The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-24
A DINNER ATTETE SULTAN'S PALACE.
Not Much Ceremony and Very Little
Comfort.

The guest is not incumbcrcd by too much
ceremony; no stiff, higIl-backed chair be
wilders him and destroys his ease; may | say
it he has not the care OF q lady whom he
| must lead into dinner, and upon whose wishes
he must attend. He crosses his legs upon the
cushion which is spread for him, takes his
spoon in one hand and his servette in the
| other, and without q word waits tils the
dishes come A minute or SO eIapses, and
then attendants, bearing huge round tray
arrive, and deposit it between the convives
Upon this tray there is q large bowl of soup
together with little plate, and ono knife and
eral tiny dishes, upon which are displayed
sweetmeats, pickles, cavare and olives; some
pieces Of bread complete the array. For
| 8 moment the diners regard the tray and per
chance taste an olive or q sweet. But the
chief OF the table, il he be an intelligent per-
son. does not waste much time With wave
of his hand to encourage his friends, he dips
his spoon into the soup bowl, conveys the rich
gravy to his mouth, and in this is at once imi-
tated by all his guests. Now and then one or
bowl and fish Is out again, either for himself
Or q very particular friend, and 50 the dip
ping goes on till the soup is finished-the
bowl empty. pause ensues, while some call
for water and others rest in anticipation of
the next course and the next effort. Very
shortly another dish makes its appearance !;
this time, perhaps, some kabobs, or kind of
hash, in which good quality Of vegetables
are used. In go the spoons once more, and
the feast continues. Most probably the next
plato will be outlets or fowls, whereupon the
various pieces are taken up with the fingers
and disposed OF with some rapidity. And
now comes the critical moment for you,
if you are present at this feast as q stranger
You, as q European, will have placed your
meat on your plate and will be carefully cut
ring it up, when suddenly more than Ordi-
nary juicy morsel will be pushed into your
q iY- fF I'm FnI1
must not resent this; it is q token Of loving
kindness; sign that you are respected, es-
teemed. beloved. Eat it: you are q favored
mortal. A dish of vegetables, par ct simple,
very likely succeeds, and then one Of pastry,
in which chopped meat is concealed; and
lastly, what the Turks who speak English
tell you is the Ottoman plum pudding pill
law-with just enough meat in 1t to make it
palatable. With your spoon once more you
take your turn in the general scramble; you
cat till the dish Is empty, and then, like your
friends lean back till jug of water is
brought; water is poured over your hands, q
cigarette is given you, and the coffee comes
Your Turkish dinner in the palace Of Sultan
Abdul Hamid is finished
- a
An Enegny of the BARRIERS.
The BARRIERS of this free and united country
have an arch enemy-Dr. A. p. butcher, Of
Cleveland. He maintains that shaving is in
violation Of every law Of health and beauty.
He says the mOustache is natures best respi-
ratOr, and the hair covering the Jaws and
throat is intended to afford warmth and pro-
lection to the delicate structures in the vicin-
ty, especially the fauces and larynx. He as
sures the Lender that many man has been
cheated out of his life and fallen q victim
to pulmonary complaints through the un-
natural practice Of shaving. A moustache
not only mechanically prevents the entrance
of foreign particles into the breathing
tubes but lessons the coldness Of the air that
is breathed by imparting to it some of the
heat which has been left there by the warm
breath just expired. In these respects it has
been found an Indispensable hygienc agent
by conductors, engineers and brakemen, who
are exposed to changes OF temperature and
are constantly breathing air surcharged with
that shaving leads to dental neuralgia, rheu-
matism of the gums, enlargement Of the
glands Of the neck, tOothaChe, weak eyes,
and catarrhal disorders Of the nose
and throat. 1t Is, moreover, a useless habit,
by which time is wasted money squandered,
and the beauty and dignity of the human
cOuntenance marred. In behalf of the sons OF
toll who stand behind the BARRIERS chairs, one
objection to the doctors theory must be
stated. How about gentle woman? If NOUS
tache and beard are so admirable for protect
ing throat, lungs, gums, glands and eyes,
why has she not the same facilities for pro-
tecting life? Was it quite fair for nature to
deny her capillary respirator and to con-
denim her to breathe cold air and fine dust
especially when she has to open the windows
every morning of her life and sweep the par
Ior? Why should the beauty and dignity of
her countenance be marred
The peculiar sensation which mets into a
mans soul, and meanders down his spine
when black-eyed beauty whispers some
thing particularly soft in his ear is only
equaled by the feeling which thrills in him
when in purchasing a ham, he lays down a
Leaves.