Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-02-27
HABITS OF THE SULTAN.
He Takes Gymnastlc Exercises and Is
Man of the World.

Man of the World.
The Sultan of Turkey lives and thinks
pretty much after the fashion of other
high European sovereigns. He rises
very early and takes a cold bath, some
thing unknown to Turkish Sultans be-
fore his day At half-past nine o'clock
he enters his study and sits down be-
tween two mountains of paper; one all
Turkish newspapers and translations
from foreign newspapers; the other
documents of State. BY his side sits
his secretary, Sureya Pasha, with whose
aid he goes through all the dailies and
clippings and reports. Every State pa
per is read carefully by the Sultan him
self, who boasts that he has never
affixed his name to a document that he
had not first read through. After hav-
ing disposed of both patches of paper,
the Sultan lunches, plainly and without
wine. When the Sultan is alone the
table service is china: when guests are
present 1t is gold. After luncheon the
Sultan usually drives or takes gym
nastic exercise. Upon his return from
his recreation he again retires to his
study and works till all the tasks of the
day have been performed.
The home life of the Sultan is strangely
different from the prevalent ideas of it,
According to Vambery, the Hungarian
traveller, who has recently returned to
his home from a long visit at the Turk
ish court, the harem has ceased to have
any significance for the lie of the Turk
lsh sovereign, who lives with and loves
his one chosen wife Us would any
other European sovereign. His
affection for the chosen wife is
so strong that during her recent
illness he ate and slept little, and was
by her side almost all her leisure time.
His daughter, Maine Sultana, has been
educated in all European accomplish
ments, and is a pianist of rare talents
and remarkable execution. AS an
1slamite the Sultan, of course, allows
that female slaves are presented to him,
but he does not take them into his fam
lily in any way; in fact, never sees their
faces. Abdul Hamid II. is believing
Moslem, Vambery says, yet never for
gets that he rules over Greeks and
Armenians as well as over Moham-
medans. Not only the clergy of his
own creed, but also the Greek and
Armenian patriarchs, are frequently
recipients of his presents. The Sultan
is far from being an orthodox Moham-
meda1, for he encourages the fine arts,
has founded museum containing
statues, to look at which, ac-
cording to the Koran, is a
deadly sin, and has laid the basis
of the education of Turkish women, for
which, too, his creed finds no indorse.
ment. Besides the business of live
politics, plans for the introduction OF
a constitution in his empire occupy
much of the Sultan's attention. He
feels an obligation to do this for his
people, yet fears they are not ripe for it
"In Europe the ground was prepared
for constitutions by centuries of liberal
government" he said to Vambery
"Now you come to ask me to transplant
this Western growth to the stony sol
of Asiatic life. Let me first remove the
thistles and stones, let me turn and wa
ter the soil, for we have no rain here
and then will transplant the Western
product as you wish. Believe me, M
one would be better pleased than will
the success of the experiment" Sucl
is the Sultan, says Vambery, painte'
without prejudice. IN. Y. Sun.