The whole company then in succession follow suit, to each of whom the visitor replies in the same way.
This Quaker-meeting style of receiving company, might be ludicrously illustrated in American society, by substituting bows for temennas—if, indeed, the ladies could be expected to preserve the requisite silence and gravity of demeanor.
In Turkey, every attention or compliment, brings its train of temennas, and it is much to be regretted that no mathematician has yet arisen in Turkey, capable of producing a regular formula for their exact computation.
The Meddahs, however, or the famous story-tellers of the East, who are the best critics, sometimes endeavor to exhibit the danger of too great an excess in this act of politeness.
They say there was once a worthy Hodja or schoolmaster, who was very punctilious. Desirous that all his scholars should realise the importance of true politeness, he insisted that when he drank water, not a single one of them should omit to exclaim with a respectful temenna, afiyet olsoun hodja efendy, or may it do you much good, respected master—and when he sneezed, they were all to clap their hands, and vociferate hayr ola hodja efendy, or good luck to the master.
The means employed by this worthy schoolmaster to enforce his lessons, may be readily guessed by others of the same profession; but that the desired effect was produced, there is no doubt.
There was a deep well, from which the scholars had to draw water for their own use.
One day, it was reported to the teacher that the bucket had fallen in the well, who, after many vain attempts to fish it up, resolved to descend by means of a rope, and the scholars were called upon to assist in his descent and ascent.
The hodja was accordingly lowered down into the well, and at a given signal, the boys began to pull him up. But as he approached the mouth of the well, the change of the atmosphere titillating his nostrils, unfortunately made him sneeze; when the well-trained pupils, instinctively making the temenna, and clapping their hands, let go the rope and shouted, “hayr ola hodja efendy,” good luck to the master.
But, retournons nous à nos moutons.