The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-29
BOY LIFE IN ARMENIA.
Customs and Manners in school.
Rules of the Playground.


Rules of the Playground.
From the New York Tribune.
The manifest truthfulness of the old
saying, boys will be boys" is just as true
in the land of the sultan as, anywhere
else, for boy nature is the same the
world over. For the last few years, how
ever, the natural boyish spirits of the lit
tie Armenians have been more or less af-
fected, as all have felt the influence of this
dark shadow of fallen or impending ca
lamity.
In ordinary times they are a jolly sort
of fellows, full of fun, good-tempered, ac-
tive, quick witted, mischievous, but never
malicious. The first thing to claim the
attention of an American traveller in Tur
key is that not only are the schools of
the different nationalities, Turks, Greeks,
Jews and Armenians, quite distinct, but
that the boys, though next door neigh
bors, never play together. If small
Greek boy lives in the very next house to
an Armenian, and just across the road
from Turk, they never think of starting
off to school together, or joining company
on the playground, or go to the woods to-
gether TO catch birds with waxed sticks
fastened to the evergreen branches; no,
nor even to play the fascinating game of
"Chun Kush in the street. That would
never do! So, according to Turkish GUS
tom, Greek Gorgy betakes himself for
companionship to Greek Demetrief,
though he may live blocks away Armen-
ian Hovhannes goes in search of his COM
rade Krekor, and little Turkish Mehmet
spends his leisure hours with Osman.
When the Armenian school is dismissed,
the teacher arranges the boys of each
street In long procession, putting them
in line according to the number of their
houses. For instance, the boy living fur
thest away would be at the head, and the
one who lives nearest the school, at tho
foot of the line. Every day a different boy
is appointed as lieutenant" to walk along
and keep the line in order; this important
office being bestowed upon the boy who
has made the best record for the day AS
the little procession moves along with
book bags and gayly painted luncheon
baskets made Of reeds hanging from their
shoulders by a string, the children now
sing religious songs in place OF the ma
tional airs which they used to sing. The
latter are now forbidden by the govern
ment
When the boys reach home most Of them
are sent TO the stores to bring provisions
for the dinner, after which they have
the time until dinner to play. In the sum-
mer the boys of Nicomedia rush down IA
the sandy shores of the sea Of Marmora:
in Sumatra they fly to the beautiful Gold
en- Horn, put on their bathing suits and
plunge in. Nearly all are good swim
mers. They are also skilful fishers, never
using a pole, but merely throwing their
line In the water They have no arti-
ficiai spoons nor fancy flies for bait. A
good honest worm is far more tempting
to the sgunru tekir, a sort Of terra-cotta
stubby little fish, that the boys are very
fond OF. In fishing the boys are careful
to keep out OF sight Of the Turkish ON
cials, for the law Is very strict, that
everything taken from the water must be
carried to the officers OF the custom house
end tenth set aside for the government,