The birth of a son is, in the East, considered a cause of special congratulation to the father. Its announcement makes him “very glad.” In Persia it is associated with particular ceremonies. Morier says, “Some confidential servant about the harem is usually the first to get the information, when he runs in great haste to his master, and says, ‘Mujdeh, or Good news,’ by which he secures to himself a gift, which generally follows the Mujdeh. Among the common people, the man who brings the Mujdeh frequently seizes on the cap or shawl, or any such article belonging to the father, as a security for the present, to which he holds himself entitled” (Second Journey, etc., p. 103).