davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

Hamid gave him various good characters;
hard worker. in this respect one OF
the wonders or his age; the cleverest
diplomat of Europe. a man of simplest
diet. a moderate sultan in the Indulgence
of his exceptional household privileges
Or the private life of Mehmet V there is
nothing to complain. His public inten.
tons, moreover, are sincere and altru-
iStic.
When the father Of the new minister OF
marine referred to his son as the sui
tanS servant, the sultan, in humble
acknowledgment, replied: Both he and [
and all OF us are the servants Of the ma
ton" If this spirit could be embodied in
the policies of the state. the world would
already see Turkey on the road to Sc
curity of position, both internally and ex-
ternally. But unfortunately as a molder
Of public spirit, as a worker and as A
diplomat, Mehmet V is a nonentity He
is absolutely in the hands of his Young
Turk advisers.
Copyright in the United States and Great Britain
by Curtis Brown All rights strictly reserved)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
Danger of Extremes.

NT7HE late Bishop Whitaker" said q
Philadelphia clergyman, had very
little sympathy with ultra-high church
leanings.
"A young divine once said to him at q
Lenten lecture:
Bishop, suppose I should burn a few
pastlles during service. do you think
anything would happen?'
Bishop Whitaker smiled dryiy, and,
passing his hand down his white beard,
he answered:
"A good deal would happen, my young
friend. Your congregation would be in
censed your vestrymen would fume and
it's more than likely that you yourself
would go up in smoke"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
IS In 1911 THE AcRoPOLS Is THE HILL In THE Gel

sonian theory, ITO the victors belong the
SpoiS.
When a new government is elected the
old clerks have to leave. and this Is
so OF school teachers and college profess
sors as well as of the librarians and
officers of the museums.
Just now one of the questions which Is
agitating the Greeks is the building of
railroad to connect the system here with
the line which runs from Paris to Con-
stantinople. Greece has in the neigh
borhood Of nine hundred miles of rail
roads. 1t has some which go to the
northern boundary and which by an eX-
tension of less than sixty miles could be
joined to the great Paris trunk line.
am told 1t would not cost more than
$S.OOO.O0O to make the extension. and that
both the great powers of Europe and the
sultan have approved of it's construction.
1t is delayed, however, for fear Of mill
tary troubles. When it is completed it
will have a great influence upon Greece
1t will probably change the through fast
route to India, which now goes by Italy
and Brindisi. to this road to the Piraeus
The mails will go that way and the pas
senger travel as we'll. The people are
excited over the possibilities, and the
money for building the line could proba-
bly, be raised without difficulty.
X x
In the operation OF this road there Is
ilO iCdSoH Why <hiiSiiSdh
should not be used. The country is
mountainous, and our railroad engines
are said to be the best for such regions.
Americans are popular here, and it might
pay our locomotive companies to inveS-
tigate the situation.
Speaking of American machinery. I am
told that the people are beginning to
use it. American sewing machines are
popular and our bicycles bring the high
est prices. 1 see some American re-
volverS and also arms made by the
Germans to initiate American arms and
sold as such. AS to agricultural machines,
the farms are small and the most of the
implements similar to those OF the
days of Herodotus.
Other openings might be found in sup
plying Athens with water. The city often
suffers from drought. and as it is now 1t
is about the busiest town of the orient.
The streets are macadamized. and the
roads grind the metal to powder. The
soil is thin and the dust is white -four
which permeates everything. 1t covers
your boots to such an extent that you
have to have them blacked several times
every day, and this has caused Athens to
have more bootblacks than any other
town of its size in the world. The water
now comes from a reservoir on Mount
Lykabettos. but the supply is not suffi
Gent and they are now talking of utiliZ-
ing the falls Of the Styx, which are
long distance away, the scheme proposing
an expenditure of something like 81 Co.,
600.
Another enterprise which is already
under way and largely successful is
the draining of Lake Kopais. the larg-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

