The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-28

! Washington. ID. c.. Jan. 30.-Thirty
days by caravan from Constantinopie,
near the Persian frontier, in Turkish
Arabia. and removed to the westward
hut fifty miles from. the Garden of
Eden. mans birthplace. stands the
once splendid city of revelry, ancient
Bagdad for centuries the capital of
the Mohammedan world and now,
the second city of importance in the
Ottoman Empire. Withered by its
riots of pleasure. an easy prey for
MonEols in 1858, generations asleep
and behind-hsnd. the spirit of modern
progress has recently taken hold
there and from Bagdad and flower of
the Turkish army, otficered by young
men of highest military and scientific
training, is pursuing an invasion of
Persia. In one of a series of studies
If lands affected by the war prepared
for the National Geographic Society,
Frederick and Margaret Simpich de-
scribe the city Of Caliphs as it is to-
day.
Bagdad. they say, is built on both
sides of the river Tigris. On the west
bank Is the old town, with streets
so narrow that it is often impossible
for two donkeys to pass one another
In them. The new town, with its
government offices, barracks, consul
lates, prisons. and great government
army factory, lies upon the east bank.
Around. as far rs the eye can reach.
stretches the vast, fiat, treeless, emp
~ plain of Mesopotamia. Twenty five
thousand Turkish soldiers are station
ed az Bagdad. and this division of the
Ottoman army apparently is as well
trained as the model war machines
of Europe
y Recklcssly Wicked City.
The Older houses are huddled to-
gether. box-shaped, with fiat roofs
and almost windowless Arabs spend
the 'sultry summer nights on these fiat
roofs with tom-toms. flutes. water
pipes and dancing women Banked
with flowers, fragrant with scent
rhythmic with Eastern music. the roofs
OF Ragdad, in the days of its luxury.
when 1t bore the distinction of being
the most recklessly wicked city in
the world. presented nightly broad
acres of widest reveiry to the cloud
less heavens. The license. the idol
enCe, and the insecurity of old Bagdad
are gone. To-day. the city Is as com
mercial In it's spirit as New York. It
has large foreign trade; is a dis
tributing center for all the country
around. Bagdqd Is becoming more
business and less rumantic--the hard
riding fierce fighting rioters OF former
days having gone forever,
DO business as In Ancient Times.
Modern methods are creeping in
with modern business. The ba2aars
however, are conducted tho same as
they were in the time of Marco Polo
They are held in streets like tunnels
arched with brick to keep out the
heat and are family lighted. surgng
wish experts in intensive haggling
thick with sitting air. mingled in
which are all the distinctive discom-
forting doors Of the East, potpouri
Of all the agonies of smell The in
dividual shops are no larger than
telephone booths, The shopkeepers
sit cross-legged within, their wares
piled high around them. The shout
ing of offers rivals the noise of an
American fair grounds: "Appease
your mother-in-law." the flower ven
der sings out. and the other sales
men are as rhetorical
Rare old rugs" costly affairs. are
made In Bagdad by laying fine new
ones in the filth of the narrow streets
beneath the tramp Of men and beasts
The Bagdad traders in antiques are
not behind their confreres OF Europe,
who prepare. at short notice, articles
Of any of the flown centuries
Some fifty foreieners--British, Ger
man, Russian. Italian and French
lived in Bagdad before the outbreak
of the war. Twelve Of these were
consuls Arabs do not readily pick
up a foreigners name. but identity
him usually by his work. Hence the
who trades in hCorice Is Father Of
Hcorice. he who trades in rugs.
Rather Of Rugs" and the dentist
Father of Teeth"