﻿CONSTANTINOPLE 
  TODAY 
  

  

  651 
  

  

  ality 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  cross 
  it 
  at 
  least 
  once 
  an 
  

   hour, 
  it 
  lacks 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  old 
  charm 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  the 
  Turkish 
  people's 
  renuncia- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  color. 
  The 
  men 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  

   have 
  adopted 
  the 
  European 
  business 
  suit, 
  

   with 
  which 
  they 
  wear 
  a 
  red 
  fez, 
  and 
  the 
  

   women's 
  costumes 
  are 
  usually 
  of 
  black. 
  

   With 
  this 
  change, 
  the 
  human 
  rainbow 
  that 
  

   once 
  confused 
  the 
  eye 
  has 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  

   brilliancy. 
  

  

  What 
  the 
  Rialto 
  bridge 
  is 
  to 
  Venice, 
  

   the 
  Pont 
  Neuf 
  to 
  Paris, 
  the 
  Westminster 
  

   to 
  London, 
  so 
  is 
  the 
  Galata 
  bridge 
  to 
  

   Constantinople— 
  the 
  keynote 
  to 
  the 
  city. 
  

  

  A 
  constant 
  stream 
  of 
  polyglot 
  peoples 
  

   flows 
  across 
  the 
  Golden 
  Horn: 
  Russian 
  

   refugees, 
  in 
  pa 
  jama 
  coats 
  tucked 
  into 
  

   trousers 
  grown 
  too 
  large; 
  Armenian 
  and 
  

   Greek 
  merchants 
  and 
  refugees; 
  British, 
  

   French, 
  and 
  Italian 
  army 
  and 
  navy 
  offi- 
  

   cers 
  ; 
  American 
  sailors 
  ; 
  Chinese, 
  Japa- 
  

   nese, 
  and 
  Persian 
  merchants; 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  

   the 
  outmoded 
  eunuchs; 
  dervishes 
  in 
  

   brown, 
  with 
  cone-shaped 
  hats 
  ; 
  Cretans 
  

   in 
  baggy 
  trousers 
  and 
  embroidered 
  vests 
  ; 
  

   Greek 
  priests 
  with 
  black 
  chiffon 
  veils 
  

   streaming 
  from 
  their 
  hats 
  ; 
  hernials 
  

   (porters) 
  with 
  roomfuls 
  of 
  furniture 
  on 
  

   their 
  backs 
  ; 
  Arabs 
  in 
  yellow 
  burnooses 
  ; 
  

   maimed 
  and 
  diseased 
  beggars 
  ; 
  Moham- 
  

   medan 
  priests 
  in 
  pink 
  or 
  green 
  robes 
  ; 
  

   black 
  troops 
  in 
  red 
  caps 
  and 
  sashes 
  ; 
  

   Jewish 
  guides 
  ; 
  American 
  relief 
  workers 
  ; 
  

   Hindustani 
  guards 
  in 
  twisted 
  turbans 
  

   and 
  scarlet 
  capes 
  ; 
  an 
  occasional 
  woman 
  

   gypsy 
  in 
  baggy 
  trousers 
  ; 
  Levantine 
  

   tradesmen; 
  Albanian 
  peasants 
  in 
  em- 
  

   broidered 
  white 
  leggings 
  ; 
  Hawaiians, 
  

   Filipinos, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  drummers 
  from 
  

   "points 
  west 
  of 
  Chicago" 
  — 
  all 
  these 
  pass 
  

   back 
  and 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  day. 
  

  

  TURKISH 
  WOMEN 
  EXEMPT 
  FROM 
  FORCE 
  

  

  The 
  taxes 
  were 
  recently 
  doubled 
  on 
  the 
  

   bridge, 
  and 
  the 
  eight 
  Turkish 
  collectors 
  

   were 
  ordered 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  Turkish 
  women, 
  

   previously 
  exempt, 
  pay 
  for 
  the 
  privilege 
  

   of 
  crossing 
  the 
  Golden 
  Horn. 
  The 
  

   women, 
  however, 
  indignantly 
  refused, 
  

   and 
  at 
  both 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  a 
  constant 
  

   conflict 
  went 
  on 
  between 
  protesting 
  offi- 
  

   cials 
  and 
  the 
  women, 
  who 
  slipped 
  by 
  with 
  

   exclamations 
  of 
  anger. 
  

