Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-05-09
The Eastern Ouestion...NO. z,
LnNnoN. Fehrnnrv ID. 1877

needed to inaugurate "the reign OF law" in
Turkey. This is particularly true with regard to
the late conference, where it was suspected that
although the representatives of the different
European powers we're formally in harmony, they
were in reality divided With England and Aus
tria this is thought to be especially the case, and
~ both of these powers were represented By
double embassies such course could be easily
pursued While Lord Salisbury was urging the
acceptance of reforms on Turkey Sir Henry Elliott
is supposed to have encouraged resistance. This
would be something like the double action at
tributed to the English Ambassador previous to
the Crimean war who is said to have advised the
Sultan officially to accept the proposals drawn up
at the Vienna conference, and when his visit was
over to have returned in private dress and advised
ts rejection-not as ambassador, but AZ "a friend
of Turkey. Austria is open to suspicion on ac-
count OF the opposing views in the two halves Of
the empire. Whatever the course of either of the
two Austrian ambassadors NAV have been the
popular action in Hungary was such as 10 show
that the Hungarian part Of the Austrian empire
was quite as Turkish a. the Turks themselves In
every case the Turks, for one reason or another,
have refused the conditions proposed by the great
powers All is at present in complete uncertainty.
which can only be cleared up by Russia, to whom
the next move belongs What that move will b,
no one can tell exactly at the present moment
The more probable Interpretation is that she will
wait short time for events to shape themselves
and then act rs circumstances demand
In the meanwhile, the Russian army of the
South is being continually reinforced It IL
now about three hundred and twenty thousand
strong with nearly six hundred cannon. On the
Caucasus there are one hundred and fifty thou
sand men under arms, so that Russia has now
about half million of men in the field near the
Turkish frontiers If war results, and it is diff
cult to see how 1t can be avoided, very heavy blow
will be struck from the Caucasus and doubtless
a new province added to Russia, on that side, in
Guiding the port of Batum, the best harbor in the
Black Sea after Sebastopol The Turks are busy
preparing for the Introduction of their new con-
stitution, sham which no serious person pays
any attention to. Laws are made in Turkey, not
to be kept, but to impose on the outside world
In fact, there is no such thing as law in Turkey.
The interests, fancies, and caprice of the men in
power for the moment are the only real laws OF
the land. Law as we understand it does not ex-
list in Turkey, and never will so long as the Turk
ish element of the population is the ruling one.
Offices can only be obtained by bribery, by shar-
ing the profits resulting from venal administra-
ton and as the tenure of power is very uncertain
every Official plumbers as quickly and effectively
as possible-a process in which he is rather en-
couraged than otherwise, since the more he gets
the more he can afford TO bride the necessary men
in Constantinople. As the local population has no
voice in the choice of rulers, its wishes of course
receive no more attention than the beating of
sheep in shearng time
Besides the peculiar political position of the
Turks, which alone would explain many of their
vices in public life there are two great influences
ever at work which make their rule uncomfortable
there religion and home life OF their religion
will only state to-day that it draws an impossible
line between Mohammedans and Nom NIohamme
dams. The first are the rulers, the second sub
jects, hewers of wood and drawers of water
There is no way for Christian to get out Of this
position except by abjurng his faith. As to the
home life and education, it is but necessary to
describe them and let the reader draw his own
conclusions The great fact of Mohammedan
life, both in Turkey and in all countries where
the religion of the prophet prevails is that woman
is in degraded position She is the slave and
the property of the man--n no single instance his
companion or his equal A Turkish house, be-
ginning with the Sultans palace and dropping
downward on the scale to the habitations of the
lower classes il composed Of three parts, one fol
the men, the other for the women, with dvd
ing hall in the centre. Each sex occupies a sep
territory living in secusion from each other
From morning till night there is nothing of thai
social intercourse which has done so much to de
velop life and character in every Christian com
munity, refining and softening the rnder natur,
If man and strengthening and developing tn,
weaker but more finely organized nature of W.T.
man. From the breakfast table to the last even
ing call the two sexes meet throughoutthe Chris.
tian world and each acts and il acted upon by tn,
manners. habits, opinions and personal bearing
OF the other Just fancy what the condition OF
american society would be- il men and women
were entirely secluded from social intercour,,
with each other never breakfasting dining on
Snppng in company never meeting at any social
reunion or place of amusement, never assembling
for public worship II this system were also car
ried into every household SO that husband ana
wife should never take their meals together, OF
have any life in common during the day and that
brothers and sisters were separated after earl,
childhood so as scarcely to know each other we
should gain an approximate idea of the state OF
existence in Turkey say existence, for can
not dignity with the name life, that which
is nothing but continuous performance OF
purely animal functions eating, drinking and
sleeping. Amongst the poorer classes in the
country, the wife, where as Artemus Ward
would say, " there is usually but one of her.
waits on her husband at the table. but never
sits down with him. Among the more we-to-do
where polygamy il more or less common she
takes her food in the barem. Turkish table man
ners are of the most slovenly and primitive de-
scription Eating with the fingers. out of a COM
mon dish. is prevalent A Turk even of hipb
standing considers It as A great commitment tn
put his hand into a dish of rice and mutton tako
out a handful, and after working it over tn
squeeze the moisture out. nut it into the month
of his guest. The manners in the female norton
of the house are no better. and nothing eould he
more tedious than the monotony of life in n
harem-one dreary round of eating. drinking
talking scandal and relating stories. the greater
mart of which could not with propriety. find their
way into newspaper. During visits from female
friends. and between meals, coffee and sherbet
are drunk in the hare,n. and great quantities of
different kinds of sweetmeats are consumed The
bath is a great place Of reunion for Turkish ladies'
in fact sort of female club where they sit nv the
bour chatting. eating sweetmeats and drinking
coffee. These baths are visited by some ladies