570 years after Christ, the priest had no more to say.\n\nThis great prophet of the desert who converted the wild Arabs was born\nabout A.D. 570 at Mecca. He was the only child of Abdulla and his\nmother Halima, both from the noble family of Koreish who claimed that\nthey were the descendants of Ismael and that their family was\nhereditary guardians of the sacred Kaaba mosque in which was kept the\nholy black stone worshipped by all Arabs.\n\nThe Moslems have many legends and traditions regarding the birth of\nMohammed. The sun moved from its place and gave a more brilliant light,\nwith the seven colors of the rainbow; the angels bowed themselves to\nhim and sung a new song in heaven; all the trees were shaken as by a\nstrong wind. He was born circumcised and with his navel cut. A seal of\nprophecy was written on his back in letters of light. Immediately\nprostrating himself on the ground he raised his hands and prayed. Three\npersons as brilliant as the sun, one holding a silver goblet, another\nan emerald tray and the third a silken towel appeared in company with\nthe angel Gabriel, the latter holding in his hand a knife. Gabriel cut\nopen the child's belly, the first angel poured cleansing water over the\nchild to wash away all sin, the second held the emerald tray beneath\nhim and the third dried him with the silken towel, and then all saluted\nhim and called him the \"prince and savior of mankind.\" His father died\nat the age of twenty-five years, before his son was born. He left his\nwidow five camels, a few goats and a slave girl, her name being Amina.\nAt the age of six years Mohammed had a fit of epilepsy. He frequently\nfell down and foamed at the mouth, and snored like a camel. About this\ntime his mother died and he was reared by his grandfather\nAbdul-mota-Kalib and his uncle Abu-ta-lif and nursed by his faithful\nslave Amina. For a time he herded goats, a disreputable occupation\namong Arabs. But he afterwards glorified in it, pointing to the example\nof Moses and David and saying that God never called a prophet who had\nnot before been a shepherd. In appearance he was of medium size,\nslender but broad-shouldered and of strong muscles, black eyes and\nhair, white teeth, oval shaped face (which is now much praised among\nMohammedans), a long nose, patriarchal beard and a commanding look. His\nstep was quick and firm. He wore common garments of white cotton stuff,\nand mended his own clothing and did everything possible for himself and\naided his wives in household affairs. He had fourteen wives besides\nconcubines. He possessed a vivid imagination and a genius for poetry\nand religious doctrines, but was not learned and perhaps could not read\nnor write.\n\nHe became servant for a very wealthy widow named Khadijah, and made\nseveral caravan journeys for her to Syria and Palestine with great\nsuccess. Afterwards he won the heart of the widow and married her\nagainst the will of her father. He was twenty-five years of age and the\nwidow was forty-five years old. Marriage proved happy and was fruitful\nwith four daughters and two sons, but all died except one little\ndaughter Fa-ti-ma. Mohammed adopted Ali, his nephew, and married his\ndaughter Fa-ti-ma to him. She became the mother of all the prophet's\ndescendants. Mohammed loved his first wife Kha-di-jah, was faithful to\nher, and after her death always cherished her memory, as she was the\nfirst person to believe in his doctrines.\n\nOn his journeys to Palestine and Syria he became acquainted with Jews\nand Christians and got an imperfect knowledge of their religion and\ntraditions. At that time the Jews and Christians had scattered the\nideas of monotheism among the Arabs. Some of the Arabs were tired of\nworshiping false idols and embraced the faith in one God. One of these\nmen was Mohammed. He became zealous to establish a religion throughout\nArabia, to teach and compel men to worship only one God and to\nrecognize himself as His only prophet. He spent many days and nights in\nthe caves of Mount Hira near Mecca in meditation and prayer. His\nzealous efforts to establish his faith brought a return of the violent\nconvulsion and epileptic fits of earlier days, and his enemies said he\nwas possessed with demons. He started preaching to the ignorant classes\nof Arabs teaching them that there was only one living God who created\nheaven and earth and all mankind. In A.D. 610, his fortieth year he\nclaimed to have received a call from the angel Gabriel while in a\ntrance in Mount Hira, directing him to say: \"In the name of God.\" Many\ntimes after this first meeting he communicated with Gabriel in these\ncaves and saw many visions. Once when almost discouraged he waited for\nfurther enlightenment in visions to qualify him for the duties of his\noffice as prophet--if not to commit suicide--when suddenly Gabriel, at\nthe end of the horizon appeared, saying: \"I am Gabriel and thou art\nMohammed the prophet of God, fear not.\" After this assurance he\ncommenced his career as a prophet and founder of a new religion. His\ndoctrines were gathered from three religions, the Jewish, Christian and\nArabic. He taught that there is only one Allah--Almighty God,\never-present and working will. Henceforth the revelations came from\ntime to time, sometimes like the sound of a bell conversing with him;\nat other times Gabriel came down and spoke to him. For the first three\nyears he worked among his family. Kadijah was his first believer. His\nfather-in-law, Abi-Baker, Omar, a young energetic man, his daughter\nFatima, his son-in-law Ali and other faithful followers to the number\nof forty, were the first disciples of this new religion, and were very\ninfluential in spreading the same. Then he publicly announced that he\nhad a command from God, and had been given the divine office as prophet\nand lawgiver. As his notoriety spread, pilgrims flocked to Mecca and he\npreached to them attacking the idolatry of Mecca. When his enemies\ndemanded a miracle from him, he responded by producing the Koran leaf\nby leaf as occasion demanded. He provoked persecution; and civil war\nfollowed. In A.D. 622 he was forced to flee for his life from Mecca to\nMedina, a distance of 250 miles. This flight is called Higira, meaning\nthe flight, (July 15, 622) from which the era of Islam begins.\n\nIn Medina he was generally accepted as a prophet of God. His method was\nat first toleration. He said: \"Let there be no compulsion in religion,\"\nbut afterwards said: \"All infidels must accept one God and Mohammed his\nprophet. If men refuse, kill them, plunder their property and their\nwives and daughters are for you.\" The wild Arabs were kindled by this\ncommand. His followers were all robbers except some of the leaders. In\n624 with an army of 305, all citizens of Medina, he gained a victory\nover his strong enemy, Koreish, whose army was double the size of\nMohammed's. By other engagements he rapidly conquered Jews and\nChristians. After one battle 600 Jews were massacred at his order and\ntheir wives and daughters were made slaves. In 627 he triumphantly\nentered Mecca and in 630 he demolished 360 idols; then Koreish, a\nleading tribe, shouted \"There is but one God and Mohammed is His\nprophet.\" Ten years after Higira, with 40,000 Moslems he made his last\njourney to Mecca, and subdued all Arabia. Upon returning to Medina, he\ndied in his home and in the arms of Ayesha his favorite wife, June 8th,\n632, at the age of sixty-three years.\n\nWhen on his death-bed and suffering extreme pain and anguish his\nfriends expressed surprise that a great prophet should suffer so. He\ncalled their attention to the fact that one prophet of olden times was\neaten by worms, while another was so poor as to have only a rag to\ncover his shame, and stated that a prophet is not rewarded here but\nhereafter. His last words were a prayer for the destruction of all Jews\nand Christians because they were so hard to convert. He prayed, \"O Lord\nlet not my tomb be an object of worship. Let there remain only one\nfaith, that of Islam, in all Arabia. Gabriel come near me, Lord pardon\nme, grant me joy, accept me into thy companionship on high, etc.\"\n\nMohammed did not claim the power of performing miracles but since his\ndeath some of his followers have attributed miracles to him such as,\nwhen walking the streets, trees and stones would salute him; he caused\na flood of water to spring up from dry ground; he rode on his horse\nBorak through air from Medina to Mecca, Jerusalem to paradise and to\nthe heavenly mansions and again came back to Mecca. The only miracle\nMohammed himself claimed was the revelation of Koran.\n\n\nHIS CHARACTER.\n\nSome people have the impression that Mohammed was a man of good\ncharacter and great simplicity. Possibly this was true of him in the\nearlier part of his life, but he degenerated as Solomon, but unlike the\nwise preacher of \"vanity\" he never repented. Mohammed was a slave of\nsensual passion. The doctrine of polygamy which he taught was the\nresult of his own sensuality. Ayesha his favorite wife said: \"The\nprophet loves three things, women, perfumes and food.\" He, at the age\nof fifty-three years, married this woman when she was at the age of\nnine years. Again he claimed to have a special revelation from heaven\nto marry Zey-nab the wife of his adopted son. To gratify this wish, it\nwas necessary for Zeyd, his faithful son, to get a divorce from\nZey-nab.\n\n\nTHE CONQUEST OF ISLAM.\n\n\"The secret of success for Islam is in the sword,\" said Mohammed. His\nfaith teaches that one drop of blood shed for Allah, or God, avails\nmore than all prayer, fastings and sacrifices. One night spent in the\nholy armies of Islam will be rewarded by Allah more than human reason\ncan think. Everyone that falls in battle is received in heaven as a\nmartyr and rewarded for his devotion to the faith. After Mohammed's\ndeath, his successor became aggressive as his forces grew stronger. His\ncommand to his armies was: \"Before you is paradise, behind you is\nhell.\" Inspired by this belief, the wild and superstitious Arabs rushed\nforward and subdued Syria, Palestine and Egypt. The churches in the\nlarge cities of these lands were converted into mosques for the worship\nof Mohammed. In 668 and 717 they besieged Constantinople and in 707\nsubdued the northern provinces of Africa. In 711 they established a\nCalifat in Spain at Cordova. The Arabs crossed the Pyrenees and made\nthe threat that they would soon stable their horses in St. Paul's\ncathedral at Rome. But they were defeated by Charles Martel in 732.\nFerdinand drove them out of Spain into Africa. In the East the Moslems\nhad, in the ninth century subdued Persia, Afghan, Bloogiston, a large\npart of India, also a large part of Brahmanism and Buddhism. The Turks\nwere conquered in the eleventh century; the Mongols in the thirteenth\ncentury. Constantinople fell into the hands of the unspeakable Turks in\n1453. The magnificent church of St. Sophia in which Chrysostom preached\nthe gospel with a fiery tongue and many church fathers chanted in it\nthe true Word of God was converted into a mosque. To-day the Koran is\nread there in instead of the gospel. The Sultan occupies the throne of\nConstantine and calls himself the \"shadow of Almighty,\" boasts in his\nfanatical religion, and scorns Christian powers. On the other hand the\nChristian powers look at him with the cold spirit of Christianity but I\nbelieve the time will come and is near when the Gospel will be preached\nagain in the church of St. Sophia instead of the Koran.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nTHE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION.\n\n\nThe Koran is the Mohammedan's holy bible, creed, and code of laws. The\nholy Koran was delivered to Mohammed neither in graven tablets of\nstone, nor by cloven tongues of fire, but it was engraven on Mohammed's\nheart and was communicated by his tongue to the Arabs. His heart was\nthe Sinai where he received his revelation and his tablets of stone\nwere the hearts of believers. The Koran contains 114 chapters and 6225\nverses. Each chapter begins with formula, \"In the name of God the\nmerciful and the compassionate.\" The chapter is named from the chief\nsubject treated therein; as \"praise,\" \"the light,\" \"the spider,\" \"the\nwoman,\" etc. Mohammed received all of his revelation at once but when\noccasion required he dictated new chapters to Zeid. Another notion is\nthat the Koran was delivered orally and was scattered until after the\nprophet's death when it was collected by Ayesha, his youngest wife, and\nZeid. All of it was written in the best classical poetry. It is sweet\nin the Arabic language but it looses its beauty when translated into\nother languages.\n\nMohammed did not invent a new religion but collected most of his\ndoctrines from the Jewish, heathen and Christian religions and\nChristian tradition. Mohammed was greatly indebted to a Nestorian monk\nnamed Sargius Be-hi-ra, a man of rare ability, whom the prophet kept in\nhis home for several years and learned all he knew about Christian\ndoctrines and traditions. Many of the wise counsels, stories, teachings\nof our duties to God and brethren in the faith, that are related in the\nOld and New Testament are reproduced in the Koran, but the language is\nchanged and the order of their occurrences is reversed. The Koran\ncontains mistakes such as making the Virgin Mary the mother of our Lord\nthe same person as Mary the sister of Moses and Aaron. But without\nquestion the Koran is one of the greatest books of the world in the\nnumber of adherents it has. It is a code of civil and religious law;\n200,000,000 Mohammedans scattered all over the world to-day are\nfollowing the teaching of the Koran. The book contains much that is\ngood and wise but one of its most dangerous defects is the prominence\nand approval given to polygamy and sensualism.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE CREED OF ISLAM.\n\n\nMonotheism is the corner-stone of Islam. Their creed consists of six\narticles. God, predestination, the angels good and bad, the books and\nthe traditions of the 124,000 prophets, the resurrection and judgment,\neternal reward and punishment. The formula continually repeated by the\nMohammedans is this: \"There is no god but God and Mohammed is His\nprophet.\" Allah or God has infinite power and wisdom and is holy,\nomnipotent, omnipresent, creator of the universe, upholder of all. He\nis an arbitrary ruler but deals justly with men. He is an object of\nfear and reverence, rather than of love and gratitude. The Mohammedan\ndoes not look upon God as the Father. He says God is the almighty\ncreator and men ought to fear and tremble before Him as slaves. The\nwriter was reasoning with a Mohammedan one day and spoke of God as \"our\nheavenly Father.\" He said \"you blaspheme. Don't call God a father.\" This\ncould not be as he never had a wife. Allah has foreordained all things,\ngood and evil. An unconditional resignation to Him is true wisdom. He\nis known because He has revealed Himself through chosen messengers,\nangelic and human, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, our\ngreat and chief prophets, but Mohammed is the last and the greatest\nabove all.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE PRIESTHOOD.\n\n\nThe Muj-ta-hid is the highest order of the priesthood but this order is\ndivided into four degrees. The members of the highest degree reside at\nKarbala, the sacred city. The chief of this degree is called\nNaib-el-emam and in the belief of Shiite Moslems he is the\nrepresentative of Mohammed. His position is the same as that of the\npope in the Roman Catholic Church; and he is believed to be infallible.\nHis authority extends over the entire clergy and in some respects over\ngovernment. He resides in the most holy mosque which was built on the\ntombs of Hassan and Hussein, children of Ali, who were Martyrs in the\nwar between the Shi-ites and Sun-neh Moslems. He has power to declare\nholy war. Vast sums of money are contributed into his keeping every\nyear which he spends in defraying the expenses of thousands of pilgrims\nwho flock to this shrine, and also for students who study in that\nmosque. He leads a simple life but it was stated by one of the pilgrims\nthat he makes considerable money for his children. When this great\nchief dies there is a day of lamentation throughout Persia and lords\nand counts feed thousands of poor men and divide money among them. All\nbusiness is suspended for the day.\n\nThe late Shah, it is said, sent three different messengers to this high\nChurch official before he could get an interview, the churchman\npleading humility and unworthiness to receive the king but before the\nlatter departed after the interview he was charged to be a good and\nfaithful ruler.\n\nThe second degree in the Muj-ta-hid is called Arch-Muj-ta-hid. It is\ncomposed of four priests who reside in the four places known as\nEra-wa-nee Shirazee, Khorasonee and Isphahonee, and one of these\nofficials succeeds Na-ib-el emam at the death of the latter.\n\nThe third degree is the common Muj-ta-hid who are numerous. In my city\nOroomiah of 30,000 inhabitants there are ten or more priests of this\ndegree. Sometimes they are called Eulama meaning divines.\n\n\nTHE METHOD OF THEIR LIVING.\n\nThey are executors of civil and religious law; no man can be a judge or\nlawyer unless he is a Muj-ta-hid. These priests judge such cases as the\ndivision of property for which he charges a fee. Where the interested\nparties are rich they are frequently required to appear before the\npriest several times before a decision is given that he may charge them\na larger fee. As a general rule the man who pays these priest--magistrates\nthe most money will win the case, even if it is necessary to pervert\nthe law. Many a well-to-do man has been brought to poverty by the\nextortions of these Muj-ta-hid. Government cannot resist them. When\nlords or counts or rich people marry they charge large sums of money\nfor performing the ceremony. Large fees are also made for writing legal\ndocuments in the transference of land or other valuable property. The\ncommon people consider it a privilege to make presents to the\nMuj-ta-hid. These men are usually very rich, and own one or more\nbeautiful palaces and have from two to four wives. Every young widow\nwho has beauty and riches is sought in marriage by some of the priests.\n\nThe fourth degree is called Mollah, and their office is the same as the\nProtestant elder. The Mohammedans have no preaching services such as we\nhave except on holidays, when certain ceremonies are carried out. The\nMol-lah visit the sick, call on families, teach them prayers and\ntraditions and conduct funerals. Some of them teach children who come\nto them each day for instruction. Their meals are provided by the\nstudents who bring them some food, usually very choice each morning.\nOne dime a month is generally the tuition fee. In the fall his\nparishioners who are able give him a collection of provisions for the\nwinter such as grapes, apples, wheat, fuel, etc. He is highly respected\nin the community and is always invited out to a feast in some private\nhome on holidays. He writes documents for the people for which he gets\nfrom two to ten cents, but the fee is often two or three eggs or a\nbasket of fruit. This is the poor Mollah's only income. Some of them\nhave no parish and do secular work for a living, others recite Koran on\nthe tomb of a lord for which they are paid by the relatives of the\ndeceased. I have seen one Mollah reciting Koran for fifteen years at\nthe tomb of a noted army officer.\n\nThere are a class of priests, more learned and devout, who work as the\nrevivalists of their religion. On holidays, which are quite frequent,\nthe mosques are crowded with worshipers, when one of these priests\nmounts an elevated pulpit with great ostentation and in an impressive\nvoice begins to read or repeat Koran. He will chant traditions of the\nprophets and martyrs and relate pathetic stories of the noble\nsacrifices of departed heroes of the faith. His charming tones and\nutterances have much effect on his audience and men and women weep and\nbeat their breasts.\n\n\nTHE GARMENTS OF MUJ-TA-HID.\n\nThe Muj-ta-hid wears underclothes of white linen, his long coat is made\nof woolen cloth. His outer cloak is a robe that hangs to the feet. This\nrobe is quite expensive, being made of the fur of animals, and is dyed\nyellow. They believe it a duty to wear a robe of skin as a sign of\nmeekness. The robes cost from $50 to $500. He wears a girdle of white\nlinen in many folds. His turban is large and white. The light, heelless\nshoes cover only half of his feet. When he goes out he has a fine staff\nin his hand, the handle being of gold or silver. From ten to twenty\nservants accompany him, some stepping before, others after him. Men of\nall class rise and salute him by bowing with their hands across their\nbreast. Many men kiss the shoes of the high Muj-ta-hids.\n\n\nTHE PLACE OF SAY-YIDS IN MOHAMMEDANISM.\n\nMohammedanism is divided into two great sects:--viz. Shiites and\nSunnites. Both hold Mohammed to be the Prophet and Savior of mankind\nand Koran to be the holy bible, written by the finger of God and given\nto Mohammed through the mediation of Gabriel. But they differ in their\nbelief as to who are the true successors of Mohammed. Shiites claim\nthat Ali the son-in-law and nephew of Mohammed was Caliph, while\nSunnites contend that four disciples of Mohammed were his true\nsuccessors. This difference led to war and bloodshed and gave rise to a\npermanent division in Mohammedanism.\n\nPersia generally belongs to the Shiites tribe. They receive Ali as the\nCaliph after Mohammed. The descendants of Ali are therefore held in\nhigh esteem and rank in Persia. They are called Say-yids, which means\nprophets and masters and they have privileges that do not belong to\ncommon men. They are very zealous to perpetuate their own sect. From\nthe time of Ali they have kept a careful record of their genealogy.\nThis book of testimony called Sajjara, is given from father to son and\nserves as a credential to the Say-yidical tribe. Each family must have\nin its possession a credential at least two hundred years old. When\nthese are worn by age and use their leaders may draft copies and duly\ncertify them.\n\nThe Say-yid's dress distinguishes him from other men. He wears a green\nturban and girdle, so that he is really known whether alone or in a\nthrong. If a common man should presume to wear these articles of dress\nhe would be severely punished. The Say-yid's turban is to them more\nprecious than a kingly crown. It is the sign of their glory. The girdle\nis a symbol of strength. Their rank is higher than all other degrees\namong men and their high priest is more honored than a prince. So\nSay-yid ruleth over other men. He demands and receives their honors. In\nthe assemblies of lords and influential men, the Say-yid occupies the\nchief seats, and are always served first. Oaths of gravity are sworn by\ntheir heads. All men fear them, believing that their curse will surely\nbe brought to pass. They are never smitten or reviled. If a Christian\nshould lift his hand against them that hand must be severed from his\nbody. They are exempt from legal punishment. Governors cannot impose on\nthem fines or imprisonments. If a Say-yid should kill a common man it\nwould be impossible to punish him with death for his murder. The\ngovernor cannot punish him for it would be a sin against God; it is\nbelieved that God created all men for the sake of Mohammed and his\ndescendants. A Say-yid's punishment must come through the leader of\nthat order.\n\nMany vows are made to them. Parents when their daughters are sick, vow\nto marry them to a Say-yid, believing that God will cure her for the\nsake of the Say-yid. They generally ride on gray horses, claiming that\nthose of that color belong to them. They lead the large pilgrim\ncaravans, which go every year to worship at the tomb of Ali. Their\npresence is believed to protect the caravans from thieves and robbers.\nTheir law gives them authority over the property of other men. They are\nmasters while others are peasants. Sometimes they smite and punish\nother men without mercy. By their law one-tenth of all property belongs\nto them. Generally they do not work, but live well, because of their\nposition as Say-yids or holy men. The more noble of them will sit in\ntheir houses and receive tithes of the fruits, coffee, tea and money of\nthe surrounding people. If these tithes are not freely given a servant\nwill be sent with authority to demand and take same. The less noble of\nthe Say-yids go personally to the homes vineyards and gardens and\ngather their portion. Sometimes there might be seen no less than ten\nSay-yids going to vineyards for this purpose. Generally they ask\nnothing from Christians, as their law restrains them and they are\nashamed to ask of other religions.