Chapter X: Conclusion

We have now seen something not only of the Yezdi’s life, of his character, and of his mental attitude towards the missionary, but also something of the way in which the modern missionary attempts to meet this attitude. Of course it cannot be claimed that the estimate of the Yezdi’s position that has been made in these pages is in any way final, or that it is one with which all acquainted with the subject would certainly concur. To have limited myself to the greatest common measure of opinion on such a matter would have prevented me altogether from touching on many questions, and would have left me very little to say on others. As the book stands, I can claim that it is truthful in matters of fact, and in other things sufficiently sound to form a basis for other people’s corrections; and as many find it less easy to state their own views than to combat those of other persons, I am not without hopes that it may be useful, even if my conclusions should prove altogether unacceptable. Also it may be pointed out that, though I have throughout spoken of the Yezdi and of Yezd, these have been taken as special instances of a Persian and his town. Other places in central Persia may differ in particulars, but there will in most cases be a general similarity.

Perhaps a short summary of the points which have been noted in the preceding pages may not be without value. We have seen first of all the strange staccato effect of Persian scenery, particularly of that which meets the eye of the Yezdi, and have noticed how this has influenced the Yezdi’s mind. Then we have seen the extreme insularity of the town, and how this has given rise to symptoms which resemble intense fanatical bigotry, but on the other hand how this insularity may be utilised by the foreigner when it is once understood. Then we have tried to discover the essential system of Islam, and to decide whether or not the Persian Shiah has been greatly influenced by the prophet’s life and teaching. My own opinion is that Persia is most strongly Mohammedan, but seeing that the point of this book is not so much to express opinions as to give the facts that have led to their formation, I must not complain if many of my readers do not agree with me. An attempt has also been made to explain the religiosity of the Mohammedan, and to show that it is neither hypocrisy, nor yet religion in the Western sense. Then there was a chapter on the Yezdi’s character, and I think that in this my main point was to show how superficial is the judgment that pronounces the Persian thoroughly weak and effete. He really shows great strength of purpose when he has a purpose, he has some peculiar abilities, and is at bottom thoroughly likeable and loveable, but he is spoilt by the unhappy circumstances of his existence and very specially by his creed.

After that there was an attempt to show the peculiar nature of the search after truth that is just now going on in Persia, and very particularly in Yezd. That this is God’s doing, intended to prepare the way for Christian teaching, I have in my own mind no doubt at all; but I have tried to describe it as a phenomenon, and sometimes to trace it to immediate causes where such causes are easily discoverable. Lastly, I have tried to show that towns like Yezd present a field, not only workable by one class of missionary organisation, but approachable in many different ways.

I sincerely trust that those who have followed the argument of these chapters will have come to my own conclusion, that, although there are enormous difficulties in missionary work in Persia, there are also enormous opportunities, and that there is great reason to expect that in such a country things will one day come with a rush: further, that when the barrier of Mohammedanism is removed, there are grounds for hoping that Persian character will recover its equilibrium and the nation prove by no means decadent. If in addition the spiritual force of Christianity be brought to bear upon the people, Persia may prove in the future the missionary power of the near East. Persia at this moment is full of religious enquirers, willing to make immense sacrifices for their convictions; and behind these there is a mass of simple people, religiously minded and yet utterly dissatisfied with their present creed. There are of course great prejudices still existing against Christianity, but these prejudices have been by God’s blessing broken down in individual instances, and when their nature is better realised they may more generally disappear. It is not necessary to give actual statistics with reference to converts: it is enough to say that the number of those who have come forward in Yezd is sufficient to prove two things; firstly, that God is willing to bless the work very fully, and secondly, that we are not quite ready for His blessing.[7]

If any further proof were needed of God’s willingness to forward the work of the Yezd mission, it would be found in the history of the Christian institutions in the town. The medical work was founded by Dr Henry White about six years and a half back, he having been in the Isfahan district for about twelve months previous to his arrival in Yezd. There is now not only a men’s hospital and dispensary in the town, but also two dispensaries in the outlying villages, and a women’s hospital and dispensary under Dr Elsie Taylor. In connection with the medical work one can hardly help mentioning the name of Miss Bird, who really founded the work amongst the women, and that of Dr Griffith, who did most valuable work during the furlough of Dr White.

