Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-10-06

mcnians; beauty was the inspiration
of the Turks.
At my hand was the most fascinat-
ing and bewlldcring Of cities, ~ seeth-
ing caldron of racial hatred, the battle
ground of a dozen centuries, and the
depositary Of some of the most magni-
fcent monuments which have come
down to US from antiquity. OF the
three smaller cities which make W
Constantinople, went first to Pera, the
European quarter.
Pera is in the hands OF the western
peoples who have raised it in the like
ness OF their own cities with depart
ment stores, hote!s women's' shops and
all the other appurtenances Of our
mode of living. During the day it is
banal and harmless enough. Cndci
the cloak of evening, however, it is
transformed into a riot Of drunkenness
and vice. Vicious cabarets and foul
drinking dens appear in the dim
lighted streets, taking possession of
Pera like q swarm Of nocturnal harpies.
Then it is that one secs brawling
crowds fighting in side alleys, intoxi-
Gated women in the last stage of ab-
andonment and men kEived or murder
ed by unseen hands.
Our much -vaunted modcrnity and
progressiveness are found in Pera, but
our weaknesses are still more appar-
ent. And this is what we have brought
to 'Constantinoplc, for the Turks are
conspicuously absent from the actv-
titles of Pera.
Down the hill is Galata, the shipping
quarter, inhabited principally by the
Greeks. There are no words adequate
to picture Galata in the hideousness of
its depravity. Il is fostering breed
ing place of white slavery, disease and
opium dens. The worst Of It has
sprung up since the Allies took the
control of the city out Of the hands of
the Turkish authorities. Before the
war it was no worse than any seaport
Of the Mediterranean. Now it stands q
terrible charge against the West-for
in Galata the Turks are as little in
evidence as in Pera.
The city of Stamboul presents a
striking contrast to the two European
quarters. The Turks have kept it
much as it has been for centuries.
Broad, shaded avenues lead to the
magnificent mosques and monuments,
many of which were erected before the
discovery of America. The narrow side
streets are humming with the noises
of the shops and bazaars-the noise Of
industry rather than the noise OF riot
ing. Here one sees the coppersmiths
and carpenters and rug-weavers busy
with their quaint tools producing
articles that delight the tourist by
their fnesse and delcacy. Here coffee
shops take the place of beer halls for
the Mohammedan is forbidden by the
Koran TO indulge in Intoxicating drink
1t is a glimpse into colorful life that
has no counterpart in our civilization.
Over everything hovers a delightful
sense Of well-beirg. contentment,
happiness, and honest endeavor. No
flaming cabarets jingling with cheap
music, no street-wOmen clutchinS at
the sleeves OF passing men, no brawl-
ing in obscure cafes. When night
steals over Stamboul, the streets are
deserted and an unattended woman
might walk in safety from one end Of
the marvellous old city TO the other.
Now that l have left them behind,
the three cities assume distinct per-
sonalities in the calmress of recollcc-
ton. Pera brings to mind picture of
wealth, fast living, and gilded vice;
Galata still provokes a shuddcr and a
sense of nausea sweeps over me as 1
recall scenes Of depravity that are
stamped on my memory; Stamboul re-
turns like a soothing balm, precious
fragment Of beauty atoning for the
ugliness of the others, one arresting
gesture in mad plunge toward perdi-
ton. And Stamboul belongs to the
Turks-the unspeakable Turks.
Their Pounds OF Flesh.
In the autumn of 1920 more than a
hundred thousand Russian refugces
descended upon Constantinople with