Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-04-07
The ART OF IDL|NC
X Is a Part OF the IndoIent Life
of the Leisureiy Turk.
WHERE SITTING Is EXERCISE.
In the Orient tho Placid Natives Re-
gard What We Would Call Loafing
as Mark Of Respectability-A Trip
In a Caique on the Golden Horn.

was kyef or kali. Making kyef was IA
very common occupation. Judging from
the number of times that l 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 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 lir1it Of police regula
tons 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 IL 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 a coffee house drinking numberlesS
cups Of strong. black coffee. smoking Il
nargile and staring at chessboard
for hours at Il time Loafing 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
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 in an out of door cafe
they sit under Il tree smoking ciga
rette, they sit for four hours making
you visit. and they may sit the live
long day out in a grassy field or on the
banks of Il stream doing nothing ut all
The Turks are fond Of outdoors. And
one is not surprised. The highest point
of Constantnople is Tchamlidja, a hill
that stands 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 on 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 at our feet. There
is 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 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, a 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. a bit trying to the nerves.
Galata bridge from which the boats
leave is the busiest spot in Constant
nople You are iostled from before and
hob ind nI II in
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
fshed out by friendly hands amid
Mashallahs. 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 do
in the caique. A caique is small
rowboat, the daintiest. most graceful
little craft in the world, but it 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.
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 steamer bearing down
upon you ut full speed. Behind you.
and to the right of you. and to the left
of you. are clumsy freight boats man
aged by scoldne hoatmen. And Just
here one of your OarSmen does what
he has forbidden you to do-stands up
in his place. Wildly gesticulating. he
scolds back in picturesque Turkish at
a careless SteerSman who has nearly
tipped You over. After you have had
this experience Il few times and have
escaped with your life you cease to
mind it.
Quiet comes ut last, and long, smooth
stretches of shining water. The motion
OF caique is perfect. 1t glides over
the water with no effort at all. The sill,
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 minaret in the distance.
charm you into the land of the lotus
Grace Fleming Van Sweringen in New
York Tribune.