The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-01-26
WHEN THE SULTAN
ATTENDS PRAYERS
There Is Something Doing il
ConstantinopIe When Abdul
Hamid Prays.
-AkEsPLAcE EACH FRIDAY
rhi. Spectacular Function, Except
One, Is the Only Time the "sick
Man Of Europe" Leaves His
Palace Fortress at Yiidiz.
From the Washington Times.

FROM tue washington Ilu!eS.
There is something doing i'll Con.
stantinople. when the sultan goes tc
pray, even though bomb-throwing is
moi liked on the official program. This
spectacular function, known as the
Selamlik. which takes place every Fri.
day, the Turkish Sabbath, in Hamidiet
Mosque, is the only occasion, save once
him to visit THE Chamber of Noble
Garments" at the old Seraglia, that
Sultan Abdul Hamid II. leaves his pal
ace fortress at Yildix, and he would be
only too glad to eliminate these VEN
lures into the outer world. II he dared,
This, however, may not be.
Every devout Turk is commanded by
the koran to perform his devotions each
Friday, in a public mosque, and the
great Padisha, though representing III
bis W person the absolute Caliph OF
the faith, as we'll as head OF the ma
ton, can least of all men omit this duty
of praying for the welfare of all his
Mussulman subjects. The duty of pre-
siding at this solemn Office has been in
cumbent upon h sultans ever since
the year 1861, when the reigning SOW
ereign, Murad l.. found himself unable
to give evidence before the Multi, in q
case where one of his favorites was
concerned, because. according to the
koran, no person can be admitted tc
witness in a religious court of Justice,
who has not Joined in common prayer
tice Of this decision, Murad proceeded
to h mosque on the following Friday
in u great accession Of state. and the
function has never since been omitted
for any reason whatever.
Coaehman Far More Imposing.
Every eye is fixed on the little. old,
round shouldered ma who sits on the
back seat of a gorgeous phaeton OF
black n gold. drawn by a pair OF
him by the Emperor of Austria. Oppo-
site him is the present minister of war
who has taken the place held so long
by Osman Pasha, while his faithful
coachman on the box presents a fan
more imposing figure than the great
a himself, whose dress like the
eunuchs, is somber black, buttoned
tight around the throat. Underneath
this habit, it is said, he wears a coat
Of finest mail. His fez is scarlet with
a heavy black tassel. In the f1eeting
glimpse vouchsafed us (for the actual
passing takes far less time than the
telling) we note with surprise how
Pale, emaciated, hollow eyed, n with
the long, hooked, high bridged Armen-
ian nose. he looks, indeed, the Sick
Man of Europe"
Not a. smile ir%radiates his pinched
features, while a look of absolute ter
ror in his large eastern eyes, over
Swallowed with heavy brov-s, empha-
unhappiest of men, living in constant
fear of sudden death. Nor is this tc
be wondered at when one recalls that
out of his tw~enty-seven predecessors
who nave reigned since the conquest
Of Constantinople by Mohammed in
1453 four, indeed, have died peacefully,
Several a V endeavored to save their
lives by %resigning. but this has profited
them nothing in span of life. His
brows, beard and hair are dyed "A deep
black, an Office he is said to perform
for himself
In response to the obeisance of the
Mohammedan sightseers, alnong whom
from Mecca, who bend in devout atti-
tudes, the sultan gives the Turkish
salute, touching in rapid succession his
breast. stomach and head with the OPP
ened hand. 70 the diplomats and Wis
itors in the pavilion he simply bows,
rolling his head. All about the royal
carriage are the Albanian guards, pic
white ~fustenello, their gay embroid-
cred jackets, II heavy tasseled fezzes.
And all the time the bands are play
ing with infinite vigor "Halnidieh
March," attendants are springing for
ward with Persian rugs to spread for
his sanity feet, the guards close in
abou him., and, as we lose sight of
him at the door of the mosque, we
note the scramble of the portly pashas,
generals, and other dignitaries, who
evidently believe in the old adage that
1.-The devil takes the hindmost."
Half an hour passes. From the out
side we can hear the chanting of the
~ :, NTr,.o too o,,1 1opfo, Il, ,a,,a..
to the visitors in the pavilion. Then a
movement among II soldiers and we
crane u necks to lose no bit of the
show. A bugle call. Each regiment in
turn detaches itself from the others
and in rotation enters the gate of the
mosque, passing down by the left side
under Il. range OF windows where the
sultan stands screened from observa-
ton to review them. These troops do
not salute, but pass slowly on. forming
themselves in two lines, one up and
one down the precipitous road on the
rise of the hill.
A score of men break from the veil
ing fringe of marines and zouaves for
another scatter of earth on the fifty
yards where the final dash of the inn
perial party is to take place. Six loose
horses led by grooms, the sun play
ing on their exquisite satiny coats and
gorgeous trappings. appear in front of
the mosque together with an elegant
little victoria. green lined and avn
by a span of beautiful white horses
that the sultan may take his choice of
transportation methods.
Looks Insignificant.
Now, looking err small and insig-
nificant, he appears for a ome on
the red carpeted steps into the waiting
victoria, sword in hand, gathers up the
reins. takes the whip. gives a smart
stroke II is rapidly whirled from
sight. touching his fez to the watch
ing crowd as he passes the pavilion. His
sons GONE running across the court
yard to join the occasional. All spring
into their saddles save two of them.
who are SO small that they have to be
helped by their groon1s. and Durham
Eddine, who laughingly returns to the
same carriage in which he came.
The horses are put to the waiting car
riages of the harem, the bands again
break out into the sultan's march and
the thousands Of troops. the bands
themselves, the sacred banners of green
inscribed with texts from the Koran,
the gaping crowds. the pomp and
p%ageantry melt away n Selamlik is
eudpd for another week.