The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-26

nightly witnesses the miracle of fiat lux,
ing daylight itself. Sometimes the ST.
lence of a sleeping world viii madden
him, and he orders the band to strike up,
or commands the Imperial Guard to march
up and down in front of the pavilion, that
the sound of their measured tramp may
calm his nerves. He retires very la5e
SO as to escape sleep as much as posi-
BILE. His foster brother, a plain, pale
faced little man, whose duty it is to rea&
him to sleep, resembles him so remark
ably that it IS whispered he personates
him on state occasions when his Males
ty is indisposed. Abdul Hands literary
predictions are certainly most in favor
of those reports which are continually
pouring in to him, on all subjects and
persons, from his spies. After these he
prefers literature of the melodramatic
school. Particularly pleasing to him are
books by authors like Xavier de Montepln
which deal in gruesome murders, detective
mysteries, forgeries, outrages, substitution
of wills, revenge, violence, and vice; III
fact, everything tending to show human
nature in it's worst form. Among more
serious work of philosophy and politics
His Majesty admires THE Prince" by
Macchiavelli, taking his work of the
F'lorentine historian as his wade mecum
and guide.
After this insight into his character can
it be wondered that prisoners coming up
for Judgment meet but scanty mercy?
These unfortunates are privately exam
ined at Yildiz, Abdul Hamid being a hid
den witness of the proceedings Much is
said and talked about the harem system
in Turkey. AS matter of fact, how
ever, only few wealthy mobiles can af-
ford to indulge in SO costly a luxury.
The Sultan being untrammeled by Par
lament to revise his civil list, is enabled
to maintain one of unparalleled splendor
and size, numbering over 800 women
chosen especially, when very young, for
their beauty and grace. On entering the
harem they must abandon all idea OF
home, family and country, even their
names, for they are renamed according
to the pleasure of their master A spe-
cial training is given them in all the arts
of pleasing. but in everything else they
are most childish and ignorant. Unlike
most Orientals, who admire large, state
ly women. Abdul Hamid prefers charm
and prettiness to regularity of feature.
When not troubled by preoccupat ions and
anxieties, he pays frequent visits to the
harem, occasionally entering into CONVEX
satiC with his favorites giving them
super 4.cial outline of political happenings.
and telling anecdotes of foreign courts,
this being the only idea of history they
possess. His Majesty's visits to the har-
EN- only take place when his mind is
free from care. At the first alarming
rumor or embarrassing political crisis all
his usual habits and occupations are
swept away before the threatened storm.
and he remains for long periods plunged
in thought, his active mind preparing
plans against an enemy, or busily engag
ed conjuring up visions OF imaginary dam
ger. He has been known to remain over
forty-eight hours without food or sleep
when suffering from one of these fits.
Such long watches together with the tre-
mendous mental and physical strain en-
dured, bring on nervous attacks of great
violence, which render the monarch per-
fectly ferocious, so that while the parox-
ysm lasts no one dare approach him. 1t
is therefore, not surprising that in spite
Of the care he takes of his health, and
the precautions with which he surrounds
himself, Abdul Hamid, after a reign of
twenty-five years, looks prematurely old
and broken. His weakness is extreme,
and his body so thin that it is little
more than a skeleton; in fact it is only
by dint of will power and nervous energy
that the Sultan manages to keep up