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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1907)
V 1 s V r E ' THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE; MAY 2(1, 1907. ? City of the Air Which Stands on i a i Rock One Thousand "iih : m V I'.' ..r5 v-.'." 3 STREET SCENE IN (Copyright, 1907. by Frank G. Carpenter.) ONSTANTINE, May 23.-(Speclal c Correspondence of The Bee.) Have you ever heard of this fa- mrui. Pli n iha T ti.. i- th heart of North Africa about kJ 0 mile, east of Allgers,. 60 miles south of the Mediterranean and 126 mile north of the Desert i t flnhaa t t v.. . m . normous rock at an altitude of 2.000 feet bove the sea. and there Is a mighty gorge 1.000 feet deep, running round T If you roiiM . a towns of L f , m! f Aricn house. toeeT? ?H t .Z CrWd vt JZ. .'k thBt W0U'd not ...,. ui a. imn Bciion .farm and then lift the bed rock on which y .tand straight up ln the air for 2.000 W' you might have some Idea of the con- . dltlons which exist hero at Constantine. You . would have to put the houses on a mighty Hone platform, and on thre sides of It ! nAVA mrVv walla falling Jk , . .-..... y..pn.ic, uuwn y m iwiDjr qi a aeptn almost twice the height of th, Washington monument. You wovld need a ru.h.ng. foaming river to .yw mrougn me fcorges thus made, and abo'fl .on .every side a rolling country end- lnga the desert-l.ke mountain, of the i irrj Atla. chain. I doubt whether ther. ranotner such city on earth. It 1 called the Arab. "The City of the Air." It Is mightiest roof garden known to man. One. s Mighty Fort Constantine, however. Is far more than a roof garden. It 1. a fortification a. well. For almost 3,000 years lt ha. been the site of a camp or barrack, for soldiers, and the story of it. advontures Is written In blood. It baa successfully withstood eighty sieges. and when the Frenoh took It, about .ev- nty years ago. they employed an army of 10,000 men. At that time hundreds of Its Arab Inhabitant, who tried to escape by with foe. from ' witl'out civil war was not letting themselve. down over the rocks dramed of, yet today the whole principal were dashed to piece, in the gorges below. lty PP-r. to be in revolt and so many Mohammedan women thus Ministry after ministry has been deposed, Committed suicide that the river ran blood. every week sees some delegation at the capl The kasbah or citadel, which was then tal with a grievance, the clans around tha chief fort of the Arabs, is now orcu- Lake Scutari are threatening to march Bled by several thousand French trooDa. It upon Cettlnje, and only yesterday the gov- eommands the highest point on the rocky plateau, and is right over the most preclpl- tAlia rulrt nf th enra-a Tn . haM ara. .tone cisterns and granaries built by the a. . ... Komani, ana not rar from lt Is a great tone aqueduct which the Romans made to supply the place with water In time, pesos. Constantine wa. a city In the day of the rhoenlclans, andunder the name of Cirta .It was the capital of a Carthaginian prov ince ruled by Hannibal', brother-in-law. floater on It became tha capital of Numldia, (and a. such furnished the famous Numl ATlan lions for the gladiatorial shows of old Rome. A little more than 3U years after Christ It was called Constantine. hi honor Cf tha Roman emperor of that dste, and ' when th. Arabs came In It was made one Of their capitals. Notwithstanding all this the cltv could to easily, battered to pieces. Modern runs, placed on the opposite height., would hatter the buildings, and In a few hour, would .weep the rock clear of both house, and people. In the warfare of the past, however, It wa. almost Impregnable, and the great canyons by which It Is sur- rounded formed a barrier which no army' could acala. ,r, ' ! th Gorges If you would reulise how great A barrier they were, com. with me down Into the forges. Steps have been gouged out of th. rocks by the French. Ther. are hanging walks along the sides ot the cliffs, and w. can climb 1.000 feet down to where ,th., River Roummel. known also a. the River of Sands, run. rushing and foaming Jong on it. way to the Mediterranean sea. W. take carriages and drlvt far up the x f "ey- and then cross, and come to tho I Th. way from here on 1. rough nd tiresome, but we climb down, down, down, until at last we are near the water. t far under the city. On both sides ot us t ylrlss precipitous bluck walls, stained by V nd springs and roofed by th. sky. V i The gorge Is about 200 f.