the man who holds the tiller; ponderous
and swarthy and impassive In counte-
nance. he seems to have been resusctat-
ed from Turkish print of the early nine
teenth century. The regulation fez is the
only spot of color about the white Zouave
linen Of the Immaculate oarsmen. The
sultan steps into the fourteen-o cared
caique, all green and gold and carved;
the fourteen right hands Of w-hite-gown-
ed rowers make a brisk salaam; two
princes take their. seats; the oarsmen
drop into their places: a pause follows,
and then at signal fourteen oar blades
the water and the pretty craft skins
from the quay.
But horrors! What is that? A few
strokes from shore and the sultan pulls
forth silk parasol, opens it with his
own hands, and holds its glory of
magenta within six feet of the red fezes.
The Turkish language is rich and pic
turesque in its profanity, but never had
been heard in Turkey such swearing as
that between the red feZes and the
magenta parasol! The sultan. poor man.
knows no better, else he would do differ
emily; for he is a man of the motives
which Oliver Herford attributes to the
elephant. with but one aim--to please"
Conflicting reports have gone out con-
corning an imperial trip to European cap
ita1s this year. The sultan owes a visit
to Car Ferdinand of Bulgaria and to
King Peter of Servia, for they called upon
him last year. They are both convenient
neighbours, geographically; or they might
be termed announcement neiShbors. SO
critically do the Bulgarian and Servian
frontiers coincide with the borders Of the
Ottoman empire. and so tenaciously do
these NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. offspring Of
the Ottoman mother-seek further to fat
ten off their dread parent Macedonia is
their eagerly awaited nouriShment but
1t is more than probable that this titbit
is reserved for the jaws of bigger ami
mails.
Should Mehmet V. however. journey to
Sophia and Belgrade, it is not at all
likely that his visits will be troubled by
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

styled "Evet Effendim,'' or Yes. Sir"
For a knowledge Of the present ruler the
public is obliged to fall back on the SIM
pie stories of his goodheartedness.
For example. his majesty was driving
to the dedicatory ceremony for a new
mosque when, among the crowd drawn
up to do him honor, he noticed some one
with bandaged arm. Stopping the car
riage, the sultan inquired about the man,
and on learning that he was suffering
from severe Inflammation Mehmet the
Good ordered that his private physician
should attend the case The man was an
Armenian. When he thanked the sultan
the latter is said to have replied: IF the
humblest of my subjects is suffering L
suffer with him.
1t is fortunate for his comfort Of mind
that he knows nothing Of the thousands
of innocent and peaceful inhabitants of
Macedonia and Albania who are still
Smarting under the baStinadoings and
other tortures OF last summers 'disarma-
ment.''
The apologists Of the ex-Sultan Abdul
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

est lake in Greece. This lake lies In
the mountains some distance north
east OF Athens. 1t has usually con-
tanned no water except in winter. when
there was a depth OF about thirteen
feet. In the summer IL was almost
dried up. and IL seemed to have a sub
terranean outlet to the sea. About
twenty-siX years ago a French com
the land. and IL spent about two
and one-half million dollars on canal
and tunnel through one OF the noun
tains- 1t had gotten the rough work
done when its money ran out.
and it went into the hands Of a re-
ceiver. A Scottish company then took
up the concession. and now. after
twenty-three years. il has about e., 900
acres of land ready for farms.
~
During my stay in Athens 7 have
pany. Mr.. J. b. Steele. and had a talk
with him about the undertaking.. He
tells me that the draining was done by
making girdle canal around the basin
where the lake lay to catch the waters
OF the rivers and TO prevent them en-
tering it, This girdle was twenty miles
long and it Joined cutting in the
mountain Of two miles by tunnel,
W Hlcn was twenty-five feet nigh. six
teen feet wide and three thousand feet
long. After leaving the tunnel the
water passes through another lake and
on into a second tunnel and thence on
to the ocean.
Mr.. Steele says that the soil of the
lake basin is rich. 1t contains the
earth washings of centuries, and will
raise Two crops a year. Some of the
land viii be irrigated and a great deal
Of il has been already leased out to
hn In,
ing in size from ten to a hundred acres
The company has about seven thou
sand acres under cultivation, and
also pasture lands in which are large
droves of cattle. He tells me it is
its idea to employ the latest Of agri-
cultural inventions, but far it
has found most OF them untitled to
the soil This is especially so OF our
heavy harvesterS and eapers and az
1T is now the most Of the wheat and
other grain is cut with the sickle
One feature of this reclamation
scheme is the peaty soil of the center
of the lake. This burns easily, and
within the past few months the man.
agement has had great trouble from
fires started there. These have burnt
down the soil so that the level of the
earth has dropped over six feet, doing
serious damage to the canals. cut for
higher level. The peasants find that
the burning peat leaves a coat OF ashes
upon which they can sow their grain
and grow rich crops without much Gull
tfvation. They are. therefore, inter-
ested in having the burning go on.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
A Politicians Trials.

