Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-15
THE SULTAN.
How He Lives and Eats-Habits of the Palace and Harem-The Sultan as Reformer.
 Domestic Tastes.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
 And the man who rules this mighty empire what of him? That he is mas ter of statecraft is generally believed. But craft in his case may be defined by its subsidiary meaning of cunning rath- CT than astuteness. He is shrewd, crafty, willy. It needs all his craft and cunning to keep his own dominions in order and even to keep his head upon his Shoul- ders. It is notorious that he is far more afraid of his subjects than of foreign powers. Foreign powers can only de- pose him; his subjects may assassinate him. Loyalty to Islam means loyalty to the sultan only so long as he actually occupies the throne He may be deposed at any moment by a domestic revolution, as his uncle and predecessor, Abdul Aziz, was deposed, and deposition in his case, as in that of Aziz, means death. Much, therefore, as he fears Greek and Arme- nian disaffection, Sultan Hamid fears Mohammedan disaffection more. In his terror of the revolutionary spirit which has been spreading through Arabia, Syria and Albania he has allowed turbu- lent Moslems of the interior to set the law at defiance, with the hope that they may thus be kept loyal and contented. Kurdish robber and Arnaut brigand know that they are sure of pardon pro- Vided they leave the children of Islam unmolested. Woe to the Christian if he resists the tyranny of his Mosem neigh bors. Should he in despair smuggle arms to replace those of which he has been deprived, or find at last a limit of his patience, the cry of revolt and treason is raised by the local authorities Then the mob swoops down upon towns and viii lages, robs and plunders, insults priests, violates women and murders all who are found in arms. Such was the story of the Marsovan troubles such appears to be the story of the present Armenian troubles
 Armenian Traits.
 The word appears" is used advisedly. For, with all his excellent qualities, the Armenian, to put it mildly, has never been famous for truthfulness. His tal- ents for intrigue, chicane and deception are proverbial and before the present occasion similar stories have been cir culated which independent investigation has proved to be baseless or grossly ex- aggerated This tendency makes it diff cult to accept immediately the stories of outrages at their face value. Yet. even allowing for all congregations. there is no doubt now in the minds of all reasonable persons that hideous re- siduum of fact remains.
 It is also true that enlightened Mo- hammedans, in civil life at least, desire to live at peace with their Christian neighbors and would be glad to see the guilty sent to gallowS and convict hulkS. But their sovereign shrinks from sacri- ficing the ruffians. He shrinks not only because his natural temperament is mer- ciful and kindly, but because he dare not face the consequences to himself. The sympathies of the army are with the Kurds and against the Christians. To make an example of some Kurdish dep redator might fire spark that would lead to an explosion of revolutionary sentiment. And that explosion would be his own death warrant Placed between Q devil and the dpan he remains stationary, not daring to flee from either danger to it's opposite.
 When he came to the throne which he accepted with such reluctance his ambi- tions were high and honora ble. "To the soldier" he is reported as saying. Al lah has assigned the task of defending the country; to me the task of restoring his ancient glory" He determined to be a reformer.
 The Sultan as Reformer.
 Nor has he entirely failed. In spite of foreign and domestic difficulties he may fairly claim to have bettered the condi- ton of his country. He has improved its finances. He has strengthened its army. He has devoted himself to the spread of education among his people. He is a great patron of female education and has ordered schools to be established even for nomadic tribes.
 AS to his personality opinions differ. By his friend and councillor, Osman Pacha, he is described as a scholar of wide reading and a statesman of the broadest views. "He studies every ques- tion," says OSman, Knows all about everything which concerns his business. and ever since the affairs of the Turkish provinces have occupied the foreground he signs every document presented to him, from the appointment of governor to the nomination of the lowest office of the palace" But this is the voice of ministerial flattery. The general impress sion about the sultan is that he is not man of large information and that though he is earnest in his desire to do right, he depends upon chicanery and in- trigue rather than upon statesmanship to forward his aims.
 An Atmosphere of Intrigue.
 Certainly he is surrounded by an at- mosphere that is unfavorable to the de- velopment of sturdy manliness Round him moves little world of marshals, chamberlains, secretaries, dragomans and eunuchs who interfere in all mat ters of state. The principle which guides his majesty in the selection of these of- ficials may be guessed from the mixture of slavish fiattery of his mental abilities and insolent trading on his weaknesses which alone enables them to maintain their posts and influence. All of them have ups and downs of favoritism, but among them there are invariably two or three sufficiently strong to get the most important measures blocked for weeks if 1t suits their purpose, and not infrequently rejected entirely, even though unanimously recommended by the cabinet, the members of which have gradually sunk into mere heads of de- partments. Against the power of this inner oouncilit Is futile to struggle and people dealing with the government and palace must accept things as they are, and pay court to the parasites, who rap- idly acquire wealth by turning their in- fuence to the worst account. Of the sultan's nervousness, that tremendous lever in designing hands, enough has been written in the press. where every body has read of the fortified seraglio, and the mosque built at it's gate; of the elaborate precautions against imaginary conspiracies and of the host of unscru- pulous spies.
 Domestic Tastes.
 Pious he is, and sober, domestic in his tastes. loving to call his three daugh- ters around him, and rejoicing in the music which they perform for him upon the piano. !,
 IJa doae not ax-a, daepieo oo,i,;r;,r~