The Lamar register., 1895-11-30
THE suLrAN.s CONDITION.
Though, fossIbi. That lie May ss Crazy
a. Reported.

can easily believe that the sultan Is In
sane. as suggested In the dispatches
from Coustautinople, says a weliknown
public man. No human being could en-
iure the mental and physical strain he
has been under for years without break
Ing down. leaylns the tain, Of insanity
that exists in his family out Of consider
alton. The sultan was 50 years old last
September, and has becn on the throne
since Angus, 5, lSI6 little more than
nineteen years His fun title Is Sultan
Abdul Hamid Chan II. The word sultan
means In Hebrew and In Arabic ruler.
while the title Of chan in the same So
mite languages means ''pTlest." for be
Is Regarded as the head and defender
OF the Islam faith, and Is as holy as a
priest. The Turkish word for sultan Is
''padishah efendimu.- In distinction
from the common title cnendi. which
means '-slr,- Like all the rulers Of the
Orient his person Is considered sacred
and his palace a sanctuary. HIS child
ren, especially the sous, arr noted for
their eleyerness as wen as his daughters
for their beauty. They have besn edu-
Gated in every line OF progression and
western culture. ezSsI,i Is ssss:e ssssss:e seslatlcss
we call political economy and diplomacy.
The son OF the saltsn's brotheE being
tho next oldest member ot the family 4
the htir-apraTent TO tse throne, aeolEs
Ing 10 the Turkish law.
The sultan can only BE- secn by thu
public each Friday. when be goes 20 the
mosque to pray. which Il called the
"seiamIlCk.- and means ''-rSsssinK" II
is most solemn and imposing show
Regiments In uniforms Of every coicf
march IN the parade toward the paiaog
up the street opposite the golden h1rn,
forming a human wall bcfore Its en
trance Al 1880 a. m the gates AR
opened. the rnehahas IN their rich uni
form form a hslr-eircle reiireSentisE ths
half moon and the sultan, In simple
black Turkish dryss with the national
red esp. rides on a white marc toward
the mosque There Is a striking ooo.
trast between his simple appearance and
the rich. gold. silttering piclsahas. when
the sultan leaves the gate the crowd
shouts saiam. a greeting OF loyalty
To open an umbrella during the selani-
Hex Is prohibited even to ladies.
The private life OF mosletn ruler b.
as rule. 4 quset one. 1t rassmlles
that Of monks more than that Of o.,
who wears the honors OF 100000 ot
subjects There Is no hunting. no ban.
quoting. no cornerstone laying or deiiy-
erins speeches from the throne. Yet
there Is the larem
With the exception af the seiamiick |
the sultan spends all his time in the
palace guarded by eunucfss. iatterei
by the daughters Of Venus. heated by
the black ALCOHOLIC coffee. which he zps
frequently and freely. That the present
sultan has been twenty years on the |
throne Is evidence of the temperate Hfe
be maintains
He Is moderate cater. an early riser
and hard worker. bat \ passionate
smoker and coffee drinkes He Il also /
devoted reader. especially Of those
books or papers from which he can get |
Information about Western politics, and |
from the hidden curtains OF the harern |
ae watches with keen observation the |
movements OF the English feet In the |
Marrnora sea.
His harem. that dreaming delight Of |
hungry poets. Is still a mystery to the |
explorers Of humanity and no foreign |