The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-10
SCENES IN CONSTANTINOPLE
The Incredible Burdens Put Upon
Women.

ODE Robert Barnes, in the Scalpel.)
The era of roads and wheels is pre-
ceded by the era of beasts of burden.
These were, and are in some countries,
men and women-especially women
slaves. The extent to which men and
women are used as beasts of burden
may be taken as a measure of the
civilization attained, and of the sue
cess in overcoming physical difficulties
We saw this strikingly proved by CON
trasting Constantinople with Athens.
In Constantinople any amount of lug
gage, enough for a camel, is piled on
the back of an Albanian porter or
hamal,' who trots away with it cheeri-
ly up the precipitouc streets. In
Athens half the load would be put upon
cart Greek is not porter; he
scorns the mental trade; but then he
makes good roads, which a horse and
carriage can work. Tried in this way,
the Turks are not unfavorably con-
trasted with some parts of Italy
The heaviest loads are carried up
the hills bounding the Lago Maggiore
by women; they frequently carry
enough to load a pack horse. / have
seen women carrying travellers on their
backs up steep hills. Women, degraded
enough in other ways, are rarely made
to do this in Turkey. Intelligence,
energy and humanity concur in less
ening the load the poor women have to
bear. Where these qualities are found
roads and wheels are soon constructed
In Constantinople the roads are very
bad, so wheels are still greatly sup
plemented by animals. The best way
to get about the town is on horseback
The horses are very intelligent, and
can take you through narrow, steep,
rough streets where no wheel can go
Even the grand street of Pera, the
main residential quarter, is in places
so narrow that two carriages can hard
ly pass. There is rarely more than one
footpath, and that is frequently brok-
en-, and the foot passengers have to
seek what refuge they can in doorways
or by f1attening themselves against the
walls if dogs are not in possession;
and the dogs of Constantinople are
jealous of their rights.
From this grand street there diverge
at all sorts of angles side streets or
lanes that run down to the shore; these
are indescribable, steep, crooked, dirty
and rough. Big powders, big holes
narrow and intricate windings, sharp
corners call for stout legs, sound wind
yigilant lookout, and all the patience
the traveller can command to carry him
in safety; and now and then he must
halt to draw breath, to recover from a
stumble or to avoid a calamitous rem
contre, for many of these infernal-the
word, or something as bad, is often eX-
torted by painful wrenchings-w
carriages go. "Guarda! guardai" from
the drivers is the warning answer to all
imprecations.
1t is upon the whole wiser not to
swear. No cursing, however loud and
deep, will ever induce the Turk to mend
his ways; he is the most typical imper-
sonation of nonchalance in the world;
his energy is passive, his strength Is the
Wis inertia. Why should he make
smooth roads for dogs and Giaours?
Down many of these streets the car
riages go. The hired vehicles themselves
are fair The broughamS are far better
than the London GROWER. They are built
in London and Parig. They are worked
by two horses; one horse could not
drag them up the hills. The drivers are
mostly Greeks, and are smart enough
in eXtorting excess fares. The easiest
way of circulating is on horseback
Horses, with English saddles, stand for
hire like our cabs. They are mostly
strong animals: they can find room
where wheels cannot.
Another way of locomotion, reminding
one of historical times at home, is by
the sedan-chair tried one. Two stout
Albanians carried me in an easy,
swinging, elastic trot, working syn
enormously with the spring of the poles.
In private houses one is kept in the
hall, They bear evidence of the state Of
the streets. No doubt our own a hun
dred years ago were not much better,
and accordingly sedan-chairs were in
use. 1t will probably be long before they
go out of use in Constantinople What
of cycles? In Constantinople they are
impossible. Bipeds must tread the
ground.