The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-11-19
THE sick MAN" j"
An Interesting and Chat
with Sunset Cox.
n Specimen Turkish Joke-AGe of the
'tOriental ImbrogIiO"-The ''Ant-Hnl''
of DipIOmates---Ihe Duties of the
American Legation.


of DipIOmates--Ihe Duties of the
American Legation.
Hon. S. S. Cox S diplomatic mission
to the Orient has given him a great adj
vantage over the regular United States
humorist. He can graft a Turkish
joke on one of his old Congressional
rib-ticklers, and produce an article so
fresh and new that even the deaf will
laugh. Although the high moujiks in
COnstantinople persistedin calling him
Pasha Sunset" he never donned the
festive fez but three minutes and that
was a trial experiment. While a re-
porter was waiting in the parlor of
the Minister'S residence, No. 13 East
Twelfth street, waiting for him to ap-
pear, many fine views of the BosphOrus
and places of interest in ConstantinOple
were seen. The Sultan's palace and n
Turkish cemetery were attractive and
curious. When the popular orator and
Minister Plenipotentiary appeared, he
was bareheaded, and had the Partisan
'grip," n new name for a cold, so bad
ly that he was somewhat hoarse. That
inimitable and breezy style so char
acteristic had rot departed, and when
asked for Turkish story he said:
Il have just received a fresh one by
cable from the Golden Horn and it
goes: A Turk in COnstantinople called
upon his neighbOr and wanted to bor-
row his jackass.
-" I have sent the ass to Scutari. my
friend, lacOnically replied the for
tunate owner of the lOng-eared ami
imal. Even now that ass is climbing
over the hill that brings him in view
of that city. If he were here, of course
would lend him to you.
about this time the ass brayed loud
and long in his stall.
''The neighbor spoke up. 'Ah, there
is your ass braying now; L thought he
was nearing ScutariP'
The owner haughtily replied: My
friend, which do you believe is lying,
the ass or myself?'
"This is a prime specimen of the
humor of the unspeakable Turk.
MY health? Well, l have improved
greatly. My summer in the island of
Prinkipos was very delightful, and
the AIR is very dry and bracing.'
When questioned as to his sojourn at
COnstantinople, the Minister talked
very freely in relation to the events
which are now transpiring in the East.
He said that Constantinople had
unusual attractions for a diplomatic.
In fact fifty years ago Miss Pardoe, in
her book called The City of the Sui
tan" said that Pcra, where the Am
bassadors lived most of the year and
which is a European city, opposite old
StambOul, was like an ant hill. The
diplomates and dragomans are CON
stantly going and coming, carrying a
little gossip IN the shape of diplomatic
straws. They are forever alert, like
the Greeks of old, for some new thing.
But" said Mr.. Cox, the Oriental
imbrOgliO' is not new thing. 1t is as
old as the selection of COnstantinople
as the grand site of commerce in the
East. You can not open a volume of
history, and especially the histories of
Byzantium and Greece, without finding
the antetype of the Eastern question.
IT. has been continually recurring and
never settling. The prc-eminence of
the city as a commercial emporium
standing between the East and the
West; with her magnificent waters of
the Mediterranean, the Dardanelles
and the MarmOra (PrOpOntis), BOs
phorous and the Black Sea, make it
altogether peerless, not only in polite
al, but in commercial prominence. So
that ever since its first settlement his
tory is full of Scythian, Bulgarian,
Saliurkian, Turk, Mongol, Greek, Ser
Wan and Slavonic conflicts. These
races were ever on the move, either in
arms or otherwise, to secure the ad-
vantage of this remarkable port.
cit is well known that from the time
of Peter the Great, Russia has had her
eye fixed upon this ancient capital.
She has been checkmated by the con
cert of the European Powers. These
Powers are jealous of the great land
animal, Russia. Especially since the
antagonism of Russia with England I'm
Central Asia, and the reaching out by
means of railroads to the heart Of that
old Continent, Constantinople has
seemed to be the great desideratum Of
all the nations who are anxious to
aggrandizc their dynasty, boundary,
commerce and polity. Ever since 1852,
when Mahomet ii. took the city, the
Christian world, or some part Of it,
has been arrayed against the MOsiem
world. In the effort to carve up the
territories of Turkey, and especially Of
Turkey in Africa and Europe, Russia
was on the point of taking Constanu-
nOplc when her armies were at San
Stefano, on the European side OF the
Sea of Marmora, just below the city.
The city was saved to the Turk then by
a treaty which gave great advantage to
Russia. But this treaty was modified
by that of Berlin subsequently. This
last treaty was signed by the six
Powers. They are called the Signatory
Powers. OF course, in its consumma-
ton, Turkey lost large slices Of her
territory. Still, 50 far as the Balkan
Peninsula is concerned, which is The
territory lying between the Hgean and
the Black Seas. she has maintained
much substantial power over a part Of