  

  The 
  collectors 
  did 
  not 
  have 
  the 
  temerity 
  

   to 
  lay 
  hands 
  on 
  these 
  toll 
  evaders, 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  Turkish 
  women 
  were 
  for 
  so 
  long 
  a 
  

   time 
  the 
  exclusive 
  property 
  of 
  their 
  hus- 
  

  

  bands 
  that 
  custom 
  still 
  forbids 
  a 
  man 
  

   detaining 
  a 
  woman 
  by 
  force 
  in 
  any 
  sort 
  

   of 
  public 
  argument. 
  

  

  The 
  traditional 
  sacredness 
  that 
  sur- 
  

   rounds 
  the 
  person 
  of 
  a 
  Turkish 
  woman 
  

   had 
  a 
  curious 
  result 
  during 
  the 
  war, 
  for 
  

   the 
  Turks 
  did 
  not 
  dare 
  to 
  search 
  one 
  of 
  

   them, 
  even 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  that 
  she 
  

   carried 
  unlawful 
  messages 
  in 
  her 
  gar- 
  

   ments. 
  

  

  BOATS 
  FILLED 
  WITH 
  COMMUTERS 
  

  

  On 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  are 
  docks 
  

   for 
  small 
  steamers 
  that 
  take 
  commuters 
  

   back 
  and 
  forth 
  between 
  the 
  Golden 
  Horn 
  

   and 
  Scutari, 
  the 
  fifteen 
  stations 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bosporus, 
  and 
  the 
  Princes 
  Islands. 
  At 
  

   rush 
  hours 
  these 
  efficiently 
  operated 
  boats 
  

   are 
  as 
  packed 
  as 
  a 
  New 
  York 
  ferry. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  commuters 
  are 
  the 
  pros- 
  

   perous 
  Greeks 
  and 
  Turks, 
  who 
  maintain 
  

   summer 
  homes 
  for 
  their 
  families 
  on 
  the 
  

   Princes 
  Islands, 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  more 
  away. 
  

  

  Passengers 
  bound 
  for 
  Scutari 
  are 
  

   chiefly 
  the 
  poorer 
  class 
  of 
  Turks 
  and 
  

   wealthy 
  Armenian 
  business 
  men. 
  

  

  The 
  Bosporus 
  boats 
  carry 
  the 
  largest 
  

   crowds 
  morning 
  and 
  evening 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  popularity 
  of 
  the 
  beautiful 
  villa 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  on 
  the 
  Straits. 
  

  

  On 
  these 
  boats 
  are 
  Turkish 
  bankers, 
  

   British 
  tobacco 
  merchants, 
  English 
  gov- 
  

   ernesses, 
  and 
  French 
  officers, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   availing 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  bench 
  marked 
  

   "For 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  Allies." 
  

   And 
  even 
  if 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  officers 
  aboard, 
  

   a 
  civilian 
  is 
  not 
  permitted 
  to 
  occupy 
  this 
  

   bench. 
  

  

  All 
  Constantinople 
  is 
  now 
  safe 
  for 
  

   foreigners 
  except, 
  perhaps, 
  certain 
  parts 
  

   of 
  Scutari, 
  against 
  which 
  European 
  

   women 
  are 
  warned 
  at 
  night. 
  

  

  If 
  anything 
  of 
  the 
  real 
  Turkey 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen, 
  Pera 
  must 
  be 
  abandoned 
  for 
  Stam- 
  

   boul. 
  In 
  this 
  ancient 
  city, 
  which 
  was 
  

   Byzantium 
  and 
  New 
  Rome, 
  the 
  mosques, 
  

   coffee-houses, 
  turbehs 
  (domed 
  tombs), 
  

   and 
  fountains 
  remind 
  one, 
  even 
  in 
  their 
  

   dilapidation, 
  of 
  the 
  city's 
  past 
  days 
  of 
  

   greatness. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  houses 
  are 
  nearly 
  all 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  of 
  wood, 
  they 
  are 
  never 
  painted, 
  

   for 
  the 
  Turks 
  have 
  a 
  theory 
  that 
  if 
  their 
  

   property 
  looks 
  prosperous 
  their 
  taxes 
  will 
  

   be 
  increased. 
  So 
  the 
  window 
  lattices 
  

   crumble 
  and 
  fall, 
  the 
  boards 
  sag, 
  the 
  

   shingles 
  war]), 
  and 
  nothing 
  is 
  repaired. 
  

  

  