The morning call., 1894-10-31
Views "the UnspeakabIe"
With Kindly Eyes.
CHILDREN IN THE HAREM.
Wives Can Go Shopping Like
Other Women.
THE SULTAN is CoMpANIONABLE.
The Author of I" Ben Hur" in His
Initial Appearance Before San
Francisco Audience.

and had been lmp1tiently knocking LOT
him-for he was late-iS burst into noisy
welcome-politely noisy.
General Wallace sat down and General
Barnes, with a breatbess hesitancy that
Ief: the Imagination TO picture lingering
too long over a lunch and hurried run
upstairs to stop the impatient knocking,
introduced him.
General Wallace had requested 1t, he
said, because ne feared facing an audience
as a total stranger. But General Barnes
said that General Wallace was mistaken
in thinking himself stranger. for did not
every San Franciscan know almost famil-
iarlv the diplomat, soldier. statesman, the
man who more than any American Illus
trated in his own work how mightier than
the sword was the pen?
General Wallace, not quite so tall as
General Barnes, trim, good figure upon
the stage, easy of manner, mis- large head
well set and the dark crown of il tinged
with gray. the anuscript of his lecture in
hand, rose and begged consideration ior
his Oregon cold.
With this he started for Turkey up the
Bosphorus. carrying his audience in beau
tiful description through "ihe ideal sum-
mer resort Of the world. The canal"
as 1t is called. such a canal as nature
builds, suggestions of which may be found
upon the Hudson. the eastern line of
Europe upon the one side, the western
wall of Asia on the other, where the ships
of every nation on earth, propelled by
oars. by sail or steam, were forever pass
iDg-eVery nation save cur own.
At last the ship turns to, and 10! Con-
stantinoplel an amphitheater of cities,
phantom city in the skies.
Landing. the illusion vanishes. III
smells make yOu envy the bird in the sky;
you the victim OF two guilds. the dogs
that nobody owns and the beggars, who
own everybody. Que thing impresses
you--the everlasting age that meets you
everywhere; the GENE teries aboutits walls
that tell of the 1900 years that this hae
been a seat CT empire. 1t is the land of
the Turks. but tile citizens of every nation
on earth, each IN their native costume,
Will cross the bridge via the Bosphurus
every day. The unmixed Turk, as
young man Of light complexion, dark eyes,
round face and something of a Roman
nose, will be found al the barracks in
traIuing for the life of a soldier, at the
cafe. at the mosque and IN the country.
where the shepherds life, that was his
fathers and which he loves because it
leads him anywhere, attracts him.
''Tbe Turk's mind, said General Wal
lace, about 10 begin 10 dissect him psyche
logically, "the TURKS mind is not so pro-
found it is acute" and just then the
brilliantly lighted face became Inky black
The electric lights went out. Every BODY
remained as silent for a momant in aston
ishment as they had been IN attention, and
then they began to laugh. General Wal
lace did not know his lines and could not
go on as Scheel does with his music when
the same trick is played at the Auditorium.
The darkness remained profound for
some minutes, and people were wondering
if they would have to be content with a
half ration OF Turkey. when the lights as
suddenly returned and the Lecturer was
seen quietly leaning back in his cOair.
He left 1t with the audience whether it
was gond or bad omen, and then returned
to his topic. The Turks are not artistic in
any sense. They had cut down the stat
ues to which conquest had left them heirs.
The East did not consider them good mer-
chants The trading was chiefly Gone by
the Greeks and Armenla1s, rather scurvy
set. They nsed to be hOspitabie, and in
the country districts were still. jealousy
of eacn other hampered them in war and
peace.
Their religious faith was constant and
Simple and democratic. Their prayer was
that "GOd is good; God is God and Mo-
hammed is his prophet" repeated over
and over again. standing, kneeIing or face
down upon the earth. The Christian
could study the morally and religious life
of the Turk with profit; their love and
care of children and bids and animals.
a Turk never kills an animal for food
without asking God to judge between
them-tDe man and the beast. The lee
turer never saw drunken Turk
1t is impossible to 90 further In the at
ter Of respect for women than does the
Turk. The police or the soldiers will clear
street Of mob of men in short order,
but from one of woman he viii turn pale
and tlV. The Turk is an example TO the world
for true pOlteness. The German is prave
and poDderous in his politeness; The
French over suave; the English make no
preterse at it, but the Turk is as sincere.
as he is entirely the most graceful in his
salaam. No writer has ever by single
line impeached the bravery of the Turk,
and the lecturer spoke of their part in
many of the famous battles OF modern and
early times.
When a Turkish woman enters a harem
pronounced hareem-with the accent on
the "reem," she bids farewell TO eyery
other relative, not excepting her father
and her mother. Only per cent of the Mos
lem followers of the Sultsn-rron oun ced
Sooltan-practice pOlygamy. Every man
must be capable of keeping we'll the wife
that be takes. The harems were not so bad
as they have been painted. il General
Wallace's lady friends who had visited
them are not misled. The harems are lux
uriously appointed, the wives are attended
by slaves, entertaining ths visitors with
eating. drinking, music and dancing.
They are very ignorant. to be sure, but
they are not pent up in the harem. They
are quite at liberty, without having to
hunt or notify their lord when desirous Of
going riding or driving or picDickng; are
always attended, of course. If the nus
band chances to meet them while shop
ping he passes without seeing. Their
headdress is the most graceful of any ma
tion-will make the plain beautiful. the
beautiful angelic and redeem the ugly.
The Turkish women are the most beauti-
ful In the wOTld-saye the American.
home life? Leave the housewife out of
u ana there is delightful home life. The
love and care of the children make II. The
mother is indeed mother TO the child and
nurses and croons over aud romps with
the little one. A mau never refers TO his
domestic affairs. A Turk might ask after
The wife OF the American Minister or even
SEND his respects, but to return such a
compliment would be the height of III
breeding.. The lecturer believed that this
grew from a superlatve sensitiyenpss Of
affection for everything pertaining to the
harem.
The Sultan has a genuine regard for the
United STATES, and publicly stated his
reason once in saying that it was the only
nation that never cpDspired against him
nor aimed 10 take away any part of hi :
domain. The Sultan Is a man of COM
maBding intellect, and nothing is further
from tue truth than the common belief
that he is bigot and cruel. Absolute as
he is ne has never been able to bring him