THE GREEKS OF TURKEY.
Importance of the Greeks at the Present Moment—Their
Attitude—The Greek Peasant as Contrasted with the
Bulgarian—His Family—Eloquence—Patriotism—Comforts—The
Women—A Greek Girl—Women of the Towns of the Upper Class—Of
the Lower Class—Wives and Husbands—Greek Parties—The
Conservatives and the Progressives—A Conversation on
Greek Go-a-head-ness—Physical Features of the Modern
Greek—Character—General Prejudice—A Prussian Estimate—Greek
Vices—An Adventure with Greek Brigands—Adelphé—Unscrupulousness
in Business—Causes and Precedents—Jews and Greeks—Summary.
All eyes are now turned upon the Greek race as one of the most important
factors in the Eastern Question. The future of South-Eastern Europe is
seen to lie in the balance between Greek and Slav, and people’s opinions
incline to one side or the other as dread of Russia or distrust of
“Greek guile” gets the upper hand. I have nothing to say here about the
people of free Hellas: I have only to tell what I have witnessed of the
character and condition of the subject Greeks in Turkey. These, though
they shared in the national effort of 1821-9, reaped little of the
fruits. The Greeks of Macedonia, Thessaly, and Thrace did not gain the
freedom accorded to the people of “Greece Proper,” though their condition
was somewhat improved. But they are only biding their time. They know
that their free countrymen are anxious to share with them the results of
the glorious struggle of 1821. They know that centuries of subjection
and oppression have demoralized and debased the nation; and they have
long been striving with their whole strength to prepare themselves for
freedom. They have employed the time of transition with great moderation
and judgment. Those whom the Porte has appointed to high offices have
filled their posts with conscientiousness, fidelity, and dignity. Taught
worldly wisdom in the school of adversity, they have avoided premature
conspiracy and rebellion, and have directed all their energies to
educating the race for its future. “Improve and wait patiently” is the
motto of the Greeks in Turkey.
The Greek peasant differs greatly from the Bulgarian. Agriculture is not
all the world to him; his love for the pursuit is decidedly moderate
unless he sees an opening for enterprise and speculation, as in the
growth of some special kind of produce which he can sell in the raw
condition or as manufactured goods. Unlike the Bulgarian, his whole
family is not chained to the soil as the one business of life. When the
paterfamilias can dispense with the services of some of his daughters,
they leave their home in pursuit of occupation, and his sons in the same
manner are allowed to quit the paternal roof in search of some more
lucrative employment elsewhere. It is thus that the Greek is to be found
in every nook and corner of Turkey, established among his own kindred
or with foreigners, and following various professions and callings, as
doctors, lawyers, schoolmasters; whilst, descending to a lower scale, we
find him employed in every town and village as a petty tradesman, mason,
carpenter, shoe-maker, musician, in all which occupations he manages by
dint of energy, perseverance, and address to obtain a modest competence,
or sometimes even to reach prosperity.
I remember, among other instances of the kind, the case of a Greek
peasant family in the district of B⸺. The father was a respectable man,
who owned a small property in his native village, and whose quiver was
filled with eight children. The eldest remained to assist on the farm;
two others of tender age also remained under the mother’s care; the other
five, including a girl, left their home, and came to the town. One of the
boys and the girl took service with me; a second boy apprenticed himself
to a photographer, another became a painter of church pictures, and the
fourth a cigarette-maker. The salaries these young peasants received
were at first very meagre; but all the same the four boys clubbed their
savings together, and after a time sent for their younger brother to live
in town in order to enjoy the benefit of receiving a good education.
Six years passed, during which the boy and his pretty and intelligent
sister remained in my house; both learned to speak English, the boy
having studied the language grammatically in his leisure moments. They
are now honest, intelligent servants, perfect in the performance of their
duties, and devoted to my family. The three apprentices, through their
steadiness, good conduct, and energy, have become proficient enough in
their different callings to set up for themselves, while the boy at
school is one of the most advanced students of the _Gymnasium_.