-t wid . lhj1n places to 1M feet or less. The rocks almost straight up from the river, and wj ar. making our way about through a narrow canyon along this fo.rnlng stream. IX. wn her. In the gorge one hears nothing: the noise, of the city are unknown, and it Is a. silent a. death. There Is only the whirring or the wings of tha crows. storks and other" birds, as they fly across to their nests In one wall or the other, and th. roaring of th. foaming river, a. it dashes on through tha rocks. The gorge change. In character a. we go through It. Here tb. cliff, af. mighty pillars of stone 00 feet high; ther. they look Ilk. great battlements, and farther on they almost meet overhead. I -At th. lower end of tb. gorg. almost j under th. Kasbah. 1. a natural bridge, emmrhat Ilk. that of Virginia. Across It runs an aqueduct built by the Romans, and at th. sain, place ar. th. remains of th. Roman road which Joined th. city to th. mainland. Thl. old bridge I. .all ln mo auodiUott. It to right under th. Iron -V .. V 'l -A- CONSTANTTNEv bridge of Kantara which now forms the chlef h'hway to the city on the rock. Among the Sky ' Dwellers. I came here from the Desert of Sahara " """ernnsj.ai 1M uucrra 10 m ran- K, i . . . m. . . . ,. roaa w ihlch runs from Algiers to Tunis. , "Tr me on the hc'Kl,t PPBlt0 tho mu iv wits in a mo inai. i enwaeu the gorge by. the Kantara bridge to the " 1 T . comfortbl h ' f1"8 on a ltrept Mrrow that fT "nn0t tUrn rUnd ln U- 1 am onIy a "hort distance from where the ledge iropa off Into the depths, and were I a 8lee" Walker 1 mlht "d W y OUt of th8 houB "1 dash myself to pieces In ine BorKe below Consntlne now hlnn. m, but the greater part of Its nooulation is , i j .. , that all the strange characters of North Africa walk through lis streets. In one part of the town there are many . .... nne Duiiaings. xne trencn have put up a citv hall at a onat nt aau.rnl nilnM francs. There are some excellent store, and off at the north, reached by bridges, a European city, ia beln constructed m modern scale by a syndicate of capital- 1st. fronV Lvons. Fnce The Unexpected Effects I x..a now vium I of thing. t Montenegro which L I besan when th m.,.i.,. "mTTTVTP Mow 1 "TK-v i began when the mountaineer "i , iui a stopped cutting off - Turkish heads and obtained . a utuuon f f p,lnco Nlch0la8 ha. glit In its trajn Unexpected results. In brotigl tne o!d v when the country was belet ernor of Podgorltsa. the metropolis of the Pr'nc'Pllty. and hi. chief of police were assassinated. This Is evidently not the nn. ' p,e wno mspirea lennyson'. sonnets and ftladarrana'a atilnirl n . . m pi a cen- 0U. i-iiuuiiiaiti-nues mai nave of brought about changes In this "stronghold hcr fr heavy work and then she got tlons. ' Tet all that time the father apolo colord embroidery and sometimes a vel of unaltered 'traditions" are interesting. othr notions ln her head." glied for the birth of a baby girl. " Vct Jacket- Sho eldom wears a head- The constitutions! government with which the prince, to the surprise of the world, presented hi. people two years ago ha. not the mcrt generous critic will acknowledge. been an Illuminating .uccess. The prtne. 