The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-04-10
THE ART OF IDLIMG
1t Is a Part of the IndoIent Life
of the Leisurely Turk.
WHERE SITTING IS EXERCISE.

>
very common occupation, judging from
the number Of times that / heard the
word used The dictionary definition
Of kyef Is health" pleasure" Health
and pleasure are not always synony-
NOUS but they seemed to be I'm 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 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 ana
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
i'm coffee house drinking numberess
cups of strong black coffee, smoking VI
nargile and staring at chessboard
for hours at time. Loafing we call II
i'm America; in Italy, dolce far niente;
i'm Turkey, making kyef.
The oriental is slow and easy in his
amuscments He fingers over his pleas
urcs, making them last as long as pos
sible None too fond Of eXerting him
self. most of his exercise Is taken sit
ting stll. The Turkish verb otur,
which means sit" is much used both
in word and i'm action. They sit over
cup Of coffee in an out Of door cafe,
they sit under tree smoking ciga.
rcttc, they sit for four hours making
you a visit, and they may sit the live
long day out in Il grassy field or on the
banks Of a stream doing nothing at all.
The Turks are fond of outdoors. And
one is not surprised The highest point
Of ConstantnOple is Tchamlidja, hill
that stands few miles back from the
Scutari landing on the Asiatlc side.
The view from this hill is one whose
beauty Gusts Il spell that lasts as long
rs memory lasts. See Naples and die
runs the old saying, but do not die be-
fore YOU have seen Constantinople
from Tchamidja.
There are many open fields in and
about ConstantinOple to which the peo-
pie resort on high days and holidays,
the brilliant colors of the native dress
standing out against the grecnest 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 i'm the distance and the blue
winding BoSporus at our feet. There
is hush about Turkish holiday
gathering which is always like n sun
day. CaiQues glide nOisecsSly by peo-
pie sit I'm 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
tcpS of Europe, n 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.
Galgta bridge. from which the boats
leave. is the busiest spot in CONSTANT
nople. You are iostled from before and
behind. screamed ut in all the Ian
guagCS YOU ever heard of and frtghtcn-
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 he promptly
fShcd out 10y friendly hands amid
MaShallahs, i'm 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 do
I'm the caiquc. \ caique is a small
rowhoat. the dainticst, most graceful
little craft i'm the world, but ii was
made 60 tip over.
If YOU get away from the landing
without being spilled out into the
water YOU breathe one sigh of relief
but 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 Il steamer bearing down
upon YOU at full speed. Behind you.
and to the right OF you. and e. the left
of YOU. are clumsy freight boats man
aged 10y scolding boatmen. And just
here one of your oarSmcn does what
he has forbidden YOU To do-Stands up
I'm his place. Wildly gcsticulating. he
scoldS back I'm picturesque Turkish at
Il careless stccrSman who has nearly
tipped Won over. After YOU have had
this experience few times and have
escaped with your life you cease to
mind &C.
Quet comes at last. and long. smooth
stret hes OF shining water. The motion
Of caique Is perfect lt glidcs over
the water with no effort at all. The sil.
very light of the eastern sun. the mag
ic touch OF the soft south wind. the
voice Of the muezzin calling To prayer
from the minarct I'm the distance