The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-07
STRANGE TURKS.
The Modern Mixed Race Called Levan-
tines.

| J ne MoueTH NhAeu mace Caieu LeVdH-
| tines.
There was. once a certain man who
went down into Jericho and fell among
thieves Probably they We're the fore
fathers of the various tricky races of
the tropics, half-bred, like the Filipinos,
South Americans and other tribes use
less to enumerate, but numerous
enough to do some fine work to the
These they labor with on the seventh
day as well as on the other six, since
gambling, the races and the theatre
| flourish then vigorously among the So
called Latin people. White and black
make gray-a misty, uncertain color
worthless for any set purpose. The
| crossing of a strain usually brings out
| the worst traits of the inferior blood,
says a writer in the New York Trib-
une. So it is with these races who
] are so amusing, Vivacious, lazy, boast
full. clever and deceitful; among them
are the Levantines. who are extremely
interesting. Smyrna, Athens, Salon
lea and Constantinople, also all the
small towns in European Turkey, are
| partially populated with them. They
combine the grace of the creole with
the shrewdness of the Hebrew. In
deed, their ancestors We're, some of
| them, probably Jews. One drop of
Semitic blood can develop the aquiline
nose, piercing eyes and full lips which
adorn the faces of so many oriental
nations. 1t is curious to note, however,
that the Jews themselves, of whom
there are $4,000 in Salonica alone, out
of 100000 inhabitants, are as purely
featured as the faces of any ancient
picture portraying the classical events
of yore.
AS matter of fact, however, most
Levantines can trace their descent only
for three generations. The Frank or
/ stranger wished to trade with the in
| fidel He came, stayed, settled, married,
propagated, died and left his eldest son
in charge of his business and fortune.
| The children inter-marry with their
! laid to rest in alien soil without ever
seeing the fatherland. The third or
!. present generation have French Vivaci-
| ty, Italian grace, Spanish dignity, Greek
Incidence, German philosophy and Eng
| fish egotism. Added to these, as before
said, are Jewish features and CO npicx-
/ ion Their ways are winning, and their
adaptiveness phenomenal, until one
| considers their mixed ancestry. Few
Americans marry Levantines; they are
| too cautious. A bad Levantine (there
are few good onesl shrivels and
! Shrinks before a sincere. direct glance.
The Levantine, like his congenial 1e-
| latives about the equator, hates woj k,
! that is to say, manual Dor for he will
lie awake nights and drink strong coffee
by day trying to devise profitable
schemes. He is a nervous individual,
| high tempered and enthusiastic, easily
moved to tears or laughter. A newspa-
per canard causes him to congregate IN
crowds at the Imperial arl Reggie
MISUNDERSTANDING most popular
government institutions-and gesticu-
late wildly over the bi-lingual pages of
the Levant Herald Paris is besiesed
by the English; they are all escaping
4 in airships, monsieur; l had it from the
best authority" He talks all day and
CANDLES the best part of the night. The
/ Diplomatic Club with its court yard
and poFte-cochere, on the Grands Rue
! de Pera, is the. SWEETEST club in town,
| though there are many quiet little BIZ
/ jou houses where beautiful women and
their husbands ply the wheel for the
strangers playing. Highiyers, plung-
ers, millonaires, and impoverished but
knowing gentlemen barricade the green
tables. Great discretion is maintained
concerning the scandals which con-
stantly arise; initials, instead Of names,
/ are whispered at SdHlONdI+ parties VI
garden fetes.
At the theatre they have plays and
occasionally opera. Vaudevilles are
popular, so are comedies, acted in
French. Bernhard plays to seats at IS
each, and to full houses, too. The Lee
vantine is as Partisan as it is possible
to be. French bonnets and dresses are
sold in Pera street to those who can
afford the high prices. Hat, umbrellas,
mems clothes. shoes, books, household
ware-everything is French. French is
the universal language, though most
Levantines speak six-English, French,
Italian, German, Turkish and Greek.
The latter is the only one they are
really fluent in, the others are spoken
with the tripping accent of the classics.
They usually write English excellently,
but speak it horribly.
There are two large pleasure gardens
in Constantinople, where the open air
theatres offering everything from per-
forming monkeys to Italian opera, and
little tables for refreshments under the
trees make a. social centre. These gar
dens are crowded every night during
the spring and autumn months by the
best class of people. The various en-
bassies have both town and country
houses, and when June bursts hot upon
the city, fashionable folk avoid the
cholera by moving to villas on the
BOSphorus - ancient resorts whose
breezes cooled the brows of Roman
conquerors. 1t is an ideal life; the
scenery is exquisite, the flowers and
fruits perfection; all the languor of
Italy and all the gayety of France are
found in these picturesque spots When
a man-of-war from China or any other
country anchors at the Golden Horn,
the LeVantines vie with one another in
hospitality; probably they swallow the
/ Chinese because they are so desperate
~ tired of the Turk. Balls. garden
parties, bathing, boating, driving and
moonlight excursions to the Princes
islands, where donkeys carry the reVeI-
ers to the fig orchards, follow in quick
succession.
Many Levantines have emigrated to
London, Paris, Vienna and New York.
where they live quietly in little colo
MES. AS soon as business is conclud-
ed they return to the dilapidated pic
turesque infidel towns where their
hearts have ever been. Against a
background as gorgeous in ancient
splendOr as any Arabian tale as taw-
dry in modern accessories as a travelling
play, they stand out sadly, historically,
but not prophetically. What their flu
ture is no one can tell. There are
hordes of barbarians passing through
the city. Each finds and leaves some
thing akin. The ultra civilized Levan-
tine contrasts strangely with the mys-
ferrous, superstitious races from the in
| terror. Slavs, Roumanians. Montene-
grins. Servians, Bedouins. Gypsies,