\n\nI once met a Say-yid in my father's vineyard and he asked a portion. I\nrefused, telling him that I myself was also a Say-yid _i.e._, a\nChristian Say-yid, and asked if one Say-yid should receive something\nfrom another. He laughed, and said: \"yes sir, sometimes.\" I gave him\nthree pounds of raisins. These Say-yids are in only the Shiites branch\nof Islam. In later years their honor is decreased; the government is\nagainst them. Some of them are very religious. Two of them in the city\nof Ispha-han were converted to Christianity and suffered martyrdom. One\nhas been converted to Christianity in my city, Oroomiah. He is one of\nthe most spiritual men among Christians.\n\n\nTHE DARWISHES.\n\nShiites Mohammedanism rests upon two pillars one of which is Darwishes.\nThis is one of the most holy orders of the Musalmans. It corresponds to\nthe monasticism of Christianity. It contains several degrees, such as\nasceticism, mandicanism, etc. It is a volunteer consecration to Allah\nand his prophet, except in cases in which parents had dedicated their\nsons to the order. There are numerous instances in which women without\nchildren made a vow to Allah that if given a son they would consecrate\nhim to God to be a Darwish. This order contains members from all\nclasses, high and low, rich and poor, and even from the royal family.\nCelibacy is not required but they are taught that it is far better for\nthem not to marry.\n\n[Illustration: HIGH-CLASS DERVISH.]\n\n\nTHEIR CHARACTER.\n\nA Darwish is expected to be and usually is humble, kind and liberal,\nready to serve any man. He must suffer all the trouble of life and live\nin an humble condition because this is holiness. He is required to be\nwell informed in all religious stories, tradition, and Koran, and\nparticularly in the poetical writings of Maw-le-wee order, which is\ntheir own order, founded by An-wa-ree the father of the Darwishes. Some\nof the members know from one to five thousand of these sacred poems.\nMost of them are sufficiently educated to read. The Darwishes are the\nmost faithful, honest and pure of all the followers of Mohammed. In all\nmy life I have never heard of a single immoral Darwish. Some of them\nare very intelligent and well educated and familiar with all their\nreligious rites. On the other hand they are very superstitious,\nfanatical and ambitious to propagate their religion, believing it to be\na true religion. They are free to discuss their faith with all men in a\nkind spirit. In a discussion with one of them he could not answer me\nbut proposed that we prove the truth of our religion by both entering a\nburning fire, and the one who came out unharmed would have the true\nreligion. I told him to enter the fire and if he was not burned I would\nbelieve in his religion and become a Mohammedan. He did not dare do it\nand was ashamed.\n\n\nTHE NATURE OF THEIR SERVICE.\n\nThe darwishes' work is to tell stories, tales and traditions during\nweek days in the streets. Friday is holy day among Mohammedans and is\nto be observed in worshiping God. The darwishes begin at one o'clock\nP.M. on that day singing poems on the streets and continue until\nevening. Their poems are for the glory and honor of Mohammed and Ali,\nfor they believe these two men were the supreme creation of God. One of\ntheir poems reads as follows:\n\n\"The first of creatures is Ali; the supreme of beings is Ali; the true\ncalif of the prophet all is Ali; the lord of all the world is Ali; the\nlord of my soul is Ali.\"\n\nThe darwishes wear long hair, and a pointed orange shape cap, a cloak\nof patch work and a long white robe and in his right hand a tomahawk\nwith a fancy handle with some poems written on the blade. In the other\nhand is held a kashkul for the collection of money. These are the\nrituals of his office. A dozen or more of them may be seen on every\nstreet, not far from each other, standing in front of the stores\nsinging some poems for the praise of Ali in a loud voice, and with an\nearnest and enthusiastic spirit. Then he will pass his kashkul and the\nshopman will drop in it from one to three pennies and sometimes only a\nbit of sugar or ginger. Any gift is acceptable. One passing in the\nstreets hears voices of base, tenor, etc, some rough, some clear as the\nsound of a bell of gold making an attractive melody. Sometimes they\nsing two by two, one for the praise of Mohammed, the other for the\npraise of Ali. Once I heard a darwish singing a poem to the praise of\nAli, and when he had finished another responded near by singing to the\npraise of Mohammed in the following words: \"He (Mohammed) has attained\nto the supremacy of his personal holiness; he has enlightened the\ndarkness by personal beauty; beautiful are all his deeds. The blessings\nof God be upon him and upon all his children.\" Some darwishes travel\nover all Persia, spending a short time in each city they visit doing\ntheir work.\n\nThe cap which the darwish wears has embroidered upon it a verse from\nKoran and signifies his consecration to the service of Allah. The\nkashkul is a box in which to collect money for the poor and sick. The\nwhite robe is a sign of purity. The sheepskin on his shoulder is a sign\nof meekness. The beads on his neck are to remind him of the duty of\nprayer. The tomahawk is a sign of war and victory for his prophet and\nAllah. Those who have excelled in their holy service go to their leader\nand he places on the skin of the right shoulder of the darwish an\ninscription which remains as a sign of consecration and honor.\n\nThere is a low class of darwishes who are very ignorant, superstitious\nand fanatical and are like beggars. They pitch their tents at the gates\nof rich people and will not go away until they have been satisfied with\nmoney. Sometimes a large crowd of this class will gather in a mosque\nand spend several hours in howling unto Allah and the prophets until\nmade weary by the exertion.\n\nWhen the good darwish goes home Friday evening he will have gathered\nsome money and also provisions, such as tea, coffee, sugar etc. He will\nkeep for himself and family enough to last one week; the remainder is\ngiven to the poor.\n\n\nTHEIR PLACE IN MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION.\n\nThe darwish is highly respected by all classes from the royal family to\nthe most humble. No man dares to beat or lay hands on one of them, as\nit would be considered a great crime. In case a darwish does wrong or\ncommits crime the government does not punish him but refers the matter\nto the leader of the order. Sometimes they are called Kallander, which\nmeans humble and holy men of Allah. They are exempted from paying tax\nand from military service. Many presents are given to them by the\npeople. The salutation is different from the common people. The first\nsays, \"Ya-ho\" which means: \"O living God\"; the response is \"Ya-mal-ho,\"\nwhich means: \"O God the Giver of life.\"\n\nSo it is plain that the darwishes are one of the two pillars that\nsupport Islamism. Thank God we have some darwishes converted to\nChristianity.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE LAYMEN.\n\n\nThe laymen are divided into three classes, viz., the counts, lords,\nmiddle class and low class.\n\nThe middle class live mostly in towns and cities. Their occupation is\nmerchandise; to carry goods to Europe and import goods into Persia.\nOthers are manufacturing carpets, rugs, etc. Others are iron-smiths,\nsilver-smiths, carpenters, druggists, butchers, and masons. A great\nnumber are secretaries for lords, counts, and in military service. The\nlife of this class is very happy indeed. Their homes are quite\ncomfortable, and kept in good order. Their tables are spread with\nenough of the good things to satisfy. This class do none of the work\nthat custom has assigned to the lower classes. Pride would not allow\nit. Custom requires them to have smooth hands--not always white, for\nsome prefer to dye them red.\n\nThe women of the middle class take life easy. They are not often\nallowed to go outside without permission of their husbands or\nmothers-in-law. In some instances the older ladies spend their time\nmaking rugs, shawls, and carpets--some of which are very beautiful and\ncostly. The young ladies and brides spend their time in making caps,\npurses, head-covering, dresses, etc. Unmarried girls are positively\nrequired and it is the duty of her mother to teach her how to make\nrugs, carpets and embroidery work, etc. for her marriage. One of her\nfirst duties is to learn to dress herself handsomely. The face and brow\nwill be colored with red and white paints. The eyes and eyebrows with\nblack paint. The hands and feet are dyed with hana a kind of paint\nthat colors them red.\n\n[Illustration: HAREM COSTUME.]\n\n\nCOSTUMES AT HOME.\n\nThe shirt worn at home by woman is an article made of silk or cotton.\nIt is short, open breast, well embroidered, and is red or white and\nreaches to the middle of the thigh. Over the shirt is the cula-ja,\nrather loose, with long sleeves fastened with buttons of silver.\n\nThe Shalwar is similar to the ordinary skirt only it is very short.\nSome wear from three to ten of these skirts. The outer one is very rich\nand trimmed with gold lace. The head covering is called Char-Kat and is\nmade square of a long embroidered article of fine silk or thin cotton\nand is fastened under her chin. Sometimes at home they are bareheaded.\nHose are white and long. The hair is generally black, heavy, braided\nand spread on her back. In front it is parted in the middle when bangs\nare not worn. The hair is usually painted to appear black and smooth.\n\n\nHER JEWELRY.\n\nThe middle class of women are fond of jewelry, but do not burden\nthemselves with heavy ornaments as do some of the lower class. They\nusually wear two or three finger rings, small earrings of gold,\nbracelets and necklace. There is frequently a large emerald, incased in\ngold, hanging from the necklace, bearing this inscription: \"There is no\ngod but Allah.\" Beautiful ornaments of gold and silver are attached to\nthe ends of their braided hair.\n\nWhen a wife has perfumed and adorned herself she will await the coming\nof her husband from his shop. She knows at what time he will return\nhome. An hour before his coming she will go before the mirror to see if\nshe is dressed beautifully enough to please her husband. Ten minutes\nbefore his arrival she will prepare a delicious Kalyon, (which is a\nsmoke and water pipe.) Holding it in her hand she will rise and offer\nhim the Kalyon, saying, \"My lord, command your pleasure.\" He will take\nthe pipe and smoke. While he is sitting she will sprinkle perfume on\nhis head and clothes. For several minutes they exchange the pipe and\nsmoke alternately. This is the first thing which a husband of the\nmiddle class expects of his wife--not to work for him but to adorn\nherself and please him. It cannot be said that the Mohammedan does not\nlove his wife. He buys her whatever she asks for; not because he\nconsiders her his equal, but for the sake of his own pleasure.\n\n\nMEN'S COSTUME.\n\nMost men of the middle class, at some time in life go on a pilgrimage\nto Mecca and Medina. After a pilgrim returns he is given the title of\nHa-jeh and thereafter wears a turban on his head instead of the\nordinary cap. The cap commonly worn by the Persian is about eight\ninches high, has no brim and is black in color. The shirt is of white\ncotton, open in front and fastened with a button on the right shoulder.\nThe trousers are very much like the bloomers worn by some bicyclists of\nmodern times, and old people wear garments even wider than bloomers.\nThey are made of wool or cotton and are usually black. The coat is\ncalled ar-ka-look. Some are long enough to reach the ankle, while\nothers reach about the middle of the thigh. The sleeves fasten at the\nwrist by a button of silk cord. There is a pocket on either side near\nthe belt. Various colors are worn. The gima or overcoat is a heavy wool\ngarment reaching to the knee, the lower part of which is pleated. It is\nopen in front and fastened with a number of buttons. The belt is a\nlarge piece of linen folded many times around the waist. Some wear\nheavy and costly shawls.\n\nIt is a general custom to shave the head except a small place on each\nside of the head just over the ear and a spot on the crown of the head.\nThe hair-covered spots are called Zoolf and are dyed with Hana. The\nmost religious men and the aged shave the entire surface of the head.\nThe young men shave the beard, except the mustache, till the age of\nthirty years after which time the beard is clipped at the length of\nabout one inch till the age of forty. After the age of forty the beard\nis never cut. The mustache is never shaved, by young or old. It is a\nmean thing to do, and is against their religion. No man has been seen\nin Persia with a smooth upper lip except Europeans. A man who will\nshave his mustache is not a Mohammedan but an infidel; not a man, but a\ngirl. The long mustache is regarded as the glory of man.\n\n\nTHE LOWER CLASS.\n\nThe lower class of people are farmers and day labors and among them is\nmuch misery. They work long hours and get from fifteen to twenty-five\ncents a day. Their clothing is of cheap material, poorly made, and\nshorter than the garments of the higher classes. In order to save time\nand soap their clothes are sometimes not washed for a month. Some\nfarmer's wives use the sickle all day long in the field during\nharvest-time. Many women do the lighter work of killing weeds.\nSometimes a woman will take her babe to the field with her and leave it\nin the care of an older child while she labors. In the fall of the year\nthe laborers are busy in the vineyards, a great abundance of grapes\nbeing produced in this country. A familiar scene of an evening is to\nsee men and women trudging homeward bearing heavy burdens of fruit,\nraisins, etc. stored in baskets. Some of the children are employed\nthrough the day looking after and feeding the cattle, buffaloes and\nsheep, while it is the duty of others to carry food and drink to the\nworkers in the fields. In the winter the men are employed feeding\ncattle or in weaving coarse cloths for the clothing of the lower class.\nOthers who are not thus engaged spend the winter in carrying dried\nfruits, wheat, fuel and various kinds of goods to the cities on donkey\ncaravans.\n\nThe women of this class spend the winter in spinning cotton and wool,\nmaking carpets, sacks, etc. and in sewing garments for their children\nand husbands. Young girls are busy in preparing useful articles for\ntheir wedding. The dozen or more holidays that come during the year are\ncelebrated by this class in having big dinners, and the women cease\nfrom the heavy burdens of their labor for the day and attempt to\nbeautify themselves after the fashion of women of the higher classes\nwith paint and finery. Their taste not being cultivated in that art\nthey often make themselves more hideous than beautiful.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE MOSQUES AND THEIR SERVICES.\n\n\nThe mosque is the Mohammedan holy temple or church. There is one in\nmost every community which has been erected by lords or rich people. In\nthe cities they have some magnificent mosques built of stone and brick.\nA mosque is divided into several small rooms and two large halls. One\nhall is for winter service, the other for summer. The summer hall is in\nthe front end of the building, is enclosed with three walls, the front\nbeing open. The pillars that guard the entrance to this hall are\nadorned with artistic designs. The interior walls of the mosque are\npainted white and on them are inscribed in large letters numerous\nverses from the Koran. The floors of the halls are not covered with\ncarpets or rugs, as they would be stolen; but there are cheap mats made\nof reeds on the floor. There are no chairs but the worshipers sit on\nthe floor.\n\nIt is believed that any man who builds a mosque has remission of his\nsins. It gives him great reputation and he is known as a holy and\nreligious man. There are some very old mosques, a few having stood as\nlong as 900 years. In some instances Christian churches have been\nconverted into mosques in times of persecution. In the city of Oroomiah\none very fine church was converted into a mosque about 600 years ago.\nIt is a very large building with a high steeple and stands in the heart\nof the city, surrounded by fine grounds of about three acres. The\ngrounds are surrounded by high wall, inside of which are rows of small\nbuildings divided into rooms and used by students. These were\noriginally used by the Christians as a kind of a university. Even\nto-day the door facing the east which Christians entered to worship\nJesus remains. When the Mohammedans took possession of the building a\nnew door was made on the south side facing the holy city of Mecca.\nMosques are regarded as holy and no animal is allowed to step in,\nespecially dogs. If a Mohammedan knew that dogs sometimes enter\nChristian churches they would despise Christians the more. Jews and\nChristians are not allowed to enter a mosque. They can only stand\nbefore the door and listen solemnly.\n\nThe Mohammedans have no bells on their mosques. They say Satan is in\nthe bell, and that its sound is the sound of Satan. Sometimes they stop\nour bells, saying that Allah will not accept their prayers on account\nof our bells.\n\nThey have no bell, but a man, sometimes a Mool-lah, who ascends to the\nroof of the mosque three times daily, morning, noon and night and in a\nloud voice calls men to prayer. The call is made in the following\nwords: \"Al-lah Ak-par.\" This means Almighty God and is repeated three\ntimes. Then he continues: \"Ashuddu-in-nah la il-la-ha ella Allah,\"\nmeaning, \"I testify that there is no god but God.\" \"Ashud-du in-nah\nMohammed rus-sool Al-lah,\" meaning, \"I testify that Mohammed is the\nonly apostle of God.\" \"Hay-ya alal sa-lah,\" meaning, \"Hasten to prayer.\"\n\"Hay-ya alal falah,\" meaning, \"Hasten to the place of refuge and hope.\"\n\"Hay-ya allal Kher-ul amal,\" meaning, \"Hasten to do good works.\" The\ncall is concluded by again repeating three times the words, \"Allah\nAk-par.\"\n\nThe mosque is open day and night, and men may come into prayer at any\nhour. Friday is holy day and corresponds somewhat to the Christian\nSunday. No man is chastised if he works on Friday but all faithful\nMohammedans attend public services on that day. The services in the\nmosques of the cities are conducted by Muj-ta-hids or high priests. The\npriest starts to the house of worship when he hears the voice of the\nMah-zin calling to prayer from the top of the mosque. He is accompanied\nby eight or ten servants beside numbers of worshipers who may fall in\nline with the holy man. When he enters the assembled worshipers rise to\ntheir feet and remain standing until the priest has seated himself in\nthe pulpit. He will recite from the Koran and tell traditions in a\nchanting voice. Women are allowed to attend these services but they are\nrequired to sit in one corner of the mosque apart from men.\n\n\nSPECIAL SERVICES.\n\nAmong Muj-ta-hids two titles are given to those who excel in holiness,\nviz., Pish-Namaz and Imam-Ju-ma. The former means mediator in prayer;\nthe latter, the prophet of holy Friday. They are indeed more devoted to\ntheir faith and at the same time more fanatical in their hatred for\nChristianity. When one of these priests goes to the mosque he wears a\nlarge turban on his head, some of them costing $50, a cloak of fur, a\nstaff with gold or silver handle. He wears a long beard which is\npainted black. Following him is a procession of from fifty to one\nhundred men, mostly mollah, or lower class, who are faithful Moslems.\nProceeding toward the mosque with slow and solemn tread, he is saluted\nby the people of all classes along the street by their rising to their\nfeet, crossing the breast with the arms and reverently bowing before\nhim, uttering the words \"Sallam ali-Kun Agha,\" which means \"peace be\nunto you, sir.\" This service occurs on holy Friday Sometimes 2,000 or\n3,000 men will be gathered in the mosque. Women are not admitted in\nthese most holy and solemn services. The Muj-ta-hid stands in the front\npart of the mosque, facing Mecca, and all the audience is back of him.\nAs he advances in the prayer all the people repeat what he prays. They\nimitate every motion he makes. When he kneels, they kneel. When he puts\nthe end of his front fingers in his ears, the entire audience does the\nsame. They believe all prayers which are prayed in that way are\naccepted through his mediatorial prayer.\n\n[Illustration: PRIESTS AT WORSHIP.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nMOSLEM'S PRIVATE PRAYER AND FASTING.\n\n\nPRAYER.\n\nPrayer carries the Musselman half way to heaven. There is no salvation\nby grace or by atonement. Allah forgives his sins only on the condition\nof good works. Hence it is an obligation with every one to pray. Prayer\nis not a duty issuing from his love to Allah, but a yoke which binds\nhim against his will. It is reduced to a mechanical act without spirit.\nThe Moslem always washes with cold water before prayer. He will take a\njar of water and say, \"Bism Allah\" meaning, \"in the name of God I do\nthis holy service.\" Then dipping his right hand in the water he rubs\nhis arms from the wrist to the elbow; with the tips of his fingers he\nwill wet his forehead and the inside of his ears, and the surface of\nhis feet. Travelers in the desert, use sand as a substitute for water.\nThe worshiper must have a seal of Mecca which is made of clay and is\nabout the size of a half-dollar. On it are the words, \"There is no God\nbut God.\" Facing Mecca, he puts the seal on the ground and standing\nerect he raises both hands to his head, kneels to the ground, puts his\nbrow on the seal, then kisses it. Rising to his feet he puts both index\nfingers in his ears; and also makes numerous other gestures. They have\none prayer which is always repeated. They have five stated seasons\ndaily for prayer; daybreak, noon, soon after noon, after sunset (to\navoid the idea of sun worship) and just before retiring. The general\nplace of prayer is the mosque, but few of the Moslems pray there, as\nthey prefer praying in the streets, open squares and in meadows before\nmosques where they will be seen by more men and can better show their\npiety and integrity. In the midst of his prayer he will stop and speak\na few words to the surrounding people as a religious custom, or to\nrevile children whose noise while at play may have interrupted him. A\nprayer often prayed by faithful Moslems, quoted from the Koran, is a\nfoolish and selfish prayer and is entirely against the spirit and\nteachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. It reads: \"O Allah, I seek refuge\nto thee from Satan and all evil spirits. O Lord of all creatures\ndestroy all heathen and infidels, even those who believe in the\nTrinity, the enemy of our religion. O Allah, make their children\norphans, their wives widows, and defile their abodes. Give their\nfamilies, their households, their women, their children, their\nrelatives, their possessions, their race, their wealth, their lands,\nand their daughters as a booty to the Moslems, Thy only people, O Lord\nof all creatures.\" Every word is against the blessed teachings of our\nLord who said: \"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good\nto them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and\npersecute you.\"\n\nThe Mohammedan religion does not require women to pray. It is a\nquestion if she has the same soul that man has. However some women\namong the higher classes and some old widows do pray. But they cannot\npray in the most holy mosques on account of their uncleanness, nor in\nthe streets for they ought not to be seen of men. If they wish to they\nmay pray in their private houses.\n\nWhile prayer carries a Musselman half way to heaven, fasting carries\nhim to the gate and alms admit him. So fasting and alms are the keys to\nparadise and every man must practice them. The Moslems have only one\nmonth of fasting called the ramadhan. Their month begins with the new\nmoon; but sometimes in some parts of the land it is cloudy and they\ncannot see the moon. So men will be appointed by the government\nthroughout all the empire to watch carefully for the new moon,\nsometimes from the peaks of mountains. When she is discovered telegrams\nare sent announcing the beginning of the fast on the morrow. They will\nfast from one hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset, or\ntill it becomes too dark for a man to discriminate between red and\nblack thread. During this time they abstain from eating, drinking, and\nsmoking. The poor class work till noon. The rich do not work at all.