Constantinople is one of the most beautiful cities of the globe, and is probably the most important Mohammedan city. The _mosques_, or places of worship, are everywhere and recognizable by their pretty minarets. Friday and not Sunday is the day of service. Daily prayers are required, and the hours for prayer are called by the _muezzim_. When the call is heard, no matter what he may be doing, a good Mohammedan stops his occupation, spreads his prayer cloth, faces the sacred city of Mecca, and goes through his prayers.
The Turk is _not_ industrious and lacks energy; he enjoys ease and amusement. Perhaps a part of this is due to his being a fatalist; he believes that what will happen, _must_ happen; that he cannot in any way change the course of events. So _why_ should he hurry and worry? He _is_ fond of trading, but even there is not in haste. In the bazaars the seller and buyer haggle a long time over the prices. The one never asks the price he expects to get, but one much larger; the other never expects to pay the price first asked, but one much lower. Mohammedans who can afford to keep them may marry four wives; they often own many female slaves beside. These wives and slaves live in a special part of the house called the harem, where no visitors except women enter. When Turkish women go upon the street they are closely veiled, and none of their face except the eyes can be seen. Mohammedanism permits polygamy, but it forbids wine-drinking. While not all Turks obey this command, they are usually temperate, and drunkenness is rare.
There has been much question as to _where_ man first lived. Some believe that the first men were white and lived in Europe and North Africa; others think the negroes of Africa are the oldest men; a few have argued that the American Indian was the original race; most, however, have thought that Asia was man’s first home. Whether this is so or not, Asia to-day contains a swarming population composed of many peoples, differing much in appearance, dress, life, and customs.
The Asian peoples belong chiefly to the Mongolic or yellow race. It is a well-marked type. Medium stature, broad and round head, flat face, with nose rather low, broad and high cheek bones, hair coarse and straight and jet black, skin yellowish, dark eyes apparently set slantwise in the face, are its characters. The yellow race includes the Chinese, Japanese, Coreans, the peoples of Indo-China, and most of the wandering tribes of Siberia. There are probably more of this race than of any other on the globe; next to them in numbers is the white race; then the negroes; then the island peoples; last and least, the American Indians.