The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-09

East, and IN Turkey it Is not dissembled,
but the personal existence of the tyrant
Is passed IN doing Eastern things in
western way. Among the most impor-
tant Of the sultan's labors is the hear
ing OF reports of his spies in all parts or
Europe, but newspaper cuttings are the
form Of information with Wfa:h he most
likes them TO furnish him. His staff Of
secretaries is large enough for the most
hard-worked and devoted guardian Of the
state, but they are principally employed
and incessanuy, too-with the private
concerns, whims, suspicious and fances
Of their master. Tireless as his activity
Is. and careful as he Is of each moment
Of time, very little OF his energy is d.
rected toward national affairs and public
business is nowhere more delayed and
neglected than under this busy ruler.
CAN'T GET FAT.
Concerts, plays ard klnematograpn en-
tertainments are favorite means with the
sultan Of dispelling the cares OF a throne.
as they are with most crowned heads.
The services Of his own dramatic and
operate troupes are often in request.
and any company that may be visiting
Constanthople is usually commanded to
favor him with a private performance
But it is characteristic Of the Eastern
notion Of royal dignity that all mention
den in the Turkish press, and 1t is rare
ly that any one outside the family of the
sultan Is invited to witness them And
surrounded as Abdul Hand is WITH
every kind Of object Of use and luxury
that Europe can supply. he passes
among them an existence harassed by
every kind of suspicion and fear that
could assall potentate of the Arabian
Nights. The elaborate ceremony of pre-
caution with which mis- meals are pre-
pared engages the attention Of the high
est and most trusted Of his officials The
cooking Is done in separate and strong
ly guarded chamber, and the chef does
everything beneath the eye OF the sui
tan's confidential servant A solemn pro-
cession conveys the food and wnter TO
the sale Manager, the carafe being
scaled and the dishes covered with
cloths which are also scaled upon them
THESE precautions against poison by no
means satisfy the sultan. At any mo-
ment he may command the official who
oVerlooks the cookery to taste a dish,
and a number Of pet animals are kept
to which the first morsals arc given by
the royal hand. In his tastes the COM
mander OF the faithful Is prudently
abstemious. No man could watch his
health more closely in this respect ans
to put on flesh is the dream CT his exist
ence. But a man SO much q victim to
nervous worry can hardly look to get
fat, and to whatever food Abdul Hamid
treats himself his frame continues
shrunken and debilitated
In the taste for tobacco. on the other
hand, he practices no moderation; this Is
craving stronger than any taste for
food, and the cigarette that is between
his lips from morning till night can do
little to improve a nervous system al
ready shattered by anxiety. In the mat
ter Of liquor the sultan is no strict Mus
sulman, and pleads his health as an ex-
cuse for the indulgence IN an occasional
glass Of champagne. It IS said that he
habitually drinks some cordial before re-
ceiving ambassadors and visitors IN order
to give temporary brilliance TO his eyes
and complexion; for the Sick Man" can
not bear to be thought an invalid and
has never yet allowed his severest at
lacks Of illness to be publicly announced
He even gees so far as to doctor himself
for most Of his ailments The pitiabIe
state Of his nerves makes the night a
recurring terror TO him. He fears dark
ness like child, and the whole OF the
apartments occupied by him, with the
surrounding gardens are brilliantly 1t
up from the moment the light falls 81
lence, too, is terrible to him, and he can
only sleep with the noise of his guard
tramping before the palace in his ears.
From his sleep he will start up to sum-
mon an interpreter for a dream. or T. go
out and sweep the horizon with strong
glasses. Usually he is sent with difficulty
to sleep by the reading aloud Of his
brother or favorite servant. Next to
the reports of his spies, the literature
that appeals most strongly 20 his taste
is that Of the sensational novel. and the