\nThe most of the day is spent in reciting the Koran, praying and\nsleeping. Christians cannot eat in the street, for the Moslems might\nlong to eat too, or even take a taste, and thus break their fast. Boys\nand girls above eight years must fast, while sick men are not compelled\nto during this month. However when they recover they are required to\nfast thirty days as soon as they are able. They do not converse much in\nthe day but wear a sad countenance. They do not allow a Christian to\nspeak to them. At morning and evening in the cities a cannon is fired\nfor the beginning and ending of the fast. During this month much alms\nis given. The lords and princes especially send meals from their table.\nThey believe fasting and giving secure absolute forgiveness of sins and\nadmittance to heaven. The night is changed to a feast. They eat and\ndrink and converse till twelve o'clock. Then they retire but are up\nagain at three and eat and drink till one hour before sun is down.\nDeath among them occurs most often in that month because many eat too\nmuch. So many different meals hurt their stomach and they fall sick and\ndie. The Mohammedans say they go to heaven for its gates are open\nduring this month for Musselmen. Hundreds of them eat everything they\nwant and at any time of the day. They do not believe in fasting: But\nthey must be careful that the high priest does not catch them breaking\nthe fast, for he would punish such offence severely. The writer has\nseen many Mohammedans eating in this month. They would eat and smoke in\ntheir houses and then wash out their mouths and tell everyone they were\nfasting. Thousands fast either for their own glory or from the fear of\nmen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nTHE PILGRIMAGES.\n\n\nIslam's religion has many holy places and it is the duty of every\nMohammedan to visit these shrines unless circumstances hinder him.\nPilgrimages secure not only forgiveness of sins, but a great reputation\nas well. Of all Mohammedan shrines there are four most remarkable.\nMedina is the first. It was the birthplace of Mohammed. Here he lived\ntill he was six years old when his mother, Amina, died. A slave girl\nfaithfully nourished him and took him to Mecca. But his last days were\nspent in Medina. When he was dying in the arms of Ayesha, Omar asked\nhim: \"Prophet where do you wish us to bury you?\" He answered: \"Throw\nthe rein of the bridle on my camel's neck and I believe the angel\nGabriel will come and direct her where to go. There bury me.\" They did\nso. His camel started off, but soon stopped and would not proceed\nfurther. So they buried Mohammed there and a magnificent mosque stands\nabove his grave. This building is adorned with silver and gold and\nMohammedans worship it.\n\nThe second place is Mecca. This city is the most holy for all the\nMohammedan world. Here is the old temple of the Arabs the Kaaba which\nwas converted by Mohammed into a mosque. It has been rebuilt many times\nby the rich kings of Islam. This mosque is among the seven wonders of\nthe world and is not inferior in beauty and cost' to Solomon's temple.\nOutside at the gate is a black stone which the ancient Arabs worshiped\nbefore Mohammed. Some said the stone was cast out of paradise with\nAdam; others that it was cast down from heaven. Upon it Abraham offered\nIsaac. The worshipers held a tradition that if anyone should place a\nsmooth stone on this holy stone and it should stick fast he should have\nthe wish of his heart. Many childless women use this means to find if\nGod will give them a child. Near the mosque is the well of Ab Zimzim,\n_i.e._, living water. Mohammedans claim Abraham, Hagar and Jacob\nquenched their thirst at this well. Jacob and other patriarchs, they\nsay, watered their sheep here. Many pilgrims have assured the writer\nthat the mosque of the Kaaba was originally built by the angel Gabriel.\nThere are two hundred million Moslems scattered throughout the world\nand each of them turns his face toward this mosque and prays five times\ndaily.\n\nThe third place is Karballa. This city holds the second place in\nsacredness in the estimation of the Mohammedans. It is situated in\nAsiatic Turkey, near the famous city of Bagdad, where Saleek and\nKatispon once flourished, ancient towns of the Christian Nestorians.\nHere their patriarch dwells who ruled over all the Nestorian church.\nAfter the death of Mohammed his four caliph successors overthrew these\nplaces and took them from the Nestorians. Later a battle took place\nhere between these caliphs and the grandchildren of Mohammed to decide\nwhich should be at the head of the new religion. The caliphs were\nsuccessful; the grandchildren being slain. They were buried here and\nupon their graves was reared a magnificent mosque. Like that of Mecca\nthis, too, is adorned with gold and silver. Hundreds of rich men from\nall parts of Persia give large offerings for this temple. Karballa has\ndifferent meanings. Some translate it the place of danger, some the\nplace of mourning, some the place of the killing of martyrs, others the\nplace of those holy men. Here in this city is the pope of all\nPersia,--they call him prophet. In his hands is all the power of his\nreligion, and he has more power than the king. Everything he commands\nthey must do, even to the killing or massacring of all the Christians.\nThe king must do him formal reverence.\n\nThe fourth place is Mashhad. This city is situated in the northeast\npart of Persia, in the state of Khorason, near the Caspian sea. This is\nthe most holy city in Persia. Here are buried many famous persons as\nthe grandchildren of Mohammed. This mosque is more rich than Mecca and\nKarballa. The dome is gilded with gold outside and inside. Generally\neach king of Persia makes expensive presents, but the most remarkable\nevent in this connection was two hundred years ago. Nadirshah, a\npowerful king of Persia, he that conquered India and despoiled Calcutta\nof its treasures,--made a present to this temple of a crown of gold,\nadorned with precious stones. They say at night it is like the\nElectricity building at the Columbian Exposition. They call it\nMashhad-Mokaddas, meaning holy. It is a place of martyrs. No Christians\nor Jews are permitted to reside in this city. In the thirteenth century\nthis was the cathedral of the archbishop of the Nestorians.\n\n\nPILGRIMAGES TO THE HOLY PLACES.\n\nMohammedan law commands all to go to these holy places. The books of\nceremony emphasize the importance of such pilgrimages. The hope of\nremission of sins is given to all visitors, and they are thereafter\ncalled by a different name from ordinary men. Everyone has confidence\nin them; and sometimes for a witness they call from this class of men.\nTheir law is, every man able must go and God will be merciful to his\nfamily, and afterward he will be rich. Everyone who refuses to go is\nnot a true Moslem and does not love his religion.\n\n\nPREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY.\n\nBefore going on this journey many fast and pray. They must repent of\nevery sin and sometimes one sees men praying in various ways, and it is\neasy to see that they are preparing for a pilgrimage. They put on a\nsorrowful countenance and walk about sadly,--all of which is merely for\nvain glory. Every day they must wash and cleanse themselves and go to\nthe mosque. If they are at enmity with any man, they must first be\nreconciled before their journey will be recognized. Some days before\nstarting some Say-yids, descendants of Mohammed who wear a blue turban\nand are considered most honorable and holy men, who do not work, who\nare not punished for any violation of law, will ride on blue horses\nwith long spears in their hands. They will walk in the streets crying\nin a loud voice to all those who are to make a pilgrimage to prepare\nthemselves and be ready on a certain day. Together with this command is\nuttered words of comfort and encouragement. They tell the people not to\nfear. God will send for the sake of Mohammed His angels and prophets,\nriding on blue horses, to deliver them from all robbers and thieves.\nYet many do die on this pilgrimage at the hands of desperate characters\nof the desert or mountains.\n\n\nALMS-GIVING.\n\nOne month before starting each man must give according to his ability\nfor alms. They are besieged by the others to prepare food and drink for\nfeasts. If a man is rich the demand is repeated. Before starting the\npilgrim goes to the leader to inquire what is necessary for him to do\nand how to do it that his pilgrimage be accepted. The priest will say\nif the man is rich, \"You found a mosque.\" If a man is poor a smaller\namount of money is required. The very poor are commanded to fast from\nten to forty days. Those who make their pilgrimage on horseback scatter\nmoney on the way for the benefit of the beggars and the poor. As the\npilgrim sets out he is accompanied by friends for some distance as a\nmark of honor to the faithful Islam. Before the band of pilgrims the\nleader rides calling out in a loud voice, \"Saelaewaet.\"\n\n\nCARRYING THE DEAD.\n\nTheir law requires that not only the living but also the dead shall go\nto these places. The dead are sometimes carried to the sacred cities\nforty years after burial. Sometimes when a stingy man dies who has not\ngone on a pilgrimage in his lifetime, he exacts a promise from his\nrelatives that a certain amount of his money will be used to carry his\nbody to a holy city. If this promise is not kept, the priest will\ncompel his relatives and heirs not only to restore the specified sum\nfor sacred purposes but more. When the poor man is about to die he\nadministers an oath to his relatives that after his death his body\nshall at some future time be taken to Karballa. As a reward for this\nservice, the relatives will be blessed of God and made rich. The dead\nare buried in a box so that at some appointed time the remains may be\nexhumed and transferred to a new box and strapped to the back of a\nhorse and carried to the holy city. It matters not if the body has\ndecayed. If the bones remain it is not too late for the pilgrimage. If\nthe deceased has been very poor and his friends cannot take him in\nperson, they hire strangers to do it. Thus one may see the caravans\nwith hundreds of horses--sometimes thousands--with the boxes of dead\nstrapped to their backs on their way to the holy places.\n\n\nMOTIVE IN PILGRIMAGES FOR THE DEAD.\n\nThe object of these trips is to secure heaven for the dead. Their\nreligion teaches that all who die in a holy city or who are buried\nthere find a home in heaven. Some say God has a multitude of spiritual\ncamels with riders who will come and carry the dead bodies to heaven.\nIf you say to them, \"Flesh and bones cannot inherit the holy place of\nGod,\" they will answer, \"Their spirit is taken to heaven, not their\nbody.\" Others will say, \"The bones are not the original ones but\nlikenesses of them.\" Others say, \"it is an honor to the prophets who\nare buried in the holy city for other dead men to be buried there.\" At\nan appointed time after burial it is believed that the dead will rise\nand bow to the tombs of the prophets. This is the manner of their\nworship: Those who go to Medina must arrive before a certain day\nbecause on that particular day their worship is commenced. For two or\nthree days various ceremonies are performed such as fasting, prayer,\npurification and washing of their bodies. When these are concluded, on\nthe fourth day they array themselves in a special robe for worship.\nWithout any covering on their feet they walk around the mosque seven\ntimes. When they enter the mosque they bow themselves before the tomb\nof Mohammed. After this bowing they walk seven times around the tomb of\nthe prophet. They then kneel down and kiss the tomb at the same time\nplacing such money upon it as they can spare. Upon leaving the mosque a\nram is killed as a sacrificial offering. On that day more than one\nhundred thousand sheep are killed in that small city. This together\nwith the warm sun beating on the blood of the victims gives rise to the\nmost fearful of all scourges, cholera. In Karballa, Medina and Mashhad\nworship is conducted in this manner.\n\n\nTHE FEMALE PILGRIM.\n\nThe law requires that females also go to these holy places. Girls at\nevery age are allowed to go, also children. Widows under fifty years\nare not accepted as pilgrims, first, because of their probable desire\nfor marriage, and second because the law says no women must undertake a\npilgrimage alone for thus they would expose themselves to men. So in\norder to go some marry for the occasion. The husband accompanies them\nhither and upon returning either divorces them or keeps them as wives\nor concubines.\n\n\nTHE RETURN OF THE PILGRIMS.\n\nThose who went to Mecca from certain parts before trains began to run\nin the east consumed a year or more in their journey, but now it takes\nonly six or eight months. Those going to Karballa take from three to\nfive months, likewise those going to Mashhad. Every band of pilgrims\nwhen returning to their own city will send a messenger about ten days\nahead to announce that in so many days a band of pilgrims will appear\nin the city. On the day of their arrival many hundred men will meet\nthem several miles from the city. The Say-yids ride before them crying\nsaelaewaets. Friends and relatives kill lambs as a sacrifice before them.\nThis sacrifice is a holy thing and no man can touch it till its blood\nis shed, but when it is beheaded, it belongs to God and the strongest\nman takes it for his own. This being a sacred thing all are very\nanxious to partake of it. The weak will do all they can to keep the\nstrong from carrying the sacrifice away. So there is always quarreling\nwhen the pilgrims return. The acquaintances of the pilgrims will come\nand say, \"My portion be as thy portion. Blessed art thou. May your\npilgrimage be accepted,\" and the pilgrim will answer, \"God grant that\nyou may also go to this Holy Place and receive remission of sin.\" Women\nwill sometimes cut pieces from the pilgrim's garments which are\nsupposed to be holy. At the pilgrims home many sheep are killed and a\nvariety of fine meats are cooked. People gather there to eat and drink\nand they say to the host, \"God bless your pilgrimage.\" He will answer,\n\"May the prophet give you success and grant that you, too, may visit\nthe Holy Place.\"\n\nIt is evident from the above descriptions that there is no place in\nIslam for peace of conscience or absolute assurance of heaven. The\nwriter has often asked of Mohammedans: \"Have you any hope of heaven?\"\nThey say, \"We don't know God knows.\" \"Yes God knows everything but what\ndo you say of your hope?\" He will reply, \"I have no hope--but God is\nmerciful.\"\n\nMany of them would receive Christ if there was freedom of worship.\nThere are even now some true Christians among the Moslems who secretly\nlike Nicodemus. Let us pray that God will open the way of freedom for\nthem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nTHE SHIITE MOSLEM'S MU-HAR-RAM.\n\n\nWhen Mohammed was dying he announced, against his will, that Abbubaker\nhis father-in-law was his rightful successor. It was his real desire to\nbe succeeded by Ali his son-in-law, but he saw that Abbubaker had a\nmuch wider influence than Ali. In the next generation after the four\ncaliphs, or chief disciples of the head of the faith, and Ali had died\nthere arose divisions in the church. Hassan and Hussein, sons of Ali,\nclaimed to be the rightful caliphs after the death of Abbubaker. They\ncontended that their grandfather had made Abbubaker caliph because he\nwas old and faithful, and therefore that that office should not descend\nto his children. A great body of Moslems followed them. One of them,\nHassan, was too timid to push his claims. His death came soon from a\ndose of poison administered to him by some of his enemies. The\nenergetic young Hussein continued to assert his claims, but he had no\narmy. With seventy men, mostly relatives, he started for a fortified\ncity, but was surrounded by the army of Yazid. Taking shelter in a cave\nbeneath a huge rock, Hussein and his followers defended themselves for\nthree days and three nights. At last they were driven to desperation by\nhunger and thirst. Drawing their swords they came out and met an army\nof several thousand men. After a brief contest Hussein and his men were\novercome. Hussein was captured alive. The Shiite Moslems of Persia say\nthat when Hussein was taken before the chief captain for execution, he\nwas very thirsty and asked for a drink of water before being beheaded.\nBut this request was not granted and he was executed with his thirst\nunquenched. In memory of this tragedy there may now be seen walking the\nstreets of Persian cities every warm summer day men carrying a bottle\nor jar of water and crying aloud: \"Sakkaw, sakkaw\" (their name) and\ngiving water to any who may be thirsty, in the name of Hussein. Moslems\ntake this drink in a cup carried by the sakkaw, but a Christian must\nfurnish his own cup or drink from the palms of his hands. If offered\none or two cents the sakkaw will take it, but he never asks for money.\n\nThe killing of Hussein and his followers occurred in the month called\nMooharram. This entire month and ten days of the following month are\nobserved as a time of lamentation for Hassan, Hussein and their\nfollowers who were slain. During this period every man, woman and child\nof the Shiite Moslems are under obligations to wear black garments. The\nlast ten days of Mooharram are observed in a fanatical spirit as a\nrevival of religion. This period is called Ashara, meaning ten days.\nThe first seven days are for preparation. The mosques will be crowded\nwith men and women. The Mas-ya-Khans, or revivalist priests, are in\ncharge of these services. Followed by a large procession this priest\ngoes to the mosque and mounting a high pulpit preaches to large crowds.\nHis general theme is tragic tales, stories of martyrs, the manner of\ntheir death, their last utterances and the wailing and moaning of their\nfriends and relatives. Often in the concluding words of a pathetic\nstory, the entire audience, sometimes numbering thousands, will be\ndeeply moved and slapping their foreheads with the palms of their hands\nwill cry aloud to give vent to their emotions. The mosques cannot\naccommodate all the worshipers during this period, so some parts of a\nstreet are laid with carpets and rugs where the people sit while\nlistening to preaching.\n\nThe last three days are the most solemn. All the stores of the city are\nclosed and no business of any kind is transacted. At an early hour on\nthese days the whole population, except the old men and women who stay\nat home to take care of young children, gather around the mosques. In\nand near the mosque a national and a religious emblem are carried on a\npole by strong men. These are quite heavy and the standard bearers\nchange every few minutes. Headed by these emblems the large crowd,\noften numbering 3,000 to 6,000 people will march through the streets.\nEach company visits from one mosque to another. Passing through the\nstreets the men bearing the national and religious emblems are followed\nby musicians playing mournful dirges with such instruments as drum,\nflute, and cymbals. Surrounding the musicians are hundreds of men\nmarching with bare breasts, shouting \"Hassan, Hussein Hassan, Hussein\"\nand pounding upon their breasts with bare hands. Following them is\nanother band surrounding a Say-yid a descendant of Ali, and all of them\nare shouting \"Hassan, Hussein\" and beating their breasts. Next in the\nprocession comes a band of ascetic darwishes, wearing neither hat nor\nshoes nor other garments than a pair of pants, when the weather is\nmild. Holding in their bands a whip about two feet long and one or two\ninches in diameter, made of small iron strands, they beat their bare\nshoulders and back with the same as they march shouting, \"Yahu,\nYamalhu\" which are names of their god. Following comes another band of\ndarwishes bearing in one hand a knotty club to which is fastened nails,\nbits of brass, etc. With the other hand they beat their breasts as they\nrepeat the cry of the preceding band. These worshipers torture the\nflesh by beating it thus and bruise it black. The procession is\ncompleted by a crowd of boys and girls and women following. The\nmarching commences early in the morning and continues till eleven; is\ntaken up again at two in the afternoon and continues till six o'clock.\n\nThe greatest demonstration of all occurs on the last of the ten days.\nAt sunrise the crowds of former days gather around the mosques to start\nagain on the marches. On this day there are also fresh recruits. In\nfront of the mosque is a band of 50 to 100 men and boys of 13 to 40\nyears of age. They are bareheaded, and uniformed with a white shirt\nover the other clothing that reaches to the feet. Held in the right\nhand before each one is a two edged sword. The left hand rests on the\nbelt of the soldier next in front. The leader standing at the head of\nthe band recites their creed: \"Allah is God and the only God. Mohammed\nis the prophet of God and Ali is his vicar.\" All the band repeats this\ncreed. Immediately the leader smites his own brow with his sword, and\nthis act is imitated by all his followers. Soon the faces and white\nclothing of the men are red with blood. Bleeding they go marching\nthrough the streets shouting: \"Hassan Hussein,\" and waving their swords\nin harmony with step and voice. Their rout can often be traced by drops\nof blood in the streets. When zeal reaches a high pitch, the blows are\nrepeated on their brows. Fearing that these zealous young men may lose\nall regard for life, and inflict upon themselves mortal blows,\nrelatives or friends frequently walk near with long sticks in hand to\nhinder them from such deeds.\n\nThis band first marches to the courthouse to be seen by the governor.\nEvery band has a right to ask the governor for the freedom of some one\nprisoner, and these requests are always granted, no matter what the\ncrime of the imprisoned. These bleeding men are as martyrs, and would\ngo direct to heaven if death resulted from these self-inflicted wounds.\nAfter the parade ends, the bloody shirts of these men are divided among\ntheir friends and kept as holy relics. The men who compose these bands\nare usually the most wicked in the community. They go through these\nceremonies for the remission of sins, and to redeem themselves in the\neyes of others; but they usually continue in their wickedness as time\ngoes on.\n\nAnother important feature of the last day in the procession, is a\nrichly decorated hearse containing a coffin, in which lies a man\nrepresenting the corpse of Hassan. Beside the coffin sits a woman, the\nwidow of Hassan, dressed in sackcloth, and her head covered with mud.\nFollowing the hearse are three beautiful Arabian horses, finely saddled\nand harnessed, with a flake of gold embedded with pearls on their\nforeheads. On two of them are seated two girls representing the\ndaughters of martyrs. The top of the girls' heads are covered with mud\nand straw. The third horse is riderless to remind one of the missing\nmartyr. Following next is a large number of women, boys and girls and\nsome men, all with yokes about their necks, their hands chained behind\nthem, seated on horses and mules. These are to represent the captives\ntaken by Yazid, the captain who killed Hussein. Near them are men in\nhelmets to represent the soldiers of Yazid. They are armed with whips\nand are driving these women and children of Moslems into captivity.\nNext in line may be seen false heads, raised aloft on poles,\nrepresenting Yazid, Mawya, and other ancient enemies of Hussein. Boys\nand men gather around them spitting at and reviling them. Gathered, all\nthe sword bearers, chain strikers, and the many men beating their\nbreasts, they make a great crowd and tremendous noise. The bystander is\nstruck with horror when two fanatical bands meet, each trying to excel\nthe other in self mutilation. Then are frightful gushes cut; the\nthumping of chains on bruised bodies, and the pounding of breasts is\nheard louder than before. With an upward sweep of the right arm every\nman cries in a loud voice: \"Ya Ali, Ya Ali!\" as the companies pass each\nother.\n\nAt 4 P.M. on the last day the marching ceases, and the throng halts by\nsome tents pitched in the middle of a public square. The population of\nthe city is gathered round about. There is not even standing room for\nall, and hundreds or thousands of people are gathered at windows or on\nhousetops near by. Perhaps 20,000 people are present. The sword and\nchain strikers approach the tents and with a shout of victory, utter\nthe names of Ali, Hassan and Hussein, then set fire to the tents and\nburn them and their contents to the ground. They imagine that their\nenemies were in those tents, and now that they have been destroyed it\nis a time of great rejoicing. The marching clubs disband and the active\nones are soon found at the mosques drinking sharbat, a sweet drink, as\na sort of a reward for performing their religious duties.