Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-09-11
Life in n Parkway Place.

Far up that ancient river Halys, on
either side, is many a village where al
most every house has man at work in
Constantinople; for the farming of these
lands is Just about as ancient rs the
river, and needs outside help to hold its
own year by year. And as there is no
bank in Anatolia. and no system of
postal notes. sometimes from TO 10
per cent. of the hamars earnings is
consumed by the sharp polllzadji for
transferring the same from CONSTANT
nople to the old home.
These Armenian women and girls
which they left behind them are usual
" robust, as we'll as the men. Indeed,
anyone born there with u frail eonsti-
tuition dies before long running this
gauntlet of infantile disease and ex-
posure; so that only the strong are left.
And the twopence day on which they
live, of coarse bread and curds, or
hulled wheat and simple soups, helps
TO develop beautiful teeth and bones,
good digestion and iron muscles.
Some years ago an American doctor,
practicing at Sivas, told me it was not
ut all uncommon for a village woman
to take her child, one or two days old,
on her back and walk three miles to
town to inquire of him if everything
was all right with them. But when
the doctor asked one of them. ''Why
don't you learn to rcad?' she answer
ed with that peculiar shrug of her n ag-
nificent shoulder: "Ughl You get On.
What can COW learn?" And some of
them are about as awkward in hand
ling needle, too, as 4 COW would be.
When q hamal, or custom-house por-
ter, returns after years at Stamboul,
he naturally brings with him new ideas.
] know one who presented his wife
with full set of civilized spoons and
knives and forks; but she promptly
traded them off and turned again to re-
ly on the great wooden spoon of her
ancestors and on fingers Another
steadily refused to sell his daughter
till the villagers made him pay $50 for
Il girl his boy wanted. Others dis
course learnedly on the custom-housc
tricks and on the different European
linguas. Some of them are quite eager
for the mental improvement of their
women and children. ! visited a small
village near Silyas, which has good
school for both sexes, supported en-
tirely from the interest on money con-
tributed from its own citizens working
in StambouL Sometime ago strolling
into an Armenian village church, l
took secluded corner, and heard SEN
timents in the address of the bishop
there that would have been rank her.
esy ten years ago. worthy only of an
American missionary. Among other
excellent things, the bishop said: ED
ucate every one of your girls and sim
plify your weddings. Here's one of
your young men, with elastic step and
beaming face. He has a future of i'm
mense possibilities. Rumors Of we'd
ding arise. The young man goes to
town. At eve he returns, walking
heavily You look into his face. 1t is
no face at all. What's the matter.
man? Got a toothache? Your girl
dead?' oh, nothing, nothing. he
says, but | know that he has to-day run
5000 piasters (S240) into debt for the
extravaganza Of one of our village
weddings. A few months later for that
debt he goes to Constantinople to be a
slave for years, and leaves his wife to
be another here. Beloved by your
own voluntary slavery to evil custom
we are becoming poorer and fewer ev-
cry year in this progressive century. "
ConStdNtin0ple Eastern Express.