The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-04-28
1t Is a Part Of the IndoIent Life
of the LeisureIy Turk.
WHERE SITTING is EXERCISE.


word used. The dictionary definition
Of kyef is health" pleasure" Health
and pleasure are not always synony
nous, but they seemed TO be in this
case, for people who said they had
been making kyef always looked both
happy and healthy.
To the average American the idea
represented by the word kyef is about
as foreign as the word itself. You
could not possibly make kyef at foot
ball game or horse race or autOmO-
billing up to the limit Of police regula-
tiOns. One thing soon becomes evident
to the scientific investigator Of kyef.
whatever it may be, kyef is made
without haste. without excitement and,
above all things. without noise.
Leisure, idlinG If you like, has been
reduced to a tine art In the orient.
There is no place in the world where
doing nothing is so respectable. Able
bodied men sit unblushingly at midday
in a coffee house drinking numberless
cups OF strong. black coffee. smoking
nargile and staring at cbessboard
for hours at d time. LOafng we call it
| in America: in italy. dolce far niente;
In Turkey, making kyef.
| The oriental is slow and easy in his
amusements.' He fingers over his pleas
nres, making them last as long as pos
sibIe None too fond of exerting him
self. most of his exercise is taken sit
| ting still The Turkish verb Otur.
which means sit" is much used both
in word and .jn action. They sit over Q
| cup of coffee in an out of door cafe
they sit under tree smoking a ciga-
rette, they sit for four hours making
you visit. and they may sit the live
long day out IN a, grassy 6eld or on the
banks of stream doing nothing at all
The Turks are fond of outdoors. And
one is not surprised The highest point
Of ConstantinOple is Tchamlidja, hill
that stands few miles back from the
! Scutari landing on the Asiatic side.
The view from this hill is one whose
beauty casts spell that lasts as long
as memory lasts See Naples and die"
runs the old saying, but do not die be
fore you have seen Constantinople
from Tcbamlidja.
There are many open fields in and
about COnstannnople to which the peo-
pie resort on high days and holidays,
the brilliant colors of the native dress
standing ont against the greenest green
and the blnest blue of the natural
background And everywhere the daz-
Eling sheen of water. the siIyery, calm
| ~ hH or ok4h htNlfp
away In the distance and the blue
winding Bosporus at our feet There
Ia hush about Turkish holiday
gathering which is always like Sun
day. Caiques glide noiselessly by, peo-
pie sit in groups or saunter about on
the shore. like the figures in a picture,
everybody making kyef in his own way.
One of the popular resorts for great
numbers of people is the Sweet Wa
tiers OF Europe, small stream OF fresh
water flowing into the upper part OF
the Golden Horn. The best and easiest
way TO reach this place, the stranger
is told. is by rowboat up the Golden
Horn. This best and easiest way is.
however, bit trying to the nerves.
Galata bridge, from which the boats
leave, is the busiest spot in Constants.
nople. You are jostled from before and
behind. screamed at in all the Ian
guages you ever heard of and frighten-
ed nearly to death before you get down
the rickety little stairway leading TO
the landing Nothing can really hap
pen to you. but you do not know that
until afterward. If you should fall
into the water you would be promptly
fished out by friendly hands amid
Mashallahs, in all the tones or the
chromatic scale Down below, you are
warned within an inch of your life
about all the things You must not do
in the caique A caiQue is small
rowboat, the daintiest. most graceful
little craft in the world. but II was
made TO tip over.
If you get away from the landing
without being spilled out into the
water you breathe one sigh OF relief.
hut not more than one. for the Golden
Horn is very narrow and very busy,
and any moment you may look up at
the Prov OF steamer bearing d0wn
upon you at full speed Behind you.
; and to The right of you. and to the left
of you, are clumsy freight boats man
aged by scolding boatmeD. And just
here one of your oarsmen does wba,
he has forbidden you to do-stands up
in his place Wildly gesticulatiDg. he
; srolds back in picturesque Turkish ~
careless steersnlan who has nearis
I tipped you over After you have had
ibis experience few times aud havt
escaped with your life you cease t.
mind II.
Quiet comes NJ last. and long. smooth
stretches of shining water. The motion
/ ~ raiqne is perfect II glides over
I TIE water with no effort at all The sii'
I tory light Of the eastern sun. the mas
. touch Of the soft south wind. the
} ice Of the muezzin calling to prayer
/ .pm the minaret in the distance
e iarm you into the land OF the lotus
; tlace Fleming Van sweringen 10 New
York Tribune.