Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-20
SCHOOLS IN TURKEY.
How Young Moslems Are Taught
TO Acquire knowledge.
They SIT All Day on a Mat and Yell at the
Tops Of Their Voices Committing
whole Books TO Memory
Peculiar Customs.


whole Books TO Memory
Peculiar Customs.
II the stranger in a Moslem country in
passing through the streets is attracted by
a noise for which he can not satisfactorily
account toward the building in winch the
school is held. he will, on looking in, prob
ably see a long and narrow room, at one
end Of which is seated a man with long
beard (schoJlmasters retain their boards
even when whiskers only are sanctioned by
general usageJ, while the sides are lined
with little boys at various ages squatted
upon their heels on the floor, which is gen
orally covered with a thick mat in addition
10 which those parents who can afOrd II
provide their sous with bit Of carpet or
felt IN Persia, or with a cushion in Turkey,
to place between them and the mat. Some
Of the older boys 90 80 far as 10 obtain
cushion 10 introduce between their backs
and the wall, but this luxury is rather dis
countenanced by the masters as an en-
croachmcnt on their own peculiar dignities.
All the boys have their heads covered, but
they are without their shoes, which are left
near the door, 50 mingled and so similar in
share and color that it would seem difficult
for each ~ md 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 10 their master, they do
80 all at once with loud voice, and with a
/ continual see saw OF the body, without
/ which movement they seem TO conceive 1t
impossible that any thing can be learned.
/ The scene which this affords Is extreme
larly as the zeal Of the learner is estimated
by the loudness Of his voice and the violence
Of his seesaw; and hence, when conscious
OF the approach Of a person whom the mas
ter or pupils wish TO impress with favor
able opinion Of their application and prog
/ ress the noise in the sChOOl-rOOm, which
| may previously have sunk into a low hum,
/ rises abruptly 10 the clamOrous uproar OF
many voices II seems that in reading all
at once 10 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
chant uttered in a very loud voice
In the East generally the tone Of the
voice is very high, even in common conver-
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: 'Hou
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 ac-
quircmcnt in after life; and the few who do
remain actually qualified TO read with tacll-
ity rarely do 50 without some stimulus in
comparably stronger than would be re
CURED in this or, perhaps, any European
IOuuIry Alucr "A resldenCe OF several years
among Mohammedan people, do not recol-
lect more than three instances in which
have seen persons quietly engaged in read
ing a book 10 themselves, all tine 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
20 account for much that we have stated.
Before the introduction OF the art Of print
ing the state Of knowledge among the peo-
pie was not more favorable in this country
than 1t is in Persia now. There is alsc
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 dinculty
OF reading manuscript This difficulty
should not be moderated, Even in this
country most educated persons would re
| Quirc considerable stimulus To induce them
10 20 through manuscript volume Those
! only whose duty it Is TO examine manu-
scripts and TO prepare them for the press
can describe the tcdlousncss OF the opera
tiun. 1t is not one OF the least advantages
OF printing that il has tended 10 simplify
the character employed in the preparation
OF books and 10 render il uniform. This
comparison very mperfcctly illustrates our
meaning, for our manuscripts are far more
, legible TO us than those OF the East are u
IN Oriental
Among ourselves many persons who can
write shorthand with facility are unable "a
read It with ease; an Orieutal manuscript is
q sort ~ shorthand which many more per
sons are able 10 write than read, The
words are abbreviated, as in shorthand, by
the omission Of yowcls, and when the words
are deciphered the want OF punctuation
renders n often dificult 20 discover at once
the meaning uf the phrases When to this
It is added that there are several different
styles of writing besides the difference oc-
Casluued IA the several manuscripts by the
variety Of individual hands and h0urshcs.
II will be- perceived that person can NOT
road with facility without more practice
than the state OF literature aud knowledge
encourages any considerable number OF
students 10 seek or euahles them 90 obtain.
\ stranger Is very liable % be- deceived In
estimating the competency OF a Muhamme-
dan 90 road. a very large part Of common
education consists in learning by heart "a
considerable portion NJ current literature,
particularly OF the Koran, He u.s. therefore,
able % rvpcat by rote the most striking pas
eages ot almus, amy OF the Very limited
number ~ books which are likely to bv
placed before him lie VIII turn over lbs
leaves until lac oau hud some passage with
which ho is acquainted, aud will repeat iJ
correctly as if from the book, but, II sud
, denly interrupted, ho Is aucrward quite
unable to Indicate the part of the page al
which the interruption took place.
4 Story with Moral.
The story has reachcd US of an Italian
nob.vluan who at the altar refused 90 marry