,
frequently, the nails torn from the toes. The victims frequently become
insensible under this punishment. One good thing in the laws of
punishment is that no Christians or Jews are ever beheaded. The
Mohammedans consider the Christian and Jew as being unclean, and think
it would be a mean thing to behead them.

Princes, lords and counts are never beheaded. The most severe
punishment for a prince is to pluck out his eyes. The method of
execution for counts and lords is of two kinds. The king will send a
bottle of Sharbat to the condemned man which is given him in the form
of a sweet drink but it contains a deadly poison. He is compelled to
drink this and soon dies. Another form is for the condemned man to be
met by a servant from the governor after having taken a bath and the
servant cuts blood-vessels in the arm of the condemned until death
results from loss of blood.

Thus it will be seen that the contrast in modes of punishment in a
Christian nation and a Mohammedan nation is very great. The kind of
punishment inflicted on criminals in any country grows out of the
prevailing religious belief of that country. A religion that has much
cruelty in it will lead a people to torture its criminals. But a nation
whose religion is based upon love will deal with its criminals
effectively, but as kindly as possible. The writer has visited prisons
in both Persia and America and finds that the contrast between the
prisons of the two countries is like the contrast of a palace and a
cellar. Prisoners in America ought to be very thankful for the humane
treatment they receive under this Christian government.

CHAPTER III.

COUNTS OR LORDS.

The counts and lords live in luxury. Their title was not obtained by
great service to the nation or by high education. It descends from
ancestors, and many ignorant and unworthy men bear this title. Wealthy
merchants sometimes purchase a title for their sons. The titled class
in Persia is very numerous. In one city of 30,000 inhabitants there are
more than 500 counts. They own almost all of the land in Persia. In
some instances one count owns as much as one hundred villages. All
inhabitants of a village are subjects of the count and they pay taxes
to him and also to the king. The men pay a poll tax of one dollar a
year; a tax is levied on all horses, cows, sheep, and chickens.

The count gets two thirds of all grain raised by the farmers, and he
expects a portion of all fruits rais