Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-31
Sultan of Turkey
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cigarettes, which are made in his presence
and of which he daily consumes an In
credible number.
His secretaries nave no sinecure, and
their hours as a rule would provoke a revolt
among the average run Of employees IN
this country.
Since ne ceased horseback riding from
motives of prudence or of failing strength
the sultan has no recreations other than
short promenades IN his private gardens
and shooting He Is really an expert marks
man and has been seen to print his name on
q special target thirty PAGES away with bull
lets and to hit pomegranstes in the air with
seldom or never a miss.
His dining Is always done alone and with
ponderous ceremony, Though the royal din
ner is simple enough in itself. Meagerly
partaking OF a few dishes, he has the re-
mainder carried to one courtier or an
other. Or, again, he will examine a dish
with a keen, critical glance and abruptly
order an attendant to taste Of 1t to deter
mine, ostensibly, whether 1t has been prop
erly seasoned.
Time and again, after detecting or mag
lining a queer flavor in dish, Abdul
Hamid has sent for his chemists ana, with
routed appetite, has superintended care
full analysis Of the suspected portion, while
II is an ordinary occurrence, on the whis-
pered testimony Of the palace attendants,
for the padishah to try a dish on cat
or dog before eating himself.
In matters foreign to his safety and
sovereignty, the thirty-fourth scion of the
Osman family is not without a keen sense
of humor, as was shown during the recent
visit Of a celebrated French cartoonist to
Constantinople. Being constant reader
Of the leading European journals and
few from the United States, the commander
Of the faithful was familiar with the labors
of the artist-traveler and, being advised
Of his presence in the capital ne invited
the visitor to Yildiz.
As the invitation was tantamount to a
command, the artist responded with alac-
rity. fully prepared to entertain the
royal critic with specimens Of his art. Dur
ing the audience several European SOW
ereiens and statesmen we're caricatured eX-
temporaneously, each effort being rewarded
with a smile Of appreciation, when' to the
chaRrin Of the artist, the performance was
brought to an abrupt conclusion by I'M
perial order. Why, you ask?
A few evenings later, at a dinner at
tended bv a number Of foreigners, includ-
ing myself, the visiting cartoonist was
rash enough to add cartcature OF the
sultan to his gallery Of notables. news
OF the occurrence was promptly borne IN
come mysterious way to Abdul Hamid'
who, angered to have his apprehensions
confirmed and indignant at the act OF lese
majestic, invited the tactless cartoonlst 10
leave Constantinople the following day.
have spoken OF the sultan as dreading
assassination, and this recalls the narrow
eat ESCAPE he ever had from violent end.
You will seldom hear the subject referred
70 in Constantinople, because all reference
70 II has been expressly forbidden.
The facts, however, are that a favorite
tailor. either suffering from demsntia or
antuated by a more sinister motive at
tempted to stab Abdul Hamid while trying
on a. garment. That was eleven years ago.
since then the great Turk has had an
abiding antipathy to trying on clothes
and in consequence his wardrobe Is much
more meager than those of his viziers.
His tailors are never permitted to touch
or even closely approach the royal per-
son. hut must study the imperfecttons OF
a qarrnent from a distance. Net long ago
a calebrated French tailor described to me
hts amusing experience at the palace.
soon after entering what is known as
en- trxdnR ROOM he said, the sultan app
nearAd wearing the new garment unfin-
isbed and simply basted. He strobe down
the room, never closer than ten feet from
the tailor. then came back and passed out
OF the apartment The trying on was
over. The grand vizier, with hands folded
on his bosom, was present during this
ouear scene. but not a word was spoken
ana no move was made with respect to
the fitting.
As for the imperial seraglio? Contain
ing at present about $50 women, 1t Is re-
cruited mainly from the Circasstan race
with leavening OF Syrian and Rumenian
tenants So far as one can learn On the
outside the sultan will pass away with
out even seeing a majority OF the tair
prisoners Of his household.
His meetings with them have been gov
erned by chance more than anything else.
One evening, for instance, during my resi-
denoe in Turkey the sultan noticed a
Young slave at a ballet given in the
harem at Yildiz. She was in the service
Of one of his daughters.
The next morning a eunuch was de-
spatched TO the princess with informa-
ton that his majesty had chosen to honor
the Young Circassian slave. Her mistress
FASTENED to conform to the traditional
custom by personally experimenting the
toilet and accompanying the girl to the
imperial kiosk.
on the fourth day following the young
woman was conducted to the sultan. Had
his caprice passed, did she appear less
attractive than previously or did AbdGl
Hamid no longer recognize the suppliant
IN a different setting and attire? At any
rate, according to my informant, the sui
tan merely frowned and abruptly ordered
her taken away.
Sorely stricken in pride, to be raised so
high one moment only TO be humbled SC
completely the next the poor woman was
taken back 70 her former abode without
ceremony, merely accompanied by soil
tary eunuch-a token OF disgrace in itself.
And the sequel? She became disconsolate,
her health was broken and she soon died.
Like his predecessors, the sultan has
never married since ascending the throne,
the four mothers OF his thirteen children
having never reached the dignity OF wife
hood. Each kadine, or favorite, has her
own private apartment with a special treas
urer, secretary, mistress OF the robes and
so on down. At the head Of the household
Is the Valide-sultana--a parsonage quite as
despotic In her own realm as IL the sultan.
According 10 a story current In stamboul
fbe favr,rito ~ favOrftes with Abdul Hamfd