1. dulte a. much of an auto- crat as before and with his new th. father of the queen of ' mora Ihtlmat acqualntanc alty of Europe ha. pressed down harder than ever upon' the impoverished treasury of his poor land. But. besides, when he granted a constitu tion ln the. hope of curing his country's Ills, he did not take sufficiently into con sideration thjs fact that his was a nation of fighters out of a Job. Father doesn't work In Montenegro. It Is beneath hi. dignity and hi. clothe, were not mad. to work In. The women who In th. past have don. most of the work have taken to education, formed club., become acquainted with what the sex Is doing In Europe and refused to b. beast, of burden while their lord, and masters strut around ln fin. clothes, with belt, full of pistol, and yataghana, smoking clgarets. This wa. all right In war tlnje.. Jet not U U.M. piping time. o( trMkca. Th. jirad. ' " : : : ' ... aPI y Constantino has now about 2.000 Europeans 'outilde of th French soldiers stationed In the kasbah or fortifications at one end of the town. Mohammrdana of the City. .Constantino hus about 40,000 soul9 who believe In the Prophet Mohammed, and In addition something like 8,000 ur 10,000 Jews. Tho Moluimmedans are the controlling na tive elotiwnt. Living at this place they might be said to actually have "mansions In the skies." I wlfch I could show you their homes. They are along narrow streets, the houses in some place9 being j"u eianu in me center of the road and touch the walls " th sides. The streets wind this way an that. There are many blind alleys', ...o.a i t.uHinB wnys is orien sucn that one might wander about a long time and only learn hla location when he came to the edge of the plateau and looked down Into the'gorge. are sqnaua ana rougn. Tliey are usually of two or three stories, Vr."- Vere1 r.'th ..I .u - - "'"lru ",UB "r wn,le' w.. ...e roors or me same hues. The Z., 7, -tk , 7 . 9 a. 'W Wa" about It. The roof, form the playgrounds of the women and children, and they are often the sleeping place, of the whole fam- iMf .v. x. r. l' :. covered with an Iron network for foar the ladles of the harem will be seen by n.har- k..-v.- y w,a ul"K" W,B" lnelr nusoanas. The Arab women here are quite as ,e- eluded a. tho of nfh r.arf. a, -r-L. .. . . . ... ..... ,.,.., a ,Bciiti. gn on Vot doTrT 7nV "r XlTo?27a cotton tied t.ghtl aZt Clr fL. , " have not observed a single pair of the L "Z???!??11-. breech e which are so a . . iory rams upon Turkian territory that were formerly legitimate mean, of laying ... winter supplies are now looked upon more vulvar theft- and ., w m-lsnnmen, Tha L." -een emp;,,a;d ,on tlon have been rife ir the women had only continued to Z .. W n0t th0 Presnt straits, said one old warrior. "The grand- mother of the prince was not above doing her share of the labor upon her noble hus- Dand s estate. She .often trudged back and forth to the coast carrying great burdens; sne dug in the garden and tended the S- . The present change came when the 'mpress of Russia established the Jenskl . a bciiooi tor 'the daughter, of the beut fnnillfAa 1 ft... - ..... ui utKiug j juii huh. me neius unniiea One of the results thiit th id mo- aa not overlook was that women retain longer their beauty. The Montenegrins as a race are handsome, but from their burden bear- lng live, the girls lost all trace, of their' he,v her. ,h '"' J L " f lhe'r , ...iT ... dignity as ,? r i v V; ' .i ' -lKV - . .. - r L 2 Italy and a' ; h X ; ,-r'-VI,,J fv'.'; i'VrlM ' . 1 . with th. roy- H' rt'. f irv,. m" ' J y--, ,t at. ..a-) n . ,, . . " , " . 'JO OONSTANTINB-A CHEAT MOHAMMEDAN ROOF common In the streets of Algiers. The gowns of these Constnntlne ladles fall clear to the feet, and the female population looks like so many big fat bundles waddling along upon slippers. The Arab men, on the other hand, are gorgeouRly dressed, and they spend a lot on their clothes. Jews of Conntnntlne. The Jews here are different from their race In Europe or America, and what I write Is not to be considered In connection with our Hebrew population. There have been Jews In Africa nlnrA tha timn u Carthaginians. They are a people of their own class and quite as African as tho Arabs themselves. In Constantino they dress like Arabs. The men wear rich jack- ets, beautifully embroidered, and full red res caps -which are often bound with gront turbans. Some wear gowns, and now and then one Is to be seen In European d,. The faces of these Israelites are darker than those of other onuntrlea, but they nave the snme Jewish features, and many of them are fine looking. especially like the appearance of tho women, although I sadly fear th at some of them are no better than they should be, The Jo" not veil their faces, and they look t the men boldly and without .hame. Today Is Saturday, the IsraeUtlsh Sabbath, and M lt aso day ." p,e are a" out ,n thelr fln P'othes. The f.8 a- with young Jewessc, to the shoulders he.