Modern Persia | Page 5

first-hand of what he writes. He
writes of those features and facts of Persia as a country and a people in

which an intelligent American is most sure to be interested. Very
ancient and renowned among the Asiatics, Persia, persisting in her
nationality and gradually improving her condition excites inquiry
abroad. In this volume we have a view of her geographical divisions,
her form of government, system of taxation, methods of merchandise,
educational conditions and the state of religion.
The author also particularizes and portrays the character, creed and
course of Mohammed: how Moslemism was propagated by violence
and perpetuated by deceit, and of such false doctrines, as hatred toward
enemies, and rewards in heaven and hell. The reader is informed of
Bobeism, a new sect which has arisen in opposition to government and
orthodox Mohammedanism. The book was written for the reading
public and by its style, movement, and contents is calculated not only
to enlarge ones general knowledge of the land of the Shah but to
quicken interest in the enterprise of Christian Missions which are the
chief hope of the country.
REV. JOHN L. WITHROW, D.D., LL.D.
Ex-Moderator of General Assembly, Chicago, Ill. July 19, '97.


PART I.

CHAPTER I.
GENERAL SURVEY OF PERSIA.
Once, in ages long past, Persia was the home of heroes and was studded
with palaces of splendor. Bards and poets of all nations have vied with
each other in singing of the bravery of her sons and the beauty of her
daughters. The names of Cyrus the Great, Darius, and others are

engraved in ever-living letters on the pages of history.
To-day, though her glory has flown away and her splendor has faded,
her natural beauty remains untarnished. The words of the poet Sahdy
are still true: "It is a paradise making men drunken with the odors of its
roses; it is a garden whose streams wreath the faces of men in smiles."
In 1826, in the war between Persia and Russia, the territory of the
former was greatly reduced. It now contains 628,000 square miles or
three times the number in France or Germany. It is divided into thirteen
states as follows: Ghilon, Mazandaron, Ostorobad, in the north;
Azerbijon, Persian Kurdistan, Luriston and Khuziston on the west;
Fariston, Loriston, Kerman with Mogiston in the south; Irakeston the
capital state where the king resides being in the center. On the east lies
the large state of Khorason, which is mainly desert.
Persia is dotted with many great and small mountains, interspersed with
fertile valleys, flowing fountains and silvery streams. Dense jungles
abound in the states of Mazandaron and Ghilon.
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.
The great extent of the country gives rise to an extremely varied
climate. Cyrus said of it: "The people perish with the cold at one
extremity, while they are suffocated with the heat at the other." Persia
may be considered to possess three climates: that of southern
Dashtiston; of the elevated plateau; and of the Caspian provinces.
In Dashtiston the autumnal heats are excessive, those of summer are
more tolerable, while in winter and spring the climate is delightful. In
the plateau the climate of Fariston is temperate. About Isphahon in the
same plateau the winters and summers are equally mild, and the
regularity of the seasons appears remarkable to a stranger. The Caspian
provinces from their general depression below the level of the sea are
exposed to fierce heat during the summer months, though their winters
are mild. Heavy rains are frequent and many of the low districts are
marshy and unhealthy. Except in the Caspian and northwest provinces
the atmosphere of Persia is remarkable above that of all other countries

for its dryness and purity.
The cultivated portions of Persia, where there is a good rainfall or the
land can be irrigated, produce an immense variety of crops. Here is
grown the best wheat in the world. Other characteristic products are
barley, rice, cotton, sugar and tobacco. Vineyards are plentiful. The
vines of Shiroz are celebrated in eastern poetry. Mulberries and silk are
two other famous Persian products, while the finest perfumes are made
from the countless varieties of roses with which the land is carpeted.
The forests of the Elburz mountains abound with wild animals, such as
wolves, tigers, jackals, wild boars, foxes and the Caspian cat. Deer of
every variety inhabit some of the mountains. Lions and leopards are
also found in Mazandaron. Among domestic animals the horse, camels
and the buffalo hold the first place. The horses of Persia have always
been celebrated as the finest in the East. They are larger and more
handsome, but not so fleet as the horses of Arabia. Sheep are one of the
main sources of wealth of the country. All the rivers are well stocked
with fish, especially