The intellectual position of the Greeks is far superior to that of the
Bulgarians. They are cleverer, and they and their children are more
advanced in education. They display a great interest in passing events,
as well as in politics, a knowledge of which they obtain by means of
the numerous Greek newspapers they receive from Athens, Constantinople,
and all the large towns of Turkey. These journals find their way to the
remotest hamlets, one or two being sufficient to make the round of a
village. They also possess other literature in the shape of the history
of their country, biographies of some of their illustrious ancestors,
and national songs in the vernacular. All these make a deep impression
upon the entire population, who, after the conclusion of the labors of
the day, gather together in the taverns and coffee-houses to discuss
matters, talking excellent sense over the coffee-cup, or waxing hot and
uproarious over their wine and _raki_.
The Greek peasant displays none of the embarrassment and tonguetiedness
of the Bulgarian. I have often met with instances of this: one especially
struck me which happened in the early part of last summer in the vilayet
of B⸺. Some Bashi-bazouks had entered a village, and committed some of
their usual excesses; but the peasants had found time to send away their
wives and daughters to a place of safety. On the following day a body
of fifty Greeks came to complain to the authorities. In order to render
their claims more effective, they applied for protection at the different
Consulates. I happened to be at luncheon at one of these Consulates,
and the Consul ordered the men to be shown into the dining-room to make
their statements. One at once stepped forward to give an account of the
affair, which he related with so much eloquence and in such pure modern
Greek that the Consul, suspecting him to be some lawyer in disguise, or
a special advocate of Greek grievances, set him aside, and called upon
another to give his version. Several looked questioningly at each other,
but with no sign of embarrassment; on the contrary, the expression on
each face betokened natural self-confidence, and meant in this instance
to say, “We can each tell the tale equally well, but I had better begin
than you.”
Patriotism is highly developed among the Greek peasants, who are fully
aware of the meaning of the word _patris_, and taught to bear in mind
that half a century ago free Hellas formed part of the Ottoman Empire;
that its inhabitants, like themselves, were a subject people, and owe
the freedom they now enjoy to self-sacrifice and individual exertion.
“They are our elder brothers,” say they, “who have stepped into their
inheritance before us. There is a just God for us as well!”
The wants of the Greek are more numerous than those of the Bulgarians.
Their dress, for instance, is not limited to a coarse suit of _aba_ and
a sheepskin _gougla_, but is sometimes made of fine cloth and other rich
materials, and includes shoes and stockings. The culinary department
also demands more utensils; besides which, tables, table-linen, knives
and forks are often seen at their meals. The bedding they use is more
complete, and does not consist solely of rugs, as with the Bulgarians.
Their houses are better built, with some regard to comfort and
appearance, frequently with two stories, besides possessing chimneys
and windows (when safe to do so). The village schools are better
organized, and kept under the careful supervision of the Society for
their direction, and the churches are more numerous. The women are less
employed in field work, and consequently more refined in their tastes,
prettier in appearance, and more careful and elegant in their dress. The
Greek peasant girl knows the value of her personal charms, and disdains
to load herself with the tarnished trinkets, gaudy flowers, and other
wonderful productions in which the Bulgarian maiden delights. A skirt of
some bright-colored silk or mixed stuff and a cloth jacket embroidered
with gold form the principal part of her gala costume, covered with a
fur-lined pelisse for out-of-door wear. Her well-combed hair is plaited
in numerous tresses, and surmounted by the small Greek cap, which is
decorated with gold and silver coins like those she wears as a necklace.
