The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-02
THE DOGS or THE TURKS.
ConstnntinopIe n Vast KsnneI-HouSc OF
CANNES.


correspondence Boston Journal
TO strike out tho subject Of dogs from
description Of Consiantnople would DO Ike
falling To insert cold Hundred" IN hymn
book, and yet ] hesitate ~ say ahythihR
about them. Have not Lamartino and GAuner
and Edmondo dc Amicis. the brilliant Italian,
discussed tho lawless vagabonds wi = q beat
ty and playful force, not to say evidence Of
sympnthy and affection, which moro than
rivals w. IT, II. Murray telling Of horses, Or
Charles Dudley Warner expatiating on the
merits Of his pct cat2 And haven't numerous
ID D. 4 and heavy weight editors Of religious
wecklles, who have travelled conscientiously
TO broaden their ideas" great, stawart
mon 10 whom faint recollection Of Latin
md Greek they learned In their younger days
clings like 50 much tattered Ivy 10 ruin
stopped to pick up tho subjeCt2 And didn't J.
Ross Browne. one Of the shrewdcst Of sight
seers, do the same2 And didn't q number Of
celebrities who succeeded in yelling them
selves for time behind n pretty pseu-
donym- Jennie Juliette j une and Miles Micaw-
Der March and others-wrte up the dogs In the
most attractive manner But shall not hes
itate. Constantinople 10 Caninoople for me n
mighty kennel-house Of colarless, homeless,
frpndlpss, maRtpress dogs, poor, hhIeCt vel
low brown wolfish-looking ours, iea-bltien.
mud -besmeared and covered with sores They
sleep In lines, ten or dozen sometimes IN
circles or In heaps, curled 40 on tho sidewalk
or In the middle of the street, where the people
turn out for them foot people and the drivers
of horses and donkeys- almost never disturb
ing them SO long ms they remain asleep. 80
10 would seem they are not exactly lTlendleSs
but the trouble Of IL Is n Turk looks upon n
dog IA an uncIean animal, aud never let's him
into his house. he never owns him. his II
the curse Of dog life In Cunstnntlnope, Tor
the ono continual yearniug of dog-naturo Is
to belong to somebody, to he somet"dy r
dog and to follow that somebody wherever
he goes In and out, dog desires ,hnt
| aomcbody shall be specially Interested In
his case and manifest that interest right
along by abusing him or petttng him, ny
| kicking him or carcssing him, IT, doe Mt make
much difference which. provided he can but
feel that he is somehow involved in n Biyete-
lious copartnership With that said somebody,
that he Is linked to him by strong, enduring
links for better or for worse. ! his Is the one
essential condition of n dog paradise. and
40 long as that condition IL fulfilled the dog
| ia happyi-oh, anguish to be n CastawRy e.
he revolis at the Idea. At Rumili Iissar, re-
Gently, | patted n dog on tho head, where
upon he went into such ecstncles, not SO much
wagging his tail AS waRging hls body by
means OF u tail, miserable stump that II was,
that | was conscience smittrn. What right
| ind | to rouse his slunbcrlng hopes, and
create In him longings that / could not
pratlfy2 moved of, no followed, ran, he
ran: / stopped and looked at him. he bounded
| upon me and tried to lick my face; felt like
u culprit, Finally ! succeeded IN avoiding
him by hiding; but shall never forget the
show Of devotion which, though brief, he
would have made lifelong.
1t s hard to explain just why the Turks
love and tolerate dogs rs they do. II do
not know" says De Amcs, If IL is because
tho sentiment Of charity toward oil creatures
ia recommended In the Koran, or because.
like certain birds, tho dogs arc believed to
be bringers Of good fortune or because the
Prophet loved them, or because, M some pre-
tend. Mohammed the victorious brought IN
his train q numerous staff ~ dogs, who en-
tered triumphantly with him through the
breach in the San Romano Gate The fact IL
that they ara highly esteemed; that many
Turks leave large sums for their support IN
their Wills, and that when Sultan Abdul Mediii
had them all carried to tho Island Of Mar
mora tho people murmured, and when they
were brought back they were received with
rpjocings and the government, not to pro
woke Ill-humor, has left them ever since IN
peace" Perhaps the Turks like them for
Tho sanitary use they serve being the scav-
ongrrs Of the streets, and eating np the DIAL
the moldy crumbs and tainted flesh thrown
out Of door and window. Unquestionably
they do as much 10 make Constants
nople one Of the healthiest cities IN
the world, as the sea-breeze whicf
swceps the Marmora. Besides, they do moi
| bite, and they never go mad, hydrophobiis
being, II mistake not, entirely unknown II
| ConstantinopIe. II you tumble into nest o.
| them Mt night they only snarl and scatter
They are SO accustomed to blows they are
iffed at the sight Of Il stick, and flee iron
| the flourish Of an umbrella. All the guardian
! element Is Killed out in them, and they ar
good for nothing, as at present treated, TO
| purposes OF defense. In short, they are no
dogs. they are not mastifIs, but only disslpa
ted woud-be's. When struck as they Otter
are. they set up a dismal bowling, continued
In my opinion, long after the smaitng ha
| ceased to be felt Iu the thickly settled part
of the city you hear every few minutes re
sounding and then an unearthly yell, or rath
or series OF yells, which Interpreted run
df | have learned the language arighU as fol
lows "Oh, you miserable, 0w-ow, ow-ow, an
shall Just tell everybody all about 1t, ow
WOW; | shall just sit here on my hind leg
and howl, ow-wow, ow-wOw, until you ar
sick and ashamed Of what you have dont
ow-wow, ow-wow ow-wow" when somebod
tossee him piece of bread and quiet reign
until another dog ls slapped.