Show LETTER LEITER FROM TURKEY A few words S as to the tha com com- common com O mon n business methods of this peo peo- people pie here in Turkey would per per- per interest the readers o of the though it is certain that the public in general would not care to adopt them To us they are very Ioa and are also among the crying evils in Turkey but here with them it is perfectly na na- na name tar na-tar mi me l Since Europeans have eked here they have heard of other methods o of busine business s but they IBM Mm quite astonished that any other system of trading and dicker dicker- log dicker eau cau c u be done Their mode is aIO ale a IO le one th they y do a great deal of chatting and occasionally customers moy J be treated to coffee and sweet- sweet Mats to if a good bargain can thereby be advanced Sometimes times when things dont don't go Just right they raise a smart mart row and gather a large Jarge of a 8 spectators tors some ome of whom Wily find lively employments for fifteen n to twenty min min min- Moll in ih trying to pacify one onet or Of t the other as the case caseus us be be The police if it present eel el- sel 10 dm interfere except in extreme The people are not ad adverse verse to b these little freaks freak and it should be understood that they bear neither hatred nor malice They think of no revenge and when the little cir cus Is over with they are usually the same sanie good friends and part witha with a friendly wish though during th the little which spat spat which seldom seldom comes to they blows they have called one another dogs jackasses and other hard names besides wishing all manner of hard things to come Why should they resort to such extremes extrema The whole may have originated over a difference of from 50 10 10 paras 1 f 1 5 cents It is too little to fight for but Just enough to quarrel over in a country where talk is heap cheap and money and profit ex- ex exceedingly exceedingly ex exceedingly scarce Now let us explain the common plan Two persons seldom eldom make a bargain without the presence of th the third p party in some way to be con con- connected connected with the bargain Hence when a person enters rs a shop to purchase an au article concerning which some orne difference rence of opi opinion nion as asto asto asto to price or quality may arise urise be- be between between be between tween seller seUer and customer any by- by bystander bystander by bystander stander is at once expected to par par- participate participate in the transaction That individual having reviewed the parties at issue as to their respective financial status a decision will be rendered to which in most instances an exception will be 00 taken If the customer perchance is a Euro European an wearing ng a hat he Is taxed at least double from the beginning there being no fixed prices Should no bystander happen to be pre present ent a passer passer-by r-by r or another clerk will pro probably bly step u up p to adjust matters The rhe clerk thus lending a helping hand haud will often sell en the arti arti- article article cl cle in fn question over the head of the clerk j in n charge The latter will then bunch hunch up his shoulders pull pun a face peculiar to such occasions only to be found in Turkey and will appear appear ap- ap apH pear really reany humiliated by tM the deal H though he may have gained per percent percent percent cent The customer in town while quietly musing over the bargain win will hunt up some Mme acquaintance or friend when the whole transaction transaction tion may be considered and a deci deci- decision decision sion rendered as to who was the thega ga gainer ter If a man be hired to w a ork a 8 horse engaged or any other small transactions common to every day every life Ufe are to be consummated they are hardly ever completed until some someone someone someone one interferes to finish the bargain much as a peacemaker would settle a quarrel If a man expects to do any busi- busi business busi ness nees with the government such as petitions and the like he does not go himself neither does he engage an attorney but he ha starts out in pursuit ol of some Ome of the kind called side tora meaning one who takes sides in court sues iI-sues but not suppo supposed d to know anything of law Without one of these individuals it itis itis itis is impossible to do business in Tur Tur- Turkey Turkey Turkey key except where the government is the applicant This doEs doE's all the wire pulling he be runs to and from the two parties and some some- sometimes sometimes sometimes times especially when an wade trade or imperial order is Roo seeded needed td the busi busi- business business business ness will have to be arranged b by others equally unauthorized by govErnment for the work He will wiH plead with his majesty who when overcome by the petitioners petitioner's reason reason- reasoning reasoning ing proclivities or his sympathetic emotions become aroused will wiH is- is isI issue issue is issue I sue the The is also the medium by which th the never falling never in is transmitted and if men are not sharp neither the desired ot object nor the Jh ia is often re- re recovered recovered re recovered covered If a pasha wishes a governorship we are informed that many times I regular bargains are entered into as between the petitioner and the tha keepers of the Sultan for the Sul Sul- Sultan Sultan tan is in a 8 sense supposed by the thena masses to be real truth it is believed is that he is boxed up b by a ring of officials who run mat mat- matters matters matters about as 88 they like having to steer clear of the European political political I cal maps and making his majesty often but a head figure-head One case aae was related to your correspondent where two turn was the price of one governorship These men re receive eive only sma small wages res but the chance oft of being receiver is very highly valued This same saDie sociable interference prevails when the marriage