She is not to be bought, like the Bulgarian, for a sum of money paid
to her father as an equivalent for her services; but according to her
means is dowered and given in marriage, like the maidens of classical
times. Still the peasant girl is neither lazy nor useless; she takes an
active part in the duties of the household, is early taught to knit and
spin the silk, flax, wool, or cotton which the mother requires for the
different home-made tissues of the family. She leads her father’s flock
to the pasture, and under the title of _Voskopoula_ kindles a flame in
the heart of the village youth and inspires the rustic muse. On Sundays
and feast-days she enters heartily into all the innocent pleasures of
her retired and isolated life. She has more pride than the Bulgarian;
and although in married life she is submissive and docile, she possesses
a greater depth and richness of love. I have known instances of peasant
girls exchanging vows with youths of their village who are leaving their
home in search of fortune, and patiently waiting for them and refusing
all offers in the mean time. In most cases this devotion is requited by
equal constancy on the part of the lover; but should she be deserted, her
grief is so terrible that she not seldom dies from the blow.
If there is more than one daughter in a family, some from the age of
twelve or fourteen are usually sent to town and placed out as servants,
with the double object of giving them the opportunity of seeing more of
the world and the means of earning something for their own maintenance.
These earnings as they are acquired are converted into gold coins and
strung into necklaces.
When these girls are honest and good, and fall into proper hands, they
are usually adopted by the family with whom they take service, under the
title of ψυχόπαιδα. On reaching the age of twenty-five or twenty-seven a
trousseau is given to them with a small dowry, and they are married to
some respectable artisan. Those simply hired as servants either marry in
the towns or do so on returning to their native village.
The Greek peasant women are as a rule clean and industrious, fond mothers
and virtuous wives. The best proof of their morality is in the long
absences many husbands are obliged to make from their homes, which are
attended by no unfaithful results. In some instances for a period of even
twenty years the wife becomes the sole director of the property, which
she manages with care and wisdom, and the only guardian of the children
left in her charge.
The peasants who still cling to the soil plod away at their daily toil in
very much the same way as the Bulgarians, but show a greater aptitude for
rearing the silkworm and growing olives and grapes. The Greek peasants
are not models of perfection; but as a body they are better than any
other race in Turkey, and under a good government they are certain to
improve and develop much faster than either the Bulgarians or the Turks.
The Greek women of the towns, according to their station and the amount
of refinement and modern ideas they have been imbued with, display in
their manners and mode of living the virtues and faults inherent in the
Greek character. I must in justice state that the former exceed the
latter; their virtues consist principally in their quality of good honest
wives, and in the simple lives they are usually content to lead in their
homes. The enlightenment and conversational talents of some of the better
class do not fall far short of those of European ladies. Those less
endowed by education and nature have a quiet modest bearing, and evince
a great desire to improve. The most striking faults in the Greek woman’s
character are fondness of dress and display, vanity, and jealousy of the
better circumstances of her neighbors. The spirit of envious rivalry
in dress and outward appearance is often carried to such a pass that
the real comforts of home-life are sacrificed, and many live poorly and
dress meanly on ordinary occasions in order to display a well-furnished
drawing-room and expensive holiday costumes to the public. When living
in the town of N⸺, I was taken into the confidence of the Archbishop’s
niece, who was my neighbor. She confessed to me that on promenade days
she regularly stationed her servant at the end of the street in order to
inspect the toilette of her rival, the wife of the richest _chorbadji_,
so that she might be able to eclipse her.
Greek ladies are fond and devoted mothers, but they are not systematic in
rearing their children. This has, however, been remedied in many cases by
children of both sexes being placed from a very early age in the care of
governesses, or at school, where the more regular training they receive
cannot fail to have beneficial results.
The life of women of the working classes is still more homely and
retired, as it is considered an impropriety to be seen much out of
doors, especially in the case of young girls, whom prejudice keeps very
secluded, even to the length of seldom allowing them to go to church.
When abroad, however, their fondness for display is equal to that of
their richer sisters, whose toilettes, however novel or complicated,
in cities like Constantinople and Smyrna, are sure to be copied by the
fishermen’s or washerwomen’s daughters. In provincial towns like Rodosto
and Adrianople, the love of dress finds its satisfaction in bright colors
and wreaths of artificial flowers, especially the much coveted carnation,
when out of season, which is worn by some as a love-trophy; for it must
have been given by some lover on the feast-day. Greek girls are very
clever at needlework and embroidery; but their life is nevertheless
monotonous, and they have little variety of occupation and amusement.
