Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-22
Marriage in StalnbOul.


Without intelligent sympathy at home, for
hidden all amusement and diversion out of
DOORS ignorant of bOyish SPORTS even of riding,
probably, the Turkish lad falls into dissipation.
For any kind Of vice he finds liberty enough at
StambOul. No Christian have l ever met so
bold, even in imagination, as to draw picture
OF the dark places in that city. But several of
these educated youths have assured me that the
luxurious temptations of immortality in SIAM
boul-nOt Pera nor Gaata-are unequalled in
their not lncOnsiderabe experience of Europe
The state of society was revealed to me with
rather startling force one day. / called upon a
young MahOmedan whose English education has
made him one of ourselves in all respects saving
that it has not shaken his religious faith. He
held in his arms lovely child Of two years old
or so, who screamed with passion. A small
Circassian boy, fair haired, blue eyed. was trying
to distract her, but the apparition of the
"Chelebi" was more successful.
The children were presently dismissed to the
harem and my friend observed:
Il Dire ad to think of that boys departure.
My baby has the temper of a little fiend and
only he can manage her"
Knowing the small Circassian t O be slave
asked why he was leaving.
Il must send him to Robert College soOn."
was the reply, land get another pNyfellOw for
the child
Robert College is the American school where
so many middle-c!ass youths are being edu-
cated-well educated, too, though perhaps the
training is not in all respects the best
said: 1.-THE kindness of your people toward
their slaves is well known to me, but did not
think it ran so far as to pay their expenses at
college"
He answered, laughing mot as rule, of
course But my intention is to marry those
two If Ahmet turns out well. He is clever and
well disposed. The missionaries will keep him
honest, hope"
This was such novel view of the relations
between bOndslave and mistress. that l dis
cussed the matter at length several times.
My friend told me that such matches, never
rare in Turkey, are now quite usual The state
of morals ia such in STEAMBOAT, that parents do
not willingly take daughter or a son-in-law
from families of their own rank. They distrust
all the world. It has lately become common
thing to choose slave, boy or girl, to grow up
under their eyes. The first expense averages,
perhaps 40 pounds, and the female child costs
little. She is taught truthfulness and virtue,
line sewing, the mystery of cOffee-lnaking and
Of filling pipe-the arts of a very simple house
wife. boy is vastly more expensive, as in this
case he must be sent to school, launched upon
some kind of employment, and provided for
until the parents are satisfied that he will make
their child happy. Then the pair are married
and the ex-slave becomes member of the fami-
ly: though that makes little change to him.
My Mosiem friend is on such terms with me
that l speak of his wife almost as freely as
should speak of q Christians. Remember that
he was brought up in England and speaks the
language as well as we. Many readers &C
quainted with Constantinople will know to
whom refer.
To my question how the child's mother re-
garded this idea. he answered that it was her
own conceiving. And then he related various
stories Of domestic misery and crime within her
knowledge, which had brought his wife to a
fixed resolve that her daughter should not wed
Turk of STEAMBOAT.
/ asked what she proposed to do if this little
slave died before marriage
"In that case" said the rather, eve are deter
mined to look out husband in Syria, where
there are still honest men,.
Such is the view which Turk, educated in
the real sense, expresses of his cOuntrymen-
not the elder, but the new generation, Of whom
so much is hODed