Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-11-12
cHARACTER oF THE TURK.
obstinacy Is the CHIEF Feature of
This Oriental q

obstinacy Is tho CHIEF Feature of
This Oriental a
The leading feature of the Turkish
character is obstinacy, says Harper's
Round Table. There is only one thing
that Will induce a Turk 10 do some
thing he does not want to-that is
force. When that is applied, or he sees
Il IL going TO be, he Will give in. II
&c, however, thinks the other side is
not In earnest he will hold out, and
sometimes that brings him into trou-
bic. That is the secret OF Turkish di-
plomacy and it Is that which gives 9TH
or countries 80 much trouble In dealing
With Turkey. A foreign diplomat once
remarked that the right way to do
business with the Turk was to take
him by the throat, give him a good
beating and then tell him to sit down
and talk business. This was. however,
rather rough and extreme way of
putting 1t. An old resident in Turkey
| met on the first occasion was in the
country once gave me the sum of his
experience in his dealings with them
in the form of a story. / did not think
at the time that | should within a few
months have a practical illustration of
its truth on my own account. But that
is by the way This is how the story
goes:
An old Turk, whom we will call Has
san Bahia, owed money which he had
borrowed from Abdullah, who had ask
ed several times for its return. AS
both were Mussulmans, no interest was
given or taken, believers being forbid |
den by the Koran to lend money to one |
another on usury But Hassan Bahia |
could never be induced to pay back his
debt. and at last Abdullah, losing pas
thence, had him up before the cadi or
judge.
"You owe this money" said the ca
d.
1T is even so. Efendlm," replied the
debtor.
Then you must pay it back" ex-
claimed the cadi, "or l must sentence
you"
BE it so. Effendim. l do not pay"
said the obstinate old man.
Then | sentence you to pay the
money, and if you continue in your re-
'usal oh, Hassan Bahia, | give you the
,hoice whether you will take twenty
I've strokes Of the bastinado, eat a
Whole string of onions, or pay the mon
". In the name of the Merciful One,
condemn you"
"Inshallah. Effendiml I VIII take
he twenty-five strokes OF the bastina-
TO-"
The executioner OF the court and his
assistants were called and Hassan Ba-
"a, having been thrown on the floor
nd his feet fastened, soles uppermost,
o the pole held by two men, the exc
utioner proceeded to lay on. But be-
ore the twenty-five strokes had been
old Hassan Bahia cried out
lstily: {
in the name of the Most Merciful, {
h. cadi. give the orders to cease" he
reclaimed, land 1 will eat the string
t onions"
So, on the command of the cadi, he
Tas let down. and a man was sent out
} the market place for a string of on
)ns When he got back with them
Iassan Bahia went manfully to work to
ut the onions, but before he had got
} the end of them his stomach refused
} so any further and he cried out.
Let it be as you say, oh, cadi l will
ny the money" Then undoing the
rdle which he had around his waist,
e produced the pieces which he count
out to Abdullah before the cadi.
That" said my friend, will give
ou better idea of the character Of
lie Turk than anything | can think OF.
g will take the beating. he will eat
le onions, and he will pay you the G
oney after all"