\n\n\nSINGERS.\n\nThe closing hours of the last day are given to the singing of poems by\nthe best musicians, gathered at the mosques. The singing band usually\nnumbers from twenty to thirty men. They sing poems about the last\nutterances of Hussein and other martyrs, or about the sayings and\nweeping of the relatives of these martyrs.\n\nIt is not very safe for Christians to mix with the crowds on these last\ndays, unless in company with some honest Mohammedan. If one is seen\nlaughing at the ceremonies he is apt to be beaten by some one whose\nfanatical spirit is thoroughly aroused. Our missionaries sometimes ask\nthe privilege of using a roof by which the procession passes. This is\nalways granted. The three nights are considered holy and the most\nreligious Moslems do not retire until midnight. Services are held in\nthe mosques, reciting traditions. The audience is composed of men only.\nIt would not be safe for the women to attend, owing to the wickedness\nof the men. The audience is frequently deeply moved by the tragic\ntales, and weep angry tears. They curse and revile their enemies and\ntheir enemies' wives and daughters. The last night is called watch\nnight, and many Moslems do not even slumber during the night. It is\nholy night in which Hussein and other martyrs were buried in their\ntombs. It is a dishonor, and even a sin, for them to go to bed without\nmeditation on their prophets. In the mosque services the people shout:\n\"O Hassan and Hussein, let my soul be a sacrifice for thee.\" They\nbelieve the observance of that night is absolute remission of sins;\nthat the gates of heaven are open to all believers for the sake of\nmartyrs. Some pious Moslems preserve the tears of that night in small\nbottles, as it is believed they will cure disease when applied to the\nbrows of sick men. These tears are prized as a most holy relic. The\nMusselman says: \"Even David the prophet believed in the efficacy of\ntears when he wrote in the Psalms, 'Put thou my tears in thy bottle, O\nGod.'\"\n\nOn the last night many Shiite Moslems walk to the mosque in bare feet,\nwearing sackcloth. Often a governor or lord accompanied by 40 to 100\nservants, all barefooted, will be seen slowly treading their way toward\na mosque. Wearied by the great exertions of the past ten days it is\ndifficult to keep awake during the last night; so many men will be seen\ncoming out of the mosques during the night to walk around and keep\nawake. At daybreak these solemn ceremonies end. In all these ten days\nof special religious services not one word is said in condemnation of\nsin. There is no moral teaching. Nothing is taught about man's duty to\nGod, or his duty to fellow-men. Nothing is said to strengthen his\ncharacter, to make him a purer and nobler man. The only teaching is in\ntragic tales of martyrs; the only inspiration is hatred to enemies.\n\nCompare this religion with that of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ,\nGod-man. He gave His life for all nations, even His enemies. He calls\nmankind to sacrifice, but it has a practical object: that they may be\npurer and live a higher and nobler life. Christianity is as the sun\nshining in its fulness, while Mohammedanism, in its ignorance and\nsuperstition, is as the darkness of midnight.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nHEAVEN AND HELL.\n\n\nHEAVEN.\n\nMohammed declared in the Koran that there are seven heavens. Above all\nis the heaven for prophets, martyrs, those who die in battle for\nreligion's sake, and for angels. Chief among all in this heaven is\nMohammed, mediator between God and believers. The other heavens will be\ninhabited by believers, the degree of piety and integrity determining\nto which heaven they shall go.\n\nHeaven was pictured as an earthly paradise. There are beautiful\ngardens, vineyards, green pastures, fresh fountains, the river of\nliving water, many bathing pools of glass, a palace of marble and\nglass, ornamented with pearls and diamonds. The trees bear fruit\ncontinuously, some in blossom, others ripe with fruit. Prominent are\nthe palm, and grape, fruits which were favorites of Mohammed while on\nearth. Choice fruits grow in abundance and on low trees so that a man\ncan stand on the ground and eat of the fruit. Each vine bears 7,000\nclusters of grapes, and every grape contains 7,000 gallons of juice.\nThe pastures are eternally green, and in them grow many thousand\nvarieties of flowers of exquisite odors. There are no animals in heaven\nas they are not needed. There will be no dogs, cats, swine, nor unclean\nbirds, as eagles, hawks, and buzzards. But there are millions of\nbrilliantly plumaged birds whose melodies continually ring through\nheaven. The walls and gates of heaven are as described in the 22nd\nchapter of Revelation.\n\nBelievers will spend eternity in the joys of luxurious life in\nparadise, amidst blooming gardens and beautiful virgins. To an ordinary\nbeliever will be given 72 houries or female angels. These creatures are\ndescribed in the Koran as being fair, with rosy cheeks, black eyes, and\nin blooming youth. Such beauty the eyes of men have not seen on earth.\nMartyrs and more pious men have more than 72 houries, the number\nincreasing in proportion to the believer's prominence. The believer\nwill sit under a fragrant tree in a golden chair, or lie on a golden\ncot, while birds overhead sing wonderfully sweet. His fairies will be\nabout him and offer him choice unfermented wine in a golden cup on an\nemerald tray. Such is the Moslem's heaven.\n\nThese were the promises with which Mohammed aroused the enthusiasm of\nhis followers. Fanatical zeal has been so enkindled in men that many\nthousands have perished in an effort to spread these doctrines\nthroughout the world.\n\nSaints will live nearer to Allah than ordinary believers and will have\nconversation with him. No people can enter heaven unless they be\nMoslems. The gate to heaven is reached by a bridge. This bridge is as\nnarrow as a hair, and only believers can walk it. When a soul\napproaches the gate it finds Fatima, the daughter of Mohammed, standing\nthere. She asks him to recite the creed: \"Allah is the only God, and\nMohammed is his prophet.\" If repeated, the soul enters heaven; if not,\nwith a breath Fatima blows him off the bridge and he falls into hell,\nthe regions below.\n\n\nHELL.\n\nAs there are seven heavens according to degree of integrity of\nbelievers even so there are seven hells. Gehenna is beneath the lowest\npart of the earth and the seas of darkness. It is a place of fire, as a\ngreat ocean without limits. It burns with brimstone and like materials.\nThere are thousands of terrible flames and bad smells. Satan is there\nwith all infidels, Christians, Jews, fire-worshipers and apostate\nMohammedans. The torture of the latter will be worse than the torture\nof others. There are in hell thousands of wild animals, as lions,\ntigers, vipers and serpents. Every lion has in his mouth 7,000 teeth,\nand every tooth has 7,000 different stings or poisons. So with the\ntiger and serpents. Every viper has 7,000 tails and on every tail 7,000\nstingers, and every stinger contains 7,000 kinds of poison. The common\ndrink of the inmates of hell is poison drunk from iron cups. Their\nmeals will be the flesh of animals and even their own flesh. Satan and\nhis servants will torture them with spears and swords of iron. There\nwill be no rest for them day or night. Men and women will gnash their\nteeth against their own children. All will be weeping, cursing and\nblaspheming. Hell is surrounded by walls of iron over which none can\nescape.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nMATRIMONY.\n\n\nMarriage among Assyrians is considered as sacred as the ordination of\npriests, but is subordinate to or less sacred than the sacrament of the\nLord's supper or baptism. Therefore marriage is a solemn service and\nthe rules relating to it are very strict. Engagements for marriage are\nmade by the parents of the contracting parties rather than by the young\npeople themselves. Girls are strictly forbidden speaking of or\nreferring to marriage in the presence of their parents or brothers. If\na young man loves a young lady, he does not ask his parents' consent to\nmarriage, but tells his aunt or married sister about what cupid has\ndone for him. This news is soon conveyed to his mother and then it is\nproper for her to call on the mother of the young lady. If not already\nacquainted with the young woman, this visit will give her an\nopportunity to form an opinion of her. If that opinion is favorable,\nall is well and the matter will be further considered. But if the\nopinion is unfavorable she returns home and tells her son that she is\nnot pleased and does not want him to marry this girl. This method must\nbe resorted to as the girls and boys in Assyria do not have an\nopportunity to associate as they do in America. Mothers always advise\ntheir girls not to walk with boys and young men, and custom does not\npermit it. Therefore, if she meets a young man in the street, she bows,\nand perhaps blushes a little, as she passes. If lovers are passing each\nother, custom does not allow them to stop and converse, but it does\nallow the young man to telegraph his message of love with a wink.\nSeveral months usually elapse between the engagement and marriage.\n\n[Illustration: NESTORIAN WEDDING.]\n\nThe method of making an engagement is quite different from that of\nAmericans. After a mother has assured herself that a certain girl whom\nher son fancies would make him a good wife, she, with two or three\nrelatives, will send word to the girl's parents that they will call at\na certain time, and stay over night. While there the object of their\nvisit will be made known and the matter discussed. If the girl's\nparents are ever so willing, they will not give their consent at the\nfirst visit, but will take the matter into consideration. The friends\nare invited to call again in two or three weeks for an answer. A third\nor fourth visit may be made before a final answer is obtained. At the\nlast visit the father of the girl says, in reply to a request for an\nanswer, that the girl does not belong to him. He says he gave her to\nhis brother. The brother then says he gave her to his sister, etc.,\nuntil the person is reached who can give her away. This man rises and\nsays, \"I give our daughter to Mr. and Mrs. ---- as a handmaiden.\" The\nquestion now being settled, refreshments are served and the company\nrejoices until a late hour. Sometimes the foregoing proceedings are\nwitnessed from an opening in the roof by the young man who is most\ninterested and who is anxiously awaiting the result. During the period\nof the betrothal, the young man is allowed to make but one visit. He is\nnot allowed to kiss his betrothed until after marriage. The Assyrian\nidea of a virgin is a pure maiden who is not married nor has ever been\nkissed by any man.\n\nTwo weeks before the wedding the young man's parents make another call\nto settle the amount of dowry with which to purchase wedding garments\nfor the bride. The wedding feast lasts two or three days. On the last\nday a company of the groom's friends go to bring the bride. Dressed in\nher wedding garments, and seated on a fine horse she is taken to the\ngroom's home. The company make merry on the way with music of drum and\nflute, and dancing. The horse is stopped about fifty yards from the\nhouse, and the groom appears on the roof of his father's house with\nthree red apples in his hands. Kissing each one he tries to throw it\nover the bride. When the apples strike the ground there is a crowd of\nboys ready to scramble for them as there is a superstition that the\nlucky boy will be the next to marry. The bride now goes to her new\nhome.\n\nThe wedding ceremony, which is performed by a minister and a deacon, is\ntaken largely from the Bible. It lasts about two hours, during which\ntime the bride and groom remain standing. The bride's dress covers her\nbody and face from view except her forehead. She wears a crown and is\ncalled a queen. The groom wears a high feather on his crown, a sash\naround his chest and is called a king. For two months after the wedding\nthey are called king and queen. They do no work during this time but\nvisit and take life easy.\n\n\nMOSLEM MARRIAGES.\n\nThe marriage ceremony of the Mohammedans takes place about a week\nbefore the formal wedding. It is very simple. Representatives of the\ncontracting parties go to a priest and get two ceremonial letters, one\nfor the bride, the other for the groom. In them is stated the sum\nnecessary for the groom to pay, if he ever divorces the woman. It\nfurther states that it is the groom's duty to love this woman and all\nother women that he may marry thereafter. That it is the bride's duty\nto love the groom and no one else.\n\nThe prevailing low regard for woman grows out of the teaching of\nMohammed. Among his last words he charged husbands not to place any\nconfidence in their wives. He stated that they had been the cause of\nmuch of the crime and misery in the world.\n\nWhen a Moslem goes out with his wife he is disgraced if she goes before\nor even beside him; she should follow. A man can marry four wives, but\ncan divorce any one of them at any time. But a woman cannot get a\ndivorce from her husband. A man is angry when his wife gives birth to a\ngirl babe, and his friends fear to break the news to him. One man was\nknown to be so angry when his fourth daughter was born, that he did not\nspeak to his wife for three months. The mother of a son is loved the\nmore, and the first person who breaks the news to the father is given a\npresent.\n\nIf a man murders his wife he may be fined a sum of money, but can't be\nexecuted because woman is not equal to man. The question as to whether\na woman has a soul is sometimes discussed. Men do not salute women in\nmeeting them, but women are expected to bow their heads to men.\n\n\n\n\nPART III.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE ROYAL FAMILY.\n\n\nThe present dynasty is called the Kajar dynasty. It began with Agha\nMohammed Khan who was taken captive by the enemy when he was a child\nand all of the prominent members of the family excepting children were\nslain. Agha Mohammed Khan, then a boy six years of age was made a\neunuch by the new king to serve in his harem. But at the age of twenty\nor twenty five he escaped from his master and returned to his relatives\nand former friends. Collecting a force he attacked the king's army and\nafter several engagements overthrew the king and took possession of the\nthrone. As a ruler he was very cruel to his enemies but very kind to\nhis officers and subjects. One night while resting in his tent two\nservants or subordinate officials in an adjoining tent quarreled and\nawakened the king with their noise. This angered him and the next day\nhe ordered that both of them be beheaded. The following night, before\nthe time for execution had come, the two condemned men formed a plot\nwith some other officials who hated their ruler's cruelty, to kill the\nking. This plot was successfully carried out. The king's nephew, Futteh\nAli, became his successor. He became one of the most noted kings of\nPersia, and was called the king of kings. Futteh Ali had several sons,\none of whom, Abbas Mirza, was chosen as crown prince This prince died\nin early manhood. He left a son, Mohammed by name, who afterwards\nbecame king. After Mohammed, the late Nasiraldinshah became king and\nwas assassinated May 1st, 1896. Nasiraldin was a good king and did more\nfor Persia than any ruler during the past 700 years. He made three\nvisits to Europe and gathered many modern ideas which he wished to\nintroduce in his kingdom. He organized a postal system connecting all\nthe prominent towns and cities of Persia. Telegraphic communication was\nalso established. He built roads between important towns and cities and\ndetailed soldiers as guards where the roads passed through sections\ninfested with robbers. This king reigned forty-eight years. A year ago\nhe became a victim of a fanatical Babei, a new religious sect. The\nassassin took the king's life while the latter was worshiping in the\nmost holy place of a mosque. Nasiraldin left four sons. The eldest is\nnamed Zelli Sultan. He is a highly educated and powerful man. The\nsecond son, Mozafferedden succeeded his father and is now king of\nPersia. The third son is governor of the capital. The fourth son is a\nyouth of twelve years.\n\nBefore the death of the late king, Zelli Sultan, his first, son, began\nmaking secret preparations to usurp the throne. When the plot was\nlearned, the son was stolen from his home one night and taken before\nthe king. All implements of war prepared by him were confiscated, and\nhe was sentenced to death. But high officials interceded for the son,\nand the sentence was changed to that of blinding him. When the hour\ncame for putting out the prince's eyes, the king was moved by the young\nman's beauty, and said there was not a handsomer pair of eyes in all\nhis empire, and that he would not destroy them. Therefore Zelli\nSultan's punishment was changed to three years' imprisonment. At the\nexpiration of the term, the king gave him solemn warning that any\nfurther attempt at usurpation would be punished by death.\n\nI have often been asked why the first son did not take the throne\ninstead of the second. The reason is this. The king had several wives,\nbut the first one was a princess from his own tribe, and is called the\nqueen. Her first son must be successor to the throne. Therefore Zelli\nSultan was not eligible to the throne, as his mother was not a\nprincess.\n\n[Illustration: PRESENT SHAH.]\n\nThe present Shah is a man who has a strong desire to rule in peace. He\ntolerates all religious beliefs, even though they differ from his own.\nHe is loved by all classes of people, and all religious sects because\nhe is kind and considerate toward them.\n\nThe Shah is very friendly toward the Christian missionaries. A few\nyears ago he visited the Presbyterian college, the Ladies' Seminary,\nand listened to some of the recitations. As an evidence of his\nfriendliness he was a guest at the home of Dr. Cochran, and dined with\nhim. Not every one is so honored, for I have heard that an army officer\nin that part of Persia offered the Shah L3,000 to take dinner with him,\nbut the invitation was not accepted. The Shah has also visited a\nNestorian bishop, who resides in a cottage so humble that some lords\nwould be ashamed to enter it. On the other hand when he was in our city\nof Oroomiah he did not visit the homes of any of the Mujtahids, but met\nthese high priests in a mosque by appointment.\n\nOf late years the royal family has been kind to Christians. Nine out of\nten cases of cruelty to Christians come from the Mujtahids and the\nlords. The priesthood is stronger than the government in Persia.\nSometimes the king has to give up his ideas to please the priests. For\nexample: The late Shah desired to introduce the modern railroad into\nPersia, but the priests were bitterly opposed to it, and the king had\nto give up his plans. When asked why they opposed railroads, one priest\ngave two reasons: \"First, our country is weak. If we built railroads,\nEuropeans could run in on us and take our country. Second, it would\ndestroy our religion. And we could not control our wives. If we beat\nthem they could take the train and be in Europe in one day, while now\nit takes twenty days. Again, some of our women might marry Christians\nand escape to Europe.\"\n\n\nTHE KING IN HIS PALACE.\n\nThe royal palace is surrounded by high stone walls. The grounds are\nentered by four beautiful gates. The walls at the sides and above the\ngates are adorned with the pictures of former kings and brave generals;\nalso decorative carvings of lions, the standards of Persia, and of\nbirds. The grounds are beautifully arranged, all the roads leading to\nthe king's palace in the center, and beautified with ornamental trees\nand hedges of roses of varied hues. Guarding the entrances to the gates\nand the roadways that lead to the palace doors are numerous officers of\nsuperior rank, those nearest the palace ever standing with drawn\nswords. When the king sits in judgment he uses the peacock throne, and\nis surrounded by his six cabinet officers, who are advisers. He is\nabsolute, and may overrule the advice of the cabinet. This body makes\nthe laws of the land. The king appoints the members of his cabinet, the\npeople having no voice whatever in government. When the Shah tires of\nthe routine of governmental duties, his secretary reads to him from\nShahnameh, a poetical history of Persian kings. It is one of the king's\nduties to become very familiar with the history of Persia and her\nformer rulers. When the king retires to his private room at night, the\nentrance to the room is guarded by two most trusted officials with\ndrawn swords. One of the four gates in the walls around the palace is\ncalled the king's gate, as he always enters through it. No other\nperson, be he lord, count, or high official is permitted to pass\nthrough this gate on horseback or in carriage. He must dismount and\nwalk through.\n\nWhen the king goes from the palace for a hunt or vacation, he is\nescorted out of the city by a large guard. First, coming down the\nstreet will be seen about thirty infantry bearing each a golden club,\nand shouting: \"Get out; get out!\" Whereupon the street is cleared of\nall traffic that the royal procession may pass. The infantry is\nfollowed by about fifty cavalrymen with drawn swords. Next comes ten or\na dozen riderless Arabian horses. These horses are beauties, and are\nadorned with bridles of gold and many precious stones.\n\n\nHIS TABLE.\n\nThe king's table is set with the luxuries of the land. From the time of\nthe purchase until it appears on the table, the food is inspected by\ntwo trusted officials whose duty it is to see that the king is not\npoisoned. Before the king eats of the food it is further examined by\nhis physician.\n\n\nTREASURY.\n\nThe late Shah left $200,000,000 to his son, nearly half of which was in\nthe form of precious stones and jewelry. Perhaps he has a larger amount\ninvested in precious stones than any other king in the world. His\npeacock throne which was brought from Delhi, India, by king Nadirshah,\nwho captured that city about 200 years ago, was prized at $12,500,000\nsome years ago, and is worth more than that now. It is made of solid\ngold, and is embedded with diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones.\nThe rug upon which he prays is worth $2,500,000. At the beginning of\neach new year, seated on the peacock throne, he wears his crown, and\nall of his officers bow before him and wish him a prosperous reign\nduring the new year. On such occasions his person is covered with many\ndazzling jewels.\n\n\nWIVES.\n\nThe late Shah had forty regular wives and about sixty concubines. The\npresent Shah has seven wives. The palace in which the king's wives\nreside is almost as beautiful as the king's palace, near which it is\nlocated. A number of soldiers guard the entrance to this palace. There\nare no men inside the palace except a few eunuch servants. There is\nalso a large number of maid servants therein. When the king has many\nwives he marries some of them against their will. If he fancies a\nbeautiful daughter of a lord, her parents will frequently marry her to\nthe king in order to get an office or a title. The eunuchs have\nauthority to rebuke the wives of the king. Sometimes a number of the\nwomen will playfully resent the eunuch's authority and push him against\na wall or knock his high hat down over his eyes. Once they picked an\nold fellow up and threw him into a pool of water greatly damaging his\nfine suit of clothes. At times they give a valuable present to a eunuch\nsuch as a nice robe.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nGOVERNOR.\n\n\nPersia is divided into thirteen states. The King appoints a governor\nover each state; this governor appoints a mayor over each city within\nhis territory. This office is not awarded on the basis of education,\nability or worthiness, but is given to the man who will pay the most\nmoney, provided his ancestry is fairly good. Many mayors of cities are\nrelated to the royal family. These offices are limited to terms of one\nyear, but many times a mayor is removed before his time is out; the\nsubjects may complain, or some person may bid more money for the\noffice. When a man is appointed mayor of a city, the lords and counts\nof that city, accompanied by soldiers, will go three miles out of the\ncity to meet the new official. He is greeted with discharges of\nartillery. These lords ride on very fine Arabian horses, with\ngoldbitted bridles, and escort the mayor into the city. The new\ngovernor of the city admires the fine horses of his lords, and\nsometimes covets some fine steed, and before his term expires finds a\nway to get possession of it by helping the lord out of some trouble.