The site for the men’s hospital was given to the Society shortly after Dr White’s arrival, by the late Mr Gudarz, a prominent Parsi merchant in the town. The medical mission in Yezd may be said to be quite as firmly established as the Government.

I myself came to Yezd six months later than Dr White, without any previous experience of Persia. My successor, Mr Boyland, has now under his charge a school of about sixty boys, Mussulmans, Babis and Parsis, with a staff of native masters. The boys in spite of their religious differences play football together. The religious teaching in the school is given without the slightest concealment. There is also a school for Parsi girls more lately established by Miss Brighty. In this school religious instruction is also given. When I left Yezd the number of the pupils was about forty.

I may also mention that in the chapel which we have built in the hospital we often have congregations of over a hundred Persians. The chapel cost something under a hundred pounds, and the funds were subscribed, all but twenty-five pounds, by the members of the European colony.

It is a great mistake to regard such work as we have in Yezd as primarily of a preparatory nature in view of some future opportunity. Babiism, which is in some ways more opposed to Christianity than the religion of the average Persian Mussulman, is fast gaining ground, and the exceptional opportunity, which is occasioned by the preparation of the soil by Babi missionaries who have not yet been successful in planting their ideas, is fast passing away. It has been already pointed out that there is not much hope of real religious liberty under native rule.

Some people think that there are shortly going to be changes in Persia which will entirely deprive the British missionary of his opportunity. If we take this view we ought to act quickly. Taking a second and more hopeful view of the future, other political developments which might make religious liberty in any sense a reality, would find us by no means in a position to make the best use of them, unless we had a native church gathered in time of stress and strain upon whose judgment to rely.

Consequently mission work in Persia is a matter which demands most careful consideration, most unsparing effort, and most earnest prayer. We ought not to lack recruits. That there are difficulties to be solved is true, but when all has been said the overwhelming horror of modern Mohammedanism, the intense hopefulness of Persian character, and last but not least, the obvious preparation made by God in this country for human evangelistic labours, all together present a situation which cannot but appeal to the Christian Englishman.

FOOTNOTES

[1] The author has, with a few exceptions, accentuated native words _only_ where they first occur in the book.

[2] The dates given with regard to this persecution are approximately correct; but, although reasonable care has been taken to find the exact year in which the changes of restriction were made, the absolute accuracy of some of these dates cannot be guaranteed.

[3] The Yezdi realises the link of a common language, but by this he means a common dialect. Consequently I have included this idea in fellow-townsmanship; it in no way takes the place of the bond of country.

[4] I was informed, however, by Dr Griffith that the Mussulmans of Kirman welcomed his coming and the work of the medical mission on the ground that his _savabs_, being the _savabs_ of an infidel, would be credited not to him but to the account of the Mohammedans of the town, who stood rather sorely in need of them.

[5] This only refers to visits of ceremony. When people found that they could come to my house without notice, I often had a continual succession of visitors throughout the day.

[6] Certainly the Light also operates inside Islam. During the Babi massacre a number of women who had been horrified by the sights in the streets said to my wife, “They say that we can’t be Mussulmans if we mind these things, but cannot these things sicken even Mohammedans?”

[7] The opinion that Persia is changing its religion, or at least its form of Mohammedanism, is not confined to missionary circles.

GLOSSARY

_Aivān_ A kind of portico, or roofed recess.

_Anjuman_ Assembly, committee.

_Arkhālūq_ Under-coat.

_Bābī_ Follower of the Bāb.

_Bād-gīr_ Air-shaft.

_Bāgh_ Enclosed cultivation.

_Behāī_ Follower of Behāu’llah.

_Chādar_ Sheet; especially the cotton shawl worn over the
head and whole body by the women.

_Chārvādār_ Muleteer, or donkey caravan driver.

_Dastūr_ Parsi priest.

_Dīv_ Demon.

_Farrāsh_ Literally a carpet-sweeper. Really a servant,
chiefly outdoor.

_Ferangī_ Frank, European.

_Firmān_ Government order.

_Islām_ Resignation to God. The name given by Mohammed to
his religion.

_Jazīya_ Poll tax levied by Mohammedans on non-Mohammedan
monotheists living in their country.

_Jin_ Genius; a being composed of fire.