- v V 17 .! rings and ftelr wri,,. ""prkto wlth and n,elr wrists and forearms are loaded with Jewelry. Their arms are bare adorned with brnl- ... . Many of them are dre.sed Z 1,1 l 1.1. " ' .'" ' "im gowns, over wnicn I ace shawls are thrown. Their T "1 "J11 hnn(1k.efs. and "l1?,!,!? y!f the,r.crowns. i.iurui.ierea witn gold iS" .C.?B."! "c.h."ke .cor"W Th are bout inches , diameter. and ara vnm An th v,. ui. uiq neau, of Constitutional Government Prlncens Miinnn uu , In ye7u is stlH a W,d advanced ,n vears, is still a handsome woman, whl o 1,1; a J; handsome woman, while Lw,". " " u renowned among the "l rope-ror their- good looks, ZrtTt mpies or tne better cared for am as ex- d more carefully nurtured MnntDnav-fn . hood. A fete day now brings out many a" 00d looking as the princesses, while every gathering of women upon the green before the churches after the Sunday serv- -ces Is certain to show some of the high- est types of- Montenegrin beauty The women who shared the hardship of war were honored In the songs and stories that formed the Homeric entertainments of .very Inn. For the ak nr . .... legends of the land . '..v. "shed the line of warrior bishops, and for v, . io aame reason another rulor three can tunes later nv nr. hia .n...Ai "rr. . a .. , , ' .. don. pardon " V w ' u , the statement the" h'thT InH.flld ..v. . ? 1 "he 18 """"" with the bridegroom before he can norrorm the murr iira carmnr,u m,. can porform the marriage ceremony. She GARDEN. They are fastened on by silk bands tied under the chin, and these bands are often decorated with gold coins. Sometimes gold chains are used. Nearly all of the Jew esses wear earrings; some have broochos) set with diamonds and many have strings of pearlB about their necks. Visit to the SynnKOKue. During my stay here I have visited th chief synagogue. It Is situated near the gorge In the heart of the city and is well attended. When I entered It today it waa filled with Hihrpw mn wenrimr tu dress as the Arabs. Each had also a white B"aw' and all kept their -fez caps on during service. Tho rabbis, who occupied a PulPu in tha center of the synagogue read the gcrPtre In a nasul twang from parch- menl "croiis and the worshipers followed thera wlth thelr Hebrew Bibles. Everv man and boy had a little velvet bag, dec- orated with Hebrew characters ln old or B"ver- tor carrying his books of worship, "nu rar 88 1 coul(1 a( b"k' tbem- -e.ves were wen mumbed. The Jew stores are shut today, but the n"CT. . 7 "w . "'"" 'r',B ""' ",u v itio inuuKiriai centers or a l j, .v. ..... . .......a mftTTi.r Bill! lltltlVe qUaTTer falrly hums with men working at their trades. Constantine Is famous Cor Its leather work. It makes shoes, saddles and r.a.nxaat anf nl.n 1 n . V. 1 . . , beautifully embroidered. Each trado has Its own street. One will be filled with "hoemakers. another with blacksmiths and another with weavers. About 100.000 haicks and hmn,,. ara u . . - " "ihuo nere yearly and &IS. "r.!at -denl of clo,h toT ' tent. used hv tVio iiaHr..,in. th. i. -,. done upon hand looms, in rooms which look more like stables or cellars than fac- torlea. . J Among: the Illarksuil ths. I spent some time this afternoon In the street of the blacksmiths, watching them retain, her right, in all special property that slm hrt 1 j that she had before marriage and may even dispose of it without the consent of her husband. She may Inherit from her father and has a rlcht which her l, rnf4w.ro h.,v in v,n ,. ...... ' . her Jewelry and clothes If she should happen to be a member of one of the house communities so frequent In the country. And with all these added priv- "e'e he ungratefully refuses to do oil the burden-bearing of the land 1Ier dre8S 18 I'V diking than that of the women of "'any other of tho Balkan landa- It8 m08t dl8tlngulshlngcharacter- ,st,c 18 the