of Æschylus, the earliest of the three great tragedians. When a little
way out of the city, we stopped, and looked over the old olive-tree
planted by Plato when he first began to teach at thirty years of age.
This would make it over fifteen hundred years old. It had an immense
hollow trunk, with a few limbs and sprouts growing, but it looked
toothless, shrivelled, and shorn of its beauty. It has been grazed and
barked by the wheel of time. The olive-tree has a wonderful tenacity
for life, and when the funeral obsequies will be held over it is
uncertain.
The ruins of the temple of mystery are at Eleusis, and in its day the
temple must have been attractive and of great capacity. No one was ever
allowed to enter or join the order that would divulge the tenets of the
organization. Of course, the ladies would not care to become members.
If you wish for a charming drive, go to Eleusis. The last part of the
drive as you go around the Bay of Eleusis is lovely. You are in plain
view of the Bay of Salamis, where Xerxes, with his fifteen hundred war
vessels, fought the Grecians, who had six hundred; and the old king had
the satisfaction of sitting up on the shoulder of the mountain that
comes down to the sea, and see his navy annihilated by the Grecians,
although he had great advantage in numbers.
We returned to our hotel, having had a fine drive of twenty miles. No
better roads can be found anywhere than about Athens. In the evening
Mr. Cummer, of Michigan, one of our party, and myself went out and
looked over the electric light station, and found Babcock boilers,
Westinghouse engines, and Edison system all doing good work. They have
commenced right by putting their wires all underground. Wages in this
city for common laborers are $2.50 per month and board. We are pleased
with Athens, but down goes my pen for this time.
Hope to be able to take you into Constantinople in a few days.
LETTER FROM CONSTANTINOPLE.
JUNE 5, 1895.
Wednesday, May 29, our steamer was to leave Athens, or the Bay of
Piræus, at 7 P.M. for Constantinople, a sail of forty-five hours. It
was an Austrian boat, the “Hungaria,” medium size, and not first-class.
The cabins were for four instead of two, and the boat was packed from
stem to stern. Therefore, the ladies and gentlemen were separated. I
at once selected my quartette, and had it understood if any one became
sonorous in the night he should be reported at once to the captain. We
had on board counts and countesses, and people that never heard of a
count, all nationalities mixed up together.
When we drove down from Athens and took small boats out to the steamer,
the heavy black clouds were hanging on the mountains, and looked as
though the breezes would be down upon us before morning.
However, in due time we were all packed away for a comfortable night;
but early in the morning we found ourselves in the Ægean Sea, with
high running billows, facing a gale. There were two men in our cabin
that prided themselves on being good sailors. They walked the deck and
dining-room of the “Normannia” every day when crossing the Atlantic;
but Thursday, the 30th, it was too windy to be on deck, and the
dining-room was anything but satisfactory. The bunks in the cabin
seemed to be the only place of comfort in the boat. The ladies’ cabins
were on deck, and they had a lively time. Some made their wills, others
turned over their letters of credit for safe keeping, etc. However, the
“Hungaria” kept on her course; and about 3 P.M. we left the boisterous
sea to play havoc with others, and we were in the Dardanelles, where we
found smoother waters, and the dining-room became a place of comfort,
and the deck was filled with people.
In the evening our engine broke down, and detained us some three hours.
It was lucky for us that it did not happen when on the sea.
The next morning we were passing the plains of Troy. Here was where the
Greeks besieged the city, but could not take it until they played a
shrewd game on the Trojans. They made an immense wooden horse, inside
of which were some Greeks, then feigned a retreat. The Trojans came
out to gather up what was left, and among other things drew into the
city the wooden horse. In the night out came the Greeks, and opened the
gates of the city. In came the Grecian army, and the thing was ended.
When we left the Dardanelles, we sailed into the Sea of Marmora, which
extends to the Bosphorus. About noon the Marmora had narrowed down, the
shore of Asia was on our right, and Europe on our left; and away in the
distance at the left could be seen Constantinople, stretching along up
the sea, domes and minarets by the hundred. The mosque Suleimon with
her six minarets, and the S. Sophia with her dome piercing the sky one
hundred and seventy-five feet, one hundred and eight feet at the base,
occupying some fifty thousand square feet, are objects that will set
the Yankee tongue in motion; and he wishes to know what those wonderful
buildings are and where are the people that use them, but you can
satisfy him by giving the name and promising to take him in later.
