nearly L1,500,000 were from direct taxations. But notwithstanding so
much is collected, not one cent goes for public improvements.

THE ARMY.

The standing army numbers about 130,000, of which only 30,000 are well
disciplined infantry, 10,000 artillery, 10,000 cavalry, and irregular
infantry and guards constitute the remainder. The officers in the
Persian army are for the most part ignorant and inefficient, while the
soldiers are described as obedient, sober, intelligent and capable to
endure great fatigue. The peculiar power of the Persian army lies in
its irregular cavalry of Kurds and other tribes who are famous for
their courage and daring, and are equal to the Russian Cossacks and
vastly superior to the Turkish Sultan's Boshibozouks.

[Illustration: PERSIAN OFFICER.]

CHAPTER II.

THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF PERSIA.

According to the poet, Firdusi, in his Shah Nomeh, the history of
Persia begins some thousands of years before the Christian era.
Professor Yooseph of Oroomiah College one of Persia's most scholarly
men holds that as early as the time of Abraham there was here an
organized government. The first king was the Chedolaomer of the Bible,
King of Elam (Gen. 14:1). This opinion is confirmed by the fact that
the name Elam is in reality the name of Persia. Persians call their
country Ajam. Thus it can be seen that the Hebrew letter j has been
changed to l. However there is stronger proof of this theory in the
accounts of Greek historians. The northwest part of ancient Persia,
called Media, was known to the Greeks as a part of the Assyrian Empire.
But the Medes under Dejoce in 708 B.C. threw off the yoke of Assyria
and gained the dominance over the other tribes of Persia. In 538 Cyrus
of Persia rebelled against the Medes, led an army to victory over them,
and extended the Persian Empire as far east as the Oxus and Indus and
over Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotania. He was succeeded by
his son Cambyses (529-522) and the latter by Darius (522-521). This
dynasty ruled till Darius III. (336-329). He was compelled to yield his
throne to Alexander the Great, who conquered all Persia. Under the
leadership of the tribe of Arsocide Persia became independent in 246
B.C. But the dynasty of Arsocide came to an end at the hand of Ardasher
Babajan, who managed to gain possession of more than half of the entire
country, _i.e._, of the provinces of Fars, Kerman and the whole of
Irakiston. Then in 218 this