\n\nIf the new mayor is a prince all prisoners confined in the city jails\nare taken before him as he enters the city. This is to signify that, as\na member of the royal family, he has authority to behead them. The\nthird day after a new mayor has arrived in a city it is customary for\nlords and counts to visit him with presents of money, golden articles,\nArabian horses etc. as presents. A mayor has from one hundred to three\nhundred servants. He pays them no salary. Some became his servants for\nthe name, some from fear, and others from choice. Most of these\nservants get their living from fines and bribes. Some of them are\ndetailed to settle quarrels between men in some village that belongs to\nthe city. This is their opportunity and they early learn to make the\nmost of it. The mayor has great power. He is judge, sheriff,\ntax-collector, etc. He has things his own way. When there is an\ninjustice done there is no other local officer to appeal to.\n\n\nPRISONS.\n\nThe prisons are frequently cellars, underground, without windows, damp\nand infested with flies. They are seldom ventilated, and there is no\nbed nor furniture in them. The government does not feed the inmates.\nFriends of the imprisoned ones bring bread and throw to them, and some\nof this even, is sometimes picked up by the jailer and kept for his own\nnourishment. No men are allowed to visit the prisons, but wives or\ndaughters are allowed to visit their friends if they pay a fee to the\njailer. The torture of prisoners is regulated according to the nature\nof their crimes. The common method of torture for thieves, robbers and\nmurderers is to put the bare foot of the criminal in a vice and squeeze\nit until he cries in agony. If he gives the jailer some money or\npromises to give some the next time his friends visit him, the pressure\non the foot is lessened. If a man goes to jail wearing good clothes,\nthe jailer often exchanges his own poorer suit for the good clothes.\n\n\nEXECUTION.\n\nThis is done in different ways. A prince from the royal family has\nauthority to behead men. Sometimes when a good friend of the king is\nappointed governor, the king presents him with a knife. This is a sign\nand carries with it authority to behead men. Every prince-mayor or\nother governor who has been given this authority keeps two\nexecutioners. The uniform of their office is a suit of red clothes.\nThese two men walk before the mayor when he goes through the streets.\nWhen a condemned man is to be executed he is brought from the cell,\nhands chained behind, and with a chain about his neck. He is surrounded\nby a group of soldiers with fixed bayonets. The guilty man has been in\na dungeon for several months perhaps. His clothes are in rags, and,\nhaving had no bath since first imprisoned, he is very dirty, his hair\nand beard are long and shaggy. A few steps before him walks the\nexecutioner, with blood-red garments and a knife in his hand. Thus they\nproceed to the public square, and before the assembled crowd the\nexecutioner steps behind the kneeling victim and with a single stroke\nof the keen knife cuts his throat, and another soul takes its flight,\nhaving completed its part in the drama of life.\n\nA common mayor who has not the authority to behead, may kill criminals\nby fastening them to the mouth of a cannon and sending a ball through\nthe body. Another method is to bury the condemned alive in a cask\nfilled with cement, leaving only the head exposed. The cement soon\nhardens and the victim dies. Sometimes when their crime is not very bad\nthe punishment is the severing of one hand from the body. If the man\nthus punished should commit a second crime the remaining hand would be\nsevered. If a Mohammedan becomes drunk with wine and gets loud and\nabusive, he is arrested, and the executioner punctures the partition\nskin between the nostrils of the drunken man, and a cord of twine,\nseveral feet long, is passed through the opening. Then the executioner\nstarts down the street leading his victim. The man soon gets sober and\nis very much ashamed. Shopkeepers give the executioner pennies as he\npasses along the street. Men who quarrel and fight are punished by\ntying their feet to a post, with the bare soles upward, and then\nwhipping the feet until the flesh is bruised and bleeding and,\nfrequently, the nails torn from the toes. The victims frequently become\ninsensible under this punishment. One good thing in the laws of\npunishment is that no Christians or Jews are ever beheaded. The\nMohammedans consider the Christian and Jew as being unclean, and think\nit would be a mean thing to behead them.\n\nPrinces, lords and counts are never beheaded. The most severe\npunishment for a prince is to pluck out his eyes. The method of\nexecution for counts and lords is of two kinds. The king will send a\nbottle of Sharbat to the condemned man which is given him in the form\nof a sweet drink but it contains a deadly poison. He is compelled to\ndrink this and soon dies. Another form is for the condemned man to be\nmet by a servant from the governor after having taken a bath and the\nservant cuts blood-vessels in the arm of the condemned until death\nresults from loss of blood.\n\nThus it will be seen that the contrast in modes of punishment in a\nChristian nation and a Mohammedan nation is very great. The kind of\npunishment inflicted on criminals in any country grows out of the\nprevailing religious belief of that country. A religion that has much\ncruelty in it will lead a people to torture its criminals. But a nation\nwhose religion is based upon love will deal with its criminals\neffectively, but as kindly as possible. The writer has visited prisons\nin both Persia and America and finds that the contrast between the\nprisons of the two countries is like the contrast of a palace and a\ncellar. Prisoners in America ought to be very thankful for the humane\ntreatment they receive under this Christian government.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n\nCOUNTS OR LORDS.\n\nThe counts and lords live in luxury. Their title was not obtained by\ngreat service to the nation or by high education. It descends from\nancestors, and many ignorant and unworthy men bear this title. Wealthy\nmerchants sometimes purchase a title for their sons. The titled class\nin Persia is very numerous. In one city of 30,000 inhabitants there are\nmore than 500 counts. They own almost all of the land in Persia. In\nsome instances one count owns as much as one hundred villages. All\ninhabitants of a village are subjects of the count and they pay taxes\nto him and also to the king. The men pay a poll tax of one dollar a\nyear; a tax is levied on all horses, cows, sheep, and chickens.\n\nThe count gets two thirds of all grain raised by the farmers, and he\nexpects a portion of all fruits raised, which portion is called a\npresent. If this 'present' is not large enough to please the count, he\nhas an unfavorable opinion of the subject and soon finds faults in him\nand withholds favors. All of the count's work is done by his subjects\nwithout pay. When he builds a palace or cultivates a vineyard, he calls\nupon his subjects to do the work. He punishes his subjects if they\nrebel or are discourteous to him. Sometimes the punishment is so severe\nthat death is the result. The count collects a large sum of money\nannually from his subjects in the way of fines--some of them for most\ntrivial offences or discourtesies, and these numerous fines keep the\nsubjects very poor.\n\nThe counts are the most immoral class of people in Persia. They are\nwithout education, knowing nothing of the sciences, geography,\nmathematics or political economy, but most of them can read and write\nthe Persian language and know something of Persian history. It is not\nmuch wonder that this leisure class becomes immoral, for it is a\ndisgrace for them to do any kind of work, and \"Satan finds work for\nidle hands to do.\" A count can't keep his own accounts or sell goods in\na store. There are no newspapers and magazines circulated throughout\nPersia to occupy and lead out the thought of the people of leisure\nhours. No public libraries, and no private libraries except those of a\nfew Persian volumes. The only newspaper published in Persia is an eight\npage paper published every three weeks. It does not circulate much\noutside of the capital city. The Presbyterian Mission publishes a\nmonthly paper about Christian work.\n\nWhen a subject goes before his lord, he finds the lord seated in his\nprivate room before a window. The subject bows before approaching near\nto the window. When the lord is ready to listen, the subject comes to\nthe window. He usually meets with a frown and gets replies to his\nquestions in a gruff voice. As a class the counts are not strong\nphysically; they eat and drink too much for their own good.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nCITIES, SCHOOLS AND HOLIDAYS.\n\n\nThe Persian cities generally are very old and most of them are\nsurrounded by walls about six feet through and twenty feet high. The\nwalls are made of clay, tramped solid by buffaloes or by men. The gates\ngiving entrance to the city are opened during the day from eight\no'clock in the morning until night. These walls would not withstand a\ncharge from modern cannon, but they were very useful fourteen years ago\nwhen parts of the empire were overrun by about 60,000 Kurds, a tribe of\nwild nomads. They spoiled the villages wherever they went but could not\ntake the walled cities. The streets of cities are generally narrow and\ncrooked, and are not paved. The best houses are brick with stone\nfoundation. Some poor men build homes with sun dried brick and still\nothers make the walls of mud. The roof is flat and made of mud\nsupported by timber. The houses are built adjoining one another, so\nthat men can walk all over the city on the housetops. This is the\ncommon way of travel in winter when the streets are muddy. In some of\nthe large cities like the capital, Tehran, and Isphahan and Shiraz\nmodern paving of streets with stone is being introduced.\n\nOn each business street a single line of goods is sold. One will be\ndevoted to drygoods, another to groceries, another to carpenter shops,\nanother to iron and silver smiths, etc. The streets are from ten to\nthirty feet in width, and many of them are arched over with brick, so\nthat rain and snow are shut out. Light is let into these enclosed\nstreets by openings in the top of the arch. Camels, horses and donkeys\nbearing burdens of various kinds of goods may be seen passing through\nthe streets. And in open squares of the city there stand many of these\nanimals belonging to men who have come to the city to buy or sell\ngoods. Before some of the mosques may be seen secretaries or mollahs\nwhose business it is to write documents in business transactions for\nwhich they get from two to fifteen cents.\n\nIn buying goods in Persia a stranger is liable to be cheated. It is a\ncustom among dealers to ask two or three times what an article is\nworth, expecting to come down with the price before making a sale. The\nsilver smiths do some highly skillful work in making rings for the ears\nand fingers, and belts for the ladies. In all Persia you cannot find a\nlady selling goods in a store, except in one street where poor old\nwomen and widows are allowed to come for a few hours each day to sell\nsuch articles as caps, purses, sacks and soaps. Their faces must be\ncovered except the eyes. Only a few women of the lower class are seen\nin the stores buying goods, and they must not have their faces exposed\nto view. No Christian can sell fluids such as milk, oil, syrups or\njuicy fruits like grapes. It is against the Mohammedan law to buy such\nthings from a Christian. If a Christian wishes to buy any such goods\nfrom a Mohammedan he must not touch the same, as the merchant could not\nthereafter sell it to a Mohammedan.\n\nThere are many pick-pockets, both male and female in the crowded\nstreets. A stranger must beware.\n\n\nWEIGHTS.\n\nThe standard measure is the miscal, 100 of which equals a pound. Four\nPersian pounds equal one hapta while it takes five American pounds to\nequal one hapta. Eight hapta equal one batma. Four batma equal one\nkhancaree. In this measure they weigh raisins, molasses, and tobacco.\nTen batma equal one load. In this they weigh green wheat, corn, etc.\nTwenty-five batma equal kharwar. In this they weigh fuel.\n\nThe money is of copper and silver and a very little gold. The following\ntable shows the values of Persian coins:\n\n        25 denars = 1/2 cent\n        50 denars =   1 cent\n       100 denars =   2 cent\n       500 denars =  10 cent\n     1,000 denars =  20 cent\n    10,000 denars = 100 dollar\n\nThe bankers sit on small rugs before the shops with boxes of money in\ntheir laps. Their chief business through the day is to change money.\nFor changing 20 cents into copper, they charge one cent, and the fee\nincreases in proportion to the amount of the bill changed. Interest in\nPersia, especially among Mohammedans, is very high, being from 12 to 15\nper cent. per annum. But the synod of the Presbyterian Evangelical\nChurch has a law which forbids any of their members charging more than\n10 or 11 per cent.\n\nThere are no gas or electric lights in the streets of a Persian city.\nThe mayor appoints an officer, who has a number of assistants, to watch\nover the city day and night. Every day of the year is given a name by\nthe mayor; as, lion, eagle, Cyrus, fortune, etc. This word is known\nonly to the officials and such persons as may have been given\npermission to be out at a late hour. If an officer finds a man on the\nstreet after 9 o'clock he calls to him to give the name of the night.\nIf he can't do this he is arrested. One of the worst things in a\nPersian city is the large graveyards, which contain two to five acres\nof ground. Mohammedans dig up the remains of a dead relative to carry\nit to a shrine place, and these removals often fill the city with bad\nodors. These graveyards make excellent hiding places for robbers and\nthieves. There are many robbers outside of the city walls, and it is\nvery dangerous to go out after night, even a distance of one mile.\nVictims are usually shot while at a distance, or stabbed and then\nplundered.\n\nThe hammams or bath-places are quite numerous in the cities. They are\nusually well-built, brick buildings and have within two or three pools\nof water, some hot, others cold. Men can bathe any day in the week\nexcept Friday, which day is reserved for women. The charge is three or\nfour cents. Christians cannot enter a Mohammedan hammam, as they are\nconsidered unclean.\n\n\nHOLIDAYS.\n\nThe Mohammedans have several holidays. Neither the government nor the\npriesthood compel observance of these days, but they are usually\nobserved either for the sake of rest, religious profit or amusement.\nThere is, however, one set of holidays, ten days known as Moharram,\nthat is strictly observed by all faithful Mohammedans. There is also\none national holiday generally observed in memory of the beginning of\nthe Persian nation. It is called Newrooz, meaning new day. This name\nwas given by a Persian king in ancient times. Two weeks before this day\nall stores will be decorated with different kinds of fruits, such as\npalms, figs, pomegranates, apples, almonds, and raisins. Also some fine\nshawls and rugs are hung before the stores. During these two weeks most\npeople buy of these fruits and prepare for the national feast. On that\nday nearly every man, woman and child puts on some new garments of\nclothing and new clothes throughout if possible. People also clean\ntheir houses for this occasion. On the evening of Newrooz a table is\nspread with the finest fruits and the family will gather around and\nfeast until a late hour in the night. The poor are remembered on these\noccasions and presents of fruit are sent to them. Christians are also\nfrequently remembered in this way.\n\n\nSCHOOLS.\n\nThere is no system of public or state schools in Persia. There are\nschools in all large towns and cities which are taught by the priest in\na room of the mosque. These schools are voluntary, no person being\nobliged to send his children. The students pay the priest each from 5\nto 25 cents per month. Those who can't pay anything are admitted free.\nThe priest's food is brought to him by the students. The ages of the\npupils range from ten to twenty years. These schools are for boys only.\nThere are no schools for girls. If a girl gets any education at all, it\nmust be from a private tutor. In the schools the textbooks in history\nand poetry are in the Persian language and Koran and grammar are taught\nin the Arabic language. Mathematics, geography, the sciences and the\nhistory of other nations are never taught. When the pupils are at study\nthey reel back and forth and repeat words loud enough to be heard a\nblock away. They imagine this is an aid to memory. The teacher has\nauthority to punish the students very severely. Sometimes a parent will\ntake his child to a teacher and will deliver him into the gentle\nkeeping of the professor with the remark: \"His bones are mine, but his\nflesh is yours. Teach him, but punish him as you see fit.\" A post is\nplanted in the schoolroom to which a wild boy's feet are fastened,\nsoles upward, and the bottoms are whipped with heavy switches. This\npunishment is only for the worst boys. For mild offences, the teacher\nraps the student over the head with a long switch which is always kept\nin a convenient place or carried in the teacher's hand. The religious\nteaching consists of quotations from Koran and traditions about their\nprophets. The boys are usually very bad about reviling each other and\nabout fighting. The teacher does not protect the weaker, but urges him\nto return the revilings or the blows he has received. The students of\none mosque often attack the students of a neighboring mosque as they\nregard them as enemies. The most prominent university of the Shiite\nMohammedans is in the shrine place of Karballa. All those who are to\nbecome Mujtahids study at this place. In several of the large cities\nthey have schools of higher rank than the ordinary mosque school in\nwhich a course of Persian literature is given. It is a pleasure to\nstate that the late Shah, after his visit to some of the universities\nof Europe, founded a college in the capital city which is called the\nPlace of Science. The French, English and Russian languages are taught,\nand the study of some modern sciences are being introduced. The college\nis only for princes and the children of rich people. It is only one\nflower in a vast wilderness. The problem of Mohammedanism is to keep\nthe common people ignorant, so the priest can continue to rule them.\nTherefore the priesthood does not favor higher education. Some counts\nor lords send their sons to Paris to be educated, but the ordinary\nyoung men have no opportunities for education.\n\n\n\n\nPART IV.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nBOBEISM.\n\n\nThe Mohammedan religion is to-day divided in about fifty different\nsects. This division greatly weakens it. The Bobe sect was started by\nMirza Mohammed Ali of Shiraz, a city in which reside the most\nintellectual and poetical scholars of Persia. He began to plan the new\nreligion at the age of eighteen, but did not reveal it until he was\ntwenty-five years old. The foundation of his faith was this: Mohammed,\nlike Christ, taught that the latter days will be a millennium. They\nhave a tradition that when all the prophets had died, or had been\nkilled by their enemies, a son six years of age was, by the direction\nof Allah, hid in an unknown well. He was to remain there until the time\nfor the millennium. It was believed that he would be the ruler of the\nMohammedans in these last days.\n\nHe was to lead both his victorious armies and conquer all the world,\nand Islam would become the universal religion. Mirza Mohammed Ali based\nhis doctrine on this theory but changed it somewhat. At the age of\ntwenty-five he made several pilgrimages to shrines, such as Karballa,\nMecca, and Medina, and then returned to his native town of Shiraz. At\nfirst he began to teach his doctrine to his confidential friends and\nrelatives until it was deepened in their hearts. And then he began to\npreach to the public that he was Mehdeialzaman.\n\n\nHIS DOCTRINE.\n\nHe taught that every age must have its own prophet, inspired from God.\nHe claimed that he was inspired and that he had frequent communications\nfrom God telling him how to direct the people. He openly claimed to be\nMehdeialzaman. And he taught that the priesthood and the religion were\ncorrupt and that he was appointed to renew them. He did not oppose the\nKoran, but at the same time said that every age needs a new bible. He\nclaimed to have received a bible from God. This book is called Bayon,\nmeaning exposition. He taught the equality of both sexes and paid\nhomage to woman. He showed that it was against the law of God to marry\nmore than one woman or to keep concubines. Further, it is against the\nlaw of society and the happiness of women to marry more than one wife.\nThe law of divorce, which is common among Mohammedans, was not\npractised by the new sect. The place of woman among them is the same as\namong Christians. The prophet taught that the spirit of charity ought\nto be as a flame of fire in the hearts of his followers. He said we\ncannot please God if we see our brother in need and do not help him, if\nwe pray He will not hear us, if we worship Him He will turn His face\naway from us. Believing this, the spirit of charity is very strong\namong them, and they support the needy. The use of wine and all\nintoxicants is strictly forbidden. They are very kind to people of\nother faiths who are not Mohammedans; them they hate. Mehdeialzaman\npreached these doctrines and won many hearts. The converts were\ngenerally intelligent and well educated. His doctrine spread through\nthe southern and northeastern parts of Persia. Among his followers were\ntwo prominent and attractive persons, Mollah Hussein and Hajee Mohammed\nAli. He called them his right and left hand supporters. Another convert\nof importance was a lady of rare attainments. In poetry she was\naccomplished, in beauty wonderfully rare, and she was highly educated.\nShe traveled with two assistants from state to state and from city to\ncity preaching the new doctrine. She never met Bobe, the founder and\nknew of him only through letters. She said that God had endowed him\nwith unusual gifts for this holy cause. By the power of her eloquence\nshe made many converts, and was called by her followers, Kurratool\nAlaein, which is a very high title.\n\n\nPERSONAL APPEARANCE OF BOBE.\n\nIn stature he was tall and slender, eyes black; eyebrows, heavy and\nlong; beard, patriarchal. His countenance was very pleasant and\nattractive. In conversation with high and low classes of people alike\nhe showed himself a servant of all. He was poetical, a great orator and\na deep thinker. He wrote many beautiful poems. His epistles to his\ndisciples were philosophical. His words in sermons touched the hearts\nof men. When orthodox Mohammedans saw that Bobeism was spreading among\nthe people, the priesthood and the government joined in severely\npersecuting the disciples of the new faith. The disciples were\nscattered by this persecution to different cities which resulted in a\nstill greater spread of the new doctrine. At that time the prophet\nappointed eighteen of his apostles as guards of the faith. Two of them\nwere women, and he requested that this rule be followed in future ages.\nAbout this time Bobe and his twelve disciples were arrested in Shiraz\nand taken to Isphahan. While imprisoned there his doctrines were being\nrapidly carried on by his followers. He was finally banished to Makoo,\nan obscure town between Persia and Russia, as it was thought his\nreligion could not spread from such an obscure place. But his doctrine\nsoon prevailed there. At last the priesthood and government decided to\nbring him to Tabreez to be shot. After his arrival in Tabreez many\nlearned priests came to discuss doctrines with him, but none were able\nto answer his questions, but his enemies were determined to kill him.