This is owing in part to the exclusion of women of all races in Turkey
from occupations in shops, and to the absence of manufactories, which,
with the exception of some silk factories, do not exist in the country.
Those in the silk-growing districts, however, give employment to a number
of Greek girls, who show great aptitude for this branch of industry, and
often become directresses of establishments in which Armenian and other
women are employed.
The affection of a Greek wife for her husband is joined to a jealous care
of his interest; she will strive to hide his faults and weaknesses, and
the disinterested devotion with which she will cling to him in prosperity
and adversity is astonishing. A woman belonging to the town of S⸺, on
hearing that her husband had been arrested on a charge of complicity
with brigands, left her home and five children to the care of a blind
grandmother, and set out on foot on a three days’ journey to the town
where he was to be tried. He was condemned to seven years’ imprisonment,
and sent to the prison at A⸺, whither she followed him. Young and pretty,
entirely friendless, and without means of subsistence, she lingered
about the Greek quarter until her sad tale gained her an asylum in a
compassionate family. She toiled hard to gain a small pittance, which she
divided between herself and her unhappy partner shut up in the common
prison. The dreadful news was brought to her that three of her children
were dead, that her house was falling to pieces, and that her aged and
afflicted mother was unable to take care of the two surviving little
ones. Unmoved by these calamities, she refused to quit the town of A⸺
until, through the instrumentality of some influential persons whose
sympathies she had enlisted, her husband’s period of punishment was
shortened.
Greek society may be divided into two classes, the conservative
party and the progressive. The former, in the provincial towns, are
jealous of their rights and privileges as elders of the community and
representatives of the nation in the _Medjliss_. In many instances these
side with the authorities in acts of injustice, sometimes from timidity
and sometimes from interested motives. This small retrograde class is
also strongly opposed to the progress of education, and often hinders it
by stint of money and general hostility to all changes.
The second class consists of the educated members of the community, who
earn their fortunes in much the same way as the rest of the civilized
world, and spend it liberally in comforts and luxuries, and for the
benefit of the nation—an object to which every Greek tries to contribute
in some degree. The motto of this party is _Embros!_ (Forward!) They are
stopped by no difficulties and overcome by no drawbacks, either in their
personal interests or those of the nation. Their success in enterprise
should no longer (as formerly) be attributed to disloyalty, dishonesty,
and intrigue—in these respects there is no reason for believing them
worse than their neighbors—but to the wonderful energy and ability they
show in all their undertakings. I heard a conversation some time ago
between two medical celebrities of Constantinople with reference to the
Greek spirit of enterprise and ambition. One praised their enterprise as
a promising quality, and, to use his own expression, said, “There is an
immense amount of ‘go’ in the Greek.”
“Go!” repeated the other, waxing hot, “Too much so, I believe: there
is no telling where a Greek’s enterprising spirit may not lead him, or
where his ambition will stop! Listen to my experience on the subject
and judge for yourself. Some years ago I was asked by a good old Greek
I knew very well to take his son, a youth of twenty, into my service.
According to the father’s recommendation, he was a good Greek scholar
and knew a little Latin. I asked the father in what capacity I was to
engage him. ‘Any you like,’ was the reply: ‘let him be your servant—your
slave.’ ‘Very well; but he will have to clean my boots and look after my
clothes!’ ‘πολὺ καλὰ’ was the response, and I engaged his son.
“On the following day my new valet entered upon his duties. He was a
good-looking, smart, and intelligent fellow, and at first exact and able
in the performance of his functions; but gradually he became lax, absent
in manner, and negligent; although steady and quiet in his conduct.
