Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-01-19
AN ORIENTAL Bazaar.
what n Traveller from tho OeeIasnt saw
In . shop at STEAMBOAT

During my stay in Con stsntinople
my favorite amusement of an after
noon vas 10 20 over To Stambonl, ac-
ccpt the kind invitation Of some
merchant 10 take coffee in his shop.
and sit there for an hour. gossiping
and watching the movement Of the
bezestin. Such an invitation NAV be
readily accepted. and you may even
inspect a merchants whole stock with
out buying any thing. aad vet he will
not grudge you his hospitality and the
savory cup Of coffee. II is not the
splendor Of the bazaar that strikes one;
indeed. as we have seen. tho bazaar is
n dirty, iil-li-hted and cb~cap-looking
place. II is not the aspect ~ null
tUarious merchandise rich stuffs, and
all the fabulous luxury II the East
for. after all, there Is little but
paitry and current goods In the bazaar
nowadays. and our Western dealers.
and even such establishments as the
Louvre. the Bon Marche and the other
grand bazars of London aud Paris.
can boast a finer stock 81 stufis, car.
49, ~ ANAU ANY ~
the dealers Of Constautinoplc. Ny ex-
pcriencs In the bcscstin reveal.
ed to me the fact that. rs n rule, the
dealers ask for any object,
even for n pair Of ba60aches. Just
hv e times the iprice they are willing
10 accept Nor did they ask me this
price because ! was a Frank and a
UlN0nr hnt tO.auan as~L = ~.
habit whether they are dealing with
Franks. OF Mussulmans. or Zoroastri-
ans No; % my mind the interest Of
the bazaar Is in the general aspect. The
bazar forms n sort of neutral
ground. where You can observe the
Turk. and the Persian. and all the
other people who meet there. without
their %resenting your curiosity; IL Is n
place where curiosity is legitimate,
and where every body INDUCES freely
in the satisfaction of that sentiment
Above all. the bazaar is an Oriental
institution, which has remained un.
changed except In the character of
the goods sold. It il true. one sees
there bales Of Manchester cottons.
rolls Of English cloth.
OF Russian hollow-ware; but
TINS fact does not prevent
n seeing Mt every me nent
depails Of life and customs which are
precisely noted in that inimitable
mixture Of fancy aud realism, the
stories Of. Schcherazadc. Il Il a per
petual charm to the eyes to see thi,
living exhibition Of costume; to note
here a dervish. there a turbancd Turk
who has made the pilgrimage to
Mecca, there n grave Persian. aud
there n swarthy eunuch who can moi
md diamonds big enough for hi.
vanity. 1t Is amusing. too. to watch
tho %coquettish ladies Of the middle
classes. who come in groups OF two or
three. followed by their children and
their negresses. the latter carrying biz
bags into which their mistrcsses pass
their purchases. For. although Mos
lcm jealousy docs not allow women to
Keep shop. and although in the whole
quarter OF Sta nboul you will not
see a single woman Of anv
nationality engaged in commercial
occupations. there are no more active
buyers and no keener b~argainers han
the Turkish ladies. Draped in their
long feridjts. ans with their faces and
heads enveloped in the white yachn.a h
they spend hours and hours in the ba-
Ears; chattering like magpies. and
iavishing torrents If abuse on tho
dog OF a Christian" on The .'son of a
father who Is roasting in hell" on the
giaour who dares to look too fxedly
into their beautiful flashing eyes.
Sometimes. also. but then under the
guard Of an eunuch. You sec in the bat
Ear pms of higher rank-psrfumrd
nowers OF The harem. whose white aud
delicate visage the sun has never tar.
nished.
L confess that this contempt of III
Franks. which the Turks Ito not dis
guise. gave me much pleasure. They
At least among all the nations on
earth. have not bowed the knee befor.
the idol of progress. Firm In the fail.
of their fathers. they calmly ignor
Western civilization; and Il they 4
recognize the existence II the O
cideni tai 1t is only to despise him. an
not 10 ape aim, and thereby lose the
W personality. which has been til
Tate OF SO many nations who have u.
come tho victims Of Western mr..
ragandism and Western ideas. \
Constantinople. or. At least, In SIAM
boul. you feel that you. a Frank. d
not exist IN the eye Of the Turk
lou may wear the largest chez
suit that a London tailo
can produce. and vet the Tufl
will pass withoutdeigning even to loo
at you At the public fountains h
VIII 90 through his religious ablution
m your presence rs II you were mill
swAg- H. will spread out his carpe
u his faee toward Mecca, and sa
his prayers while you are looking on
and so mean arc you in his estimation
thai he ignores you. For this dirait
and stability OF character l respect III.
Turk, and | am grateful TO hin. fo
procuring me a sensation which il no
common in foreign travel. in Enron.
nj any rste-the sensation that ! m
an intruder. a contemplate doc
n person worthy only to l.
spat upon and killed Happily. IN
diplomatic relations which the Sut
lime Porte still entertadns with Nh,
Western world guarantee the materia
security OF the traveller in the Sultan'.
dominionA But every thing in Con.
stantinople tells US that the Turk. Al.