ques ques- question question question tion is at hand and as above aU all matters of fair trade this is to be bedone bedone bedone done up in a proper way the two most interested are not allowed even evenI evento evento evento I to speak to each other they have bave to tobe tobe be content with a distant look which luxury is not always obtain obtain- obtainable obtainable able particularly among the Turks To do this properly one of the fam fam- family family ily where a spare member may be found male or female as the case l l C it may be is sent out on the hunt for fora fora a mate but if no one of the family t can assume the responsibility an aged experienced person is engaged to act the and when the 00 on- on oo loot of or the search is found the par par- parents parents parents of the two parties come tp- tp to together gether ether and the acts as umpire u m pi re These were These are the only instances where the contracting parties do not quarreL quarrel quarrel reL rel They are excused shame for for- forbids forbids for forbids bids the man being seen in the street where his intended lives and she hides every time there is alarm at the door for fear of being seen She is ie indeed given in marriage In religious matters it is much the same One can now better hetter under under- understand understand stand the term terns used in the Scripture that he was baptized with his whole house That same spirit is extant even today When men of repute will listen or lead out many will follow having great confidence in such men U Until ntH these do step forward they will make many ex- ex excuses ex excuses CUBeB and stand off until a sufficient number is collected to make a good front From this observation it will be seen Been that the independence of char char- character charr character acter r of many of this people is dor- dor dormant dormant dor dormant mant The fhe fact of their having no confidence in their own acts nor in fact in themselves his lon long since undermined the people for future worth until some healing in influence be thrown around them In busi- busi business bus busi business ness they are tedious and parsimonious ous and are apt to look upon the as gloomy rhey they live in a state of lethargy and consider that life Ufe is governed by fate fat to a great extent t Progress in such a stupor is next to impossible ro Fo extricate the willing ones from this condition will take patience and time They rhey must come comein comein comein in closer contact with the true spirit of pro progression re ion and the changes must setting before them examples which will tend to correct the moral foundation and infuse moral courage which will better hetter under under- understanding understanding gradually give man a standing of his own being and the value of a well spent life The spirit that has reached here through the so-called so Christian sources is not that of progress proper it is more the spirit of greed and de- de truc de-truc true truc tion under the pretense of liberating the people from their bonds ignorance of True the people are in i n bonds to their own and to assist them is a noble work especially when prompted by a pure desire to do good but but the effort should be clothed in ina a mantle of mo morality mo- mo morality calculated to correct evil rather than increase it In this way only can the effort be successful Our western civilization may at- at attempt at attempt tempt to come east to civilize the Orientals but they themselves need eed first be moralized and have the beams removed from their own eyes so that they may more easily and with less ss danger remove the mote in eastern cou countries I 1 Well may we thank the Turk for his stubborn refusal to amalgamate with Christendom as he is forced to see it He has been a true trYe door door- doorkeeper doorkeeper keeper by land to the east His mind is not very expansive his as- as aspirations aspirations as aspirations are not very many nor lofty so far as temporal progress is cW i concerned He has been firm against the evils that are to lay Jay uis- uis dis dis- distracting distracting Christendom The Mo Mo- have steadily refused pictures to how bow down to the idols and lic- lic pic i- i tures with which the Christian churChes are filled they adhere strictly to this truly inspired sen sen- sentence sentence tence of the prophet Mohammed I It t is not fi fit t for a man that God should give him a book of revelations revelations revelations and wisdom and prophecy and that then He should say unto men Be ye worshippers of of of- me besides beside God Gou but he ought to sayBe say Be ye perfect in knowledge and in works since ye know the scriptures and exercise yourselves therein God hath not commanded you to take the angels an and prophets for your Lords I I Koran 3rd rd chapter The above is a severe rebuke by the Prophet it is enough to cause any Christian idolater to call all him a false prophet The scriptures teach us that dur dur- during during during ing the millennium there will be other nations besides the Saints and no DO doubt Islam is planted toward to ward off the Satanic fruits of the abominable the church As sure as the Catholics will never as a body give up their limited knowledge of Christ and re- re return return re return turn to heathenism and the Protes Protes- Protestants Protestants Protestants tants in a body will win not become Catholic above all an that the Latter Latter- Latter day day Sainte Saints will never never return to the mire of Christianity because it would be serious retrograding just so sure the will Babylon never become identified with Baby Baby- lon Jon They are art not beyond recovery In all aU instances where they have heard a little of the truth as revealed by God in this dispensation they have fell felt its force and the truth and aDd the truth only will ever reform these people The word of God is quIet but hut powerful FRIIS CONSTANTINOPLE CONSTANTINO cLE Sept 19 1889 |