The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-08
SHOPPING IN OLD JERUSALEM.
II Takes n Great Deal of Time to
Make II Purchase.
From the New York Observer

From the New York Observers
The stores and shops are very primitive.
but methods OF doing business are some
thing to be wondered at. Along Jew street,
which is In the center of the city and runs
south from David street, can be seen on
any day but Saturday n sight which for
variety of dress, language, features and
goods connot be paraleled anywhere. This
Is the main Jewish business street and you
can buy here anything in the way of raj
ment or food that a Jew OF the holy city
is likely to want The stores are minute,
some OF them having only few feet each
way; the largest not more than ten feet
wide by fourteen long The way the goods
are packed in, however, and the amount
that can be exhibited to a probable pur-
| chaser Is wonderful to the uninitia:ed.
Every type of jew, from the 1.-THE, dark
skinned and rather attractive Yemenite,
TO the heavy, fair-skinned and generally
very unattractive Russian, is here, Be
tween these are the German, Spanish, Mo-
rocco. Persian and native Jew. Each can
| speak the language OF the land from which
he has come and within the space Of a
few yards one may hear them all, with
| the addition Of Hebrew and English. 1t
is Jewish cosmopolitan trading place
North of David street, and continuous
| where can be found anything that the Turk
or Arab is likely to want. They are more
| curious 10 the western visitor than are
| the shops of the sons of Jacob, for they
are more unlike those 10 which they are
| accustomed. Every large city has It's Jew
| quarter where a pretty good idea of his
| methods of that peculiar people can be
| gotten; but the Turk and Arab are less
| widely scattered. In these bazars there
| are always to be seen a profusion of richly
colored stuffs The Turk is fond of gay
| apparel and brightly -ornamented articles.
| The dress of his wife, or wives, the trap
| pings Of his horse, his narghili, or smoking
apparatus, must lack nothing in the way
| of decoration that his purse can afford.
But the great thing in the bazdrs Is to
see the buyer and seller get down to real
| business The former comes along as I'M
/ coneernedly as possible, as though the IN
i tention 10 purchase anything was furthest
| from his thoughts, Coming to the bazaar
| he patronizes, the greeting Is passed and
some general conversation INDUCED in.
| Seeing what he wants. he may pick it up,
! examine in indifferently, and lay it down
| carelesSly, all the time talking about some
| thing else. Finally, he ventures 70 ask, as
| though the notion had just struck him,
| how much the desired article is worth, The
| dealer is just as shy, and asks about three
| times what he is willing to take and eX-
| poets to get, but ne does il in a way as
| TO convey his belief that fhe one about to
| purchase has no intention of doing SO.
! With the same indifference, the purchaser
| replies Offering about a third the amount
| mentioned. Then comes the battle, first
| quietly, then more emphatically, until fin
! ally, their voices are being used under fun
| pressure You would imagine a real fight
| was imminent, but there is little danger.
| The bargain driving last a half an hour
| or half a day The buyer may go away
| without the article, but he is likely to re-
turn on the same, or some succeeding day
and renew the business. When he does
| secure his purchase, il is at a price from
| a third to a half the amount first asked
once purchased some rugs from one OF
| these Turkish merchants. He came with
his wares az a time when 1 was busy with
| other matters He had three rugs of good
| quality which l wanted. l told him 1 had
no time TO bargain with him, and, there
| fore he must name me his price After
| bordering a moment he named IL very sol
emnly as though IL were wrenching his
soul to let them so so cheaply. l pursued
the same tactics, thought a moment, Their
| took another small rug and added il TO the
three already selected, and offered him fol
the four just half the amount he had sale
was the last price for the three. He was
| shocked and insulted, to judge from the
| expression on his face and said Il was i'm.
possible TO think of selling them at this
| price I had mentioned. / started to go
and when he saw l meant it, he called ms
| back and gave me the rugs at my price
| and was glad to do il. l have no doubt
ha made fair profit on the sale
This Is the way of doing business al
every place In the city, except in one OF
two European stores. IL is annoying and
good. You are met with the assertion