Constantinople lies on rolling land. In some places she goes up from
the sea and Bosphorus quite abruptly, giving a bold appearance. In
other places she retires in a more modest manner. As an Oriental town,
she has more than the usual amount of trees and foliage, which add to
her beauty.
On her right as we sail up the bay is Scutari. This is Asiatic Turkey.
On the hill away in the distance is located the girls’ college and
school belonging to the American Board, which is doing a grand work.
Before going ashore, we might as well go up the Bosphorus and Golden
Horn and the sweet waters of Europe. The Bosphorus connects the Sea of
Marmora with the Black Sea, being eighteen miles in length and from one
to three miles wide.
As you come up to the landing, you turn to the right, leaving the Sea
of Marmora. Entering this noted channel, take a small steamer, and you
will have a beautiful sail up and back, both banks being lined with
buildings. Perhaps in forty minutes at your right you will see the
girls’ college that I have referred to. Dr. Dunning preached to the
girls last Sabbath, much to their satisfaction; and it is evident that
they will give the doctor a call. Our party were all invited there
the 4th to an afternoon spread, resulting in a splendid time, full of
enjoyment.
The land on either side of this channel is picturesque of itself,
rising somewhat abruptly in places, but fertile to the top, scattered
over with Oriental trees and shrubbery. Among these are nestled the
houses, as well as many fine and imposing buildings. About as soon as
you turn into the Bosphorus at your left from the shore, up back as
far as you can see are the sultan’s grounds and palaces and beautiful
stables for his horses.
Upon this elevation, overlooking the waters of Marmora and the
Bosphorus, live the king of Turkey and almost all of his relatives; yet
I have seen many a humble American with a happier-looking face than
wears this king in all his regal splendor.
A little farther on, and you pass a little mosque that cannot be
surpassed for beauty. On this art and skill seemingly have spent their
energies. This is where the king goes to worship, although he has a
rule which he follows; that is, to worship once a year in every mosque
in the city.
Farther up the channel at your left, high up on the hill, standing
up boldly, is Robert College, putting in her hard knocks for truth,
righteousness, and good will to men; and she is, no doubt, an eyesore
to the sultan.
America is at fault in one thing. She ought to put the best man the
nation affords here as consul, a man level-headed, that will stand up
for righteousness and at the same time go for business. This she has
not done. The Turks are wily, polite, and treacherous. Our consul here,
they say, loses his head. I do not think he is anywhere up to the man
at Beyrout.
The German consul is doing much toward introducing German goods into
Turkey, but the people say they prefer American goods when they can get
them. I met a lady yesterday that has all her butter from Waterbury,
Vt., coming through in tubs in first-class condition.
But I am getting off my track; and, as we are now nearly at the upper
end of the Bosphorus, if you will look back down the coast, you will
see that Constantinople with its suburbs is a long city, being about
thirty miles in length, resting on this channel and the Sea of Marmora,
and containing about one million of people. This city is built largely
of wood, some of the buildings being six and seven stories high. While
there are many fine-looking buildings, yet a majority of them look
rusty, never having seen paint or whitewash. The earthquake, some ten
months or more ago, shook them up badly; and you can see many of the
scars to-day.
When we return to the landing and stand facing the city, we see
the course of the Bosphorus to the right and the Golden Horn going
to the left, up through the city. This is where the three waters
meet,--Marmora, Bosphorus, and Golden Horn.
Stamboul, the old part of Constantinople, lies to the left of the Horn
as you ascend its waters, also running down the shore of Marmora. This
part of the city was once the capital of the Greek empire.
Now, to go up the Golden Horn, we will take a kaik. There are said
to be thirty thousand of these little boats in the waters around
Constantinople. They are long and narrow, being twenty feet or more
in length, and look like an Indian canoe. They carry four people, who
are seated in the bottom of the boat, four oars with two men to handle
them, and they row for dear life; it is fun to go skipping over the
waters of the Golden Horn.
