Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-30
Poor but HospitabIej Humble but
yirtuOus and Industrious
TINES ARE HARD THERE.
u.cutiar customs Of the People of the
Par East-GosPeI Il Spreading In
Turkey and Armenia.
sneelal Correspondence.

leaving there at the time OF my writing
proceeded 10 Constantza on the Black
Sea. then with a voyage Y hours TO
Constantlnople, then another voyage
Of six days brought me to Alexandretta,
an the extreme east Of the Mediterrane-
an. then a carriage ride for three days
and one day on mule back, brought me
90 Alntab, my present field Of labor.
II Is In this land where on entering a
house you take off your shoes and keep
YOUR hat on; where most OF the writing
Is from right to left; where there are
narrow streets with high walls with
sometimes beautiful court yards and
gardens inside, but which only the own
ers can enjoy the sight Of where the
time is reckoned from shutdown OF the
night before, 80 that al present noon Is
five o'clock, where In all the restau-
rants the cooking Is open 10 che
street. where wagons are un-
known and where carriages have only
been used during the last few years
where flint lock pistols are still manu-
featured: where quite a portion Of the
.
basin shaped, so that with ten dollars In
that coinage you would have a pocket
ful Of money on the real and not merely
the accepted meaning Of pOcketful;
where nine tenths OF the men wear
dresses, and where most Of the women
wear baggy blue overals on weekdays:
where the Turkish Mohammedan wo-
men are always seen with their faces
covered. and to whom 10 be seen with
out a veil by a stranger would be as
embarrassing as for one Of our ladies'
20 be seen by a passer by while half
dressed and at whose houses when you
call YOU have to knock and then wait
until the women can hide away.
Yet with all this / am satisfied that
The Armenian people among whom
am labOring could be assimiated with
our people with no more difficulty than
that Of most OF the Latin races OF Eu-
rope, and would make better citizens,
as from what have seen Of the Arme-
MAN people the standard OF morality Is
quite high.
This is a land Of different races, Syri-
an. Armenian, Kurd Arab, etc, which
you can easily ditingush by their
physlognomies, the Turks being an arti-
fetal race made up of a great many
elements, but here with very small por-
tion OF Armenian blood compared with
that Of the other races.
The Armenians on the contrary are
a pure blooded race, political events and
social customs preventing them from
intermaTying with the other races Of
this land.
They are not a dark race as is gener-
ally supposed. but are considerably
lighter In complexion than most OF the
peoples Of southern Europe. about one
third Of the men having blonde or light
Drown moustaches, and quite a number
having blue eyes, although black eyes
are general.
Physically they are Of medium size,
say about the height and build OF the
people Of North Wales and with about
the same proportion of blondes 70 bru-
nettes, but If anything little lighter
build
They seem 20 be quite bright intel
lectually acquiring languages with a
Ear greater ease than we do; are fairly
Industrious, working continuously very
long hours, though not so hard as we
generally do; are educationally active,
trying 10 give their children an educa-
lion under very adverse circumstances
land in this regard II my memory
serves me right, recollect reading that
they had printing presses In Venice,
Italy and Amsterdam. Holland, in the
early days Of printing and books in the
Armenian Language, were printed therel.
They are the progressive people here, II
such word can cd applied TO a country
where 80 little progression Is made.
Compared with Northern European ma
haN "a ha
ano ! would not expect TO see many
great leaders Of men come from this
nation, with all their brightness.
Times are hard here. and although
wages have always been very low In
the interior Of Turkey, this year II is
worse than usual and many are out OF
employment, the principal reasons be-
Ing that European goods can be manu-
featured cheaper than they can be here
with the primitive machinery in use;
that this year there has been other out
lets where foreign capital could find
employment.
Wages here as / have said are ex-
tremely low, being from - cents to 20
cents per day. This with the price Of
bread stuffs about the same as at home
does not leave room for many Injuries
20 the workers, especially as at present
so many are out OF work.
The poverty Of this land Is a poverty,
compared with which the poverty Of our
land would be wealth. IL Is a very
great misfortune to be poor and to feel
poor These people as a general thing
II they have enough to sustain life do
not feel poor"
] am repeatedly asked TO dine with
families and am met at the gate by
mine host with all politeness and who
expresses himself In high flown Ian
guage for some little time. The house
is Of nice white stone, but with poles
holding up a dirt roof. which Is a place
Where quite a little Of the work Is done
IN summer. In the house are two rude
looms for the man and his wife 10 work
out outside Of that and q few cooking
utensils, Is devoid OF furniture. The
bedding Of the family being quilts fold
ed up IN recesses. Perhaps some nice
carpets or rugs are on the floor but
outside Of the carpets you would value
the rest Of the belongings OF the fam
Wy as under $40. You take on your
Shoes, inquire as 10 the health OF the
family and the table Is set. In this
country setting a table means bringing
IN a copper tray large enough for four
- I'VE PERSONS 10 SIT dIouHu tlVoa-
legged on the carpet, then five Of six
dishes containing boiled rice. boiled
peas, rice or cracked wheat cooked and
wrapped In grape leaves, etc, etc, are
placed on the tray In the center and
bread and cakes about two feet In d.
ameter and thin as coarse wrapping
paper doubled up and placed on the
Sides.
The people eat by tearing oof a piece
OF the thin bread and wrapping w some
OF the rice OF beans IN Il. and do II
without splitting any OF the soft foods
or solling their fingers In doing So The
Women do not eat with the men, but
eat what is left IN the dishes, the tray
being carried 10 another part OF the
room when the men get through A
Young lady will come IN, waiting on the
table, bringing q tumbler most likely
the only one) on q plate again perhaps
the only 0ne) with a glass Of sour mix
The general drink here. every time she
serves any one she makes bow puts