New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-10-11
People in Oonstantinople.

3
The lower orders proper live very
much like their brethren in Christian
countries. Both men and women work.
The wife helps her lord and master in
the daily toll, washes, cleans, and keeps
the house in order; she has neither time
nor opportunity for frivolous amuse-
ments, consequently she is more re-
spected both by husband and children,
and knows not the heart-sickness and
WEAKNESS of the harem. But even here
women do not eat with the men, and
never stir outside their domicile I'M
yelled.
THERE'S no middle class among the
Turks. There are the rich (or easy)
and the poor. These two orders are
constantly changing places. The rich
man Of to-day may be the poor one of
tomorrow. You will know him by his
shabby, greasy coat and unbrushed
shoes. He will make no effort to keep
up an appearance. You may see him
buy some simple fare and eat it in the
street on his way to business or home.
He has lost his place. He is poor. He
is neglected. Meeting him thus you
might suppose him shoe-mender, or a
low class coffee-house keeper, yet he
has only just missed being Pasha, and
a few months more will probably rein
state him in the position he has lost.
The men and women Of the country
are naturally all on par. There is no
genius, no talent, no eminence of virtue
among them Cor if there be, it is ban
ished rs soon as it dares lift its head.
One man is as good as another. A fair
address, a smattering of French, and
good luck, )" are all that are wanted to
make nobody First Minister; but the
same fortune grown tickle may hurl
him from his post, and he sinks lower
than what we understand by the ..pOor-
est gentleman
One fact battles European would-be
reformers. We are always meeting with
surprises. There is nothing solid any
where. There is no public spirit, no
landed interest, no trade interest, no
personal authority othing to grapple
with. Everything slips through your
fingers. The laws exist, but are not en-
forced. It is nobody's business to en-
force them; property is yours to-day,
mine tomorrow, and q week hence it
may be Mahmoud's, or Safnet's, or All
med's. The one thing permanent among
US is the watchful jealousy of the various
nationalities. It is the different Consuls
that keep order here, not the Turks;
and were it not for this protection Eu-
ropeans could not live in Turkey.
The Turks are Indifferent tradesmen.
Nearly all the shops in Galata, and the
whole of those in Pera, are kept by Eu-
ropeans. The Greeks are the chief
traders, though smart business is done
BY the Levantines. The most fashion,
able shops are French, but there are a
few first-rate English and American
ones. A large class of Turks hawk
their wares in the street. They are for
the most part fine, stalwart, civiIspoken
men. They shoulder enormous baskets
containing cheeses, creams, fruits, veg
etables, and many other comestibles,
and furnish more than half the alimen-
tation Of the city. Tho habits Of these
men are very simple; they live chiefly
upon bread and fruit; but they also
know tho secret Of the pot al feu, and
often I have seen knot of them after
their day's work, grouped under shed,
or on green spot Of earth, mixing the
..sayory mess''- You viii perhaps be
shocked to hear the pot contains vege-
tables (of onions large share) stewed
In oil! A somewhat strong tasted NUT
ton called Karamani is the favorite food
OF the Turkish upper classes. Pilaf is
also an everyday dish, wherin Euro
peans also delight. The chief fault Of
the Turkish cooking IS the enormous
quantity Of grease and fat consumed,
and the excessive sweetness Of many Of
the dishes Temple Bar.