The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-02
A CURIOUS CITY.
A Great City With Some Features
Found Nowhere Else.

Constantinople Correspondence Church Union.
With the Mohammedans religion seems
paramount; pleasures and the art II
money-maklng are matters of secondary
consideration. Near each mosque are nu-
merous fountains, where the faithful are
forever bathing their faces and breasts,
their hands and feet, preparatory 20 saying
their prayers. Those who feel that they
can afford the time attend prayers at the
mosque four and five times each day. The
poorer classes, whose time Is necessarily
preoccupied, are equally attentive 10 their
religious duties and can often be seen in
their shops and by the roadside on their
knees chanting their prayers.
In Censtantinople we stayed at the new
hotel. the London, opposite to which is a
densely foliaged park. where band plays
afternoon and evening. 1t is fashionable
for all Europeans; no Turkish women
or children are ever seen there, as they
never visit any public place of amusement.
Some strange couples are united in these
Eastern countries. A full blooded negro
whose beloved wife was French woman,
WAS staying at the London. He appeared
to have the intelligence, however, of half a
dozen ordinary white men. He spoke many
languages. and received more attention than
any other Individual ut the hotel. His
name was ID. Delorme. Ministre Plen-
ipotentiare de Ia RepubliQue d'Haiti
10 Berlin. Another couple outside of
dan, as dark as Delorme, whose wife was
a fair English lady whom he had met while
she was paying visit TO Calcutta. She
seemed quite satisfied with her husband,
but fear that many ADVERTISEMENTS await
her In England IL she expects to re-en ter
society. Constantnople looks in the dis
lance like yoluptpous beauty that could
be likened TO fiirt or a coQuette. Seen
from distance she IS lovely, she Is fascin-
ating, she is perfeet-whether IL be from the
heights OF the old towers, the Marmora Sea
or sailing up the Besporus; but when you
approach her face to face then comes the
usual disappointment; you perceive the
rouge, the makeup; you have been de-
ceIved. While you follow her at a
distance she is enchanting, but when You
have embraced her then comes the disep-
pointmept and you prefer forever after to
know her and admire her from a distance.
/ think Constantin ople Is the only city in
the world which makes practice of charg-
Ing percentage for all moneys changed-if
you make purchase you must pay for the
articles with the exact change. Money
changers are stationed at short distances
all over the city, and you are expected TO
paironize them. allowing them a percentage
for supplying you with the coins you need.
There seem TO be no wagons, trucks or
drays in the city. Strings of horses are
constantly seen carrying heavy ioads-wind-
ing their way through the narrow streets
apparently perfectly understanding every
word that the driver yells to them. These
horses carry all the building materials, such
as brick, dirt, lumber, stones. etc. A
wooden rack is tied on the back of the
horse, on which can be strapped loads which
loom up like small mountains.
The manner OF doing business In the
Asiatic countries is very unsatisfactory,
and Is especially so at the bazaars in Con-
stantinople. There are no positive prices;
you are at first charged double or treble
what the article is worth; then you are sup
posed TO make an offer and wrangle and bar
ter until an understanding Is reached. in
tended to have purchased some embroider-
les ana rugs, but became thoroughly dis
gusted with their unbusinesslike methods
and renounced my intention. Ii one is
thorough judge of every article he desires.
there is 10 doubt that he can procure great
advantages both in assortment and price by
purchasing at these bazaars, but stranger
who Is n OF an expert in their kind of mer-
chandise had much better defer bis pur-
chases until he visits London. Paris, or
even New York.