Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-11-03

is the architect.
The street lamps are receiving coat Of
paint which improves their appearance.
LITERATURE OF TURKEY.
Full of Extravaganza, and Like the
Canadian Nights''-Quaint wit and
Wlsdom-The Curious Experiences
fNar-HastrI-Hodia
Correspondence of the New York Press.1
CoNsTANTINorLE, Oct. 2-Turkish liter
allure is full of extravaganza and howery
metaphor and in general Is not unlike that
embodied in the Thousand and One
Nights" but there are several email books
which are so rich and full of dry humor
and sly jokes that they constitute litera-
ture as unique and distinctive as anything
we have. These books are made up of
short stories and anecdote, and all are sup
posed to be the wisdom and experience of
Mar astri- Hodjs, who is the Prudhomme
and Calino of the French, and the mythical
man whose doings are chronioled in this
country under various names.
These anecdotes are used by all Orientals
in pointing morale, and often in giving
answers to grave question or as refusals of
requests where they do not like to come
out with blunt no. Indeed, many i'm
portant diplomatic questions are decided
in the same way, and story telling as an
aid to the administration of Justice, Ia
just as popular now as it was in the days
of Haroun Al Rsschid. 1t takes foreigners
quite long time to understand this man
ner of dealing with them; but 1t has its ad-
vantages and also enlivens dry diplomacy
by little unctuous humor, and, besides, it
saves the humiliation of a direct refusal
when one has to be made.
Aside from their uses for profound ques-
tions these droll and quaint little stories
every incident in daily life. This Mar
Hsstri-Hodja Is always represented as a
rather simple, but withal shrewed man,
whose wife has many virtues and much
common sense Joined to an inquirlng mind,
sharp tongue and sincere observance of
all religious forms. Her virtues and fore
sight are often related by Oriental women
to their husbands whenever they would
like to make suggestions.
One story runs in this wise:
A WARNING TO MEDDLERs
"One night late Nar-Hastrl-Hodjs and
his wife we're in bed and SOUL asleep when
they were awakened by loud noise in the
street, as of many persons qusrreling.
Mar Hastri-Hodja wished to 90 down to see
what the fuss was about, but his wife said,
You had better stay where you are. 1t is
not your funeral or words to that effect,
but the old man arose and instead of dress
ing he took the thick eiderdown quilt off
their bed and wrapped 1t about himself and
went out. In abort time he reached the
a. H.
run in every direction, one of them snatch
ing his bed quilt and disappearing with it.
Shivsripg, the old man returned, and when
his wife asked him what the qusrreling was
about he answered very humbly, Our bed
quilt, my DEAR"
This has the moral that 1t Is not well to
NEEDLE in other folks disputes, for you
will be the loser If you do.
Another one Is that the old man had &C.
casion to visit the cadi in that district, and
he told his wife to pick him nice basket
of ounces, which he would present to the
cadi for the purpose of putting him In q
good humor. "Take figs," said his wife.
"Quince are nicer and not so common, )"
said he. "Listen to me and take fgs, 4"
| said she, and to avoid further words, and
possibly because he relied upon her judg-
ment, he took basket of soft, luscious,
ripe figs, laid daintily among their cool,
green leaves.
Arrived at the cadi's house. Nar-Hastri-
Hedjs went bowling where the cadi sat en-
joying his keif in half somnolent beautitude.
| A Turk hates beyond everything to be dis
| turbed at such moment and the cadi was
no exception, and so he determined to be
revenged for this inopportune visit. Mar
Hsstri-Hodja came up before the cadi,
making q hundred salutatiens, and handed
II 4 = Al
tired a little distance and stood in the most
| abject position, as beftted one who was on
1y poor man of science and learning be-
| fore a cadi who had never been obliged to
learn to read. The cadi, with refinement
of cruelty in his revenge, took a ripe fig
from the basket and fred 1t with 90 true
an aim that 1t smashed on the old man. q
bald pate. "Thank God" cried Mar Has
tri- Hodja, and then he received another on
his nose, for which he also dsvoutly thanked
God, and he, continued his thanks most
fervently as long Is the figs lasted. When
he was fully covered with smashed fgs the
cadi was little surprised at his having
offered thanks for eueh indignities, and he
said:
"Why do you thank God for thia9"
because, o learned cadi, wished to
bring you basket of ounces, and my wife
persuaded me to bring figs instead.
thank God that he gave me wisdom to Lis.
ten to the sensible advice of my wife, 9TH
erwise I should now have broken head! ~
The cadi would have been more than hu-
man not to have softened at this, and he
filed the poor old mans basket with pres
ents, granted his petition and sent him on
his way.
The moral is clear. Listen to your wifs's
advice.
They say ''the priest blessss his own
beard first and those of his congregation
afterward," of our Charity begins at
home," and "Who is there who strains the
honey who does not like his fingers" in rela-
ton to pseulationsino Hiee s'Only mountains
never meet" Is q greeting between friends
who have come from long distances, and
when one asserts that he or she will not do
such OF such thing, Turk graYely says: