Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-11-20
SCHOOLS In TURKEY.
How Young Moslems Are TAUGHT
to Acquire knowledge
They Sit All Day on Mat and Yell at the
Tops Of Their voiccs-Committing
Whole Books to Memory
Peculiar Customs.

II the stranger in Moslem country in
passing through the streets is attracted by
a noise for which he can not satisfactorilv
account toward the building in which the
school is held, he will, on looking in. prob
ably see long and narrow room. at one
end OF which is seated a man with long
beard (schoolmasters retain their boards
even when whiskers only are sanctioned by
general usage), while the sides are lined
with nttie boys at various ages squatted
upon their heels on the floor, which is gen.
erally covered with thick mat in addition
to which those parents who can afford it
provide their sons with a bit of CARPET or
felt in Persia or with cushion in Turkey.
to place between them and the mat Some
OF the older boys go SO far as to obtain a
cushion to introduce between their backs
and the wall, but this luxury is rather dis
countenanced by the masters as an en-
croachment on their own peculiar diguities
All the boys have their heads covered. but
they are without their shoes, which are left
near the door, 80 mingled and so similar in
shape and color that it would seem difficult
for each to find his own; but on the break
ing up every one seems to slip his feet into
his own shoes without any of that individual
hesitation or general confusion which might
be expected.
When the boys are learning their lessons.
or repeating them to their master, they do
so all at once with q loud voice, and with
continual see-saw Of the body, without
which movement they seem to conceive it
impossible that any thing can be learned
The scene which this affords Is extreme
~ ludicrous to European, particu-
larly as the zeal OF the learner is estimated
hv q lOndpooo ~ !
OF his seesaw; and hence, when conscious
of the approach of person whom the mas
ter or pupils wish to impress with favor
able opinion Of their application and prog
ress the noise in the schoolroom, which
may previously have sunk into low hum,
rises abruptly to the clamorous uproar of
many voices. 1t seems that in reading all
at once to the master the elder boys, in the
school at large, are expected to give some
attention to the others near them. The
master can not in such noise, distinguish
the individual accuracy of each reader, and
his attention is therefore directed to OBJ
serve that time is as nearly as may be kept
by the voices, and, in some measure, in the
motions also Of the pupils. This object
seems but poorly attained. This style of
reading is most unnatural. 1t is q drawing |
chant, uttered in q very loud voice.
In the East generally the tone Of the |
voice is very high, even in common CONVEX
sation, but in reading it is raised to scream
ing. Some Arabs desired friend of mine |
to let them hear him read, writes cor
respondent Of the London Standard. He |
complied, on which they exclaimed: "You
are not reading, you are talking" The fact,
however, is that except among those of |
the learned professions, few Of those
who have professedly learned to read
in the schools can or do exercise the &C
Quirement in after life; and the few who do |
remain actually qualified to read with facil- |
ity rarely do so without some stimulus in |
comparably stronger than would be re-
quired in this or, perhaps, any European |
country. After a residence or several years |
among Mohammedan people, do not recol- |
lect more than three instances in which |
have seen persons quietly engaged in read |
ing book to themselves, all the actions Of |
their ordinary life are much more exposed |
to public notice than can well be imagined |
In this country.
These facts are easily explained. Books |
are expensive articles of luxury in Moham-
medan countries, and this is alone sufficient |
TO account for much that we have stated.
Before the introduction Of the art Of print
ing the state Of knowledge among the peo-
than it is in Persia now. There is also
another less obvious circumstance, which
would have great influence even were the
manuscript books much more common and
cheap than they are. This is the difficulty
of reading manuscript. This difficulty
should not be underrated. Even in this
country most educated persons would re-
ouire considerable stimulus to induce them
to 20 through manuscript volume. Those
only whose duty it is to examine manu-
scripts and to prepare them for the press
can describe the tedi0usness OF the opera
ton. It is not one Of the least advantages
of printing that it has tended to simplify
the character employed in the preparation
of books and to render it uniform. Thls
comparison very imperfectly illustrates our
meaning, for our manuscripts are far more
legible to us than those Of the East are to
an Oriental.
Among ourselves many persons who can
write shorthand with facility are unable TO
read it with ease; an Oriental manuscripts Is
q sort of shorthand which many more per-
SONS are able to write than read. The
words are abbreviated, as in shorthand, by
the omission Of vowels, and when the words
are deciphered the want Of punctuation
renders it often difficult to discover at once
the meaning Of the phrases. When to this
it is added that there are several dinerent
styles Of writing. besides the difference oc-
casioned in the several manuscripts by the
variety of individual hands and fourlshes,
it will be perceived that person can not
read with facility without more practice
than the state of literature and knowledge
encourages any considerable number OF
students to seek or enables them to obtain.
A stranger is very liable to be deceived In
estimating the competency Of Mohamme-
dan to read. A very large part OF common
education consists in learning by heart
considerable portion Of current literature
particularly Of the Koran. He is, therefore,
able to repeat by rote the most striking pas
sages of almost any Of the very limited
number of books which are likely TO be
placed before him. He will turn over its
leavea until he can find some passage with