New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-22

bAR-uL~1sLAM: A RECORD oE 4 IoUI5RNdGVr I
NOES OF TURKEY By Mark sykes, with with
Appendix by John Hugh Smith ano Profsssor Of
Arabic Cambridge with f %entyj1me s1o
and ssyenstwH p9 aas5s S cha4es sc1ibner
sso Sons nA'''
We have read much recently OF LUZ hl'i.
atrocities" in the accounts Of travellers retuFhe
from the Near East that II is refreshing 10 get
q glimpse of the golden lining Of the clouo
whose dark side has persistently been pre-
eented TO view. Captain Sykes is an avowed
and cheerful Turkophile. He does not alto
sefher blink the faults of his Moslem friends
hut finds more IN their characters TO admire
than TO condemn. while he has few good words
for the Christian subjects Of the Sultan He
goes So far as TO contend that the Macedonian
Committee. or their agents. have deliberately
provoked the Turks 10 attack their Christian
sleighbors for the sole purpose OF exciting the
pity Of Europe and America, and thereby slim
uating contributions TO the cause.
We may put down Tie volume not entirely
convinced by the arguments Of the author IN
behalf Of the government at whose hands ne
received many courtesies in the course OF MS
interesting journeys. but Il is at least pleasant
30 feel that there is finer side 10 the nature OIL
the Turk than the which is commonly heid
I'D TO u.s. Even If We cannot completely acqut
CAPTAIN Sykes Of prejudice. he shows himself so
that Il IS impossible not TO agree with MN
THAT the Turk has acted no worse than Chris
sian races Of an earlier day. In fact, when all
in HIS favor has been said, the Turk IN Europe
remains an enachronism. Some years ago
f1umorist wrote an article entitled is An
echronisrn q Misdemeanor?" The writer con-
Guided that Il was. Is Il not possible seriously
20 believe that under certain circumstances it is
q crirne7
0f
rceue of Captain sykes's Investigations, which
covered a period of nine months continuous
travel in z serpentine course from Beyrut 10 the
Russian port Of Batoum. on the Black Sea- The
narrative is written in breezy, anecdotal style
that makes even the authors accounts OF the
trivial incidents Of the days march entertain
ing Much OF his route lay well off the beaten
tracks, and he accordingly had excellent oppor-
tunities of seeing the people in their natural en-
vironment, "uncontaminated" by the civil
szing" influences that convert the Asiatic into
the .fGosmoboleet" a hybrid type from which
he turns with unconcealed disgust. He gives
keen analyses Of the various races he encount-
sred-Bedawin, Druses Felaheen and kurds-
FOR most Of whom he expresses a genuine liking.
even taking Sir Richard Burton TO task for call
fng the American Indians "the Bedawin of the
New World" He tabulates their respective
characteristics TO show their dissimilarity OBJ
lVlOuS TACT that NIlS 1lIN4G nc C4ICS ID 'OI
the aborigine, but the red man contaminated
BY the ''civilizing' influences he greatly dep
recates When we read. on page III, what he
says OF the difficulty Of understanding Orientals
we may be inclined TO discount some OF his
freely expressed opinions recorded elsewhere in
the volume. Who pretends to understand
Orientals?' he asks
Few Europeans who have lived, among them all
their lives would admit they had tathomeG more
than their own ignorance. Burton. Burckhardt
ard few others may have IS k 0T s6oS fhg O1 6
know too much Of orientals: if you 30. perhaps 1
become one, Horrible Instances Of this kind have
oc5}lr:ed: and any who has seen an Oriental
European usually retires 10 { convenient distance
20 be sick.
That IS not TO say that We do not get many
Interesting sidelghts Oriental life from Cap
tain Sykes's book II he IS not always con-
sistent. he is never dull In illustration Of the
delightful Spirit Of true equality which is IN
herent in OrentaIs,' he tells Of his visit to the
great Kurd Agha Ibrahim. chief of twelve hun
dred families. There were present:
\ The Agha himself. the captain IN command Of
j the troops. a blind oeggar. Christian shop
Jacob myself. and, lastly. r butcher who came
which be discussed across The Agha over cup OF
coffee. Now I ask my reader 10 Imagine the Duke
Of Devonshre entertaining a stranger in his house
n the company OF butcher and a cross,
eqaaiity. never and yet Americans have the i'm
pndenee the inPeTtiaence to ATTEMPT r 70 school
land Of the Kentucky Colonel, the Boss, the Mil
iionaire and the Four Hundred Why. IN America
every other y5u meet is telling you how
equal he IS 70 everybody else: but in the East the
equality truly perfect that nobody speaks
Of il; Just in England people do not thank
Heaven that there are no locUsts.
Antiquarisns will be interested In his account
of the newly excavated Byzantine basca at
Arga. The author regards the discovery Of
great importance. The pavement IS beautifully
tiled with marble and q portion is worked in
extra ordinarily fine mosaic. The capitals Of the
srescoed columns are gilt. and there are signs
of a gold mosaic corn!ce. The Turkish colonel
81 command gave Captain Sykes every facility
ITO draw and TO photograph the inscriptions.
and was eager for some archaologist TO make
further researches. The author also visited the
ruins OF Palmyra. which. in his opinion, gain
more from their situation than from the work
.nanship Of the buildings. Anything more
ornate more horfd or debased," he excaiuls. 1T
would be hard TO find" and proceeds to give the
following Characteristic deduction of the man
ners OF the ancient inhabitants thereof:
If one might Judge from the ruins what manner
ssf the Palmyrene WAS, one would conjure up
a vulgar, pursy Syrian. dressed in outlandish
! toga; wig Of the latest fashion but at Rome
lnis sandals ornamented with cheap bronze studs
from the pattern OF the Governor ar Damascus. in
fact. q kind of Park Lane magnihco. For Palmyra
gives the impression Of newly rich vulgarian
spng his betters and continually crying, BLOW the
lexpepse,"