The Tomahawk., 1919-10-02
"Tureo" Shop In Caracas.

"Tureo" Sho,
@EW PEOPLE associate the idea
of Arabs, MOors or Turks with
the picturesque cities of the
Spanish main, yet there is a
dourishing colony Of these orientals
In Venezuela, hailing from northern
Africa and Asia Minor. They main
tain among their foreign surroundings
all the customs of their brethren in the
Old World except that of plural mar.
riage, on which institution the Vene-
zuelan government has put it's foot.
1T is strange thing to walk along
one of the main business streets. say,
Of Caracas, essentially Spanish in
every respect" says q writer in the
New York Times, as quoted in the Lit
erary Digest, "and suddenly see along
side Spanish names of merchants
strange Oriental inscriptions, such as
Abu Amad, Ben Sid. Chalala, Benatar.
One might easily imagine ones self In
the bazaars of Tangier or Damascus"
They are an interesting lot, these
"TurcOs," as the Venezuelans call
them, irrespective Of whether they
came. from Turkish territory or not.
They will not work under q boss"
and so all of them are in business for
themselves, mostly as peddlers or
small shopkeepers; and all Of them
make money hand over fist. Not only
do they take in the coin, but they also
save it, and it is no uncommon thing
for an humble peddler to come into a
bank, plank down $4,000 in gold and
ask for a receipt and a check book
They don't 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 a life entirely apart from the
Venezuelan community. Whereas, if q
Venezuelan has half a million dollars,
he is known all over the country and
pointed out as one Of the leading men
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 scarce
ly anybody in the city can even tell
you where he dwells. There are '"Tur-
cos" with big accounts in the leading
banks of Caracas who are still living
in the wretched novels they occupied
when they first reached Venezuela,
with ten or fifteen of their race packed
into the same house, several in q
room. And when they return to north
ern Africa or Asia Minor they often 60
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 accept a job.
They want to be their own bosses first,
last and all the time. They began by
going to some old-established firm in
Venezuela. asking a credit Of S. to $40,
and taking out basket of trinkets and
dry goods to sell from house to house
In the capital or some Of the lesser
cities and towns. They start out
shortly after dawn and work until
dark. Their cry Of "Compre, mer.
chante'' ("Buy, customer"), in a
strange, Oriental singsong, is well
known all over Venezuela. .,
Prosper and Grow Rich.
Gradually, as they prosper-and they
almost invariably do-they get more
credit from the big firms and eventu-
ally open a little shop, q mere ''hole-
in-the-wall," where there is scarcely
room for a person to 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 null
tiplies in ways that strike the Vene-
zuelans, who are inclined TO take life
easy, as miraculous.
The quitting whistle means nothing
to q sTurco." He will start little rat
hole Of q shop near the market place
in Caracas, for instance, and open up
at dawn In order to catch the sellers
Of vegetables and fruits, who come
into the market from the villages