The Horn, where it enters the sea, is about one-half mile wide, and is
spanned by a pontoon bridge; but we get into our kaik just above this
bridge, and in a short time we go under another bridge, and pass some
ten or fifteen old war vessels, which are about all the navy Turkey
possesses.
The Horn is six miles long, and the boatmen will hustle you over its
waters in about fifty minutes. It grows narrow as you ascend, the last
two miles being the sweet waters of Europe, and is a place of great
beauty,--groves, villas, places of amusement, etc., all along its
banks,--and goes meandering its way to the end.
Friday is a gala-day. The Turkish ladies are out, and these waters are
literally covered with boats.
[Illustration: TURKISH LADIES.]
It is a great place for picnics. We saw one place where they were
having a jolly time roasting the whole carcass of a sheep; they had a
stick run through it lengthwise, and were turning it over a big fire of
coal, as you would turn a grindstone. I could see by their expression
that they had an eye for a good dinner.
Mutton is king in this country, and I will just call your attention to
the meat wagons that run through Constantinople; and, if you wish to go
into the business here, it will cost you but a trifle to rig up a cart.
Take two boards about three feet square, and hang them on a horse, one
each side, have some hooks put in on which to hang your roasts, steaks,
liver, chops, etc., and you are all right for business. Then you will
see many cheaper arrangements than that. A man takes on his shoulder a
pole some ten feet long. On this he hangs calves’ heads, pluck, lights,
and liver,--some things you might relish, but much that you would not.
This fellow travels about, furnishing any one that sees fit to buy.
A man gets full of these quaint things in travelling through these
Oriental towns.
I informed you not long ago that we had reached the climax on dogs at
Damascus, but I should have waited until we reached this place. The
first day we arrived we took carriages, and rode through the streets of
Constantinople one and a half hours. We counted seven hundred and fifty
dogs, and it was not much of a day for dogs, either. The dogs have
their own territory; and, if a dog gets off that on to another dog’s
ground, they give him Hail Columbia until he gets back again. Fifteen
in one pile is the largest cluster I have seen yet, but am prepared for
anything in the way of canines, and also intend to keep in that frame
of mind until I leave the Turkish empire.
The great Turkish annual festival “Bairam,” lasting some days,
commenced Monday, the 3d. Every well-to-do Mohammedan is expected to
buy a sheep at that time, take it home and kill it, and then divide up
the meat among the poor, so that every man shall have meat in his house
once a year. This is the most Christian thing, in my opinion, the Turks
are guilty of doing. The 2d of June we noticed the sheep were coming
into the city from all directions by the hundreds and thousands, and
were soon informed what was coming.
The sultan commences the slaughter by drawing the knife gently across
a sheep’s neck; and, as he was to be at a certain mosque or castle at
six o’clock that morning, we decided to take a ride before breakfast,
and were on the ground early, getting a good position. They had out
the military. The sultan rode in a carriage drawn by four horses, and
gold lace seemed to be abundant. The officers and horses in the Turkish
army appear to be covered with tinsel, while the soldiers were plain in
dress and appearance.
The sultan is fifty-six years old, and beginning to show iron-gray in
hair and whiskers. His boys rode in carriages behind the king, each one
having a carriage by himself. One of them, the youngest, attracted our
attention as being a fine little fellow.
When we arrived here, and were fairly settled in our hotel, we were
called on by Dr. Herrick, a brother of Dr. L. H. Cobb’s wife, who has
been a missionary here and at Massavan in the interior many years. We
accepted an invitation from him to go and spend Saturday night at his
house, which we enjoyed exceedingly, learning much of the work of the
missionaries, also of the people.
Two of his native teachers at Massavan were arrested some eighteen
months ago, accused of plotting against the government, and were
sentenced to be hung; but the doctor succeeded in getting another
hearing, and cleared them by fleeing the country.
Jealousy and ignorance have no limit among the Turks. A man telegraphed
to Germany for a pulley to run so many revolutions, and he was arrested
at once because the word “revolution” was in the telegram.
All letters going out of the country, if directed to editors, are
examined, and destroyed if not satisfactory. So we have sent all
letters, if possible, through the British post-office. Not a scrap of
anything can be printed, not even an auction notice, without first
going before the censor.
