Little boys who like to lie in bed in the morning would not like to
live in Turkey.
All the grown people and all the children have to get up twice every
day.
[Illustration]
They get up first at day-break, wash their faces and hands, and repeat
their morning prayer. Then they go back to bed.
Two hours later they rise, wash, and have their coffee. Breakfast is
served two hours later still.
After breakfast the father goes to work and the mother gets the
children ready for school.
The children have their lunch at school, as I told you. Dinner is
served at night. If there are gentlemen to dine with the father, only
the sons sit at the table. The mother and daughters dine in another
room.
After dinner every one has a good time. The children play games, and
sometimes the older people play with them. They are also fond of story
telling, and tell wonderful stories of battle and adventure.
Then the family goes to bed on the floor. That is, they lay mattresses
on the floor and cover themselves with blankets.
Every one goes to church on Friday. The boys sit with their father, and
the girls sit with their mother in a gallery where they cannot be seen.
At the entrance to the church they wash their hands and feet and put on
a pair of slippers.
After church the children play games of tag, or hide-and-seek. They
have few toys. The girls have dolls, and the boys have marbles or
balls. The marbles are nothing but a kind of round nut.
They do not have the holidays you do, but there are a few feast days,
when they have a very good time. One of the feasts is like our Easter,
only it lasts three days. Then there are merry-go-rounds in the
squares, and ponies to ride on for a penny.
The girls have new dresses of red, blue and yellow silk, and the boys
have gay little uniforms.
The candy-men walk the streets with big trays piled high with sweets,
and every one eats a great deal too much candy.
Should you like to live in Turkey, or do you like your own country best?
* * * * *
Tell what the “Little Turkeys” do in the morning.
What do the children do after dinner?
What toys do they have? What games do they play?
Where do the Turkish people sleep?
Would you like to live in Turkey? Why?
“GILLYFLOWER GENTLEMAN”
“Why do you play alone, dear,” asked the Play Angel, “and look so sadly
over your shoulder at the other children?”
[Illustration]
“Because they are so selfish!” said the child. “They will not play with
me.”
“Oh, what a pity!” said the Angel. “Tell me all about it.”
“I want to play one game, and they all want to play another!” said the
child. “It is very unkind of them.”
“Did you ever play Gillyflower Gentleman?” asked the Angel.
“No,” said the child. “What is it?”
“You shall see,” said the Angel. “Let us ask the others if they know
it.”
The other children did not know it, but they were eager to learn, and
soon they were all playing Gillyflower Gentleman. They played till all
their breath was gone, and they had to sit down on the haycocks to rest.
“That was a fine game!” said the first child. “I will play yours now,
if you wish me to.”
“We were just going to tell you that we would play yours,” said the
other children. So they played both the games, and the Play Angel went
back to her work.
—_Laura E. Richards._