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


FOREIGN NOTES.
CoNswA r,NOpLs Jan. I, 1881.
In my last. believe | was telling
you about Add Allah. TO continue,
| will state that ! soon found that he
could converse in English tOlerably
well, AMI had Il fair idea Of things in
general. ! cultivated his acGuain.
tance,and after while obtained much
valuable information from him, which
will impart to you in this and my
next letter.
The last week / have spent in wan
dering about the city and viewing the
few wonders that remain Of its for
mer splendor. Among these, the
mosque of st. Sophia, or Ava Sofia
Jomzse, stands most prominent. 1t
stanus on the hill of Stamboul, 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. 240X210 feet.
us the guide book says. noticed
that its architecture is much the same
as that of the other mosques in the
city. a vast dome i'm the center is
surrounded by smaller ones, from
among which the minarets spring
skyward. Outwardly the mosque
does not present Il very pleasing pic
ture 10 the eye. 1t seems ill-propor.
toned, But in the interior is where
one gets Il just conception Of its for
mer grandeur. AS entered, my eye
was Immediately caught by the gr, at
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 Oh 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 |
this was Bitchakdschisade Mustapha |
Tschelebi. When / asked Pat to pro.
nounce it, he said. land does your |
honor want me to die of the lockjaw |
and leave Biddya wildly" l gave in.
The mosque is in condition of rapid
decay. \ rahble 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 a 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 be seen few speci.
mems of art. y twisted column,
consisting OF three serpcnts twined
together. whose three heads once
supported the tripod of the oracle at
Delphi, is the most noted of these.
\ leaning column of stone, stripped
of all ornaments, IN Egyptian ODE.
lisli, and Il half-demolished statue of
some ancient deity. complete the DIES.
olatc looking picture of dying glory.
OF the aqneduct of Valens, nothing
remains but the arches. The column
of Theodosius, is another curiosity
which viii soon disappear.
AS i returned to my room after
viewing I'LL these. thought of those,
too true, lines of Byron's, in Childe
Harold.
But worse than steel, and flame, and ages
slow,
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 Il 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 on 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 us 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 Turk all these
things and he will bow and smile and
reply, "that Allah ordains it," The
curse of Turkey is the MOhammed |
religion. Its whole teaching is to look
out for yourself. If there are any
who doubt this, I only ask them to |