We have visited the Seven Towers that stands at the south-west part of
the city, close by the Sea of Marmora. This is a large enclosure with a
high wall and towers on the corners, some two hundred feet high. This
place at one time was occupied by the janizaries, and many a king lost
his head here. There is a small open court inside, called the place of
heads. Seven thousand were beheaded at one time, and the heads piled
in here. The blood ran in trenches out of the castle. On one side are
prison rooms or dungeons. At one time Lord Byron occupied one of them.
Near these rooms is what is called the well of blood, where they threw
their slaughtered victims. This well is connected by a channel with the
Sea of Marmora, so everything went out into sea.
We came to this point on a railroad tram skirting along the seashore,
and saw much of the old walls of the city Stamboul. Gala and Pera form
the main part of the present Constantinople. In Galata, upon high
ground, stands the Galata Tower, one hundred and fifty feet high, and
is a grand place to get a view of the city. In the Middle Ages it
was called the Tower of Christ or of the Cross. It is now used as a
fire-signal station, using flags in the day-time, lanterns by night.
The alarm of fire is given by firing a cannon seven times, and then
signal the location from the tower.
The dress of the people has changed here within a few years. While
one-half or more are Mohammedans, yet you see but little Turkish dress
excepting the fez. The rest of the dress is largely American.
They have here what they call esnap. We should call them labor
organizations. Each craft has an order of its own, though in so large
a city there will be many branches of the same craft. It is said there
are two hundred and fifteen registered orders.
They have their patron god-father, and celebrate once a year to his
honor. For instance, Adam is patron to the bakers, Eve to the bath
women, Abel to the shepherds, Cain to the grave-diggers, Noah to the
ship-builders, etc.
We visited the tombs of the kings, where were buried two sultans and
several of their wives. One of the sultans killed himself with the
shears, or else the attendants did the work for him. There remains to
this day an uncertainty in the matter.
The kings’ tombs are covered with wrought Persian silk, ornamented
with gold lace and mother of pearl, and will dazzle your eyes to look
at them. The wives’ tombs are covered, but not with such splendor. The
building was handsome from the word go; and the dome, though small, was
exquisitely beautiful.
The mosque S. Sophia, located in Stamboul, is the pride of the
Mohammedans of Constantinople. I have already given you an idea of
its size; and, as you go inside, you will be impressed with its
architectural beauty. It is the third church that has stood on this
ground, two having been destroyed. The first was built by Constantine
the Great, and was dedicated to Divine Wisdom. The second was built
and dedicated to Theodosius. The present one was built by Justinian,
costing over one million sterling, and became the centre of the great
transactions of state, the emperor’s nuptials being solemnized there,
and many great and important events.
There are some eight different varieties of marble used in its
construction. Troas, Athens, Ephesus, and many other places contributed
to the rearing of this edifice. It was turned into a mosque when the
Turks conquered Constantinople.
[Illustration: MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN.]
Monday, the 3d, we were all invited to the Bible House to lunch and
met many of the missionaries and teachers from the colleges, and had
a charming time. Dr. Herrick did the honors at the table in giving
us a welcome, and calling out the speakers after the viands were
served. Handsome is that handsome does. Taking that as a basis,
Constantinople will have to look long and wide to find as handsome
a man as the doctor. Dr. Dunning was happy in his remarks, as well as
several other ministers of our party. Dr. Riggs, sixty-three years on
the field, and still at the good work, was with us, occupying the head
of the table. We also had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Bliss, one of
the veterans.
Never was there a time when the hearts and hands of the missionaries in
Turkey should be stayed up by the American people more than to-day. The
cloud of uncertainty is hanging over them. Satan never yields an inch
of ground without a struggle. The Turks are drawing the lines closer
every year, and the cloud is liable to burst at any time.
The sultan keeps an army in Constantinople of one hundred and fifty
thousand.
It being the week of the great Bairam festival, the steamer was not to
go up the Danube until Saturday; and, instead of waiting so long, we
decided to take a train Wednesday night, and go by rail to Vienna. So
we bid good-by to Constantinople June 5 at 7 P.M.
FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO PARIS.
JUNE 5, 1895.
We bade good-by to Constantinople at 5 P.M. Wednesday. Thursday morn
at six we were called upon in our berth for our passports, as we had
finished up the territory of Turkey and were ready to enter Bulgaria.
