366 INDO-IRANIAN LITERATURE 



a serious composition and take umbrage at some of its amusing 

 accounts. One of our contemporary American writers, Marion 

 Crawford, selected Zoroaster to be the hero of a pseudo-historical 

 novel. A dozen more of examples would occur to mind if I had 

 chosen to go outside of English and speak of the influence of Persia 

 upon French, German, and other European literatures, but enough 

 has already been said. 



In conclusion and by way of summary I would emphasize again 

 the value of Persian studies in the lines of history, religion, and 

 sociology, art, architecture, and archaeology, language and literature, 

 and incidentally in philosophy and science. I venture also to express 

 the hope that America may be led further to emulate the example 

 of France, England, Germany, and Russia, in encouraging investiga- 

 tion in these particular branches of study relating to Iran and the 

 Land of the Lion and the Sun. 



