Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-10
HIS COUNTRY IN HIS SHOES.


 His Setting loot Foreign soH.
 The law of the Koran says that the Padsha, ruler of the believers, or sul- tan, should never set foot upon foreign ground. The Shcik ul Islam, chief of the religion and law of the Turks, hav- ing given his approval of the liberal im- pulse of Abdul Aziz to visit the chief of the nation of Franks, which nation had always supported the independence of Turkey against other powers, satisfied the requirements cf the law in the fol- lowing manner;
 Some dust was introduced between the layers of the material of which the sultan's shoes and slippers were com posed, so that wherever he was the sul- tan always stood upon the soil of his own dominion.
 1t was said in the first of the articles that the real life of Napoleon III. and the empress was often falsely depicted. So it happened with poor Abdul Aziz. His tendencies were liberal, but on ac- count of his environment, his fanatical mother and the palace officials, not only was he prevented from making re- forms, but, owing to the intrigues of
 
 his court, he was constantly in fear of his life.
 He, however, established schools, di- rected by Europeans; had foreign music teachers in his harem and foreigners as musical directors of his regiments, and was himself a performer on the piano. Although the Koran forbade the pos- session or the making of any image of any living creature, he had pictures from life in his palace, either presents from other sovereigns, the work of for eign artists whom he had invited to his palace for the purpose and whom he paid literally, or of some of his aid-de- camps whom he had sent to study in Paris, and he had painted full-size portrait of his father, the illustrious Mahmood II. Nor must it be forgotten that his reign was marked by the building. of the first steam railway in Turkey.
 Those who on account of his distrust and fear for his life, ridiculed him and declared him insane knew little of the intrigues of the palace and the machina- tions of foreign governments. The sul- tan was, in fact, a slave in his own cas- ties.
 Contrary to the general belief he had but one wife at time. He married a third time, having lost by death his first and second wives. One of his wives was the sister of Kurshid Pasha, the greatest chess player of his time, the governor of the province o1 Broussa, who taught the sultan the game, and he and his young son, Fuad Bey, were the players who were per mitted to win game.
 Untouched by the grace and beauty of Empress Eugenie at the time of the Paris exposition in 1867, the sultan in vited her to isit.Constantinople which Invitation was accepted. One of the sultans marble palaces on the Bos- phorus was fitted up royalty for her occupancy, and splendid fetes were given in her honor. Empress Eugenie was for many years remembered by the Turks and their sovereign.
 At the time of the empress visit the oBultan wished to occupy with his court r t5his now summer palace of Tcheragan, which he had erected in true Byzantine sTlendor. In accordance with the law of the Turks and the Hebrews, the i'm mense number of rooms were painted by great artists with ornaments which re. produced no living being, nor plant, nor stone, and each room had it's special de. signs, which were not repeated in others.
 The first time the sultan entered the palace with his suite he made misstep in ascending the short stairway leading tothe drawing-room. Fatalists, like all oriental people, the sultan and his suite regarded this accident as an ill omen. The first night of his occupancy of the new palace the sultan had distressing dream, and, acting under the supersti' ton still present in many countries, that dreams on the first night under a foreign roof will come to realization, he after one nights stay left the place with his household of nine hundred per sons
 This act was interpreted as most capricious The palace was left unoc. cupied for many years. In the summer of 1876 the sultan overcame his fear and moved into this palace, where after afew days he was assassinated in the presence of his own ministers, and found dying at the entrance of his drawing room on the very spot where his foot slipped when he made his first imposing entrance years before.-Prof. Sulzbaehe, in N. Y. Herald.
 -af