St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-02-25
AN ORIENTAL eAzAR.


AN ORIENTAL BAZAAR.
WHIST TEsvelsr from the Oocldeae 0sw
In = Shop = StsMbsal.
During my stay in C,nstantinople
my favoritc amusement q m after
noon was to 60 over to Siamboul, &C
ccpt the kind invitation Of some
merchant TO take coffee in his shop.
and sit there for an hour. gossiping
and watching the movement Of the
bezestin. Such an invitation may b
readily accepted. and you may even
inspect amsrchants whole stock with
out buying any thing. and yet he will
not grudgc you his hospitality and the
savory cup Of. coffee 1t il not the
splendor of the bazaar that strikes one;
indeed. rs we have seen. the bazaar is
dirty. ill-lisi,ted and cheap-looking
pace. 1t is not the. aspect of null
hilarious merchandise---rich stuffs, and
all the fabulous luxury Of tho. East
for. after all sthere ID little but
paltry and current goods in the bazaar
nowadays and our Western dealers.
and even such establishments as the
Louvre. the Bon Marchc and tho other
grand bazars of London and Paris.
can boast finer stock OF stuffs. car
pets and Oriensss- arms than any Of
the dealers Of Constantinop'e My ex-
perience in the bezcstin reveal
ed to mo the fact that rs . rule. The
dealers ask for any object.
even for a pair Of ba6ouches. Just
fiv times tho sPrices tissy are willing
10 accept. Nor did they ask mo this
price because I was a Frank and .
giaour. but because such is their
habit whether they are dealing with
Franks or Mussnlmans. or Zoroastri-
ans. MOI to my mind the interest Of
the bazaar is in tho general aspect The
bazaar forms . sort Of neutral
ground. where you can observe the
Turk, and the Persian. and all tho
other people who meet there. without
their ressnting your curiosity; it is 4
place where curiosity is Legitimate.
and wh6re every body INDUCES freely
in the satisfaction Of that sentiment
Above all the bazaar is an Oriental
institution. which has remained nn-
changed except in the character Of
the goods sold slt H. true. ono secs
there bales; Of Manchester cottona
rolls of English cloth. cargoes
cf Russian hollow-ware; bu.
this fact docs not prevent
one seeing at every moment
de. ails of life and cus:oms which are
precisely noted in that inimitable,
mixture Of fancy and realism. tho
stories Of Schehcrazade., 1t is . per-
petual charm to Tho eyes to $50 this
living exhibition Of costume; to notc
here dcrvish. there . turbaned Turk
who has made the pilgrimage to
Mecca, there = grave Persian. and
there a swarthy eunnch who can not
dnd diamonds big enough for his
vanity. is amusing. too 10 watch
the coquettish ladies Of tho middle
classes. who come in groups Of two or
three. followed by their children and
their negresses. the latter carrying big
bags. into which their mistrosses pass
their purchases For. although Mos
lem jealousy does not allow women to
keep shop. aud atboagh in the whole
quarter Of Stanboul you will not
see a single woman Of any
nationality engaged in commercial
occupations there are no more active
buyers and no keener .bargainers than
the Turkish ladies' Draped in their
long Jesidjis. and with their faces and
heads cnveloped in the white yachmacA
they spend hours and hours in the ba- |
Ears; chattering like magpies. and
lavishing torrents Of abuse on the |
dog of Christian" on the son OF . |
father who is roasting in hell" on the |
giaour who darcs to look too fixedly |
into their beautiful flashing eyes
Sometimes. also. but then under tho |
guard of an cunuch. you see in the ba-
Ear women Of higher rank-perfumed |
flowers of the haren,. whose white and |
delicate visage the sun has never tar.
nishcd.
/ confcs, that this contempt Of tbs
Franks which the Turks do not dis
guise. gave mo much pleasure. They
at least among all the nations on
earth. have not bowed the knee before
the idol Of progress Firm in the faith |
Of their fathers thcy calmly ignore |
Western civilization; and. IL they do
recognize the existence OF the o.
ciden tai. it is only to despiss him. aud
not 10 ape him. and thereby lose their
own personality. which has been the
fate of SO many nations who have be.
come the victims of Western pro-
and Western ideas. At
Constantinople. or. At lcast in SIAM
boul. you feel that you. Frank. do
not exist IN tho eye Of the Turk.
You may wear the largest check
suit that . London tailor
can produce. and yet the Turk
will pass without deigning even to look
at you. At the public fountains he
will 60 through his religious additions
in your presence - il you were miles
away. H. will spread out his carpet.
turn his face toward Mecca. and say
his prayers while you are looking on;
and SO mean are you in his estimation
That he ignores you. For this dignity
and stability Of character respect the
Turk; and I am grateful to him for
procuring me . sensation which i not
common in foreign travel in Earops.
1t any rato-ehe sensation that I am
IN intruder. a contemplate dog.