\nBobe and his twelve disciples were hanged to a wall before the\nsoldiers. Before the order to fire, the disciples were given a chance\nto save their lives by denying Bobe's faith. Only one denied the faith\nand was saved. The others asserted that they were willing to die for\nthe truth. When the soldiers obeyed command to shoot, all the disciples\non the wall were killed. But Bobe was not struck by the ball; it struck\nabove his body cutting in two the rope by which he was suspended. Bobe\nfell to the ground unharmed and tried to escape through the crowd. He\nran into a house which proved to be the home of an officer, who\npromptly arrested the fleeing prophet and returned him to the\nexecutioner. Before the second shot was fired Bobe was again promised\nfreedom if he would deny his own teachings. He replied that many of the\nholy prophets of the past died for the truth and that he, too, was\nwilling to die in this holy testimony.\n\nAfter the killing of Bobe and his disciples, the government issued an\nedict that the surviving followers who would not deny Bobe should be\nkilled. This happened at the beginning of the reign of the late Shah.\nMany fanatical Bobes tried to kill the Shah. Soon after the edict one\nof them shot at the chief ruler of the land, but was killed by a\nsoldier. After this incident, fiery persecutions arose against them and\nabout eighteen thousand of their number were killed. The torture\ninflicted in many instances was very cruel. The more prominent victims\nwere taken to the capital city, stripped of clothing except trousers,\nand led about the streets while flaming candles were burning away their\nflesh. Many of them cried allegiance to Bobe to the last. The heroic\ndeath of the fanatical Bobes had the effect on many prominent men in\nthe capital of making them believers in Bobe. After the great massacre,\nwhich occurred in 1850, the believers in Bobe held their faith in\nsecret. Eighteen men, whose names were not generally known, were\nappointed guardians of the faith, and one very learned young man was\nappointed to take Bobe's place. His title is Baha and he resides in\nAkra, a small city in Turkish territory. Even to-day they are very\nearnest in spreading their religion, but their work is done in secret.\nTheir apostles go from place to place and are known by a secret sign.\n\nThe enmity between them and the orthodox Mohammedans has been very\nsevere. From the killing of Bobe until the present time they have been\ntrying to kill the Shah. In their first attempt they failed, but a year\nago while the Shah was worshiping in the most holy place of the mosque,\nhe became the victim of a fanatic Bobe who had disguised himself as a\nwoman. This Bobe, while under disguise, shot the king, who died two\nminutes afterward. Some thought that the government would again\npersecute them, but there were some hindrances which would not permit\nthis. In the first place their religion is kept secret; it is\nimpossible to know who belongs to this new sect. Secondly, many of the\nhigh classes and royal officers belong to this sect, and for this\nreason it would be impossible to persecute them. Thirdly, their number\nto-day would reach two hundred thousand, and to kill this immense\ncompany would certainly damage the government. Their antagonism against\nthe government and against orthodox Mohammedanism is caused entirely by\nthe lack of freedom of religious worship.\n\nThey are very warm friends of the Christians, placing in them the\ngreatest confidence, sometimes they will even lodge in the houses of\nChristians and eat with them without questioning. This a strict\nMohammedan would never do. They readily allow the Christians to preach\nto them and to discuss religion with them. Yet it is not an easy matter\nto convert them, for one must know their manner of life and religious\ndoctrines to successfully meet their arguments. A few however have been\ntruly converted. This filled the Mohammedans with hatred both against\nthe Christians and the converts. When the Christian shows the\nsuperiority of Christ and of His doctrine over that of their prophet\nBobe, they are forced into silence. They are now securing many converts\nfrom Mohammedanism, and it is believed that the time will come when\nreligious toleration will be obtained by them. This will also give the\nChristians a good opportunity of preaching the gospel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE KURDS.\n\n\nThe Kurds are the wildest tribe of nomads in all Asia. They have been\nknown in Europe as raiders for a long time, and during the past two\nyears they have attracted the attention of the civilized world by their\nhorrible massacre of the Armenians. It may be of interest to the reader\nto know something more of the life of this tribe. A former student of\nthe writer who spent several years among the Kurds as a physician, and\nwho mastered their language and is intimately acquainted with their\nlives, manners, and customs, has kindly given some of the information\nthat follows.\n\nIn regard to their ancestry it is very difficult to trace back to the\noriginal stock from which they came. They have lived under the\nauthority of several governments, and it is believed that in their\nblood is a mixture of old Assyrian, Chaldean, Babylonian, and Arabian.\nIt is supposed that some of the wildest characters in all of these old\nnations formed the tribe of Kurds, of whom there are to-day, about\n4,000,000. Their dwelling-place is in the Kurdiston mountains, a large\nterritory through which runs the boundary line between Turkey and\nPersia. Most of it lies in Turkey. The Kurds are nominally subjects of\nthese two countries, but practically they are a band of outlaws beyond\nthe control of any government. Those who live in the mountain districts\npay no taxes to Turkey or Persia, but those residing in the villages of\nthe plains are required to pay taxes the same as other citizens. Great\nnumbers of them residing in the mountains and deserts are nomads,\ntraveling where they will with their herds and flocks. A Kurd is very\nwild and independent in spirit. He would rather live in a cave under a\nprojecting rock and be unmolested, than to dwell in a palace and be\nsubject to higher authority. Some of the tribes have a small village in\nthe mountains, to which they return in winter.\n\nRecognizing the wild and daring spirit of these men, the Sultan of\nTurkey has trained some of the dwellers in villages of the plains for\ncavalrymen, and called them the imperial cavalry. Mounted on splendid\nArabian horses and provided with modern firearms, they are well-nigh\ninvincible. The Persian government has no confidence in the Kurds, and\nso employs none of them in the army.\n\n[Illustration: KURDISH CHIEF AND ATTENDANTS.]\n\n\nOCCUPATION.\n\nThe Kurds seldom cultivate the soil, but keep herds of cattle and\nhorses and flocks of sheep, moving from place to place in search of\ngood pasture. They can make very good carpets and other articles of\nwool, which they sell to Persian and Turkish merchants. Some of them\nbecome very rich from their herds and flocks and from the sale of\ncarpets. One of their principal occupations is robbery. Parents teach\ntheir children how to become successful thieves. A father will give his\nson, of six or seven years of age, a pistol, dagger and shield and then\nplay robber with the child, showing him how to use these deadly\ninstruments. A Kurd once told the writer of his timid son. The child\nwas afraid to steal. The father wanted to make him a successful thief\nand so tried the following plan. The first night he sent the child to\nsteal grapes from his own vineyard; the second night, corn from his own\ncrib; the third night, grapes from a stranger, next a chicken, then a\nsheep, then to enter a house, and so on until the youth became one of\nthe most daring of highway robbers. Then the father was proud of his\nson and told him that he had become a man and could marry. The girls of\nthese tribes will not marry a man until his reputation as a successful\nrobber is established. They want to be assured that they will not be\nallowed to starve after marriage.\n\nAs before stated, the Kurds are divided into tribes, each tribe having\na chief. These tribes are generally enemies with one another. The chief\nof a tribe will lead his men against another tribe and kill all the men\nand take the flocks, herd and all other property as booty. But they do\nnot harm the women and children. An old man is not honored by a tribe.\nThey say he can't fight nor rob and is good for nothing but to feed\nsheep. The man most highly honored is the one who has killed many men.\nWhen a man is killed in battle or while robbing he is honored at the\nfuneral by the singing of many songs, in weeping and in lamentation;\nbut not many tears are shed when one dies a natural death.\n\nThey are very skillful horsemen, and have fine horses which become very\nintelligent under training. Their horses bring a high price in Turkey\nand Persia.\n\n\nTHEIR CHARACTER.\n\nThe Kurds are very quick-tempered. A slight offense will make them an\nenemy and they will at once seek revenge. They are very fond of\nfighting and war. Very active and nimble in climbing mountains and in\nrunning and fighting. They love to revile an enemy and are continually\ntrying to invent new and more severe expressions of hatred. It is their\nnature to quarrel and fight. Brothers often become angered over a small\nmatter and fight to death. They think no more of killing a man than we\ndo of killing a chicken. They are very licentious, especially those\nliving in towns and cities. Husband and wife are not loyal to each\nother and this is frequently the cause of murder.\n\nAs a people they have no foresight, having no thought for the morrow.\nThey have a saying among them, \"God will be merciful for to-morrow.\"\nThey are very rash, acting on the impulse of the moment and having no\nconsideration for consequences. They never forget a kindness shown\nthem. If a Kurd eat bread given him, he will never try to rob the\ngiver. This is against their law. They treat travelers very kindly who\nmay come to their tents or caves, and will offer him food. But it would\nnot be well for him to show any gold while there as they would follow\nand rob him. The most prominent characteristic of the race is thieving.\nMost all of the thieves in Persia and Turkey are Kurds. A Kurd was once\narrested in Persia for stealing and a hand was cut off as punishment.\nSoon after he was again arrested for the same offence, and the other\nhand was cut off. The third time he was found stealing and arrested.\nThere being no other member of the body left which is used in the art\nof stealing except the head, that was cut off. Thus the poor Kurd's\ncareer ended.\n\n\nHOUSES.\n\nTheir houses are made of stone and mud and are usually under projecting\nrocks or in the side of a hill. The roof is so low that a man cannot\nstand erect. The writer once visited a Kurd's home. The wife brought a\ncarpet and spread it in the center of the large room on which to be\nseated, and then fixed some bread and milk for a luncheon. In one\ncorner of the house were tied a pair of fine horses; in another stood\nseveral cows quietly chewing their cuds, while a few sheep were lying\non the opposite side of the room. It is needless to say that this\nhouse, like all other Kurdish houses, was a dirty, filthy place. The\nmen are tall and slender with very black hair and eyes. Living a wild\nout-door life they are very healthy and strong. The women are very\nbeautiful. Sometimes Persian lords marry them. The food of the Kurds\nconsists of milk, butter, bread, honey, vegetables and but little meat.\n\n\nRELIGION.\n\nIn religion the Kurds are Mohammedans of the Turkish faith. Their chief\npriests are called Sheikh and are honored as a god. They kneel before a\nchief priest and kiss his hands, clothes and shoes, and ask for his\nblessing. To penitent ones he promises that he will ask God to forgive\ntheir sins. He has absolute power over laymen. They believe his words\nas inspired truth and obey implicitly. One leader of this type assisted\nTurkey in a war against Russia some years ago. He commanded about\n100,000 Kurds. He told them not to be afraid of the big cannon that\nwould be seen when they met the Russians, for, he says, \"I have by the\nhelp of Allah bound the mouths of these cannon and they can't hurt\nyou.\" Believing this statement, the Kurds wildly flew into the face of\nthe big guns and many thousand were slain.\n\nThere are priests of different rank but all are subordinate to the\nSheikh. They are more superstitious and fanatical than the Mohammedans\nof Turkey or Persia. They have no written languages. They speak a mixed\nlanguage collected from Persian Arabic, Syrian, and other tongues. The\nKurds have been called wild asses of the desert, thirsty to shed blood\nand eager to plunder.\n\n\n\n\nPART V.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE NESTORIANS.\n\n\nNestorius was a Greek, born in the latter part of the fourth century\nnear Germanicia. He became a monk in the Roman Catholic church and was\nordained an elder by the patriarch of Antioch. Being learned in\nliterature and an orator of power, he became patriarch of\nConstantinople in 428. Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, was jealous of\nNestorius as he desired to become patriarch of Constantinople himself.\nHe attacked the teachings of Nestorius, claiming that he taught that\nthere are in Christ two distinct persons and two natures; and that he\ndenied the divinity of Christ in refusing to call the virgin Mary the\nmother of God. This criticism of Nestorius's teachings is without\nfoundation, as he did not teach anything of the kind. Many writers of\nchurch history have made this mistaken criticism. There are now in the\npossession of prominent Nestorians manuscripts of Nestorius from 600 to\n900 years old and in none of them is that doctrine held. Nestorians of\nto-day resent this doctrine as being no part of their belief.\n\nNestorius believed that Mary was the mother of Christ and that Christ\nhad two natures, perfect God and perfect man, united with each other\nbut not mingled. He rejected pictures and statues representing Christ,\nMary or the saints. Upon this basis he was anathematized in the council\nof Ephesus in 431 A.D. In the council his friends were absent and\nNestorius refused to attend as his enemy Cyril presided at the council\nand had power to rule it. Nestorius then united himself with the Syrian\nchurch whose doctrines agreed with his own. He soon became a prominent\nleader among this sect and the name Nestorians was given to the sect by\nenemies. Many learned men in the Syrian church of to-day are not\nwilling to be called by this name. Not because they reject any of\nNestorius's doctrine but because they say it is not right for a nation\nto be called after the name of a stranger. But most uneducated people\nglory in being called Nestorians. The true origin of the Nestorians was\nin the old Assyrian nation. The Assyrians were descendants of Arphaxad\nthe son of Shem.\n\n\nTHEIR PLACE.\n\nThey originally dwelt in or near the cradle of mankind, in eastern\nMesopotamia, Assyria and Syria. At times their empire extended nearly\nto Babylon and Nineveh and the great empire of Assyria was established.\n\n\nLANGUAGE.\n\nAll Assyrian scholars believe or suppose that the original language\nspoken before the confusion of tongues was Assyrian, while some other\nscholars believe it was the Hebrew language. It is believed that in\ntime it will be generally agreed that Assyrian was the original\nlanguage. It is evident that Abraham was a descendant of Aber, grandson\nof Arphaxad, third son of Shem. The Assyrian language was spoken in\npurity until the time of Abraham. When he left his parents by command\nof God to dwell in Canaan and Egypt it is an inevitable truth that\nAbraham spoke the language of his Assyrian parents. But when he dwelt\nin Canaan and Egypt his speech became mixed with words of those\nlanguages. The Old Testament was written by this confused language of\nAssyria and Egypt which was called holy language. Therefore we see\nnames in the Old Testament both of Assyrian and the mixed language of\nAbraham.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHEIR HISTORY.\n\n\nSt. Thomas and St. Bartholomew from the twelve apostles, and the St.\nEddi and St. Maree from the seventy apostles have been called the\napostles of Assyria. Their first patriarch was St. Maree whose\nresidence was in Ktispon on the river Tigris which was for a long time\ncapital of the Sassanites dynasty. St. Maree expired in A.D. 82. After\nhis death his disciples went to Jerusalem and chose Abriz as their\npatriarch. He served from A.D. 90 to 107. After Abriz from A.D. 130 to\n132, Abraham, a relative of the apostle James, became their patriarch.\nHis successor was James, a just man, and a relative of the Virgin Mary,\nmother of our Lord. Akhad Abowoy became their patriarch from 205 to\n220. During this period there was a severe war between the Romans and\nPersians. The latter then ruled over Persia, Assyria and Babylonia. The\npatriarch of Jerusalem, a subject of Rome, advised the Assyrians who\nwere under the Parthians to elect a patriarch who was a subject of the\nParthians. The Parthians ruled over Persia from 220 B.C. until 226 A.D.\nIn all the changes of government the Assyrians have kept in office a\nsuccession of patriarchs even to the present time. The residence of\ntheir first Patriarch was in Ktispon and since that time at various\nplaces as Baghdad, Babel, Nineveh, Mosoel and for a long time at\nElkosh, the town of the prophet Nahum. He now resides in Kurdiston\nmountain in the village of Kudshanoos. His home is located on a hill\nsurrounded by much beautiful scenery. The church in which Marshimon\nadministers is called St. Ruben, a building made of granite.\n\n[Illustration: NESTORIAN ARCHBISHOP.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nCLERGY.\n\n\nThe Assyrian church believe they have an apostolic succession from St.\nThomas and St. Bartholomew. There are seven orders in the clergy. The\npatriarch, metropolitan, episcopas, archdeacon, elder, deacon and\nreader.\n\nThe first three are forbidden marriage. The eating of meat is\nprohibited but fish, butter and eggs can be used. In olden times the\npresence of twelve metropolitans was required at the ordination of a\npatriarch, but to-day they require only four metropolitans and a few\nepiscopas. The patriarch ordains the metropolitans and episcopas and\nthese in turn ordain the lower clergy. It is the duty of the patriarch\nto overlook the entire church. Much of his time is also taken up in\nsending messages to Kurdish priests and to Turkish officials about\nwrongs that have been committed against his people. The patriarch is\nhighly respected and his messages receive prompt attention. His income\nconsists of a small annual fee of five to twenty cents from all the men\nwho belong to his sect. Fifty years ago it was a custom for elders to\nmarry a virgin and not a widow. This custom is not observed now. They\nhave seven orders of monks. In ancient times these were the strength of\nthe church. The monks are pure men and learned. There are a few nuns,\none of the most faithful of whom is a sister of the present patriarch.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nCHURCHES AND ORDINANCES.\n\n\nTHEIR FAITH.\n\nTheir faith as it is described in some ancient MSS about 500 years old\nwas entirely evangelical. They believed in the trinity, God the Father,\nSon and Holy Spirit, three persons, equal in power and nature, working\ntogether for the salvation of mankind. Some western historians have\nmade the error of stating that the Assyrians deny the divinity of\nChrist or believe that He has two personalities.\n\nFrom the beginning until the present time they have believed in the\nmerit of saints. Their clergy does not claim the power to forgive sins.\nThey accept the creed of the apostles and it is recited by the clergy\nand by religious men. Many days of fasting are observed, as fifty days\nbefore Easter, twenty-five days before Christmas, and others. On these\ndays old people take no food until noon. In times of persecution their\nschools and books were destroyed and the people became ignorant.\nCatholics introduced among them their literature which changed\nprevailing doctrines.\n\n\nTHEIR CHURCHES.\n\nMany of their churches are built of stone while others are made of\nbrick and clay. Some of the buildings are 1300 years old and will stand\nmany years to come. The walls are about eight feet thick at the base\ngradually tapering toward the top. In the older churches the doors are\nquite low and it is necessary for a man to stoop in entering. It is\nbelieved by some that the doors were built in this way that the church\nmight be used as a place of refuge, rolling stones in the doorway after\nentering. Others say the object was to prevent horses, cattle and other\nanimals from entering. These churches are regarded as most sacred\nplaces and are called houses of God. There is an interior stairway\nleading to the roof, which is necessary for repairing the roof or\nshoveling off snow. The yard in front of a church is shaded with\nelm-trees; the yard is used as a graveyard. Extending from each corner\nof the roof is a pair of horns from a wild goat, which is a sign of\nsacrifice. There is a small room in the rear of the building which is\ncalled the most holy place. In this room the priests carry on certain\nceremonies and no other people are allowed to enter it at any time.\nBefore this room is a small pulpit on which are placed a cross, Bible,\nand other ceremonial books. The only windows are a few small openings\njust below the room. Candles are burned during hours of service to\nlight the room, and incense is burned as a ceremonial and to produce a\npleasing odor. There are no pictures on the walls but there are some\ndecorations in the way of finely embroidered silk towels brought by\nsome of the worshipers. Reading Scripture and prayer-book, and chanting\nPsalms are the main features of worship. There is no music except a\nnumber of small bells on the walls which the worshipers ring as they\nenter the building. The audience sits on the floor or stands through\nthe service.\n\nAssyrians believe the two chief ordinances are the Lord's supper and\nbaptism. The ordaining of priests and marriage are ordinances that rank\nnext in importance.\n\nBaptism is administered by bishops and elders. All the children of a\nmember are baptized by immersing three times. Some believe that baptism\nregenerates a child, while others say it will have a good effect\nprovided the parents give the child proper training thereafter.\n\nThe Lord's supper is administered with much ritual on festival days\nsuch as Easter, Christmas and Ascension day. This ceremony is more\nhighly honored than any other ordinance as it commemorates the death\nand victory of Christ. Both wine and bread are used. A few years ago\n(and even now in some places) it was a custom to make the bread and\nwine from gleanings brought in from the fields and vineyards by\nvirgins. This was considered pure and more acceptable as it had\nbelonged to no man. They do not believe with the Catholics that the\nbread and wine become the flesh and blood of Christ, but they put much\nemphasis on these ingredients after the same have been consecrated.\nThey are then holy.\n\nOn the night previous to communion day, the priest and deacons go to\nthe church shortly after midnight and entering into the most holy\nplace, make the bread for use on the next day. The priest himself\nkneads the dough. This bread is considered more sacred than that made\nin the ordinary way. After the bread has been made, the remainder of\nthe night is spent in chanting psalms, Scripture and prayer-book. An\nhour before sunrise the people flock to the church. When the church is\nfull of worshipers the priest mounts the pulpit, chants the sacred\nwords for an hour or more. The audience remains in perfect silence\nuntil he reaches the end of a psalm or the end of the service, when all\nthe people say \"Amen.\" The priest and a deacon stand in the pulpit to\nadminister the sacrament. Communicants come forward one by one and the\npriest puts a small piece of bread in their mouths, and the deacon\ngives the wine. Children under seven years of age do not partake of the\nsacrament. On these occasions the priest and deacon wear long white\nrobes of silk or cotton, tied about with a long silk girdle. A turban\nis worn on the head.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nASSYRIAN OR NESTORIAN COLLEGE.\n\n\nThe golden age of this church was the period from the fourth to the\nthirteenth century. They had twenty-five flourishing colleges. The most\nimportant schools were located at Oddessa, Nesibis, and Urhai. The\nlatter was called the queen of schools. These schools, while they\nflourished, were the secret of the churches' strength. The instructors\nwere the most learned men of their age. Aiwaz and St. Basil of Nesibis\nand Urhai were among the most learned teachers. The Assyrian, Arabic\nand Greek languages were taught classically. Medicine, astronomy, and\nmathematics including geometry were taught. Especial attention was\ngiven to the study of theology. There were as many as 2,000 monks and\nstudents in some of these institutions. Their doctors of medicine were\ngiven high positions under the Arabian and Persian governments.