Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1919-09-26
"TuroOs shop in Caracas.
- EW People associate the idea

"E W PEOPLE associate the idea
of Arabs. Moors or Turks with
the picturesque cities of the
Spanish main, yet there is
hourishing colony of these orientals
in Venezuela hailing from northern
Africa and Asia Minor. They main
tain among tneir foreign surroundings
all the customs of their brethren in the
Old World except that of plural mar
rage, on which institution the yene-
zuelan government has put its foot.
1T is a strange thing to walk along
one of the main business streets, say,
of Caracas, essentially Spanish in
every respect, says a writer in the
New York Times, as quoted in the Lit
erary Digest, "and suddenly see along
side Spanish names If merchants
strange Oriental Inscriptions, such as
Abu Amad, Ben Sid, ChaIala, Benatar.
One might easily imagine ones self in
the bazaars Of Tangier or Damascus.
They are an Interesting lot. these
"Turcos." as the Venezuelans cas-
them, irrespective OF whether they
came from Turkish territory or not.
They will not work under a boss,
and so all of them are ia business for
themselves, mostly as pedders or
small shopkeepers; and all of them
make money hand over fist. Not only
do they tuke in the coin, but they also
save it, and it is no uncommon thing
for an humble peddler to come into
bank, plank down $4,000 in gold and
ask for receipt and check book,
They dent like banks and therefore
keep their money at home until the
amount becomes SO large that they
fear for its safety. And they will, un-
der no circumstances, mix with the
native population.
Live Their Lives Apart.
These Arabs and Moors and Turks
live life entirely apart from the
Venezuelan community. Whereas, ii
Venezuelan has half a million dollars,
he is known all over the counhS end
pointed out as one of the leading jnen
In the community, ''Turco" in Cara
cas-, the Venezuelan capital, may have
that amount, or nearly as much, and
live so entirely to himself that s .arce-
ly anybody in the city can even tell
you where he dwells. There are 'Tuf
cos" with big accounts in the leading
banks of Caracas who are still living
IN the wretched novels they occupied
xhen they first reached Venezuela,
with ten or fifteen Of their race packed
into the same house, several in a
room. And when they return to north
ern Africa or Asia Minor they often 80
back as they came. in the steerage,
crowded in with hundreds of other
passengers. though The purser of the
steamer may have locked up for safe
keeping thousands Of their dollars
which they have earned by years Of
hard work in Venezuela.
The 'Turcos'' never accent a job
They want to he their own bosses first
last and all the tiae They began Nv
going TO some old-established Grm ID
Venezuela. asking credit OF s. 10 $40
aud taking out a basket Of trinkets and
dry goods 70 sell from house To bquse
in the capital or some Of the lesser
cities and towns. They start out
shortly after dawn and work until
dark. Their cry Of "Comnre, mer
enante' C.Buy. customary, in
strange. Oriental slngsong. IS well
known all over Venezuela
Prosper and Grow H.ch.
Gradually. as they prosper and they
almost invariably do-tley get more
,r4lit from the big flrrn~ and eventu-
ai.y open a little shop. a mere "hole-
in-the-gall." where there IS scarcely
room fer person 10 turn around.
They put in a stock Of dry goods
trinkets, novelties and the like, or per-
haps the lighter kind Of hardware
Then they get rich Their money mul'
tiplies in ways that strike the yene-
zuelans. who are inclined to take life
easy, Us miraculous.
The quitting whistle means nothing
10 q .'Ture0' He will start a little rat
hole Of shop near the market place
IN Caracas, for instance. and open mp
at dawn In order 10 catch the sellers
Of vegetables and fruits, who come
Ito the market from the Villages