The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-12-21
Praying workmen Of Constsntinopls.


In the bazars Of Stamboul tho work
men and statesmen (there arc no women
employed in these bazars--Turkish opin.
ion will not permit iD are Of the male
sex only. Eunuchs are not infrequent,
and are easily recognized at o glance
from other black men, but arc never
other than harem servants or managers
of the household. As ono loiters through
these bazars some queer things are seen.
The bazars, properly so called, are mar
row streets Of shops, covered from rain
by arched roofs, and continuous for
miles one with another, so that without
umbrella Qor sunshine or rain) one can
go through them protected. The floors
are damp stones or packed clay--they are
dark and one goes up and down steps
from one to another 30 that progression
is unpleasant. The personal solicitation
Of the statesmen is soWething painful
and very aunoying-unM one learns, as
he soon does, to pay not the slightest at
tcntion to any one, but to look around
him, apparently Indifferent and unob-
servant of the remarks and exhibitions
of goods--whilo inwardly you feel
yearning desire to knock over some i'm.
pudent man who takes you for fool.
While you pass along looking at some
workman making something in the skill
ful yet clumsy way they work, with tools
unlike, often, anything you ever saw.
using feet MS ii they were hands and
max ng complex furniture, veneered
beautifully With the simp est Of tools, ESQ
few Us to make the work seem Incredibly
10 the worker will turn about with
his back to the door and crowd--secm
10 read his Koran--and loso himself in
prayer! Or walk off, leaving his pur-
cbn,ernt the door, and enter the nearest
mosque and say his prayers. INTERNALLY
aggravating when You have about con
cuded desirable purchase y In the
mosques one sees them enter, after wash
ing their feet, pray reverently and ab.
sorbcdly towards Mecca, (the altar of the
mosque is always placed 30 that praying
towards it is praying towards Mecca
and reyerently depart, putting on their
shoes again Mt the door rs they go out.
several times felt strong inward
temptation, when ut the door Of some pop
ular mosque, to gather up the queer col
lection OF worshippers' shoes and fly with
them to start n museum with.
On the boats, at sunset, the Moslems
teen in tho midst Of the crowd, utterly
oblivious apparently, OF surroundings,
bow to the earth repeatedly, seemingly
uttering prayers toward Mecca, and three
times touching the earth with the fore
head.
The bazaar workmen are, however, by
no means always Turkish, or ever Mo-
hammedan. They are OF every race;
many Jews, some Americans and Eng
lish, who have crept in. The fruit-sell-
ers of the city are mostly Armenian.
The strong-muscled porters (herculean
many OF them) whom one sees every
where in the streets carrying loads that
n tcnder-hearted man would not force his
horse to pull, are many Of them Wal
lachian, Servian, Bulgarian or Roume-
liam. The merchants and artificcrs, Ms n
class intelligent-looking and pleasant
countenances--ar Greek. This is q
place of conglomerate nationality-the
Turk ruling-the middle class largely
Greek-the under classes Macedonian,
etc. with mixtures in each class. The
Circassain always either soldier, or, il
woman, a bought wife in the harem pro
nounced ha reem,) the negro, (of all
shades Of color Persian, Indian, Egyp-
tim, European. American "a few, ETC.,
are commingled, and very picturesque
crowd is tho visible result - COnstanti.
nopie Letter in ROkOmO Tribune.