Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-06-26

Il
hny circumstances; but when that ex-
cufsion is made in the merry month Of
May-Constantinople May-in all its
Incompatible purity and freshness, with
the great Turkish festival OF Bairam
adding its quota OF fluttering pennants
and waving flags from every public
uilding and bit oi Turkish shipping,
il takes on an added charm that rem
ders it indescribably fascinating. Nor
is the prelude leading up to the swell
ing dispson without its accompanying
Interest. There is a grand clash OF
opening chords as we rumble deafening-
ly through the Egyptian DARKNESS OF the
tunnel that takes US rushing down the
steep incline from the heights OF Pera
to lowlying Gslata. Then staccato
movement over that wonderful Bridge
OF Nations" as we pick our way through
Jews and Greeks, Tartars and Turks,
CroAts and Circassians, Gypsies and
Gentiies, man and beast, prince and
beggar, black and white, bond and free,
projecting iron spikes that catch our
garments, shifting iron braces that
threaten our unwary feet, and omnous
cracks, through which we catch the
CLEAN OF the rushing waters below.
Lastly tremolo. as, putting our few
poor words of Turkish together, we
struggle with Turkish time tables, worse
than cunieiorm inscriptions. Turk
ish time, which changes daily with
the setting sun; Turkish money, which
has neither form, comeliness nor
standard unit oil value, and ubiquitous
Turkish newsboy, who, recognizing our
foreign extraction, pursues US with vo-
ciferous "Inglis paperl today'sl It'd
Bits'l Ver' good" Without presum-
ing to challenge his assertions, to which
the ancient earmarks and valetudinarian
aspect Of 'Tid-Bits" gives the lie, and
steeling ourselves against the insistent
appeals oil trio of small beggsrs, who,
with one hand on their fat stomachs and
the other stretched out in melting APP
peal Tor charity, compass us lore and
ait with an embarrassing richness OF
salsams, and pianissimo mnrmurings Of
Madame! Madamel Madame-, we
follow the crowd. We cross two steam
ers lying de by side until we reach the
third, floating beside the Star and Cres-
cent-a small green flag that assures US
in our highland this is the steamer
that runs up the European shore OF the
historic channel as Tar as Buyukdisch,
ieiuinipg down the Asiatic TO Scutari.
We climb cheerfully to the upper
deck, noting, as we pass, the inscrip-
ton that proves the steamer OF English
extraction, made on the Thames. En-
sconced on the long settees facing the
European shore, we refuse the glasses
oi water brought us by the solicitous
surge who sell it at para glass, but
invest in bottle OF lemon drops which
we find later bears the appelizng laUel,
Glycerine Polisch, Hartwigglewln, Ber-
lin" A bfisi study OF cosmos and cos
tunes, ancient, medieval and modern,
civil, ecclesiaslic anu military, and her
aided by serles OF ear-splitting
whistles, we push our way through the
crowd Of steamers plying variously to
the Bosporcus. Scutari, Kadi Klein and
the Princes islands, and find ourselves
Part OF the great moving panorama that
covers the bosom of this extraordinary
channel. On one side is a great steamer
bound Tor the Black Sea, throng OF
white -turbaned, b ack-gowned, softas
leaning over the raj s, giving it funeral
appearance, quite at variance with the
rigging, which is one flutleringi mass of
color in honor of the festival. The
boatmen Of the round bottomed boats
and caigres are visions of beauty in
fresh white costumes, sashes and scarlet
fixes, as they shoot about, lightly dip
ping the oars first with one hand and
Then the other. The sun shines soft and
warm, touching with gold the fresh
green of the plane trees, the lofty gray
mass oil the Vilideh mosque with its
minarets and Arabesques, and the long
white point OF the old S=raglio, which
we rapidly leave behind On we pass
through a tangle OF shipping; Italian,
Aust ian, French, Roumanian and EGG
ligh merchantmen fastened to great red
buoys; while crossing our path, an old
Turkish vessel bound Tor the Dardan-
elles, steams heavily, putting cotto1y
pillows in its wake. big scows laden
with haystacks Of generous proportions.
ancient river craft Boosting tattered
sails, but propelled by two muscular
boatmen, who, grasping each an oar,
rise, mount the seat, sit and rise again
at each recurring stroke, their bare,
sinewy legs as untring, apparently, as
SO many parts Of machine.
As we reach Kabatash. we see on the
shore group OF Kurdish hamals in
holiday attire, dancing with as much
grace as one might expect from herd
OF cows.
With extended arms and hands rest
ing each on the next mans shoulder,
The line follows the movements OF ITS
leader; the end man, VINO, win waving
handkerchief Of generous proportions,
leads the mazes of this clumsy imitation
of the ancient Ionic dance. Here, too,
we shudder over great scow loads OF
the cities garbage being unceremoni.
ously dumped into the strait, and send
up a prayer of thanksgiving that the
current is both swift and strong enough
TO bear 1t to the sea. Packs of NANCY,
yellow ours, the most important scsven-
gers Of the city. rush iranically among
the boats and along the shore and quar-
rel over each bit oil bone or bread
washed up by the waves. Amidst the
trees short distance behind kabaiash,
we see the much whliewashed New
Mosque OF the Valideh Sultan" which
is not so new after all, as i. was COM
pleted in 1865 by the mother OF Mo-
hammed w. All along the mosque are
numerous places Tor abluuon, winch are
filed by a nondescript array oil good
Mohammedans, preparing themselves
to enter the mosque. Alter vigorous
washing they stand in the sun to dry, as
the use of towel would nesessitate an
other series OF ablu,ions. Through the
branches of the blooming locusts and
horse chestnuis we catch the glitter Of
steel, a vision OF prancing steeds and
serted ranks, flash Of gold andscarlet,
and do not need the strains oil martial
music IN I'll us these are inc imperial