The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-29
TURKISH MlxrrRE."


Over Which the Su1tan HuSes.
The sultan of Turkey may be very In
efficient ruler. but when We blame him
for not carrying out the promised reforms
without hitch or delay. we do not treat
him with that fair play OF which We are SO
proud as a nation. Owing to the extraors
binary variety OF races and creeds over
which he rules. his difficulties are almost
fnsurmounsable. and II Is doubtful whether
he or any one else will ever succeed IN
making Turkey a land of peace ana mar
mony. says the St. James Gazette.
There are no fewer than seven main di-
visions OF races In the European and
Asian provinces. In Europe both the
Greeks and A1banians are as numerous as
the Ottoman Turks. each contingent NUM-
boring about !. 00o. 600. according to the best
authorizes. Constantinople itself has just
as diversified mixture az the Kingdom
generally, and only $4,000 Of its s7S.0oo In
eaabitants are nfussulmans. the Greeks
numbering los. 900 and the Armenians $780,
000. But In Asia there are twice as many
Ottomans as all other races put together.
The Turks proper consist OF Ottomans.
Yurouks and Turkomans. The names have
something terrible I'm their very sound to
us but travellers unite In describing the
Ottomans as honorable and humane men.
although they can fight when It comes TO
blows. The Turkomans live pastoral lie.
while the Yurouks are nomadic and there
fore not easily subjected to law.
Although the Greeks and the Albanians
are regarded as belonging to the same
Graeco-Latin race, the latter are FOR the
most part Mussuimans. Some Of the Al.
banians are Roman Catholics and others
are of tho Greek church. and the two
slightly divergent sects hate each other az
cordially as Parueilites and anti-Parnell-
ties. But whatever the form OF faith. they
prefer robbery as q means Of livelihood
ct1.1 tai, INN
they are Of fine physical type and make
splendid soldiers: but they treat their
women like oxen, and. although they dress
In rich clothes OF the fashion Of the Scot
fish Highlands, they have a horror OF soap.
In fact. 1t is said that they put on their
clothes once for all and never take them
off. In the event Oh war the Aibanians
would probably fight for the sultan. The
Greeks have not penetrated very far in-
land. but have scattered themselves along
the coast OF both European and Asiatic
Turkey. where they are always on the
lookout to put money in their purse. To-
gether with the Jews and the Armenians.
they do nearly all the trading and banking
of the country. and make very good
thing out of It. In spite Of the suitan's
misrule. the Creeks immigrate In increas-
ing number every year, which makes one
think that they must be a singulayly i'm
prudent people. or that Abdul Is not so
very much damned after all.
Armenians and their exterminators, the
Kurds are both sprung from a Persian
stock. The kurds live in the mountains
and are not precisely the kind of people
ono would care to set about reforming.
Some say there are an even million OF
them; others say there are over two mil
lions. They keep the sultan In perpetual
hot water. being very bad Moslerns. But
they are very enterprising. chiefly IN xlay-
fsrsr MI <ste Itv.ev f}s<nfp n
borS goods. When not thus engaged they
.rear cattle. sheep and goats: and they
differ in no way from their ancestors as
described by xenophon. Armenia was a
portion of Western Asia, between the Cas-
plan sea and Asia Minor. but II has sur
fered the fate 6f Poland, and the Aresn-
mans ara now almost az scattered az the
Jews They number about two and half
millions. and are Intelligent people with
a particular talent for trade and bank
: ing The Kursls would probably fight on
the side of the Turks. and we all know
what side rfs Arsnanians would take.
The Semitic race has many families in
Turkey. There are the Jews who. perse-
otsed everywhere, took refuge In Turkey;
tho Greek church Maroni.es. who are the
deadly foes Of their neighbors. the Druses.
the Druses, OF the Mahometan faith. brave
and temperate men. VINO take neither wine
nor tobacco and who desteSf the Marcn-
ites the rhalceans. who are Christians OF
a scgls TIE lAFaD$s o. W5sCn there are TOUR
/ or nys millions and who. though holding
the same religious views as the sultan,
are his tnveterate enemies, and the Sy-
rians.
Thea there fs the f1na race of Cireas-
s.ans. who are differentiated from most Of
rne other inhabitants by the facx that they
work for q living the Lezes and the Gyp-
sizes +, Is SUPPOSED that, In the event Of
war. enc Ls1as and Gircasslans, as well as
| tire Tartelrs. Ynrouks and Tirkorsans,
would support the sultan and MS Ottoman
G.sf.s ~ ne
| Esirss might, but probably would not. APP
/ pose him.