Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-06-13
ROMANCE STILL
 ABIDES IN CITY
 OF ADRIANOpli:: <:
200 Years of Strife Have Left No Marks On
 City


 ent political and economic disinte- grafton, wars without end, and an uncertain future, have been unable to destroy the ineffable charm the Turks originally gave to this city of eight thousand souls. Adrianople is still q holy city in faith and in ap- tearance. Romance still abides here
 "The orient is the only place left to Europe where cities seen at close range are beautiful" remarked Jules Sebotin, a French aviator, while wis iting the most beautiful of ali mos ques, Sina's masterpiece here, the mosque of thousand windows, but one, erected at the order of Sultan Sellm II in the 16th century.
 The first impression of the city had been one of the infinite beauty Arriving from across the lofty Bal kans is an airplane, the city had been seen with rush, a place of spires, and slate domes and red roofs, planted at the intersection of three rivers. It had been welcomed sight. It had come at the end of a four hours ride and it was journeys end to a tired aviator.
 Seen from aloft, the city, surroun- NCu Uy popldIo dI ilS outSI Iilll, us house gardens within the city show ing green vines and flowers, it's out lying fields bare, aroused memories of Mardin on the mountains, Diar- bekr by the Tigris and hosts of oth- CT Turkish cities, always sleeping in beauty, whether visited by sunshine or moonlight.
 The longer the stay in Adrianople the more the charm of this beauty grows, charm that is as great afCot as aloft.
 Adrianople is city that has the tone of country friendship about it. not unlike county seat of the South The center of the agricultural ex- change business of Eastern and Western Thrace, it is frequented by ! peasants and traders of Turkish Greek, Bulgarian, Jewish and Armen- ian nationalities. There is record of but one American ever having done business in the city, and he came there from Paris and bought up all the brooms.
 While no day knows what the next day may bring forth in the way of political strife and crime, today the city preserves this tone of friend ship and order. Strangers as they go along the streets; or visit the shops, are treated with kindly con- cern. The Turkish officers salute ccurteously and there is no glint of hostility in the eyes of the Turkish soldiers carrying their new rifles, re- gently distributed them by Colonel Djefer Tayar Bey. His martial law, is administered with gentleness, though there is no doubt that the silken glove hides the nailed fist.
 The decadence of Adrianople goes at a dignified pace, There is little or none of the seething squalor and dirt and noise and poverty of Con- stantinople. There is none of the clamor of Constantinople's street cars and automobiles. There are a few ragged children who besiege the stranger, but for the most part Adrianople endures it's shabby gent ility with pride and calm. Here there are none of the fallen houses and dusty streets which characterize the majorty of the cities of Asia Minor
 Any day the city may surprise the world by tremendous massacre, but meanwhile it's life goes on as smooth ly as the flow of the rivers.
 Undoubtedly the life of Adrianople is fraught with that deep mystery which seems to cling inevitably to the sinful, idle, sleepy orient, but of this mystery the stranger sees only the charm,
 Prayers are called from the min arets, as of old; also the old and new bazaars do slender business in selling American and European cali coes and homespun cloths and Turk ish silver-mounted pipes and cigaret holders, rugs, junk, to passing peas ant customers; or else, when these are lacking they swap with each oth- CT, after the happy manner of all the orient.
 Decadcnce seems to have heighten- ed the beauty of the majestic old mosque of Sultan Bayzid. The win dows are broken in, the locks are rusted in the doors, the grass is growing up between the flagstone, the fountain in the court no longer splashes it's waters in the sunshine and the interior of the mosque it. self is slowly sdeteiorating. Few worshippers come here, but on the drcwsy Friday afternoon, the Mussul- mans day of worship. come devot- ed band of musicians and singers. The aviator and the Associated Press correspondent stumbled upon this group as tkey turned to go away, one.