_Kajāva_ A kind of wooden pannier with a hood.

_Khān_ A hereditary title.

_Krān_ A coin worth about 4½d., the tenth part of a tomān.

_Kursī_ Wooden stool. Especially one used over a pan of
charcoal to support a quilt.

_Lāla_ A spring candlestick with a globe.

_Lūtī_ A rough; a bad character.

_Man’_ A weight varying in different towns. In Yezd it is
about 13 lbs.

_Manzil_ Halting-place.

_Mazra’_ A piece of cultivated land.

_Mirzā_ Clerk, secretary.

_Muballigh_ A missionary. The word is generally used of the
Behāī missionaries in Yezd.

_Mujtahid_ The highest class of the Mohammedan clergy.

_Mullā_ A word very like our term “clerk.” It is generally
used of the clergy, but it is sometimes a mere
courtesy title, and sometimes means a man who
can read.

_Mussulmān_, _Muslim_ A believer in Islam. One who is resigned to God.

_Nakhl_ A religious implement.

_Nijāsat_ Ceremonial uncleanness.

_Paighambar_ Message bearer, prophet.

_Paighambarī_ Prophethood.

_Qabā_ Outer coat.

_Qalāntar_ Head-man. The title is used in Yezd for the
head-man of the Parsis.

_Qaliān_ Persian hookah.

_Qan’āt_ Underground water-channel.

_Raiyat_ Agriculturist, a tenant farmer who pays rent in
kind. It also means a subject.

_Rūza khānī_ Religious recitation.

_Saughāt_ A traveller’s present.

_Savāb_ Work of merit.

_Seyid_ A descendant of Mohammed.

_Shiah_ Nonconformist. However, there is a Shiah sect held
orthodox in Persia.

_Sunnat_ Ancient traditions and Commentary on the Quran
accepted by the Sunnis.

_Sunnī_ A member of the Mohammedan sect accepting the
Sunnat, who are considered orthodox in Turkey,
India, and Africa, as opposed to the Shiahs of
Persia and elsewhere.

_Taqdīr_ Predestination.

_Taqīya_ Concealment of faith by denial in times of danger.

_Tauhīd_ Assertion of the Divine Unity.

_Tomān_ A sum of money, 10,000 dinars, equivalent to about
3s. 8d.

_Yailāq_ Summer quarters, generally a village in the hills.

_Zardūshtī_ Follower of Zardūsht or Zoroaster, the Parsi
prophet.

INDEX

Abbās, 67

Abu Jahl, 67

Abu Tālib, Mohammed’s uncle, 67

_Aīvan_, 18

Ali, Imam, 75-77

Ali Mohammed (Bab), 90, 91

_Anjuman_, 49

Arbāb Jamshīd, a wealthy Parsi at Tehran, 51

Arches, 16

_Arkhālūq_, 45

Armenian Christians, 58, 107

Aryan Parsis, 62

Atmosphere, absence of moisture in, 13

Bāb, gate of knowledge, 73

——, first book-bearer of the Behāīs, founder of the Babi sect, 90, 91

Babis, the, 79, 86, 88, 91, 94, 108, 177, 187, 193, 212;
massacre of, 104, 155-157, 186;
martyrs, 138, 139

_Bād-gīr_, 14, 15, 46

_Bāgh_, 9-11

Bazaars, 11

Behāīs, the, 61, 81;
massacre of, 44, 52, 87-89, 104;
tenets of, 86, 90, 92-96, 104, 114