<ETHE late Bishop Ryan," said well
known Philadelphia politician,
"often used to bewail the bitterness OF
party politics. He continually claimed
that even in party politics calmness and
tolerance and honesty were best.
HE told me one night that bitterness
seemed almost inseparable from politics.
He instanced Bulwer Lytton's candidacy
for Hartford. when his wife came to the
town. mounted the platform and deliv-
cred a venomous speech against her hus-
band. 1t was this speech that caused
the son OF the ill-mated pair to write:
WHO came TO Hartford in a chaise
And uttered anything but praise
Against the author Of my daysf
NJ motheri -.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

but IN q pathetic, harmless, necessary old
gentleman, already in his dotage. He Is
q good-natured and obedient child-or
sixty-five. Seized suddenly from half
tated into exalted station as sultan OF
the Ottoman empire, Prince Reshad, at
the end OF the sensational counter-revolu-
ton Of April, 1909, came blinking before
limelight reveal such dignified bewilder-
mcnt. The old gentleman sat erect and
looked as energetic as possible; there Is
no doubt that he was immensely happy;
there is no doubt, too, that he was kindly
disposed TO all the world and wished only
that others might be happy.
Even against his unnatural half-brother.
Abdul Hamid. he harbored ill-will for
but one thing Il have never been a
drunken sot as my brother has given
out" he Is said to have remarked: Il
forgive him for all the harm he has done
me- except that calumny." Whether or
not the present sultan was Incorporate
in any respect during the tedious years
of his despotic Imprisonment, he certain
~ is a man who lives moderately today.
He does not even smoke. On semi-public
occasions when cigarettes are passed and
the crown prince accepts-''drinks'' Is the
IuTISQ WOTU-tne sultan udDltuduy re-
fuses. In this respect. as indeed In al
most every characteristic, he is the an
tithesis of that incessant smoker Abdul
Iamid.
After thirty-three years. during which
the sovereign OF Turkey had scarcely
been seen even by his subjects in the
capital. the change is wonderful to have
a sultan who moves among his people
without restraint. Since his accession
Mehmet V has appeared constantly in
public: already he has made excursions to
Brousa-o f-the-famous- silk, and Adriano-
pie, first European capital OF his fathers.
He is pledged to visit in the spring Salon.
Xxi, cradle of liberty for Young Turkey.
and the present prison-home of Abdul
Hamd. And wherever he goes he hands
out money to the schools and charities of
every race and creed in his much-mottled
empire. This makes a good impression,
and really fulfills in a degree the watch
words of the July, 1908. revolution, liberty.
equality. fraternity. justice-watchwords
which in the manipulatiOns of the new
government have already become gall
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

esty your army has enjoyed every priv
ilege.
Sire! We cannot pretend yet to
have reached the perfection you de-
sire. But we hope under your protec-
ton, and with the aid of God, to come
there soon.
"Well beloved Padishah! The Otto
man sovereigns. your glorious ances-
tors, in person led their soldiers from
victory to victory, from conquest to
conquest, and quickly made the whole
world know the glory and the prowess
of the Turks. Your majesty knows
that the time Of our misfortunes. Of
our reverses, began with the abandon
ment of this heroic custom.
GLORIOUS Padishah! Since the blessed
day of your ascent to the throne. you
have, by the high and maenanimous
the imperial troops. by your visits to
the drill grounds and by your pres
ence at the maneuvers, followed in the
path of your noble fathers.
pledge of the future progress of the
army, and while we have the succor
of God, the aid of a sovereign SO low
ing as your imperial self, and the sup
port Of nation so generous as the
Ottoman nation. we are bound to Gre
ate an army that will be an important
element of peace to the corners of the
world. May God. therefore. add long
years to your head!'
The future of the Turkish army
would be more secure If the sultan
were able to stand up and talk to his
officers, instead Of being the dumb re-
cipient of fulsome phrases from the
minister of war.
Little is said In Constantinople about
Mehmet V because there Is little to say.
His sobriQuet is "Memnoun Oldoum,"
Turkish expression signifying content
ment; and one is reminded that Mehmet's
ill-starred brother. Sultan Yourad. was
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
WHERE The CREEK RARLIAr1ENT MEETS e9
LIVERY MODERN GREEK Is A STATESMAN

