New-York tribune., 1909-07-25

In spite Of all my errorts never succeeded in
satisfying the curiosity Of my inquirers, nor can
I do II now. for. despite the fairly long run or
my life, / never met with a man the salient feat
OF whose character were so contradictory,
so uneven and disproporuonate as with Sultan
Abdul Hamid. BenevolenCe and wickcdness.
generosity and meanness, Cowardice and valor.
shrewdness and ignorance, moderation and eN-
cess and many, many other qualities have alter
nately found expression in his acts and words.
If there was a predominant feature IN his char
acter II his timidity. the constant wavering
and the apprehension Of having committed a
wrong step. which left ndelible mark upon
all his doings. This unfortunate quality, the
disastrous effect Of harem education. frustrated
his best intentions; II Dlunted his otherwise
splendid mental capacities and made his reign
misfortune TO his country. II he could have
been made accessible TO ripe and dlsinterested
advisers he might have been shaped into one Of
the most successful rulers Of Turkey; but q host
OF syCophants having envenomed his mind. ne
fell very early into self admiration he dcsp pissed
the counsel Of others. he grew angry and Jealous
al the slightest sign Of mental superiority. and
favOring unbridled autocracy. he hurled his
country with his own hands into hopeless ruin
and destruction.
In the beginning OF his reign. and in the face
OF such people he liked 10 please. he played
most successfully the part of a humble and
modest man who feigned to be innocent
child. and sometimes he went even SO far as to
be taken for a. awkward and clumsy follow.
When first met him IN the Chit Kiosk, in his
which filed with generals marshals and
other high dignitares, he sat down most hum
I'm the corner of his sofa, and, bending his head
toward his breast. he spoke in Ii most humble
quiet voice. Instead of using the word 'acces-
sion" he said, When l unworthy to this
place." and took particular care to avoid the ex-
preston Sultan or "Padlshah." on such occa-
siOns he used either 10 shut his eyes or to look
timfdly TO the ground feignIng the greatest in
nocence and playing the part Of q help ess vic
tim who has been forced upon the throne against
his own will Hand in hand with this attitude
OF q humble man went his-effort to show ex-
treme politeness and anna blity to the visitor he
wanted to ensnare. Orientais in general are
known TO excel in the quality Of hatterers, but
Sultan Abdul Hamid surpassed in this regard
all that had seen and experienced heretofore.
It was not merely with foreigners but also
with his own subjects that he liked to appear
and to act as a Grand Seigneur. Quietly and
avoiding publicity. he gave away valuable prop
critics, houses and thousands Of pounds to his
favorites; and as he gave with free hand TO the
HanlpuIatorS or all kinds of concessions many
OF his chamberlains and court officials amasseti
big fortunes and Quondam poor fellows became
mtonaires. He used to saw ct Ia me rovaI
fountain of favor which produces the best har-
vest on the field Of sovereignty" and in spite of
his being often disappointed with regard to this
principle he neSertheless continued to aDplv it
fls means permitted him TO do so, for he was
very rich, and steadily augmented his private
fortune. partly by all kinds Of UNDERTAKINGS
parity also by the cultivation OF his vast landed
properties In Mesopotamia which were well
managed by modern Turkish officers He had
no expensive hobbies. One time he took a fancy
another time for different birds. but these pas
slonS did not last very long 1t was onlv for
horses that his affection remained steady and
these he mostly got presents. For the rest
he was decidedly very modest and una ssunline
In his own personal wants, and there is no ex-
aggeration in stating that his dress and fare
ne spent less than many other members OF the
imperial family. 1t only in winter that 7
saw him at public receptions parading with very
costly furs. while his house dress I'm summer
was very simple. The same refers to his fare
He ate very little. Two three dishes consist
Ing of vegetables rice and meat, were served at
luncheon and dinner, to which casonaIly We're
ADDED fruits; and, as far as l noticed his meals
did not take more than half an hour Jess
moderate was ne, however. in the use of black
coHee and In cigarettes. There was no limit to
the number Of cups consumed in dav. and 40
TO cigarettes. he used TO smoke only half of each
In one hours conversation l found the trav he
fore him entirely filed with half burned cigar
cites With regard to spirits, ne was a rotaI ab
stainer at the time when | saw him I'm the naI
ace. but he himself admitted that formerly ba
was much addicted to mdSfiCd and also 10 v,ina
which he much regretted. for many of his bodiI,,
infrlnities, as he said, We're the outcome OF 49,
pad habit-Professor A. Vambery. in The Nine
teenth Century -iii0