The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-04-11
DAILY LIFE IN THE
PALACE OF SULTAN
YiIdiz Palace Is Astir as Early
az 5 O'clock In Warmsst
Weather. .
TAKES LONG DAILY SLEEP
Nobody Knows Beforehand in Whas
Room His Royal E1ishness Will
Take HE Rest, and He Only
Chooses at Last Moment.
From the I,ondon Standard

From the London Standard.
The Palace OF Ytldiz stands on the top or
a hill and is surrounded by a thick WALL
1t is almost nisnomer TO call IL pal
ace, as "Yildiz" comprises number Of
very modest looking whitewashed villas
and liosks, any one of which is more like
private residence than the home of a
sovereign. The study In which Abdul
Hamid passes a third Of his life Is furnished
with a simplicity amounting almost to
poverty. On the big writing table lie the
papers and documents of the day only,
which are carried off as soon as they have
been attended to. The rule Is that nothing
should remain more than twenty-four on
that table, and there Is no waste paper
basket ..... Er..,.r I'd
His favorite room is his library, or IL
braries, of which he has four. The first
imperial library was founded by Sultan
AIMED III. One of them Is devoted exclu
sively to works on Turkey and the Otto
man dominions, IN all languages. 1t con.
tains a strange collection of manuscripts
Of books which have never been published.
that were bought up in order tn prevent
their circulation. Another section is COM
posed OF works In Turkish, Arabic. and
Persian, and these arc kept in the best
order. as the librarians can read the titles
and catalogue them regularly, which they
are incapable Of doing with foreign pro-
ductions.
Begins Day Early
The sultans day begins early. In sum
mer at 5 and winter at he rises, and If
the weather is fine goes Immediately into
the park. This is extensive and laid out IN
alleys and lltt.e forests, with several ar
tifcial lakes. the largest of which has an
island In the middle. On this big pond his
majesty generally embarSs in caique, or
boat which he rows himself, or in either a
small steam or electric launch, and re-
pairs to the island to visit his pets. These
are of all sorts, stays, roedeer, gazelles,
rare goats and sheep and birds OF every
land. They are all tame and are said to
be very fond of their royal master.
AT 10 o'clock the Sultan returns to his
room and takes frugal breakfast. He IS
served by the head butler, Osman Effendi,
who tastes each dish before handing 1t to
his master, and nobody else Is present, un-
less II be, rarely, some of his children.
After breakfast an hour or so is spent in
the library, where the illustrated books are
most used. Altogether there are some
10000 volumes. At o'clock punctu his
majesty retire5 70 his bedroom for q sesta,
while one Of the eunucks or q picked man
of the Albanian guard stands outside the
door
IhiS Is really the best rest he gets, as he
often works late into the night, and then
goes tired to bed The siesta lasts an hour
and half, when he Is softly walked, and
at half past repairs to the study for the
labors of state. Here he works uninter-
ruptedly, often till past midnight, with the
exception of the time taken for a hasty
refreshment about sunset. All documents
brought to him are first thrown into n dis
injecting box, and then given to him by
the first secretary, Hahsen Bey.
Friday Day of Prayer.
On Fridays this program is interrupted
by the Selamlik. and often by audiences to
foreign diplomats in the afternoon. which
generally take place in one or other of the
garden kiosks. Nobody knows beforehand
in which room the sultan will sleep, and he
often only chooses himself al the last mo-
ment 1t IS always on the ground floor,
however, and the door is always watched
by some especially trusted eunuch, or AL
banian armed to the teeth.
On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
there is generally a theatrical representa-
ton in the court theater, though Sunday
Is not a regular day. The theater adjoins
the dwelling rooms of the palace and COM
municates direct with the sultan's apart
ments. The stage is roomy and we'll ma
chined, but there are only three or four
boxes for the spectators, the place gener-
ally by the pit and stalls being merely
covered with fine carpet. The royal box
Is so arranged that the actors shall never
turn their backs TO it, and for the same
reason the orchestra Is placed beneath it,
On either side of the sultan's box is one
for the harcrn and one for visitors the
former, of course, being shu: of by a grille
and netting