One day the mystery of this change was revealed on my returning home
unexpectedly, and finding the fellow, instead of cleaning my boots, which
he held in his hand, deeply plunged in one of the medical works on my
table. In my anger at seeing my papers and books meddled with, I brought
my boots into contact with his head, telling him that if ever I caught
him again at that sort of thing, he would be punished more severely.
‘Forgive me,’ said he, in a very penitent manner, and walked demurely
out of the room. He showed, however, no signs of improvement, and
subsequently I discovered him committing no less a piece of impertinence
than copying some prescriptions that lay on my desk. This was too much;
so, as a punishment, I made him take one of the potions; but on the next
day he calmly told me that the _iatrico_ had done him good, having calmed
his blood and cleared his head! Of course, I dismissed the fellow and
replaced him by an Armenian, who answered my purpose better, though he
did dive now and then rather extensively into the larder. For some years
I lost sight of my former valet, and had forgotten his very existence
till it was brought to my recollection in the following unexpected
manner. I one day received a pressing message to go at once to the
house of D⸺ Pasha to see a sick child and hold a consultation with his
new _hekim bashi_ (doctor) on its case. At the appointed hour I went,
and on entering the konak was ushered into the selamlik to await the
arrival of the other doctor who was to lead me into the harem. In a few
minutes my supposed colleague walked in, hat and gold-headed stick in
one hand, while the other was extended to me, with the words ‘καλημέρα,
ἴατρε’(good-morning, doctor). The face and voice transfixed me for a
moment, but the next presented to me the fact that my former valet stood
before me, claiming the right of holding a consultation with me. Whereat
I was on the point of giving vent to my indignation, by seizing him by
the collar and ejecting him from the apartment, when he quietly said,
‘Excuse me, ἴατρε, but I stand before you in right of the diploma I
have obtained from Galata Serai. Allow me to submit it to your learned
and honorable inspection.’ There was no denying the fact; the fellow’s
diploma was in perfect order. My anger cooling, I consented to consult
with him, when he again incensed me by venturing to take a view of the
case opposed to mine. His opposition, however, was only momentary; for,
taking the upper hand, I dictated my directions to him, and he, yielding
with a good grace to my experience, carried out my orders with great
precision. I had subsequently many opportunities of meeting him, and must
in justice say that he turned out one of the best pupils of Galata Serai,
and the most grateful man I have ever known. He is at present attached to
the Red Cross Society, to which he gives the greatest satisfaction.”
In feature and build the modern Greek still possesses the characteristic
traits of his ancestors. Scientific researches and anatomical
observations made upon the skulls of ancient Greeks are said to prove
that if art had glorified to a slight extent the splendid models of
statues, it could not have strayed very far from the originals. Such
pure and perfect types are constantly met with at the present day in the
modern Greeks, who, as a rule, possess fine open foreheads, straight
noses, and fine eyes full of fire and intelligence, furnished with black
lashes and well-defined eyebrows; the mouths are small or of medium size,
with a short upper lip; the chin rather prominent, but rounded. The
entire physiognomy differs so essentially from the other native types
that it is impossible to mistake it. In stature the Greek is rather tall
than otherwise, well made and well proportioned; the hands and feet are
small in both sexes. The walk is graceful, but has a kind of swagger and
ease in it, which, although it looks natural in the national costume,
seems affected in the European dress.
The distinct Greek type, so noticeable in certain localities, has in
others suffered from the admixture with foreign elements; but we find
it again in all its perfection in the inhabitants of the coast of Asia
Minor, where the Greeks were at one epoch so crushed and denationalized
as to have lost the use of their mother-tongue. Some of the finest
specimens of the Greek race may be found in Smyrna, Gemlek, and Philadar,
as well as in more inland places, such as Mahalitch, Demirdesh, and
Kellessen.