\nLiterature in the eastern languages was rich. From these schools came\ngreat church fathers who defended the church from the heretics of the\nage. There is one MSS 900 years old in the library of the Presbyterian\nMission which is called \"Persecuted Simon.\" It was written by Simon, a\nstudent in one of these colleges. It contains twelve lectures all\nagainst the heretics of his age. During that period about 700 such MSS\nwere written. There are to-day in Europe many MSS written by these\nscholars that are from 300 to 1500 years old. The New Testament was\ntranslated into the Assyrian language in the middle of the second\ncentury. These MSS are skillfully executed and show the beauty and\nantiquity of this church. Only three of these ancient MSS are now to be\nfound in Persia, but there are many of them scattered in the libraries\nof Europe.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nASSYRIAN MISSIONARY SPIRIT.\n\n\nThe aim of the schools mentioned in the preceding chapter was to\neducate monks to become missionaries and spread the gospel. These\nschools were fountains from which flowed living waters for a thirsty\nland. There was no other nation in their age that possessed such a\nspirit of Christian vitality. Zeal for the spread of the gospel was\nburning in their hearts as a divine flame. There was a class of bishops\nappointed by their leaders to awaken and keep alive this missionary\nspirit. \"The dying love of Christ for sinners\" was the text from which\nthey preached. Also His last commission to His disciples, Matt. 28:19,\n20. These bishops preached with an inspiration from God, and enflamed\nmany hearts until they were ready to sacrifice their lives for Christ.\nThese missionaries wore sandals on the feet, carried a staff of peace\nin the hand, and a knapsack on the shoulder containing bread and\nmanuscripts of sacred writing. Thus equipped, they journeyed into\nheathen lands, following the command of their Nazarene teacher. The\nchurch was very poor and had no board of foreign missions to guarantee\neven a small income. The missionaries went forth trusting in their\nheavenly Father. If He took care of the birds of the air, how much more\nwould He care for the heralds of His gospel. The week before departure\nwas spent in fasting and prayer and consecration. On the last day they\npartook of communion from the hand of their leader, and solemn advice\nwas given by the bishop. In parting the bishop kissed the missionary's\nbrow, and the latter kissed the bishop's hand; and the bishop would\nsay: \"The Lord God of the prophets and apostles be with you; the love\nof Christ defend you; the Holy Spirit sanctify and continually comfort\nyou.\" Some of the missionaries went to distant lands, requiring eight\nto twelve months to make the journey on foot. They worked in China,\nIndia, Tatariston, Persia, Bloogistan, Afghanistan, and northern\nAfrica. Success followed their work. In the territory between China and\nTatariston, they converted 200,000 heathen. Not long ago a monument was\nunearthed in China which had been set about 600 years ago by one of\nthese pioneers of the cross. On it were engraved the names of many of\ntheir leaders, and also the creed, doctrine of the Trinity, and\nincarnation of Christ. They established twenty-five churches in\nnorthern Persia. In southern India is a small church planted at that\ntime. These followers are now called the disciples of St. Thomas, and\nsometimes their young priests come to Persia to be ordained by the\npatriarch, who resides in the Kurdiston mountains. This spirit which\nwas shining as the sun in heaven began to languish in the tenth\ncentury, and by the fourteenth century had entirely died. At that time\nsome of the church's true sons in lamentation said: \"How are the mighty\nfallen, and the weapons of war perished!\" Hundreds of their\nmissionaries had become martyrs of Christ in a heroic spirit. They\nwould enter fire singing praises to God, believing their shed blood\nwould be the seed of the church.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHEIR PERSECUTIONS.\n\n\nThis ancient church of the Assyrians which began with the apostles, has\nbeen praised in all the eastern and western churches for its zeal in\nspreading the gospel, but at no time in its history has it been free\nfrom persecution. Like the burning bush of old, this church has been\nburning with persecution, but has not been consumed. The ten plagues of\nEgypt have been here repeated several times. It has passed through the\nagony of blood, but with a spirit of submission to the will of God who\nrules over all the changes of a nation for the good of His own kingdom.\nSevere persecutions began in A.D. 325. When Constantine convened the\nNicean council of the 100 delegates from the eastern church, mostly\nfrom Assyria, only eleven of them were free from mutilation in some\nform. At the time the Sassanites dynasty ruled over Assyria. Their\npatriarch was St. Shumon, son of a painter. No other Assyrian patriarch\nwas equal to him in piety, integrity, and his heroic spirit of\nmartyrdom. He was patriarch from 330 to 362 A.D. In that period the\nking of Persia was second shafoor of the fire-worshipers. The\nfire-worshipers believed in two creative powers, Hurmizd and Ahramon.\nEvery good thing as virtue, success, long years, praise, truth, purity,\nwere created by Hurmizd; while wickedness, hate, war, disaster, etc.,\nissued from Ahramon, their creator. Shafoor worshiped clean creatures\nof Hurmizd, such as sun, moon, and fire. Christianity was strong then,\nsome of the royal family being Christians. The Christians were\nantagonized by the fire-worshipers because they rejected the sun and\nmoon and de-defiled fire. Other objections were that the Christians\ntaught that God had become incarnate and come to earth; and also that\nthey preferred poverty to wealth and did not marry, thus diminishing\nthe strength of the nation. The emperor issued an edict that those who\nwould not worship the sun and the moon should pay a large sum of money.\nThe patriarch answered that \"while God is the creator of the sun we can\nnot substitute the created for the creator. Concerning a fine we have\nno money to pay your lord the sum required, as our Lord commanded us\nnot to lay up our treasures on earth.\" Then the king commanded that all\nChristians be put to death by terrible torture, except the patriarch.\nHim he would spare to the last, that he might be moved by the torture\nof others and worship the sun. But St. Shumon meantime was urging the\nChristians to stand firm in the faith. The king requested that the\npatriarch and two chief bishops be brought before him. It had been a\ncustom to prostrate himself before the king as a token of honor, but on\nthis occasion he wished to avoid any show of worshiping a creature and\ndid not prostrate himself before the ruler. The king asked him to\nworship the sun. St. Shumon replied: \"If I refuse to worship the king\nhow can you expect me to worship the sun, a creature without life.\"\nBeing unable to make him worship the sun the king put him in jail for\nthe night. Next morning the patriarch was taken before the king again.\nOn his way he met a steward of the king who was a Christian but had\nbeen worshiping the sun to please the king. St. Shumon rebuked the\nsteward for being faithless. The steward was touched by this rebuke\nand, going before the king, confessed that he was a Christian and must\ntherefore be beheaded. But he requested that a herald be sent through\nthe streets to proclaim that he had been a faithful subject to his\nruler, and that he must die because he was a Christian. This was\ngranted.\n\nIn company with one hundred bishops and priests St. Shumon was brought\nbefore the king. Again he was told that he could save the life of\nhimself and his people by worshiping the sun. St. Shumon replied, \"We\nhave one God and Jesus Christ our Savior as the object of our worship.\nOur Lord teaches us to be faithful to kings and to pray for them, but\nwe are forbidden to worship any creature.\" Then the king commanded that\nall of them be beheaded next day. The night in a dungeon was spent in\nprayer and song and words of advice from St. Shumon in love and tears\nof sorrow. The patriarch consoled his followers by referring to the\nfact that St. Paul and apostles spent many nights in prison. He said,\n\"The prison is heaven because the presence of our Lord is with us. This\nis our last night on earth; to-morrow we will be crowned.\" Taking the\nNew Testament in his hand he preached to his condemned disciples of the\nsuffering and death of Christ and then administered the Lord's supper.\nAt the close of his prayer he thanked Christ that they were worthy to\nbe His martyrs, and further prayed, \"Watch with me, O Lord, help our\ninfirmity, The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Thanks be to\nGod that we are to become martyrs on the same day of the week as did\nChrist.\" In the morning he, with his 100 followers stood before the\nking. The bishops were first beheaded, and St. Shumon spoke to each one\nas follows: \"My son, close your eyes, and after one minute you will be\nwith Christ.\" St. Shumon had asked to be beheaded first that he might\nnot see the death of his beloved followers, but he was not heard. At\nlast came his turn with two chief bishops. When he alone was left he\nsang a song of thanks to God that out of 100 martyrs, not one had\ndenied the faith. His song was as follows: \"Praised be Thy power our\nGod; let the kingdom of our Savior be victorious. Thou quickener of\nlife, thou hast prepared a crown for Thy martyrs.\" Then he was beheaded\nwith an axe.\n\nAnother severe persecution was in the 14th century by Tamerlane. In\n1848 two Kurdish dukes Baddirkhunback and Nurullaback and their armies\ncame whirling down from the Kurdish mountains and in one month\nmassacred 25,000 Assyrians. The spirit of martyrdom still lives in this\npeople, as was shown in 1893, when two men and a girl were killed as\nmartyrs. No doubt there are to-day singing praises before the throne of\nGod, hundreds of martyrs from this nation.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTHEIR CONDITION AT THE TIME AMERICAN MISSIONS WERE STARTED.\n\n\nThe colleges of the Assyrians were destroyed four hundred years before\nthe American missionaries came. Not a single school was left, and the\nonly effort at education was by monks teaching dead languages to\naspirants for the priesthood. Learned bishops and monks who were full\nof the spirit of Christ in spreading the gospel at home and abroad had\nall vanished. Some of the clergy could not understand what they read.\nPriests and their parish became blind to the Word of God, as their\nbooks had been burned in times of persecution by the Mohammedans in\norder to keep them ignorant. Sometimes there was only one priest in a\ndozen villages. The clouds of ignorance spread over all the nation.\nTheir sun went down. Regeneration and conversion were unknown to them.\nTraditions prevailed among priests and laymen. They trusted in saints\nand in ancient and holy church buildings. In their ignorance they\noffered sacrifice to martyrs and built tombs to prophets; put more hope\nin the merit of fasting than in Christ. A small number of New Testament\nmanuscripts, which were written in dead languages were used only in\ntaking oaths. Sometimes laymen kneeled before them and kissed them\ninstead of obeying the truth that was written in them. The candlestick\nof the church was turned down and the light quenched. Moreover the\nMohammedans had threatened to massacre them if they did not accept that\nfaith. The Assyrians had lost about all of their Christianity except\nthe name. Among 100,000 Christians in Kurdiston and 60,000 in Persia\nthere was only one lady who could read, and she was a nun, sister of\nthe patriarch. The words of the daughter-in-law of Eli when she said,\n\"The glory is departed from Israel.\" could have been applied to this\nnation.\n\n\n\n\nPART VI.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nINTRODUCTION OF MISSION WORK.\n\n\nWhile the sky of Persia was covered with heavy clouds of ignorance and\neven the dim ray of light in Assyria was almost quenched, suddenly God,\nin His great wisdom and wise providence, awakened the consciences of\ngodly men in America to think about mission work in Persia. In the year\nof 1832 Messrs. Smith and Dwight were sent by the A.B.C.F.M. to examine\nthe degenerate and antique churches of the East. They traveled through\nSyria, Asia Minor, Armenia and Persia. In the latter country they\nremained in the city of Oroomiah for several weeks, and met the bishops\nand leaders of the Assyrian church with whom they visited the villages\nof Assyria. Men, women and children everywhere greeted them with great\njoy. In this way they became acquainted with the needs of the nations.\nMr. Smith said at that time: \"I see that this field is white and ready\nfor the harvest. In all my journey I have seen no people as willing to\naccept the gospel as are the Assyrians of Persia. It is a good field\nfor the work.\"\n\nOn their return to America Messrs. Smith and Dwight reported the needs\nof the Assyrians and their readiness to accept the gospel. But the\nquestion arose, Where is the man qualified for the work, who can\novercome the difficulties? In the beginning of every great work there\nmust always be a unique man to lead it. God found only Moses among all\nthe Israelites as being competent to bring His people out of Egypt. He\nelected George Washington to make free America. Even so, in His\nprovidence, he found the Rev. Justin Perkins to be the man equipped for\nthis great mission work. In 1835, Justin Perkins and Dr. Grant as his\nmedical assistant were appointed to the work in Persia. These two\nblessed messengers of Emanuel shone in the dark skies of Persia, and I\nbelieve will everlastingly shine in the sky of heaven.\n\nThey were received by the natives as if God had sent them from heaven.\nMany Assyrians went out to meet them with tears of joy in their eyes.\nPerhaps some one will ask why the Assyrians were so eager to receive\nthe missionaries. Were they awakened to their spiritual condition? The\nanswer is, they were not fully awakened to their great need of\nspirituality, but they were eager to be saved from the wicked plan of\nthe Mohammedans to convert them to that faith by force, if need be.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nMETHOD OF WORK.\n\n\nMr. Perkins gained the confidence and won the love of the people by\nmaking himself one of their number, by adopting their customs and\nspeaking of Assyria as \"our nation.\" In this way he got very close to\nthe people, they believed him their friend, and were not afraid to come\nnear to him. In adopting the native dress it must be remembered of him\nthat he wore the hat commonly worn by aged religious men. It was made\nof sheep-skin and was not less than two feet high.\n\nThe Assyrians churches were open to the new missionaries and they\npreached two or three times every Sunday. There was marked interest in\nthe new teachers from the beginning, and every service was attended by\n200 or 300 natives. In addition to the observance of Sunday the\nAssyrians have numerous sacred or saint's days; at such times the\nchurches are better attended than on Sundays. Services were also lead\nby the missionaries on these days. Through every day of the week the\nmissionaries were busy scattering the blessed seed. When there were no\nservices held in the churches they would meet in some private home.\nSeveral neighboring families would come in, and all would listen to the\ngospel. The writer remembers when he was a boy of Dr. Coan lodging at\nhis father's home several nights and holding meetings. Our homes were\nvery humble among the Assyrians. The houses were low and dark,\nblackened with smoke from the ovens. The floor was covered with cheap\nmats, but some people had a carpet which was spread when guests came.\n\nMost of the families are very large, numbering from ten to thirty-five.\nIn many instances, five or six sons having married are found raising\ntheir families under their father's roof. The food for all is cooked in\nthe one oven, but more than one table is used when the family is very\nlarge. The meals set before the missionaries were very different from\nwhat they had been accustomed to. There were no knives and forks, no\ntables and chairs. But the missionaries humbled themselves, sat on the\nfloor, and ate of the poorly cooked food with their fingers.\n\nIn summer most of the people were working in the field and vineyards.\nThe missionaries would visit them at their work and ask permission to\ntalk for an hour. The workers would gather in the shade of a tree and\nfor an hour listen to the message. Many times these meetings proved\nvery beneficial. In 1843 the well known Fidelia Fisk and several other\nnoble women came to work for women. They would visit them in their\nhomes or where they were at work in the field or vineyard, and while\nhelping them in their work would strive to ennoble their lives by\ntalking of Christian principles.\n\nA story is told of a missionary who one day passed a shepherd among his\nflocks. He asked the shepherd if he ever prayed. The reply was that he\ndid not know how. When the good man offered to teach him the shepherd\nsaid it was useless to try as he could not learn. But the faithful\nmissionary was eager to teach truth, even to the dullest minds, and so\nbegan teaching him the Lord's prayer. But the shepherd could not\nmemorize it. Remembering how this shepherd knew every sheep in his\nflock by name a happy thought struck the missionary. He would name a\nsmall number of the sheep with words or phrases of the Lord's prayer.\nCalling the sheep and giving them these new names the shepherd soon\nlearned the prayer, and could repeat it readily.\n\nWhen passing that way a few weeks later the missionary asked the\nshepherd if he still remembered the prayer. Calling his sheep the\nherdsman went through the prayer with but one mistake. The missionary\ncomplimented him but told him that he had omitted \"forgive our sins.\"\n\"Did I?\" replied the shepherd. \"Oh, I know how it happened. \"Forgive our\nsins\" took sick and died a few days ago.\" This made it necessary to\npoint out another sheep and name it \"Forgive our sins.\" Missionaries\nhave to resort to various methods to teach truth. Many times the hearts\nof parents are won by the missionaries kissing one of their beloved\nchildren. They proved to the people that they were not ashamed to be as\nbrothers to them. This kind of treatment will touch the human heart in\nany clime.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nDEVELOPMENT OF MISSION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.\n\n\nAfter several years work by Justin Perkins and Dr. Grant, his medical\nassistant, the mission had grown until more workers were needed. From\ntime to time other workers came, such as Messrs. Stoddard, Stakings,\nDr. Coan and Mr. Ray. The latter was known among the natives as the\nprince of preachers. He died in that country and his widow, Mrs. Ray,\nnow resides in Lake Forest, Ill. Other workers who should be mentioned\nare Dr. Larabee and Mr. Cochran.\n\nDuring these years of preaching, seed was sown for more thorough work.\nRevival meetings were begun in the churches, and, in answer to prayer,\nthe Lord poured out His spirit upon both preachers and listeners. At\nsome of these meetings there would be from thirty to 100 men and women\ncrying aloud and trying to learn what they must do to be saved. In\nthose times some of the penitents in their ignorance prayed prayers\nthat they would to-day be ashamed of. One old man, who is now an elder,\nbecame terribly in earnest when he was under conviction and was seeking\nconversion. In his anguish he prayed thus: \"O Lord God, Father of\nChrist, send Thy Spirit and regenerate all of this church. If you won't\ndo this, then destroy this church over our heads and kill us.\" This\nprayer, and others like it, was prayed with such intense earnestness,\nthat another seeker near by thought the Lord would answer it at once;\nand so, reaching for his hat, he prayed: \"O Lord don't do this until I\nget out; then destroy all of them if you want to.\" Hastily uttering\nthis prayer he sought safety outside the walls of the building. When\nthe old elder was recently reminded of the prayer he made years ago, he\nwas not ashamed, for he said that was all they knew in those days as\nthey had not yet learned how to pray.\n\nUntil the time of these revivals there had been no separation of the\nmissionaries from the old Assyrian church. It had been their custom to\ntake of the Lord's Supper from the hands of Assyrian priests. Mr.\nCochran, president of the Oroomiah college thought it was now time to\nform a separate organization. Accordingly the new converts were\norganized into a separate church on evangelical principles.\n\nThis separation aroused the bitter opposition of the bishops and\npriests of the old church for a time, but it finally resulted\nbeneficially to both sects. The ancient church tried to attract and\nhold the people by adopting the same kind of preaching and\nSunday-schools as were being carried on by the evangelical branch.\nPreaching sermons was a new work for priests of the old church, and\nmany amusing mistakes were made at first. One priest in an enthusiastic\ndiscourse when intending to call the Mohammedans, dogs, made the sad\nmistake of addressing his audience as, \"Ye dogs and sons of dogs.\" At\nanother time a bishop having announced that he would preach a sermon,\ncarefully wrote his discourse. A large and expectant audience greeted\nhim. When it was time to deliver the address the bishop felt in every\npocket for his written sermon but failed to find it. Turning to the\naudience he said: \"Satan, the accursed, has stolen my sermon out of my\npocket and disappeared with it.\" Being unable to make the address from\nmemory he dismissed the audience.\n\nThe church has developed along this line, however, and to-day in\nOroomiah their services differ very little from that of the evangelical\nchurches. Once a tiny rivulet the evangelical church has become a brook\nwhich flows in beauty and waters much of a thirsty land. It is the hope\nof Persia.\n\nThe statistics of mission work in Persia in 1895 were as follows: Five\npresbyteries, fifty-five churches, 2,600 members, 4,000 Sunday-school\nscholars, 4,500 attendants at preaching services. These five\npresbyteries make one synod. Besides this there are two other\npresbyteries with about 500 church members. There are seven missionary\nstations, viz., Oroomiah, Tabriz, Tehron, Salmas, Hamadon, Myandab and\nMoesul. These are in charge of American missionaries; besides them\nthere are many native preachers in the different towns and cities.\nOroomiah is the mother station. Most of these missions are dependent on\nmissionaries, but some of them are self-supporting. The total number of\nProtestants in Persia will number fully 15,000.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nRELIGIOUS EDUCATION.\n\n\nCOLLEGE.\n\nThe first need of the nation was a college. In 1836 Justin Perkins\ngathered a small number of deacons and priests to teach them for the\nwork of spreading the gospel. The native priests were very ignorant,\nbut Mr. Perkins believed it would take fewer years to prepare them for\nthe work than children, so he opened a rude school in a cellar. At that\ntime the priests in common with all other people drank wine and were\nfrequently drunk. When Dr. Perkins opened his school for the native\npriests and deacons many of them brought a bottle of wine for use\nduring school hours. Dr. Perkins dealt patiently with them but stated\nthat it was against the rules of the school to bring wine. They replied\nthat they would not come to study if they were not allowed to bring\nwine. So wine they brought. One native preacher who is now an old man\nand a fine singer, told at a recent synod of this early school, of\nwhich he was a member: One day they got too much wine and went upstairs\nand began to dance. Dr. Perkins called to them and asked them to dance\na little slower. They replied to the teacher that they would dance\nslower, but kept on dancing. In time the habit of drinking was left off\nand total abstinence was firmly established.\n\nThe school in the cellar has grown until now we have in Oroomiah a fine\nbrick building in which the college classes meet. In it are six\nbranches: high-school, preparatory, college, medicine, industrial, and\ntheological. Its superintendents from the start have been able men. Dr.