New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-25
LETTERS OF AN EXILE. No. XIV.
Private Life or the Musuimans,
Of Then Y Tribune.
ASIA MINOR, Wednesday, Aug 90, 1851


looks or from conversation, the Asiatic SUBJECTS
81 the Crescent know nothing Of what hap
neuss, few miles distance from thelf own
roof, and are hopeessy Ignorant Of the existence
Of science, art and industry. They have no iD'A
Of their inferionty to other nations ana . wa
more than once asked IT, in my country we hne"
how TO plant corn and gather hay "hen
tried to show them some more
aupropuate way OF executing tneh low
tasks. they wondered at my interference an
.miled rather good .naturedly at me- as Il 70 say
:. Won are a well meaning person, ana we arc
~, ve.ed with you Tor your trouble bu' DC aS-
.ured we know much better
Nations progress in civilization as Il they were
,os,nbers Of one single individual, helping
eacb other. with each others strength and gifts,
az that the steps once traced by one have no need
ofbeing repeated by the other. But the ono
man Empire has no share IN that provioehliai
partnership what is discovered, tired ana per
tec,ed IN the rest of the world, is unknown to II,
and 10 keep its place upon the same PLATFORM
with lis civilized neighbors, 1t ought 10 possess
IN itself the whole mass Of talent, activity,
wisdom and perseverance which is distributed
among the other inhabitants Of the world
That such is not the case needs no demonsIa-
ton.
But the consequence OF such utter ignorance
j. not limited to the most absolute incapaclty 10
proceed in the path Of civilization It has a
morbid and dele,erious effect upon the moral
faculties Of the Osmanli. 4 stranger to art ana
industry. unmoved even by curiosity, since he is
ignorant that there are things worth knowing, his
life is but the waking dream Of hali-allye intel
hgence.
ASIA Minor is formed Of many successive VIII
dernesses. only enlivened Of 1t can be called en-
livening) by here and there a wretched abode
containing soldiers that the vigilance OF the
Government destines to the security OF Travellers
or by some still more miserable cabins IN which
whole families reside la each hut one dirty kennel
is occupied by the women; another still drtler
by the men But of the wretchedness Of Turkish
abodes will speak later; and, besides, what is
the want OF every material comfort, TO the drearl
ness resulting from intellectual darkness?
These, Of course, are country families, and
live upon the fruits Of the soil but such fruits
are scanty, though easily obtained Some Cruel
and straw for their horses and cows some Cruel
salad and melons for themselves, two or three
hours work day during tour or five weeks
every year are sufficient to extract all they re-
Quire, from one of the richest soils in the world
The soldiers, dispersed through The valleys and
the mountains, are still more unOccupled. When
a caravan passes, or few solitary travellers, one,
two or three OF the Zoppet,es start from their
cOuches. light the matches of their carblnes, and
escort the travellers through that part of the road
which is reported dangerous They get few
piasfres, and, going back to their barracks, re.
assume the mournful course OF their lives Some
thing heavy and desolate rests upon my heart
when l contemplate these strongly built and
dark compile xioned men, the very image of cor
poreal strength and moral firmness, seated upon
the ground, their legs bent under them, thel,
eyes stupidity fixed on vacancy their pipes in then
mouths, without uttering word or executing o
movement, equally destitute Of thoughts or feel
ings, and when think that from their childhood
to their old age not one day has heen or will be
better filed up than another.
Travellers, historians and philosophers have
sought for an explanation of the strange torpor
of the Oriental mind in the narcotic influence Of
tobacco and opium; but am rather inclined TO
consider the effects Of those two plants as a nit.
igation 10 the utter tedium which such life
must necessarily inspire even in the least gifted
of human creatures.
The real, the only reason for the total inaction
Of the Oriental people is the want OF excitement
xhu. al Of 81 ~
coffee, taking from them the consciousness OF
the slowly passing time and Of the unvarying
monotony Of their existence, preserves them from
the despair 10 which, but for this, they would be
victims.
The observation OF his religious duties Is an.
ether source OF relief for the wearled Mussul.
man. Five times day he stands upon his legs
deposits his pipe In corner, washes his feet, his
hands, his arms, his face. neck and head, pre-.
Vious 10 kneeling down. He turns his face
toward Mecca, and repeats the sacred formula
They do not pray as we do, since their creed az
to the predestination of all human affairs pre-
vents them from entertaining any confidence In
the effect OF applications Their prisons are
series Of ordinations concerning the Divine
attributes, and the projections of the Prophet
accompanied by the repetition OF some verses OF
the Koran, as II they wished to let God and Hi,
Prophet know that the immortal Book is no,
forgotten by the faithful Nor is this all the
Ramalan, the Mohammedan Lent. is cruel
period IN every Mussulman's lie. and a, the end
of 1t the attenuated faster must return with a
new zest to his ordinary fare, and experience 3
delightful feeling of relief in the coarse rou,ne
of his stupid existence. During tina, cruel Rama
Fan zone monthly every Mussulman iasts from the
rising TO the setting OF the sun. and when Rama
Kan happens to fall IN the Summer. as 1t does
now, not man, after has tenth year-let HIM be
III good or In bad health. working or sedents
" nan-dsyes TO eat a single morsel or drink ,
drop OF water during sixteen or seventeen hours
What can they do TO help themselves Sleep