The influence and effects of the last and most important change must
be carefully followed and the transformation already wrought upon the
nation taken into consideration before a fair and impartial estimate of
the character of the present Greeks can be arrived at. The nation in its
present scattered condition presents great variety and dissemblance; but
even these points, in my opinion, constitute its force and guarantee
its future prosperity. No person well acquainted with modern Greece can
contest the vast improvement in the national character during the last
half century, the moral development already gained, and the prosperous
condition the little kingdom has now entered upon. The educated and
enlightened _rayah_ follows closely in the footsteps of his liberated
kinsmen, and bids fair some day to catch them up. Until recent times the
real advance in the Greek character seems to have escaped the notice of
European critics, and in obedience to ancient prejudice it is still the
fashion to cry down the future queen of South-East Europe. A charitable
Prussian diplomatist, writing with more zeal than knowledge, gave the
following flattering portrait of the Greeks of Constantinople at the end
of the last century;
“Le quartier est la demeure de ce qu’on appelle la noblesse grecque, qui
vivent tous aux dépenses des princes de Moldavie et de Valachie. C’est
une université de toutes les scélératesses, et il n’existe pas encore
de langue assez riche pour donner des noms à toutes celles qui s’y
commettent. Le fils y apprend de bonne heure à assassiner adroitement son
père pour quelque argent qu’il ne saurait être poursuivi. Les intrigues,
les cabales, l’hypocrisie, la trahison, la perfidie, surtout l’art
d’extorquer de l’argent de toutes mains, y sont enseignés méthodiquement!”
An English author of more recent date, but neither more enlightened
nor animated with a greater sense of justice or impartiality, denies
their right to a national history or their possession of an ancestry,
furnishing them instead with one out of his fertile imagination.
According to him several millions of Greeks are nameless, homeless
upstarts, who have invariably made their fortunes by following the trade
of _bakals_, or chandlers, and, with the enormous and illegal profits
of their business, send their sons to Athens to be educated and receive
a European varnish, then to return to Turkey full of pretension and bad
morals, to sow discord and create mischief among their less enlightened
brethren. Such absurd statements carry their own refutation; but they
mislead people who are already prejudiced and ready to believe anything
bad of the Greeks. The general currency such erroneous assertions
receive, even in England, the country of Byron and the seamen of
Navarino, struck me in a remark lately made by an intelligent English
boy of twelve, who, happening to hear the Greeks mentioned at the
luncheon-table, asked his mother if all the Greeks were not cut-throats?
These fallacies are gradually being cleared away. As a nation the Greeks
possess undeniable virtues and talents, which, properly encouraged and
guided, have in them the making of a strong progressive people—such as
one day the Greeks will assuredly be. Their faults are as distinct and
prominent as their virtues. In the careful and impartial examination a
long residence has enabled me to make of the character of this people,
I discovered a good deal of vanity, bravado, and overweening conceit.
They are vain of their ability, and still more vain of the merits and
capacity of free Hellas, of which they are so enamoured as to consider
this little kingdom, in its way, on a level with the Great Powers. The
spirit of bravado is often shown in animated disputes and controversies,
for which they have a great partiality. They are subtle, extremely
sensitive, fond of gain, but never miserly. Their enthusiastic nature,
given free scope, will lead them into the doing of golden deeds; and, in
the same way, bad influence will make of some the most finished rogues
in creation. No Greek thief of Constantinople will be beaten in daring
or in the art of carrying out a _coup de main_. No assassin will more
recklessly plunge his knife into the heart of an enemy, no seducer be
more enticing, no brigand more dashing and bold. And yet in the worst
of these there is some redeeming quality; a noble action polluted by
many bad ones; crimes often followed by remorse and a return to a steady
and honest life. Gratitude for a good service is always met with among
the Greeks, as among the Albanians. An example of this may be seen in
an adventure that more than twenty years ago happened to an Englishman
in the Government employ, who was travelling in a province infested
by brigands. Armed and accompanied by a good escort, Mr. F. had set
out during the night for the town of L⸺, and following the impulse of
an adventurous spirit, he strayed away from his companions in a dense
forest. The light of a full moon made the path quite distinct, and he
had proceeded some distance, when his bridle was suddenly seized by some
fierce-looking fellows, who appeared by his side as if by magic. Mr.
