The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-01-19
SULTAN ABDUL HAND.

ed that Abdul Hamid never reads, never
writes and never confers with any one
According to this obronioler, he gets all his
information, both concerning the progress
of affairs In his own empire and the re-
mainder Of the world, through his two SEQ
retaries. This writer further declares that
the sultan always has his pet parrot in the
room when he listens 20 these function
aries, and that he persistently plays with
the bird all through the reading Of their
reports. The recording secretary enters
ArsA, and bis report consists Of q synopsis
OF the affairs Of the day, propositions con-
corning the immediate course Of the gov
eT11oant and information as TO what has
been done in the way Of executing pre-
Vious orders. Oocas ionally the potentate
mods, and every nod is taken by the score
tary ~ an assent 10 some proposition. A
memorandum II made, and eventually an
trade thereon IL Issued An trade is Like
proclamation, or, more properly, q Russian
4kAaA only more %. To question the
W1D6om oe an trade Is TO utter treason,
and treason 10 o very serious matter In
Turkey. It Is apt TO eventuate In the bow
string and the sack. Very rarely Is the
subject Of an trade we'll considered. Usual
~ only the barest outlines OF any given
proposition are read TO him, and the de-
tails Of its carrying out and Of the proba-
BILE effect thereof are not often known to
the sultan, and yet the fate Of thousands
often depends upon just such hastily writ
ten decisions by this monarch. After the
sultan has got through with this secretary
then comes another, who reads . synopsis
Of the news Of the day, both home and for
eign, including dispatches from all parts
of thsenrth received fhe night before.
Thea the ministers are admitted, and
Abul Hamid talks to them of what he has
heard and what he thinks OF &c. This is
called d discussion" though only the
sultan takes part therein After 1t Is over
the ministers retire TO q little room, where
what they do can be seen and what they
say can be heard By their master. Some
times their views are embodied In the re-
port read by the first OF the secretaries the
next morning and sometimes not Rarely
does the sultan pay even as scant an
amount Of attention as Is above described,
or more than two or three hours. After
noon he fills up his time with the most
dancing and playing upon musical in
struments OF his 200 female slaves, or
odalisques, all OF whom are less than 10
years old
Here Is another picture OF the sultan,
painted indeed by his only intimate friend,
Osman PaSha but probably as likely TO ct
least approach the truth 80 the other. Ao-
cordinR to this authority, the sultan Is
not at All man Of frivolous ease and In
dolence. BE a Impressed with the thought
that IN bis hands are placed the keys of
Europe and that the responsibility Is
somethtng enormous. he therefore reads
much, 6tudies history profoundly keeps
himself accurately informed upon All cur
rent events and the trend Of modern west
eTn thought.
No man In all the Ottoman empire
works harder. BE discs with the sun, Of
ten afseF but an hour or two Of. sleep, fire.
,Queptly having passed the nieht writing
with has own hand some tmpoTtant doou-
maut Of state. Since the affairs Of the
Turkish provinces have. come % promi-,
nently To- the 'front.' the sultan allows no
oroaR Of any sort Affecfing them 20 issue
without understanding 80 thorooqhly or
without hts own sigpature, and, according
TO Oman PashA o ruler more Ahoroaahly
In touch with che most remote parts Of
his realn would Be very hard to find. This
story goes on TO the effect that, although
the sultan has . hundred women in his
harem, besides his 900 odalisques,, max
ing 800 IN all, he Is thoroughly devoted TO
his wife, by whom be has three daughters
OF whom be Is very fond. Whenever he Is
tired Of the cares OF state and the court he
betakes himself to the company of his
wife and the daughters, and the latter
play Tor him on the harp and the piano.
de delights IN such melodies as are to be
found in The Huguenots'' or selections
from Wagner, Of whose Funeral March
ne never tires The sultan then looks as
httie like Turk as he possibly can and
yet De one Put him into a SLOUGH hat
ana Dlack clothes, and he would look not
unike an American divinity student"
After all, the outside world knows very
little aooGt the real personality and life II
the suirap of T1rkeY.
Fir=t- :lass r1bher stamina on short
notice ut the GAZETTE Office.