leading down to the Piraeus. and this is
now being planted with trees.
The main part of the city is compactly
built and the business buildings are four
and five stories. The shops have plate
glass windows, and the best of them are
devoted to dry goods. fancy millinery,
iewelry and other such things. The shop
ping hour is from to Z every evening.
at which time the streets are thronged
with fashionable women.
] have spent some time In the stores
talking with the merchants and looking
at their establishments. The Greeks
understand how to do business. They are
smart traders. their character being well
expressed by a saying which is current
throughout the orient. 1t reads: From the
Greeks of Athens. from the Jews Of Sa-
loniki, and from the Armenians everywhere
good Lord deliver u.s. 1t Is said In the
Jews, and, although the Jews are scat
tered throughout other parts of the
Mediterranean. you will find none IN
Athens. The storekeepers have no fixed
prices and you bargain for everything.
You must dicker with your doctor, butch
er and baker, and even with your drug
sist. There are no price marks in the
average store. or. II so, the bargaining is
done all the Same.
A great many OF the people live in flats
and dine at the cafes and restaurants.
Rents are high and houses are taxed
per cent on the rental. II one lives in
his own house he has to pay percentage
on the rent 1t would probably bring. The
cafes are good. They are full Of people
afternoon and evening, and many OF
them keep open all night. At those about
the Place de la Constitution you may see
men chatting as late as 3 o'clock in the
morning. There are also dairy lunch
rooms, where q breakfast consisting Of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

by his umbrella.
a beautiful mass of red, broken only here
and there by the hat of some occidental!
Should he get into an elevator 1t Wouid
be for the first time in his life. NJ
merous automobiles would likewise OFFER
a new sensation for him, though an auto
taXicab service is already running at
Constantinople and there are a few pri-
vate cars in the capital.
Rut whatever are his sensations, he will
do his utmost to be appreciative and TO
conduct himself as an Ottoman sovereign
: hould. This strong characteristic OF
wishing to do the right thing was humor-
cusly demonstrated recently when he was
being photographed. The picture was an
one taken during the tedious
review on the Roumelian prairie of sixty
thousand troops. AS soon as the sultan
saw what was going on he drew hlmsell
up to his full height. thrust his right hand
INTO his coat at the breast and stood i'm
movable with an expression which said:
Il am a good little hey and / want to do
Just what you want; especially L must
look dignified, mustn't II"
The incident occurred only an hour or
two before the great open-air banquet,
at which the sultan presided. The three
hundred guests were chiefly Turkish OF
ticers who for ten days had been serl-
ously engaged in mimic warfare. Inc
coreign military attaches were present
also. The sensation Of the banquet came
when the minister of war. Mahmoud
Shevket Pasha. creating precedent, ad-
dressed his majesty. He spoke as fol-
lows:
"Sire! Your visit to the field Of the
maneuvers Of your imperial army Is a
cause Of. infinite pride. not only on the
part of the soldiers who have partict-
pated. but Of all the Ottoman military
"Venerated Padishah! Before the pres
ent era, not only were maneuvers of an
army numbering 10000 to s., 600 men in
the vicinity Of the capital forbidden. but
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
THEY Are Delighted With

