Evening star., 1915-12-10

history the spirit of progress has made
Constantinople its own. The ancient
oriental city is as enthusiastic aoou,
municipal improvement as the capltal
beggars. the cobble-stone streets and
the rickety bridges have been banished
along with the kitchen cabinet ana
the spies. Clean. wide streets, good
schools for all races and fair sanitary
provisions in most parts of the city
are now to be found in Constantinople
With the coming of cleanliness ana
order. it cannot be denied some or the
picturesGueness is gone. Wide pouIe-
wards have been cut through the N1ne-
shaded alleys. where the doing mer-
chants squat before the doors of their
mysterious shops. Many acres OF .ne
old quarter of Stambou1. built Oh WOODEN
houses with wonderful ornamental
doors. have burned down and have been
replaced by brick and concrete oulld-
ings Daily more noticeable becomes
the invasion of the manner ana dress
and architecture of the west :
The Mohammedan spirit, however IS
proof against sudden change, ana most
Of the change is superficial. The lives
of the people are freer, their surroulu
ings cleaner. but they move In the same
tinople still has, for example, It's wafer :
side coffee houses, with their tiny taples
and meditative Slippers from small cups.
No institution is more deeply rooted IN
fee houses This, in fact. is the original !
home of coffee, for here it was brought
by one Shemshi of Aleppo, relatlve
of the man who discovered the bean IN
1854. Its use spread raploiy IN snst
great prohibition crusade turkish
poets denounced it as the black enemy
of sleep and love-" Even medieval
postum. made OF beans beans: w vas .be a1v,sif ha bit
Sultans issued proclamations by Wnich
the drinking of coffee was punished by
death, and one of them even went ABOUT
the city disguised. seeking TOT .ne
pressiye measures, the coffee houses
throve and spread to the west.
In these most ancient resorts life is
leisurely and in accord with ancient
custom. He who
re. .;.rraJp enters often sa-
lutes all present
in Coffee Houses with an elaborate
how and If an old man enters all who
are there arise. The cup of coffee
COSTS about a cent. Having taken IT,
one never goes away, but removes his
shoes and curls up on the WOODEN
benches under the windows to sleep or
mediate or perhaps OIueIS d Hdi & iieii'
or water pipe, the LATEST and most VII
famous smoke in the world. No ordi-
nary tobacco is used In these pipes, but
a special brand. known as "toumbeki,
and it is dangerous stuff in the hands
of a novice.
Another part of the city where life
moves undisturbed by great events
is the yards about the mosques. These
are Enclosures of generous size. shaded
by very old wide-spreading trees ana
inclosed within high walls pierced by
the grilled windows which are an ef-
fective decorative note throughout the
city. In the mosque yards you will
find the public scribes. who are ready
to write letters for women and soldiers
and others of the untaught classes.
Here are the seal cutters, the BARRIERS
and tho peddlers selling beads, per
fumes, fezzes and sweets. All of these
trades are piled lazily in the shade
of the great trees, and when the muez-
zin chants from his tower on the
mosque many arise and go in to wor-
ship. The interior of the mosque Is
very strange to western eyes Chill
dren play about the great pillars. pro-
fessors noisily lecture, students con
their Korans and worshipers lie pros
trate in the mighty presence OF Allah