The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-02-03
FOREIGN NOTES.

FOREIGN NOTES.
CoNs~nN-.NopL. Jan. I, 1891
In my last, | believe | was telling
you about Abd-Allah. TO continue,
| will state that ] soon found that he
could converse in English tOlerably
well, and had Il fair idea of things i'm
general. ! cultivated his acquain-
tance,and after while obtained much
valuable information from him which
will impart to you in this and my
next letter.
| The last week 7 have spent in wan.
dering about the city and viewing the
few wonders that remain Of its for
mer splcndor. Among these, the
mosque of st. Sophia, or Ava Sofia
Jomzse, stands most prominent. 1t
stanus on the hill of S,amboul, over.
looking the Bosphorus. and cannot
fail the eye of the tourist as he en-
tiers the Golden Horn. Its shape is
| that Of Greek cross. 240X270 feet.
us the guide book says. l noticed
| that its architecture is much the same
rs that of the other mosques in the
city. a vast dome in the center is
surrounded by smaller ones, from
among which the minaretS spring
Skyward. Outwardly the mosque
does not present II very pleasing pic
ture 10 the eye. 1t seems ill-popor.
| toned, But in the interior is where
one gets a just conception of its for
mer grandeur. AS entered, my eye
was Immediately caught by the great
variety of decoration used and by the
| fine mosaic work in the dome and
cupolas. From the arch under the
dome, four angels look down on the
motley crowd. Moslem tradition
calls them the arch angels, Michael,
Gabriel. Raphael and Israel. Above
them and across the centre of the
dome, is an Arabic inscription. "God
is the light of the heavens and the
earth" The artist who executed
tins was Observation-Disclosures Mustapha
Tschclebi. When | asked Pat to pro.
nounce it. he said. land does your
honor want me to die of the lOckjaw
and leave Biddya widdyH l gave in.
The mosque is in a condition of rapid
decay. \ rabble of beggars con.
stantly fiji the ground floor and de-
Stroy all enjoyment of the wonderful
scene. The mosque Of the Sultan
Achand ranks next to the st. Sophia.
1t is smaller and in better state of
preservation.
North of these two mosques, or in
the centre of the city. is the old hip
podromc. now an open public square.
Here may still he seen II few speci.
mems OF art. \ twisted column,
consisting OF three serpcnts twined
together, whose three heads once
Delphi, is the most noted of these.
\ leaning column of stone. stripped
OF all ornaments. an Egyptian obe.
lisi, and a half-demolished statue of
some ancient deity, complete the DIES.
olate looking picture of dying glory.
OF the aqueduct of Valens, nothing
remains but the arches. The column
of Theodosius, is another curiosity
which will soon disappear.
AS l returned to my room after
viewing i'll these. / thought of those,
too true. lines of Byron's, in Childe
Harold.
Is the dread sceptrc and dominion dire
or men who never felt the sacred glow
That thoughts of thee and thine on polished |
breasts bestOw."
Neglect is written Oh the face of
everything in this city. The Sultan
is surrounded by ministers who care
for nothing but self.aggrandisement.
They, in their turn, are surrounded
by crowd of adherents, each strug-
CLING for his own selfish purposes.
None '.live in scorn of miserable
aims that end with self" 1t is just |
the opposite.
The Turks see their government
falling to pieces, and it produces 10
more impression Oh them than its
utter destruction would. They are
lords over immense tracts of the
richest land, that with cultivation
would yield golden harvests. They
possess humane laws and Il system of
gratuitous education that would with
energy to back them, would raise
Turkey to its former eminence; but
all this must be sacrificed to self.
AS long as they can sit on their lux.
uriOus carpets and smoke their tchi-
bouks and inhale the fumes of the
aromatic coffee, the country may 60
to the dogs. Tell a Turk all these
things and he will bow and smile and
reply, "that Allah Ordains it," The
curse of Turkey is the MOhammed
religion. It's whole teaching is to look
out for yourself. If there are any
who doubt this, only ask them to