Behaū’llah, first book-bearer of the Behāīs, 81, 87, 89, 90, 92, 95, 193

Bigotry, in Yezd, 44

Bird, Miss, 260

Boyland, Mr, 261

Brighty, Miss, 261

Browne, Professor E. G., translator of the _Tārīkhi Jadīd_, 91

Bruce, Canon, 58, 59

Carpenters, of Yezd, 23

Carpets, 22

Caspian Sea, 2

_Chādar_, 122

Chairs, 24

_Church Missionary Intelligencer_, 95

Church Missionary Society, 55, 230, 232

Cleanliness, of Yezdis, 26

Converts, problem of, 196-198, 212-215

Crime, indifference to, 184

Curtains, 21

Deserts, salt and sandy, 2, 3

Dīnyār, _Qalāntar_ of the Parsi Committee, 49

Divorce, 178

_Dīvs_, 121, 122

Doors, 19, 20

Etiquette and Manners, of the Yezdis, 158

European colony, in Yezd, 55

Evil Eye, 122

Fanaticism, of Yezdis, 54

_Farrāsh_, 47

Fireplaces, 21

Fittings of houses, 21

Flower-beds, 33, 34

Forgiveness of sins, Mohammed’s teaching on the, 98

Furniture, 21-26

Gardens, 9

Griffith, Dr, 100, 260

Gudarz, Mr, a prominent Parsi merchant of Yezd, 261

Gypsum, 17

_Hakim Khānum_, lady doctor, 102

_Hanifs_, reformers, 65, 66, 68, 70

Hasan, Imam, 133, 134

Heaven and Hell, Mussulman idea of, 98, 99

Hill villages, 31, 32

Hookahs, Persian, 25

Houses, 13-33; built for heat, 29, 30

Husain, Imam, 133, 134

Huts, mud, 28

Ibn Ishāk, the biographer, 68

Ibrāhīm Qalīl Khān, 50

Imam Ali, 75-77

—— Hasan, 133, 134

—— Husain, 133, 134

Imams, the, 73, 76, 77

Industrial missions—a suggestion, 197-201

Infidels, Persian attitude towards, 130

Insularity, of Yezd, 36

Isaiah, quoted, 95

Isfahan, 36

Isfahanis, and Yezdis, 38

Isfandiār, a Parsi schoolmaster at Taft, 51

Islām, doctrine of, 64, 65, 80-82, 96, 97, 110, 132, 133;
has ruined Persia, 112

Isolation, of Yezd, 36

_Jadīd_, a convert from Parsiism, 62

Jalālu’d Daula, the, 52, 183

_Jazīya_, 47, 49

Jews, in Yezd, 44, 52;
Mohammed’s dealings with, 71

_Jins_, 121, 122

Julfa, a suburb of Isfahan, 58

_Jus Paternum_, in Yezd, 181

Ka’aba, a heathen temple of the Meccans, 65

Kāshān, 7, 43

Khadīja, wife of Mohammed, 66

Khalīfs, the, 72, 76

_Khauf u jizā_, fear of hell and expectation of heaven, 98

Kirmān, 7, 36

Koelle, _Life of Mohammed_, 67, 68, 71

Kūcha Biyuk, village, 49

_Kursī_, 22, 30

_Lāla_, 25

Lamps, 25

Language, Persian, 152

Lāristān, 43

Lattices, 19

Ledges, 16

Looking-glasses, 21

_Lūtīs_, 51, 58

Mahdi, or Mehdi, the last of the Imams, 72, 73, 75

Mānukjī Limjī, Parsi representative in Tehran, 48, 50

_Manzil_, 34

Marriages, Persian, 178

_Mazra’_, 4, 5

Mecca, 63, 65, 69, 70

Medical Missions, in Yezd, 55, 229, 248-254

Medina, 63, 70, 71

Mihraban, a Parsi, 64

Miracle play, Muharram, 126, 134

Missionary in Persia, the, his difficulties, 188-216;
the problem of converts, 196-198, 212-215;
his tasks and duties, 217-255;
philanthropic work, 229-232;
poor relief, 232-239;
school and medical work, 239-254

Missions, Christian, tolerated in Yezd, 55, 56;
industrial, 197-201

Mohammed, 63-72, 84, 85, 90, 91, 96, 97, 112, 113, 128, 130;
his birth, 65;
his wife, 66;
head of the _Hanif_ movement, 67;
his admiration of the Jews, 124

