Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-12-13

to understand. Side by side with the
studied cruelty to prisoners of war is
a quite reasonable treatment of Brit
ish residents within the empire. The
British embassy was inviolate-how
different to Berlin now the German
embassy has gone into retirement and
the fine carved eagles on the roof are
mOurnfully wrapped round with sack
ing. Undoubtedly the Turks now want
to be friends with the British, but it is
beyond the scope of this article to dis.
cuss mandates and the like. The Turk
knows he has been beaten, and is try.
ing to prove that it was not his fault,
Be this as it may, 1t is curious to note
that in conspicuous place in the ar
mory of st. Irene, now opened to the
public at certain times without special
permission, is a large quiltlike sheet,
bearing the replicas Of the flags of all
the allies, and serving as background
for four large and well-executed por.
traits of Mr.. Lloyd George, NJ. Clemen.
ceau, Marshal F0ch and President viii.
son. Can anyone imagine even a beat.
en- England displaying portraits Of
Hindenburg, LudendOrff, Bethmann,
Hollweg, or Rantzau in the Tower OF
London?
Racial Feuds Not Lessened.
With the Greeks and the Armenians
the age-long feud continues, embit.
tered by the war, and in no way i'm.
proved by current rumors as to favors
to be accorded to these countries at
the expense Of Turkey. Only the pres.
ence Of other allied troops and war
ships prevents a recrudescence of hor.
rors only roo common during the war.
Although Britisher can go unmolest.
ed into San Sophia, a Greek hardly
dare show himself in the neighborhood,
and Turkish troops are quartered in.
side the mosque with the admitted in.
tention Of keeping the Greeks out.
Life among the Turks themselves is
little changed. The Yildiz Kiosk still
matches plots, governments rise and
fall, the sultan himself lives in the
greatest seclusion, and no allied sub
ject is allowed to be present at the
weekly passage to the Selamlik. When
in the middle Of Ramazan he went to
pay his annual VOWS in San Sophia,
his yacht surrounded by his household
in little motorboats, the procession was
headed by pinnace bearing the White
Ensign. Otherwise Turks only were
present.
There are no striking changes in the
appearance of the town. Fires have
taken larger toll than usual, and would
have taken more were it not for two
British motor fire engines, which, how
ever, have the disadvantage OF ex-
hausting the available water supply
far sooner than score Of the anti
Quated hand-pumps on which the safe
ty of the town previously depended.
Everywhere German interests and
influence are being eliminated. The
Deutsche bank and Wienebank Verein
have put up their shutters; the erst
while German club is now the British
officers resthouse. A gymkhana cIut
has been opened at Mashlak, and gOli
and tennis are in full swing, while pole
is played regularly by British officers
at Biyukdere and ia the Valley Of tbs
Sweet Waters, the hills around be
decked with all the paraphernalia o.
British military camps.
Trying TO Enforce Sanitation.
The scavenging dogs have disap
peared the horrors of their end ar
wen known. Two English lady doctor
charged with the sanitation Of tn
town now force unwilling municipal
authorities to remove garbage from
the streets, and on the whole are fair
ly successful, though the task is IA
from being an easy one.
The sounds most characteristic 0
night in the Turkish capital are still
heard the tap, tap, tap, Of the nigh
watchman's heavy staff, the cries o
the freguards, the muezzin's call. Out
wardly there is little change, but dec
down are the mutterings of unrest ant
uncertainty, and he Is an UNUSUAL,
bold man who attempts to predict wha
win be the fate Of the town which 70
16 centuries at least has played so es
sential a part in the history OF man
kind, which has been in its time "a
heart OF a great emR-a.