long sleeveless coat of apple Ereen, with small lines of gold embroid ery down the front. This is worn over a skirt of some dark material, a chemise with narrow bands Of dress, and her luxuriant hair is braided nd WOUn1 around her bead , ln a be- coming coronal. ,aCk'nK Pct"rMu ne88 ln her c08tum? ' made up in that of the man. His coat ris white or pale Ere -n: t,i. i. . a . us nwntwi rcu unu ricn in goia cm- . . .v.' ; -S' W tf- 'A ' 1W$ TWO JEWESSES MOTIlEIt making hoes and plowshares. The latter ior an mo worm line tne long, shftrp mlw n1 oy our masons, save mat tney re about a Quarter of an Inch thick. They ara ot wrought Iron and nre so bent at ono end that tney 6,1 n be fastened by an Iron u""u lu l" lureu w"lc" Ior,"s i The blacksmiths were Arabs, dressed ln ; ' j-"-""-- '"' " wc.a lunnj up unu Lucy wmiiuea .v, .... w...... " '" Cl.viio JUtlt iin. OUT m'ths at home. Tho average shop of this klnJ onlv big enough to hold the anvil, 0,6 furnace and two or three men. It Is a nit rt a Viln In V. .,n I . . wlde- twenty feet long and perhaps twelva fett ln height. At the back is a rude, bel- Iow a" furnace. In the center the men work at the anvil and at the front 1. a counter unon Arhirh th r,to, r.ir,.. , UPY tor sale. In another street T fmmH ..a. Arab cobblers making red slippers for women, nnd In another place men, sitting cross-legged, who were embroidering leather In gold. S Boiled Sheep Heads. There were many restaurants and coffee broidery; his baggy knee trousers bluo and his stockings and shoes white. Around his waist U a sash filled with weapons and on his head he wears a cap of. red and black, bearing on the front the initials of his prince. In these days when .spring Is Just be ginning in Cettlnje, the single long street Is full of these brilliantly dressed war riftrs. More than one stranger has won dered what else than fighting could bo expected of1 them. Such gorgeousnoss digging the plebeian potato or weighing sugar and salt would be inconceivable. Prince Nicholas took horolo measures to induce the men to work. When they went to tell him their troubles or when he met them idling on the streets or loafing In the sunshine on the walls of nd the carvings from the houses of the the old monastery he had but one piece wealthy renldents of Constantine. If a of advice tc give: "Go to work." man wa. noted as having an especially He plowed and reaped on his farm and fine door or window the Bey ordered hjm he chopped trees on his estate. Pursuit to send It to his new palace, and If there of this kind, however, his haughty subjects was any furniture that he especially de consldered not unworthy of a man. It was sired he got It In the same way the mechanical arts of industry that were Ono of the oddest features of the nrcades vile and degrading. looking out upon the gardens Is a series of Then the prince went to a smithy ad. paintings of Mohammedan cities. These rolling up his sleeves, pounded Iron for a are spread upon the walls without regard day. Next he sat down at the cobbler's to harmony or art. Tho colors fairly swear at each other, and the drawing Is faulty and the perspective everywhere lacking. A t Is contrary to the Koran to make pic- . , , Montenegrin., more bench. No labor to degrading than ahoemaklng and his faith fill subjects pleaded with him not to soli his royal fingers with the accursed foot wear. He worked on during day with awl and mM thread and If V. a I A . v. -- . ' .7.rt,,nd. ofh,. M Tmb V00a0n ln th. mind, of hi. subjects. When constitutional government, wn m. tabllshed th. greatest difficulty wis to ex- plain what lt meant. A bailiff was sent out to collect a sum on a note long over- dua from on. of th. old warrior.. He climbed up among th. crags to th. debtor's stronghold and was asked what h. wanted. I com. to make a Hut of yotir belong- Ings for th. payment of this debt," said th. bailiff. "Ha. If. an 111 day for thee," said th. debtor, according to tho report that tb. bailiff turned in when h. arrived, out of breath, at Cettlnje. "Thou would' d- ACeaUniwa oa fax. Fu Feet Hih AND DAUGHTER. houses In these