THEY Are Delighted With
L Him After Many Years
of Strenuous Life Under the
Unlamented Abdul Harnid-
Kindly Old Man Who Is Al
ways Trying to Strike the
Right Pose and Who Never
Dares to Interfere With His
Ministers-Nicmamed "Old
Contentment" by His Sub
jects-His Goodheartedness.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

and worm wood not only to the Christian
races Of the empire, but also to the non
Turk through Moslem races.
Every Friday Mehmet drives freely to
some mosque in the city for Selamlik-or
the formal prayer. Often in warm wealth.
err, having made his devotions at Dolma
Bagtche mosque. that of the graceful
minarets, he goes over to the Asiatic
shore for an afternoon at q certain
rocco kiosk The imperial caique or
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

walks and fine mansions; cleanliness and
progress that are realities and not the
visions Of "refor1ned' and dangerously
insecure government. He will look for
the first time upon populace of caps
and bowler hats and unbelieving female
headgear His previous experience has
been with the impressive sea of fezes,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

even the daily exit of troops from their
barracks for exercise was prohibited. 1t
is for these reasons, the very memory OF
which Is so painful, that the Ottoman
army has not attained the regularity and
perfection and power that it needs and
Of which it is worthy and capable: where
as under the happy regime of your maj
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

.A1 eOH OF z man
Is the present Sui
tan OF Turkey,
q anyhow"
The question was
. SIX ed recently,
nearly two years
after the deposition
Of Abdul HaIn.d
and the accession
Of Nehmet v to
reign IN his stead.
The writer had
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

AXE a look at
the Athens of to-
day!
1t lies here under
the rocky Acropolis,
filled with and
6 urr ou nded by
ruins. Neverthe-
less. il is the
brightest. gayest
and busiest city
Of the near east
1t has some of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

BEEN Q neighbor OF the new sovereign
during this time, had seen him often, and
bad heard various accounts of his per-
sonauty. The answer cane from promi-
nsnt Young Turk He has a delightful
way Of speaking English with q slow. ca
rossfng measure, and his words were Pc
culiarfy pleasant as he said:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

the most elegant homes of the world;
its marble buildings vie with those of
the best cities of Europe. and its
stores are full of fine goods. The town
grows as fast as blackberry bushes on
top Of the Blue Ridge. About fifty
years ago it had something like 10000
people who dwelt in 800 miserable
houses. Today 1t has almost 100000
and among them are Greek mill
Monaires who have made fortunes
in Alexandria. Cairo, Constantinople-
and other centers about the Mediter-
ranean sea. 1t is the aim of the Greek
TO come to Athens to die and the rich
bring their savings and live here in lux
ury They spend so much that the
finest of everything may be bought In
the stores. and the cost OF living Is
about as high as anywhere else in the
world.
climbed the Acropolis yesterday
and took view of the city. The Acrop-
oils is a hill of rose-colored lime
stone which rises to height of two or
three hundred feet out of the plain
upon which Athens stands.
It is right on the edge of the town,
and from the Parthenon, on its top, you
can see the whole city. Your first glance
shows a fiat plain of grayish-white build
fngs, the chief of which is the palace, a
three-story structure OF marble, surround
ed by trees. Farther over are the parlia-
ment building and museums and schools,
and scattered about the outskirts are
the massive ruins of ancient temples,
such as that of Jupiter Olympus and The
seus, and also the new stadium, which
was erected by an Alexandrian-Greek mil
Honaire named Averof. 1t Is now being
repaired and repolished, and 1 am told
that its cost altogether has been about
$500 900.
low me I can pick out the details. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
DOLITICS ND BUSINESSES

A NEW City Which Moves
IA Its Shrewd Business
Men-Parliament and Poll
tics-Votes Which Average
SIS "Per"-Elections on Sun
day and Queer Ballot Boxes
The New Railroads and
Chances for American Trade
Reclamation in Greece, or
the Draining of Lake Kopais.
Copyright. 1911. by Frank c. Carpenter
Special Correspondence of The Star
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
HE DOES NOTHING.

HE DOES NOTHING.
Mehmet ", who has endeared himself
to his Turkish subjects by q policy
OF mastery inactivity.
Our Padishah? Oh! He is a good man.
a very good man. He-does-not-do-any-
thing" And that was the highest and
happiest praise possible.
After the long nightmare OF Abdul
Hamid, the Young Turk found his ideal
sovereign not in q vigorous statesman,