Greeks in America - eBooks4Greeks.gr

EUROPEAN BACKGROUND 45training the mind. The American institutions aimedin developing true manhood and womanhood, teachingthe students to think and judge for themselves.Housing in towns.—There are great differencesas to housing, both in Greece and Turkey. In largecities there are houses with dining, sitting and sleepingrooms, modern kitchens, and sanitary arrangements.At present, certain cities, especially Constantinople,Smyrna, Athens, Salonica, etc., are extremelyovercrowded, so that it is a serious questionto find accommodations in them, for newcomers. Innormal times, people are properly housed. Bedsteadsare in common use in Greece and in manyparts of Turkey.In the interior.—^In the interior of Turkey intowns as well as villages, the same room often servesas dining, sitting and sleeping room. The floor iscovered with carpets or rugs. There are divans orsofas with cushions, and chairs are being introducedmore and more. At meals the table-cloth is spreadfirst, then the wooden table upon it, or a large coppertray on a framework. People sit on the groundwith the edge of the table cloth on their laps, andordinarily all dip their spoons or forks in the samedish. At night beds are spread on the divans or thefloor, and in the daytime they are kept piled up inwardrobes. In some villages the home is simply ahut consisting of one or two rooms; the fire placeserving for the kitchen as well. Of course palatialbuildings are not rare even in small places.^Sanitation.—Sanitary arrangements are in needof great improvement. Throughout the East, thestreets are narrow and crooked and the houses toomuch crowded, with no parks or public squares.Still people in general live outdoors, and have plentyof fresh air and sunlight. The climate, too, is veryfavorable and conducive to health. Stagnant waterscause malaria in many places.