Far away in the isles of Bahrein, Down under the depths of the sea, The Persian diver gathers his shells For the goodly pearls that shall be. And what is the price of a goodly pearl? A merchant man once for one, 'Tis said, sold all he ever possessed, And counted the deed well done. And what is the price of a human soul? The price it is set so high The Son of God gave all that He had When He came on earth to buy. Submerged in the sea of sin are the souls, Are the souls of Persian girls; Ah! who will dive to the lowest depths, To gather these hidden pearls? They are gems for the crown of the King of kings, More precious far in His sight Than the jewels rare of the Shah-în-Shah,-- All His glory and delight. XIX THE CONDITION OF MOHAMMEDAN WOMEN IN BALUCHISTAN In the degraded position of its women is to be seen the worst fruit of the religion of Islam. I will quote from the Government Report of British Baluchistan: "Throughout the Province, but especially among the Afghans and Brahuis, the position of woman is one of extreme degradation; she is not only a mere household drudge, but she is the slave of man in all his needs, and her life is one of continual and abject toil. No sooner is a girl fit for work than her parents send her to tend cattle and she is compelled to take her part in all the ordinary household duties. Owing to the system of _walwar_ in vogue among the Afghans, a girl, as soon as she reaches nubile age, is, for all practical purposes, put up for auction sale to the highest bidder. The father discourses on her merits, as a beauty or as a housekeeper, in the public meeting places, and invites offers from those who are in want of a wife. Even the more wealthy and more respectable Afghans are not above this system of thus lauding the human wares which they have for sale. The betrothal of girls who are not yet born is frequent, and a promise of a girl thus made is considered particularly binding. "It is also usual for an award of compensation for blood to be ordered to be paid in this shape of girls, some of whom are living, while others are not yet born. "Similar customs prevail among the Jhalawan Brahuis, but they have not yet extended to all the Balneh tribes, though there are signs that the poorer classes are inclined to adopt them. The exchange of girls, however, among the Baluchis and the framing of conditions, regarding any offspring which may result from the marriage, indicate that among this race also, women are regarded in much the same light.