F.’s surprise was as great as the action was menacing; but he instantly
seized his revolver, and thought on the prudence of using it, when the
“capitan,” a regular _leromenos_,[1] sprang forward, and a struggle
ensued for its possession, in which the weapon was broken. The moment was
critical, the danger imminent, for self-defence was out of the question
with a broken revolver. In this emergency, with the presence of mind
which characterizes him, Mr. F. thought of another means of protection,
and removing the white cover of his official cap, pointed out the crown
on it, and declared himself a servant of the British Government. This
had the desired effect, for the chief released his hold of the bridle,
and retired a short distance with his companions to hold a consultation,
the result of which was his again stepping forward, and inquiring if
the gentleman was the son of the consul of the town of T⸺, and being
answered in the affirmative the “capitan,” with much feeling, declared
he was free to pursue his way, for his father had rendered many good and
noble services to the Greek families of Thessaly and Epirus, and had
saved the lives and property of many others. “Besides,” added he, “we
love and respect the English. But a few miles hence you will fall in with
the camp of old A. Pasha, who, with 800 troops and two guns, intends to
surround yonder mountain, where he expects to entrap and chase us like
wild beasts. The price of your freedom is your word of honor not to
reveal to him your meeting with us until to-morrow; when that is given,
your escort will be allowed to pass unmolested.” Mr. F. then continued
his journey, and a couple of hours brought him to the camp of his
friend the brigand-chasing Pasha, who gave him an excellent supper, and
entertained him with the plan of his next day’s assault on the brigand
band, to which he had patiently to listen, bound as he was by his word
not to reveal what he knew of their whereabouts until the next day. As
the game the Pasha expected to entrap escaped him on the morrow, the
revelation naturally annoyed him; but he was too well aware of the value
an Englishman placed upon his pledged word, even to a brigand, to find
fault with the reticence of his friend on that occasion.
The Greek aristocracy has almost disappeared, and the nation seems
now eminently democratic, though fond of giving titles to persons of
position, such as “Your Worship,” “Your Honor,” “Your Highness,” etc.,
and “Your Holiness” to the clergy. Such terms are smoothly introduced
in epistolary addresses or used in conversation, so long as this is
carried on with calmness and reflection; but directly discussion becomes
animated, and the speaker, whatever his condition, excited, all such
high-flown phrases are discarded and exchanged for that more natural to
the Greek fraternal feeling, the word “Adelphé” (brother), which never
fails to grate upon the ear of Englishmen in the East.
It certainly had this effect upon one of our old consuls who had rather
a hasty temper and was a strict observer of etiquette. On one occasion
he had to listen to an excited Greek who had a dispute with another, and
heard the title of Adelphé addressed to him by the complainant, who, to
make matters worse, was by no means such a respectable person as could
be wished. The indignant consul exclaimed in Greek, “Brother! I am no
brother of yours!” and was proceeding to render his assurance more
effectual by a vigorous and unexpected movement of his foot, when he lost
his balance and was stretched on the floor. This unforeseen aspect of
affairs appeared so comical to him that he indulged in a hearty peal of
laughter, in which the Greek, though politely asking after his injuries,
joined—in his sleeve.
The charges raised most frequently against the Greeks are their
want of honesty in their dealings with strangers, and their general
unscrupulousness in business transactions. These accusations, in great
part well founded, are due to the unnatural position in which the rayah
is placed. Every Greek who is truly a Greek in heart (and I have known
few who were not so) must detest and dislike his rulers, and direct his
energies to promoting, openly or secretly, the interest of his nation.
In order to do this, however, he must work in the dark, and strive
to undermine the interests of his masters; consequently the mask of
hypocrisy has to be worn by all in the same way. To cheat the Turks in
small matters when he can, in revenge for grosser injuries he is liable
to receive from them, becomes one of his objects. His is not the only
subject race that evinces a laxity of principle and want of morality in
the transaction of business. He is sharp in its despatch, perhaps sharper
than some others, but no worse than they in the manner in which he
carries on his trade.