localitlcV The coffee Is al- ways mode to order. It costs about 2 cents a cud. The reKt..nrni r ,. jn or back of the kitchen. The latter' fact", tho street an th, . tho customers cat. One of the oddest of theso establishmenU Bld n,hine but bolle(, , hpft(1. M next the .irinwniu , , f , . brick top of which was set a kettle as big nrnnnit na n . ... Z " "'"--. ' "u nenie WHS filled with boiling water, and In lt sheep heads were bobbing up and down, their glazed eyes staring at the pnsscrsby. Tho skin hud been taken off of tho heads, and. Z m. the long white teeth of the PPeared to grind themselves to- .V,? lne,"oor wero a num" aJs " --skinned. They had Jut come from the butchers, and tho blood irom mem ran out :into the street. My oragoman told me that tho cooked heads were "clous; he begged me to Btep In 11 "MBl Ba'ng mm we could get a whole head for 12 cents. Many of the cooked heads are sold to be carried home, and I nnd that sheep head 18 frequently on the bills of fare at tha hote1"- Aft" what I saw today I sliall jui mora no more. This cook shop remind, mo of a dog-and-rat restaurant of Canton In South China, and of a horso meat res taurant which I visited In Berlin. Both of them were cleanly in comparison with this. In the ralare of the Iley. I have pent some time this afternoon ln tho palace of the Bey. It Is now the head quarters of the French army officers, but for a long time It was the residence o( th. Turkish rulers of Constantine. From tho outside it looks like an ordinary two-story building, but its interior is wonderfully decorated and rich In marbles, mosaic, and carvings. The palace consists of an acre or so of buildings, with galleries above and below running around beautiful gardens. The walls of the galleries are 6f porcelain tiles and their roofs are upheld by marble pillars, beautifully cut. . The old Bey who built the palace Is s.ild to have gotten much of the material from Carthage. The porrelalns come from Oenoa. inon, mere is no Bign or numau life in the paintings. This work was done by a French shoemaker who wns in prlwm In Constantino when the palace whs build ing. The Bey said he wanted some pictures on the walls, and that "the dog of a Christian" might do the work." The shoe maker objected, saying he was not a painter, but the Iley's officials replied: "Kvery Frenchmen is nn artist, and you must paint. If you do not. you will bo flogged with twenty-five lashes for every day you are idle." The result was a series of remarkuhla representations of Algiers, Cairo. Jerusalem and Constantinople. When the Bey saw them he was delighted. He paid the man well and sent him back to Tarls loaded with presents. . Mohammedan Five. It was this same Bey. El HadJ Ahmefl, who punished one of his wives for plucklrff the forbidden fruit of the palace garden. Q wss his custom to sit every afternoon In a little klos'jue In the center of a court which was fljled with fruit trees and flowers. Here the bands played, and here betimes the women of his harem walked up and down and paraded themselves while his highness looked on. He had four wives and 300 concubines, and they all were dressed ln their finest clothing as thev walked along ln single file around the court with their arms crossed upon their bosoms. not darln(f to j,, at thelr ,on, were allowed no liberties whatever, and one regulation wa. that they were not to touch the flowers or th. fruit overhead. 0 h. new hour!, a fair headed Georgian girl. Just in from th. wilds of th8 Caucasus, who had not yet fully learn", Aen o hftp reilchn(J Un and .natched off an orange. She was reported by one of the eunuchs, and about three hours thereafter was brought to the tree sh. had plucked and fastened there hy two nails driven through th back, of her hands. This old boy Bey and th. others who succeeded him had quick methods o' divorce. Buch of their wive. a. were faithless or such a. they wished to get tor other reaaon. wer. aewed up In rka They wer. then carried to th. d cf the gorg. and heaved over Into th River of Bands, which rushes foaming aloof 1,000 fart below. , .VaiANK a. CARPSNTKA.