The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-10-27
TURKISH HUMOR.
A Lard Where Funny Mon Are Not Numer

The first point to be made in regari.
to the humor of the Turks is that they
have lone. The second point is that
what Of humor they do possess is of a
certain droll, farcical, grotesque type,
impraciicable of imitation, though not
quite Of appreciation, by the average
Occidental. The Oriental does joke
sometimes, but he accomplishes the feat
after aquaint manner of his own, in
certain ponderous, clumsy way. He
cannot joke nor do anything-even
laugh At the ready sallies of others-in
hurr. He takes time to receive and
give othumorous expressions. "Yarash,
yarash' Slowly, slowly" is the uni
versa MOTTO of the east for things both
grave nd gay.
The turkish intelligence rarely scin-
tilatesyith wit, though it off and on
gleamswith humor in dullish sort of
way. 'riental Mark Twains-perpetu-
ally funny men-are rare. If you go to
reside the east you will be treated to
more less of dollery and facetious-
ness irthe course of solemn interviews
with tficials or men of business, but
you INST patiently await your time to
laugh and indeed to finish laughing.
The hrkish joke cannot be made or
finishd with in a hurry. 1t is general
ly ofhe narrative, rather than the
conurrum type. 1t requires preface,
and weighted with moral You
lysssSpsly decipher it in the Arabic
char14er, or you comfortably settle
dowaAhear it in it's lengthy sweetness
as leistcly recounted in a coffee room,
where b often as not) the tale that
succeedkn affecting the risibles of the
grave a$mbly of porters or fishermen
or pedlss. therein gathered will be
some grdAsque story of the mythical
Nasred Sn-Hoia, that goodnatured,
blunderiIt Moslcm ecclesiastic, who
'kusmeth pas decreed should be the
perpetual hit of all the combined ridi-
Guile of Ort1tal ways.
This unlhtoric "Nasr-ed-din" is real
ly, of COURSE only supposititious peg,
on which B hang all the good stories
or truant wAggeries current in the east.
If he ever lied, he has served his own
generationtand some others-by max.
ing them hugh. There is his recipe
for makingh minaret-just dig a well
and turn it inside out There is his re.
ported sernpn in the Mosque one day
when, asceniing its pulpit, he thus adj
dressed the assembly of the faithful
do you know, o true believers, what
am going b say to you?" mo" was
the reply. E'Well then, there is no use
in my speaking to you'-and the Hojs
descended Forthwith from the pulpit
A second fine he went preach ant
asked the congregation: 20 true be
levers, do fou know what am going
to say to ycu?" "We do know" replied
the ardie1ce. "As you know then,
cried the Hoja, quitting the tribune
why should | take the trouble of tell
ing you?" Again, a third time he en-
tered the mosque to preach, whereupor
the CONGREGATION resolved to put hi
powers to the test, and when he pro
pounded the usual query responded
Some Of us know and some of us d.
not know" Every we'll" replied tn
undaunted Hoja. "let those who know
tell those who do not know"
Yruly, most imperturbablc, incon
tr0ertible man, this Hoja Nasr-ed-din
Tohim there came one day neighbo
with the modest request that he nigh
borrow his donkey. II have no don
keJ" solemnly declared Nasr-ed-din
Just then, however, the donkey il
QUESTION betrayed his presence in a con
tiguous cellar or shed by sonorou
bray. what did you mean by thus ly
ing to me?" demanded the now irat
neghbor. "What!"replied the Hoja der
recatingly, would you believe my don
key before you would believe me?"
Turkish humor is of somewhat lum
bering, awkward type, indeed-it rattle
tumbles over itself in its effort to fin
expression, and is inconsequential an
fanciful to delightful degree-but VIII
shall say it is not quite appropriated
| fitted 10 the stolid character Of the Mos
lem populations of Asia Minor, and a.
| Of piece with that glamour Of dream
romance and mythic medi@valism tina
hovers still over those drear mountain
| of Anatolia and along the lovely shore
| OF the bewitching Eosporus?--N. Y. OF