I have often heard this subject discussed in all its bearings, and the
statements of European as well as native merchants appeared to agree on
the main point—that with the corrupt administration, and the perpetual
necessity of having recourse to bribery in order to facilitate the course
of business, honest and straightforward dealing was out of the question.
“We must,” said a wealthy French merchant, “do in Turkey as the Turks
do, or else seek a fortune elsewhere.” The following incident out of
innumerable others will give an idea of how enterprise is encouraged and
business carried on in this country.
Some Jews in the town of L⸺ had established a soap factory, producing
a bad article and selling it at high prices. Subsequently some Cretan
Greeks set up a rival establishment in the same town. The Cretans enjoyed
a great repute in Turkey for this branch of industry, and offered their
soaps to the public at a lower price than the Jews, who were thrown
into the shade; these therefore had to invent some plan to ruin their
rivals. Both factories imported their own oil from the Greek islands,
and paid the duties in kind or in cash. The Greeks adopted the former
method, and the Jews, aware of the fact, presented themselves at the
custom-house, estimated the oil the Greeks received at double its value,
and transported a portion of it to their premises, thus obliging the
Greeks to pay double duty—a serious matter, which, if not remedied, would
ruin their business. They decided upon offering the Jews privately half
of the extra duty they were called upon by them to pay to the revenue.
But on a second cargo of oil being imported they abstained from paying
that sum to the Jews, who thereupon made them pay double duty a second
time, which so exasperated the Greeks that they resolved to have their
revenge. So, sending a fresh order for oil, they instructed their agent
to have two of the barrels filled with water, and marked with some sign.
This cargo on arriving was left by the Greeks in the custom-house until
the Friday afternoon when they went to clear it. The Jews, made aware of
this fact by their spies, also presented themselves, estimated the oil,
as formerly, at double its value, and offered to purchase the two barrels
left as payment of duty. The Greeks prolonged the affair until there
was only just time for the Jews to take away their purchase, but not to
inspect it without breaking the Sabbath. On the following evening the
Jews discovered the trick that had been played upon them, and exposed it
to the custom-house officials, demanding redress. The Greeks, summoned to
appear and answer the charge, denied that the swindle had been practised
by them, and exposed the dishonest dealings of the Jews towards them,
saying that it must have been they who abstracted the oil and replaced
it with water, with the object of cheating the Customs. The authorities,
unwilling to take further trouble about the matter, sent away both
parties, and would have nothing more to do with the case. The Jews in
the mean time were inconsolable; and when the Cretans thought they had
been sufficiently punished, they confessed the trick, and offered to make
amends by refunding the money they had paid for the casks if they would
go with them to the Rabbi and take an oath to make no more attempts to
injure their business by dishonest means.
The principal Greek merchants trade under foreign protection, as it
affords them greater security and freedom from the intrigues of the ill
disposed.
To sum up. The subject Greek of Turkey has his vices: he is
over-ambitious, conceited, too diplomatic and wily; and, in common with
most merchants, European or Eastern, in Turkey, he does his best to cheat
the Turks—and occasionally extends the practice further, not without
excellent precedent. But these are the vices of a race long kept in
servitude and now awaking to the sense of a great ancestry: the servitude
has produced the servile fault of double-dealing and dishonesty; and the
pride of a noble past has engendered the conceit of the present. Such
vices are but passing deformities: they are the sharp angles and bony
length of the girl-form that will in time be perfected in beauty. These
faults will disappear with the spread of education and the restoring of
freedom long withheld. The quick intellect and fine mettle of the Greek,
like his lithe body, descended from a nation of heroes, are destined to
great things. The name alone of Hellenes carries with it the prescriptive
right of speaking and doing nobly; and the modern Hellenes will not
disown their birthright.