ASIA MINOR 



257 



rivals. They have a more active spirit than the Turks, and they make up in energy what 

 they lack in numbers. Their presence makes it necessary for the Turk to be ever on 

 the watch, that he may even maintain himself in the land of which he is, politically, 

 lord and master. 



The Turks form the agricultural portion of the community. The Greeks and Armenians 

 are found chiefly in the towns, where they are writers, artists, merchants, and financiers. 

 Nearly all the trade of the country is in their hands. This illustrates the non-progressive 

 character of the Mohammedan doctrine. When the Turk does work, he is by no means 

 incompetent. He is excellent as a cattle-breeder, a husbandman, or an artisan. He is, 

 however, uninventive and lacks astuteness; and these defects leave him far behind in the 

 race with his sharp-witted neighbours. His agriculture remains much as it was in the days 

 when Troy was besieged on the heights where its ruins can still be seen. The fig, the vine, 

 and the olive, bountifully supplied by Nature, furnish the Turkish peasant with his food, and 

 satisfy all his limited wants. Accordingly he sees no necessity for troubling himself with 

 any studied system of agriculture, even if by so doing he could make the soil ten times 

 more productive. The Turk 

 speaks his own language only. 

 The Greeks and Armenians, 

 on the other hand, speak at 

 least two from their infancy, 

 and are often highly culti- 

 vated. The backwardness of 

 the Turks in this respect may 

 be attributed partly to their 

 pride and partly to their 

 contempt for all non-Moham- 

 medan peoples. Their want 

 of enterprise and social emula- 

 tion also largely accounts for 

 their ignorance. Very few 

 Turks can even read and 

 write. This is due to the 

 great difference between their 

 language as it is written with 

 its large infusion of Arabic 

 and as it is spoken. 



The Turk is earnest, re- 

 served, and endowed with a 

 fair share of intelligence, but 

 he will never trouble himself 

 to acquire the business habits 

 of his neighbours, whom he 

 has allowed to monopolise all 

 the trade and wealth. 



In one respect the pride 

 of the ruling race always 

 asserts itself. Should a Turk 

 be found dead in a Greek 

 village in Asia Minor, all the 

 notables go to prison. As a 



rule, a Turk who kills a Greek Jiy pfraM ,,. ,,_ ,,., ,, ^ : , FUe , s//w ,, ,. 



or Armenian is acquitted. HUTTEH-MAKINS IN GOAT-SKIN CHURNS (XESTOHIAXS, ARMENIA). 



33 



