The Hartford republican., 1914-04-24
THE ART OF lDL|Ne
Il Is a Part of the IndoIent Lie
Of the LeisureIy Turk.
WHERE SITTING IS EXERCISE.
In the Orient the Placid Natives Re-
gard What We Would Call loafing
as a Mark Of RespeetabiIity-A Trip
In . Caique on the Golden Horn.


In . Caique on the Golden Horn.
One of the first words In the Turkish
language that learned to recognize
was kyef or kaif. Making kyef was
very common occupation, judging from
the number of times that | heard the
wori 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 hnd
been making kyef always looked both
happy and healthy.
To the average American the idea
represented by the word kycf Is about
as foreign as the word itself. You
could not possibly make kyef at foot
lall game or a 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 fine 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 n coffee house drinking numberless
cups of strong. black coffee, smoking a
nargiIe and staring at a chessboard
for hours at time. Loafing we call 1t
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
ures, making them last as long as pos
sible. 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 in action. They sit over
cup of coffee i'm an out Of door cafe,
they sit under tree smoking a ciga-
rctte, they sit for four hours making
you a visit. and they may sit the live
long day out in a grassy field 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. a hill
that stands a few miles back from the
Scutari landing on the Asiatic side.
The view from this hill is one whose
beauty casts a 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 Tchamlidja.
There are many open fields in and
about ConstantinOple to which the peo-
pie resort Oh high days and holidays.
the brilliant colors of the native dress
standing out against the greenest green
and the bluest blue of the natural
background. And everywhere the daz-
zling sheen of water. the silvery. calm
surface of the MarmOra stretching
away in the distance and the blue
winding Bosporus ut our feet. There
is hush about a 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 picture.
everybody making kyef in his own way.
One of the popular resorts for great
numbers of people is the Sweet Wa
ters 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
florn. This "best and easiest" way is.
however, a bit trying to the nerves.
Galata bridge, from which the boats
leave, is the busiest spot in Constant
n0ple. You are jOstled from before and
behind, screamed at in all the Ian
yuages 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
iished out by friendly hands amid
in all the tones of the
chromatic scale. Down below. you are
warned within an inch Of your life
about all the things you must not d"
in the caique. A caique is Il small
rowboat, the daintiest. most graceful
little craft in the world, but il was
made to tip over.
If you get away from the landing
without being spilled out into ihr
wafer you breathe one sigh of relief,
but not more than one. for the Golden
Horn is very narrow and very husE,
and any moment you may look M at
the PROV of II steamer bearing down
upon you at full speed. Behind yOn.
,nd TO the right of you. and to the left
Sf you. are clumsy freight hoatS man
aged by scOlding boatmen. And Just
Mere one Of your Oarsmcn does what
he has forbidden you to do stands up
In his place. Wildly gcstlculating. hc
scOlds back In picturesque Turkish M
q careless steersman who has nearly
tipped yoL over. After you have had
this experience few times ard have
escaped with your life you cease to
mind it,
Quiet comes IT last. auI long, smooth
stretches nf sh,nine water. The motion
OF caique IS nerfect, II slideS over