We soon satisfied the Bulgarians that we were all right.
From appearances we had a mutual admiration for each other, as we had
seen Turks enough; and the Bulgarians, no doubt, had more love for
an American than a Turk, as it is only a few years since they freed
themselves from Turkish rule by hard-fought battles.
Our engine was soon speeding its way up a beautiful valley, coursing
along a beautiful river, nearly as large as the Connecticut. We seemed
to breathe a freer atmosphere than in the land we had just left. The
towns we passed through looked thrifty, the people happy.
Bulgaria was filled with Greek Christians, and the Turks oppressed them
so heavily that they rebelled; and the Russians came in, and helped
them gain their freedom.
We could see away ahead in the distance the Balkan Mountains. Over
these mountains came the Russians, who with the Bulgarians fought the
Turks the whole length of this beautiful valley we are travelling over,
driving them clear to Constantinople. As we passed along, we saw a
great many mounds, some twenty-five feet diameter at the base, ten
or more feet high, and learned on inquiry they were places where the
soldiers were buried. Hence all the forenoon we were passing over a
battlefield.
About noon we were in plain view of the mountains over which our big
engine was to take us. These mountains seemed to be heavily wooded. The
river was beginning to run rapidly; and we found the people were using
the water power to run saw-mills, cutting out lumber by the train-load.
Our engine tugged and puffed away vigorously, and at times we moved
slowly; but on we went, and about three o’clock were on top of the
mountain, where we accelerated our speed, and went plunging down the
other side, and at six o’clock we had crossed Bulgaria, and were
ready to enter Servia, and of course had to pull out our passports
again. Here we had our dinner; and everything was looked over by a
set of red-tape fellows, that appeared to have a great weight of
responsibility upon themselves. But we took things easily, and soon
after our train started we were tucked away in our berth for a good
night’s rest and sleep, waking early the next morning as we were going
into a lovely city, embowered in trees and shrubbery and flowers,
located where she could dip her feet into the beautiful Danube; and it
proved to be the city of Belgrade, the largest city in Servia. Here is
located the king’s palace.
In passing through Bulgaria, we became much interested in the people.
They seemed industrious, mostly in agricultural pursuits, raising corn
and large quantities of winter rye.
Bulgaria is in about the same latitude as Vermont, though I think the
crops are more forward than they are in Vermont. The corn was being
hoed, and the rye will be ready to harvest in about two weeks.
Here the ladies--for they looked like ladies--worked in the field. They
had on their red skirts and Zouave jackets, some of them gayly trimmed,
and looked jaunty. We saw but few men in the field. They seemed to do
the ploughing, the hoeing being done by the women.
It is a question whether women’s rights do not prevail here, and the
men are at home making the bread and taking care of the children;
but the women and girls looked fresh and healthy, and swung the hoe
vigorously.
At every station you see armed police. They wear white coats and caps,
blue trousers with gilt buttons and trimmings; and we called them
handsome.
We enjoyed our ride through Bulgaria exceedingly. At Belgrade we had to
be overhauled again by the government dignitaries, as we were to cross
the Danube and enter Hungary and Austria. Hand-bags and everything
had to go to the custom-house. Cigars, whiskey, and dynamite seemed
to be the articles they were looking for, one about as destructive as
the other. The Congregational party had no trouble with anything but
the former, and not heavily loaded with that; but, after one hour of
unrolling of red tape and haggling away, our train was crossing the
Danube over a beautiful, substantial bridge. Passing through Servia in
the night, we shall not be able to trumpet forth her glory, but will
merely say it is a good country to sleep in, and Belgrade, her capital,
looked fine.
After we crossed the Danube, we swept out into a level plain, and soon
were lost in a fertile prairie, beautiful land so far as the eye could
reach, looking like the West, only it was dotted over with trees that
added to its beauty.
In this country the women take the same part in the field as in
Bulgaria; and we see but little improvement in farming tools, although
we saw them ploughing with ploughs that had mould boards turning the
furrow, and two small wheels running in front. On these ploughs there
were two and three yoke of oxen, even in light ploughing.
The oxen are the same breed that we saw at Rome,--white, with very
large horns running up into the air.