\nPerkins founded it, Mr. Cochran further developed it, and the late Dr.\nShedd, a profound theologian, contributed his fine ability to the\ninstitution. Several eastern languages are taught. Mathematics,\nincluding algebra and geometry, geography and history are taught, but\nof course not as completely as in America.\n\n\nLADIES' SEMINARY.\n\nWhen the missionaries came to Persia there was only one woman among the\n200,000 Assyrians who could read. Girls were not encouraged to study as\nit was against law and believed to be useless. This belief originated\nin Mohammed's teachings. Fidelia Fisk, soon after her arrival, saw the\ncondition of women and determined to open a seminary. At first it was\ndifficult to get girls to attend. If mothers were asked to send their\ngirls, they asked, \"What is the use? They can never become bishops or\npriests.\" If a girl was asked to attend she would reply that she did\nnot have time as she must be preparing a dowry for her wedding, an\nevent that would certainly occur before her eighteenth year. However, a\nsmall free school was opened for girls, where the branches taught were\nsimilar to those of the college. Fidelia Fisk labored faithfully in her\nduties as teacher and made for herself a lasting reputation in that\ncountry.\n\nHer patience was often severely taxed. It is told of her that once\nafter she had become old she was trying to explain an example in\nmultiplication, when a loose tooth dropped out of her mouth. She sank\nwearily into a chair, exclaiming, \"It's no use; there is no god of\nmathematics in this nation.\"\n\nThere stands to-day on the same site where this faithful soul started\nthe little school, a beautiful brick building known as the Fidelia Fisk\nSeminary. It is also self-supporting, and is attended by 75 or 100\nstudents. Now the girls and mothers laugh at their old superstition\nabout education, as they have learned that it prepares one for\nsomething besides bishop or priest. Fathers want their daughters to\nattend the seminary, and young men who are looking for a wife\nappreciate the importance of the training which seminary girls have\nreceived. They know that she can raise their children better, keep the\nhome cleaner, and better understand her relation to her husband.\n\nWhile the seminary was founded by Fidelia Fisk it was developed largely\nby Jenny Deane, who was superintendent of the institution for thirty\nyears. It was under her direction that the building was erected. Miss\nDeane was a very wise lady, and has few, if any, superiors in America\nin the management of an institution. As a retired missionary she now\nresides in Detroit, Michigan. She will never be forgotten by the many\nwomen in Persia whom she has so greatly helped. There are also four\nother seminaries in Persia for ladies.\n\n\nMEDICAL SCHOOLS.\n\nThe beauty and blessing of medical mission work will be better\nunderstood if we contrast it with prevailing ideas about medicine.\nUntil about fifteen years ago there were no Persian doctors who had\nbecome such from the study of books on medical science. There, were,\nhowever, many quack doctors who had a system of superstition which had\nbeen taught them orally by older men. Blades of some kinds of grasses\nwhich are known to medical science as having no medicinal properties\nwere the chief remedies prescribed for disease. Internal diseases were\ncalled supernatural, and it was believed they were inflicted by evil\nspirits. None of the doctors could do anything for this form of\ndisease, as they considered it out of their realm. A patient with an\ninternal disease was sent to the priest who would diagnose the case by\nlooking into the Koran or some other book in which he locates the\nparticular demon that is afflicting the patient. Writing something\nmystical on two slips of paper, the priest gives direction for their\nuse: \"This one soak in a cup of water and have the patient drink the\nwater. The other, bind on the patient's arm. I find that it is demon so\nand so afflicting the sick man, and I have bound the mouth of that evil\nspirit so that he cannot do further harm.\"\n\nThere are several remedies for fever. One is to tie seven knots in a\nwhite thread and fasten it around the wrist. Wearing this fifteen or\ntwenty days cures the fever, they say. Another remedy is to remove the\nclothing and jump into cold water before breakfast. If a man has a\nsevere attack of colic and cries, \"I die, I die,\" his friends run for\nthe nearest baldheaded man, as he is known to have power to remove the\npains by firmly pressing the smooth surface of his cranium against the\nsurface of the patient's body nearest the seat of pain. Many baldheaded\nmen in other countries laugh at this remedy, but Persian doctors affirm\nthat it will cure, and that skeptics should try it. Pork is never used\nas food, but it is believed to remove rheumatism when bound on the\nparts afflicted.\n\nThere are now some medical men in Persia who have graduated in an\nAmerican or European medical college. Patients for whom they have\nprescribed often consult the Mujtahid before taking the medicine. Once\na man with a diseased foot came to Dr. Cochran for treatment. The\ndoctor told him that his life could be saved by amputating the foot.\nThe patient consulted a Mujtahid who told him that it was against\nreligion to part with any member of the body. Therefore the patient\nretained his foot and died. The modern midwife is greatly needed in\nPersia as many women die for want of attention, and it is against the\nlaw for male doctors to give them treatment. The name hospital was\nunknown in Persia before the missionaries came. But, thanks to God, we\nhave to-day three missionary hospitals. The good they do cannot be\nexpressed in words. They are open for all no matter what their beliefs.\nThe largest one is in Oroomiah. It is under the charge of Dr. Cochran,\na godly man, who is known in all Persia. The late Shah appreciated his\nwork so much that he gave him the highest degree that is possible to\ngive to a foreigner. When patients enter these hospitals, lie down on\nclean beds, are given good food and kind treatment, they are surprised,\nand sometimes have said that heaven cannot be a nicer place. Some wild\nKurds have been brought to the hospitals. They came in like roaring\nlions but went out meek as lambs. Hundreds of people have been snatched\nfrom the mouth of the grave by treatment received here. They cure not\nonly the body but the soul also. Two wild Kurds who were healed here\nbecame Christians and are now active church-members. Dr. Cochran has\nfrom six to ten native students of medicine. They take a three years'\ncourse, and some of them have become such useful physicians that the\nShah gave them the title of count. The Mohammedans have confidence in\nthe Christian doctors, and send for them to treat their children and\nwives in all cases except childbirth.\n\n\nCOUNTRY SCHOOLS.\n\nThere were no schools for common education among the people before the\nmissionaries came. They met with some opposition in starting country\nschools from superstitious old men. They said the Europeans and\nAmericans are a cunning people. They will fill our children's heads\nwith notions that will take them away from us to foreign countries. On\nthe other hand there were many parents eager to have their children get\nlearning. So schools began. Books and writing material were so\nexpensive and scarce for a time, that a canvas with the alphabet\nprinted on it was stretched on the wall. Thirty or more children could\nstand before this canvas and study. For those who were learning to\nwrite boxes of sand were provided. Herein written language was traced.\nThere are to-day seventy schools for children in the district of\nOroomiah. The population of this district is nearly half a million.\nSome of the schools are self-supporting, while in others the teacher's\nsalaries are paid by the missionaries. These schools are like a garden\nof flowers in a desert. They have a very strong moral and elevating\ninfluence in a community. It is generally believed by Christian workers\nthere that there is no better foundation for the future of the church\nthan these schools. In them are taught three languages, a little\ngeography, mathematics and the Bible. Nearly all the students can\nrepeat from memory the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, and creed\nof the apostles. The chief aim is to teach the fear of God. A good many\nstudents are converted in school. After school some of the students go\namong their neighbors in the evening to read the Bible to them. The\nteachers are chosen by the board of education. One important rule\ngoverning the choice is that the applicant must be a regular member of\nthe church. The teachers are very devoted and faithful to their work.\nThey consider that their work among the children is similar to a\npastor's work among his people. They watch after their pupils in school\nand out as a shepherd cares for his flock. A monthly meeting is held\nfor teachers at which best methods of teaching are discussed. One of\nthe principal subjects considered is, how to develop spirituality among\nthe pupils. These meetings are refreshing to the teachers, and they\nreturn to their work full of the love of Christ, zealous to spread His\ntruth. Sometimes a religious mid-week meeting is held in the\nschoolhouse for students only. These meetings often bear blessed fruit.\nIn one such meeting in a preparatory school over which the writer held\nsupervision, thirteen boys of ages from thirteen to sixteen years, were\nconverted. These boys remained after the meeting closed and, touched\nwith the Spirit of God, they prayed with tears in their eyes. Some of\nthem have since become preachers of the gospel. In the country schools\nsome of the teachers work more faithfully for the salvation of their\npupils than pastors work for their flock. In one school two boys were\nattacked with a fatal disease. The teacher, accompanied with several\npupils, visited the first sick boy and asked him if he was afraid to\ndie. He replied that he did not want to give up his studies. The\nteacher asked if he did not know that Christ was a teacher. The dying\nboy was gladdened by this thought, and, with a smile on his boyish\nface, he said: \"I'm going away to Christ and He will teach me.\" With\nthese words his soul took its flight above. The other sick boy was then\nvisited and comforted in the same way. He, too, soon died of the fatal\ndisease. The missionaries are carrying on 113 schools in Persia and the\nKurdiston mountains. The number of teachers employed is 116 and there\nare 1821 boys and 720 girls; total 2541.\n\n\nTRANSLATION OF BOOKS.\n\nWhen the missionaries first came to Persia, ancient Syriac was the\nlanguage of literature; therefore the common people could not\nunderstand anything in the ceremonial words of the priests. Dr.\nPerkins, with the aid of native scholars, translated the Bible into the\ncommon language, or modern Syriac. After the new translation was\nprinted the common people were surprised and rejoiced greatly at having\nthe sacred Word in a form that they could understand. From time to time\nother books were translated, such as parts of commentaries on the\nBible, Pilgrim's Progress, Rest of Saints, Morning to Morning, etc.\nThese books are read in connection with the Bible in the daily worship\nof the native Christians. Rev. Benjamin Larabee D.D., with some native\nscholars, greatly improved the translation of the Bible into modern\nSyriac, about two years ago, by a careful revision of the first\ntranslation. Mrs. J. H. Shedd who was known as the \"Mother in Israel\"\ndid a great work for our people in translating books, and tracts and\npreparing the Sunday lessons.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE GOSPEL AND TEMPORAL IMPROVEMENT.\n\n\nThe Assyrian houses were one story, low flat roof, and built of mud.\nMohammedan law was opposed to Christians building houses of more than\none story. The houses were poorly kept, dark and unfurnished. This was\nthe case even when a man was well-to-do and could have afforded\nsomething better. Families were large, numbering from ten to forty. It\nwas the custom when sons married to raise their families, for a time at\nleast, under the parental roof. The mother or father was supreme\nauthority in the home, but they could not always control the sons,\ndaughters and grandchildren, and there is much quarreling and\nfrequently fighting. However, custom demands that a son bring his bride\nto the father's house. If he does not he is called mean. When the\nwriter married his wedding ceremony was performed at the preparatory\nschool where he was then teaching, and he did not take his bride to his\nfather's home. He remembers that his good mother was grieved and shed\ntears at this breaking away from custom. Men in the street were\ninclined to look upon him with scorn.\n\nThe house that accommodates a large family is usually divided into\nseveral rooms. There are often four beds in one large room. The reader\nmust understand that these large families do not give rise to\nimmorality. Men may be wicked in other ways, but this vice is very\nuncommon.\n\nChristians were compelled by Mohammedan law to wear poor grade\nclothing. They could not wear any garments commonly worn by lords. Men\nwore coarse home-made clothing something like American blue jeans of\nearlier days. Women dressed in plain cloth, usually colored red. Lords\nobjected to their subjects wearing nice clothing. They suspected the\nspirit of pride was growing underneath, and might some day resent their\nauthority. Christians were compelled to wear red braid on their\nclothing to distinguish them from Mohammedans. It was a sin for a\nMohammedan to give the same salutation to a Christian that was given to\nhis own sect, so it was necessary to mark the Christian's clothing.\nOnly bishops and some few prominent men were allowed to ride a horse,\nwhile other Christians must walk or ride a donkey, for the Moslems\nsaid: \"God created horses for us and donkeys for you.\" If a Christian,\nwho was riding a horse, met a Moslem, he should dismount, bow to him,\nand remain off the horse until the Moslem had passed.\n\nThe per cent. of death in infancy was very large. Mothers did not\nunderstand how to nourish the delicate life during the most trying\nperiod. The infants were not dressed warm enough in many instances. In\nother instances the clothes about the child bound it helpless and\ninjured it, sometimes causing death. Ignorantly, they exposed them to\ncontagious disease. Before the missionaries introduced vaccination,\nhundreds died with smallpox. The women of the mission have taught the\nnatives a great deal about caring for young children, and now many a\nmother dresses and cares for her babe after American custom.\n\n\nTEMPERANCE.\n\nThe Assyrians were a great nation for drinking wine. Many men owned\nvineyards and made from the fruit some of the best wine. One man was\nknown who made 100 barrels of wine one year for his own use. Wine and\nnot water was the drink. Grapes were very cheap and the poor man could\nbe supplied with wine.\n\nNearly all forms of industry and business were suspended in winter, and\nthe time was spent in trying to get joy from the cup. They said wine\nwas love and good fellowship, which is a common notion in many nations\nof the earth to-day. When a man had a guest from a distance, he would\ninvite forty or fifty neighbors to his home where the entire day would\nbe spent in eating and drinking. Next day one of the neighbors would\nentertain the company, and so the feast would continue for a week or\nmore. By the end of the debauch perhaps one or more of the number would\nhave met death. Falling by the wayside at a late hour, or tumbling from\na housetop as he was journeying homeward, he would die from cold or\nfrom the shock. In those degenerate days idleness, extravagance and\ndrunkenness were praised in a man. When such a one died, an engraving\non his tombstone would show that his table was always spread and\nprovided with wine for his friends. Many a man was brought to poverty\nby these habits of extravagance and drunkenness. The women were\nrequired to let wine alone that they might cook much food for these\ndegenerate Christians. On such occasions the master of the house\ndemanded that the very best food be put before his guest.\n\nThe missionaries have completely broken up these customs. The\nevangelical church forbids its members to make or taste wine or to sit\namong drinkers. Any who disobey this rule are dismissed from\nmembership. Rev. E. W. Pierce, one of the most beloved of all\nmissionaries, spent one winter in preaching temperance. Many were\nconverted to his views on the subject and brought their wines, many\nbarrels, and poured it into the streets. They believed it would be a\nsin to even sell it. The old Assyrian church-members have given up\ntheir former ways and are now temperate. Formerly it was the glory of a\nman to be idle and drunken, but now public opinion has been entirely\nreversed. The drunkard is looked upon as an object of shame.\n\nThe Assyrians used to observe many saint's days. At times as many as\nfour thousand men and women would gather in the yard of some building\nbuilt in honor of an ancient saint and would there spend several days\nin eating, drinking and dancing. Sometimes quarreling, fighting and\neven murder would result from these gatherings. Moslems often mingled\nwith the crowd and sometimes kidnaped some of their fairest daughters.\nInstead of places of worship these gatherings became places of sin. All\nof these vicious customs have now vanished before the influence the\ntrue gospel.\n\nMore than half the days of the year were days of fasting with the old\nAssyrians. On these days they ate no meat, milk, butter, cheese, eggs\nor fish; some very religious old people would eat nothing before noon.\nAll has now been changed.\n\nMembers of the evangelical church do not fast and but few of the old\nAssyrians do. There is no longer faith in the virtue of fasting.\n\n\nCONVERSION TO MOHAMMEDANISM.\n\nBefore the missionaries came many beautiful girls and ladies were\nconverted by force to the faith of Moslems. Girls were often stolen\nwhen alone in the fields and vineyards. Mothers feared for their\ndaughters, and advised them not to wash their faces, nor put on nice\nclothes lest a Mohammedan would be attracted by their beauty. When a\nMohammedan saw a beautiful girl he would say, \"God created her for us\nand not for these infidels.\" When girls were converted by force, it was\nnot much use to complain to the government, as the government is\nMohammedan and it is in the Mohammedan doctrine that when a man\nconverts a Christian he has done a good thing and all his sins will be\nforgiven. The method of making the convert is not questioned. The\nconversions now as compared with the number when the missionaries came\nare very few. Kidnaping is not easy now as parents can telegraph to the\nking, or the prime minister, or even to Europe and cause much trouble.\n\nA few years ago a prince had a beautiful Armenian stolen from her home,\nand tried to get her to consent to be a Mohammedan and become his wife.\nBut the woman stood firm, and denounced him and his faith. Her friends,\nand the missionaries of all denominations, were making an angry search\nfor the missing woman, and the prince ordered his servants to return\nher to her native village. When a girl has been stolen and complaint is\nmade to the government, officers bring the girl into court, if she can\nbe found, and ask her if she had been taken by force, or whether she\nwas willing to become a Moslem. If she says she was taken by force, she\nis returned to her parents. There are a few cases where women willingly\ngo to the Moslem but this is from their wickedness or their poverty.\n\n\nMORALS ELEVATED.\n\nNot many years ago a Moslem would enter the private homes of the\nAssyrians without an invitation. The husband and father did not want\nhim there, but so long had his rights as a man been ignored that he did\nnot have the manhood to drive him away. Then, too, he feared if he\noffended the Moslem, that the latter would secretly destroy some of his\nproperty. These uninvited visits gave the stranger an opportunity to\nbecome acquainted with the family, and perhaps an attempt to kidnap a\ndaughter would follow. But this has changed. If a stranger enters an\nAssyrian home to-day he behaves like a gentleman or he is ordered to\nleave. The manhood and independence of the old Assyrian has been\naroused.\n\nIn a national conference of the Protestants, Catholics and Old Assyrian\nchurches held a few months ago, rules and plans for the development of\nthe nation and the uplifting of morality were adopted. Among other\nthings, Christian girls and women are prohibited by these rules from\nworking for Mohammedans; second, no girl nor woman can go to a city of\nMohammedan merchants to do trading. This is the first conference of\nthis kind that has been held by Assyrians for 400 years.\n\nMany of the native young men who have been educated by the missionaries\nhave become able men and influential citizens. There are some of them\nwho can stand before the king and speak with greater power than any of\nthe government officers. This is in great contrast with the condition\nof Assyrians before the missionaries came. In those days leading\nAssyrians could not stand before even a low court to plead their cause.\n\nIn 1893 a general, third in the government, visited Oroomiah college.\nWhen he saw the training of the young men he was impressed and\nafterwards, in a conference of lords, said: \"The young men who are\nbeing educated in the mission schools would become leaders in the\npolitical affairs of our nation if they had a chance. I believe a time\nwill come when they will hold high offices, and the sons of lords will\nbe ruled by them, unless you do something for the future of your\nchildren.\"\n\nThe Shah has given the title of count to some of the graduates in\nmedicine. He sees their useful work and says they are helping his\npeople. The royal family and some officers favor indirectly if not\ndirectly, modern education; and they have confidence in Christians. The\noccupation of selling merchandise is being entered by Christians; they\nhave much prejudice to overcome but will likely succeed gradually.\n\nThanks to God, many of the old oppressions have passed away. Assyrians\ncan now build any kind of house they want; Moslems can no longer say\nthat they must walk or ride a donkey; they can wear clothes of any\nstyle or quality they choose. No longer are Christians required to trim\ntheir clothes in red to mark their inferiority. All these are the\nfruits of the blessed gospel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nMISSION WORK AMONG MOSLEMS.\n\n\nMission work indirectly and slowly spreads among Moslem. The Koran\nforbids Christians to preach to Moslems, and no Christian dared discuss\nquestions of religion with Moslems before the time of missionaries. To\nattempt to show Christ's superiority of Mohammed was forbidden. If a\nMoslem should say, \"Mohammed was a greater prophet than Christ. Ours is\nthe true religion. You are infidels.\" The Christian with a timid,\ndownward look would reply \"Yes sir, you are right.\" But the answer to\nthis assertion to-day is a firm \"No sir.\" The Christian now sees truth\nclearly and feels it his duty to uphold it. There is now free\ndiscussion of religious questions. A Christian discusses with Moslem\npriest if he chooses. And sometimes they call at the homes of Moslems\nand read the Bible to them. The Christian feels it his duty to discuss\nwith any one who approaches him, as he possesses light which that one\nneeds. There is in one city an evangelical church in which all of its\nmembers are Mohammedan converts, while many other churches have a few.\nThe spirit of these converts is that of martyrs. The Koran teaches that\nany Mohammedan who denounces the faith deserves death, and that one who\nkills the deserter has done a noble deed. Some of these converts have\nsuffered martyrdom and one who was killed after great torture, prayed\nas his last words: \"O Jesus we thank Thee that Thou hast made us worthy\nto be Thy martyrs. Our supplication is that our blood may become as\nseed to Thy church.\" No doubt God will answer this prayer in due time.\nThe seed is sown; the leaven is mingled and will in time, no doubt,\nleaven the 9,000,000 Mohammedans.\n\nThe writer, a representative of the evangelical missions, wishes to\nexpress his deep gratitude to the American Board who started mission\nwork in Persia, and to the Presbyterian Church, which, in 1871, assumed\nthe responsibility of the work and has since so nobly carried it on.","title":"Modern Persia","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":45187}