Mohammedanism, Persian, 60, 64-114;
aspects in Yezd of, 115-135

Monogamy, 177, 178

Mountain streams, 5

_Muballigh_, teacher and missionary, 88, 89

Mud, use of, 12;
huts of, 28

Muhammad Hasan Khan, Governor of Yezd, 48

Muharram, 133

_Mujtahid_, 46-48, 56, 58, 73-75, 88

Mulla Bahrām of Khuramshār, a Parsi, 48

_Munāfiqīn_, hypocrites, 80

Mushīru’l Mamālik, the, 51

Mussulman _v._ Armenian morality, 118

Muzaffaru’d Dīn, Shah, 49

_Nakhl_, 134

Nāsiru’d Dīn, Shah, 48

Nāsiru’d Dīn, Mulla, and his mule, story of, 149

_Nijāsat_, 132

Non-conformity in Persia, 61

Oasis, 3, 4

Omar, Khalīf, 76, 135

Opium trade, 170

Ornamentation, of houses, 17

_Paighambarī_, 84, 85, 96, 110, 127

Parsis in Yezd, oppression and persecution of, 44-52

Pilgrimages, Mussulman, 118, 128

Plain, a typical Persian, 7

Polygamy, 177

Poor relief, 232-239

Postal arrangements, in Yezd, 36

_Qabā_, 45, 48

_Qalāntar_, 49

_Qaliān_, 25

Qum, 119

_Qurān_, the, 73, 74, 76, 77, 92, 93, 105, 107-109, 119, 120, 124, 130

Rainfall, 6, 29

Ramazān, Mohammedan Fast, 78

Rasht, 43, 233

Rice, Rev. W. A., 95

Rustami Ardishīri Dīnyār, a Parsi, 49

_Rūza khānī_, 126, 196

Sahāmu’l Mulk, 51

_Sāhibi kitāb_, a book-bearer, Mohammed regarded as the last, 72

Salāmat, a Parsi, 51

Salt and sandy deserts, 2, 3

_Saughāts_, 162

_Savābs_, 98-105

School work, in Yezd, 239-248

_Seyid_, a descendant of Mohammed, 50, 101, 102

Shaikhi sect, the, 91

_Shahr_, a town, 39

Shiahs, or nonconformists, 60, 73-78, 86, 87, 93-98, 103, 105-109, 124,
128, 134, 177, 212

Shīrāz, 36, 43

Silkworms, 233

Soldiers, Persian, 156

Streams, mountain, 5

Subhi Azal, second book-bearer of the Behāīs, 90, 92

Sufis, sect of the, 86, 108

Summer buildings, 15, 29

_Sunnat_, 73, 74

Sunnis, and their creed, 63, 72, 74, 77, 80, 94, 106

Superstition, 121-123

Tables, 23, 24

Taft village, 51, 134

_Tālār_, summer portico, 14, 15

_Tāqchas_, ledges, 16, 24-26

_Taqdīr_, 97

_Taqiya_, 212

_Tārīkhi Jadīd_, 91

_Tauhid_, 127

Taylor, Dr Elsie, 260

Teheran, 2

Telegraph line, native, 37

Tīrandāz, a Parsi, 49

_Tomān_, 47

Trinket boxes, 26

Turners, of Yezd, 23

Uncleanness, degrees of, 130-132

Untruthfulness of Persians, 116, 142

_Vatan_, home-district, 39

Villages, 8;
hill-, 31, 32

Walls, house-, 16

Waraka ibn Nawfal, a prominent _Hanif_, 66

Water system, 6

White, Dr Henry, 204, 260, 261

Windows, 19, 20

Winter rooms, 18

_Yailāq_, 31

Yazīd, 134

Yezd district, houses in, 1-35;
its isolation and insularity, 36

Yezdis, and Isfahanis, 38;
their religion, 111, 120-126;
character of the, 136-187;
systematised inconsistency, 137;
loyalty, 138;
sense of shame, 147;
humour, 148;
their disregard of time, 150;
difficulties of their language, 152;
lack of initiative, 154;
their courage, 155;
etiquette and manners of, 158;
their triviality, 160;
pride, 165, 166;
kindliness, cruelty, 166;
dishonesty, 142, 168;
lack of business habits, 171;
fatalism, 173;
latent strength, 176;
their family ties, 177;
_jus paternum_, 181;
religious liberty, 181-183;
indifference to crime, 184;
open-handness, 184

Zaid, 71

Zaid ibn Amr, 66

Zainab, 71

Zardūshtī (Zoroastrian), 50

Zillu’s Sultān, 50, 52

Zoroastrians, in Yezd, 46-53, 113

PRINTED AT THE EDINBURGH PRESS, 9 AND 11 YOUNG STREET.

By the Rev. Napier Malcolm.]

End of Project Gutenberg's Five Years in a Persian Town, by Napier Malcolm