The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-20
-FOUR CENTS A DAY.
4 Turkish Woman Who Lives on
That Amount.
From an Exchange.

AOAh al IANNAaASN-
The little silver coin known in Turkey
as the piastre, is worth four cents in our
money. and one piastre day is the aver
age earnings of an Old Armenian woman
whom l visited one day at Scutari. along
with an American missionary worker
Scutari is the most Turkish part of Con-
stantinople, and lies across the Bosphorus
from Pera and STEAMBOAT, which are better
known to Europeans.
-Four cents day to live upon! That
does not seem very much. and yet. when
we came out of the burning sun this July
morning into the poor little room where
the old lady was working. think we both
felt the air of contentment, almost of joy
fulness, that pervaded the place. What a
smile of welcome shone on that smooth,
yellow face, with its white hair falling
low over the ears! How she hoDbled for
ward, presenting the one broken chair
that she had in the world and saluting
us from her eyes and lips and heart. She
would have kissed our hands had we al
lowed her to, and this in no whining,
cringing spirit, but with gratitude and
pride, because the missionaries had
bought her lace when all else had failed,
and because her knotted old fingers were
still able to make the lace. She had learn
ed the patterns as a girl, but she had not
forgotten them, OH, dear, no, and she
laughed with all her wrinkles until her
dark red fez bobbed its tassel in sympa-
thy.
The talk ran on in Turkish, I coming in
now and then with an approving chok cyl,
which means very good" and at this she
would laugh again, and bid the missionary
worker express the hope that prosperity
would come to my house.
Then she got out a pasteboard box, and
with trembling fingers drew forth her
treasured lace patterns, rare pieces which
she unrolled lovingly and declared that
she would not sell for many hras---they
were more to her than bread. But I might
have some of these If l would honor her
by accepting them. Oh. no, she would
have none of my money. Well, three
piastres, II insisted, and she prayed my
wife would bear me many sons. Then
blushing protests and surprise on her part
What, not married! Inshallah! She had
been a mother at fourteen, and grand
mother before thirty.
And how old was she now?
Allah billet. God knows
And was she all alone in the world?
No. indeed, she had Nedgar, her little
dog, whose hair was very soft. She pro-
duced Nedgar forthwith and held the
little animal in her arms as one would
hold a child.
Then 1 asked where she slept, for I saw
no sign of a couch, and forthwith she
opened a door covering a shallow hole In
the wall, and drawing out thick your
gan with the sheet stitched fast 10 Il,
made sign how she would spread 1t on the
floor.
And what did she eat?
oh. many things: bread In sheets and
boulghour (boiied wheaO, and sometimes
grapes.
No meat?
Not unless the mlllionaries brought 1t,
but God was good to her, since she had
well of pure water to draw from. This
she showed me at the rear. and drew up
a trimming pailful. l took good draught
and exclaimed chok cyl to her great de-
light. All, yes, the gentleman saw that
her words were true, and that God was,
indeed, good to her.
.'Who pays the rent?" I asked as we
went away.
'aThe American board" said the mis-
sionary worker, but, you see, she Is not
beggar she works ten or twelve hours
day at her lace making, and earns her
own living
Earns four cents day. Don't sne MAKE
more than that?"
sometimes she earns as much as eisht
cents a day, but at other times, when her
rheumatism is bad, she earns nothing
We have Armenian women making lace
who can earn three or four piasters
day, but they are younger
what do you do with the lace?"
"Sell It in Germany and England. We
are trying to sell it in America also. and
I am sure many people would buy II II
thew knew how much good the money
would do TO hundreds of starving women.
Resides the lace is quite beautiful
"Does the old lady never complaint"
never; at least only once that re-
r,enber. It was about her yourgan. Sne
said the wood was hard, and we gave her
another-a quilt to spread on the floor
for a bed. and that was all she wanted. ="
And so ended this study in content
pnpnt