The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-29
VOICE FROM A HAREM
oun WHO HAS BEEN AN INNATE
TEN YEARS SPEAKS.


9. many English ladies have lately Wis
,.',4b, Turkish harems. and, learning our
Isngusge. have been able to write the truth
- ms that it is really difficult to say
1S.no.bing new about a country whose Gus
- sra as well known to every one as to
Naturally, also, the curiosity and interest
-. For everything Oriental has gradually
800 away as, the veil being literally lifted,
+se mysteries of Orient appeared little by
,;.+Ia before the world and were found
ting in the element Of beauty ascribed
10 them
L. as in 1910 the Turkish woman was
% of as a mystery which 1t was dan
sPvans N unravel, whilst Thackeray, in his
.sT0vage from CornhiH to Grand Cairo
+olls ms of a lady who was taoooed by all
trra believers for having dared to drive In
- o,vu carriage TO mosque. What the
l nei of those true believers would say if
go came back to earth now is difficult to
Jacde | suppose they would think that
T~rkev had been given over to these
ciaonTs whom they hated and we initiate.
Sf o,r old customs. as well as of our old
nth very little remains, and it is only in
80 lower orders or the most secluded
boram, that some vestiges of them can be
fund At Constantinople women hardly
hide their faces, and think it no shame to
snnear before the public in habiliments
Itch would be hardly considered decent
,,;tb the lowest dregs of European society.
This however, is natural for it is impossible
for a reaction to occur in a country without
lie rushing 10 the opposite evil. On disen-
numbering ourselves from our old chains we
are ant TO forget that man cannot walk eu-
tirey alone without stumbling in some way
o- other. However, this will soon pass
give MS time to understand that we need to
he withheld, and we will soon forge our
selves new chains. which, without bind
ing as hard, will still retain US in the bonds
Of dec0rum.
The reason of this sudden reaction may
be traced to the better education we lave
gven to our boys. Brought up at Paris or
At Oxford they have learned that woman
ives destined to be projected, not tyran-
nzed over. They have Learned that, when
her intellect is not crushed by continual fear
and impotent ignorance, woman can be-
come the helpmate and support of man.
The view, also, of the cheerful homes ex-
Btent in Europe has taught them that one
wife is better than twenty slaves, and as
Turkish girls are better adapted by nature
10 6eCOLu J0blI views bu1n buo OlEChSSIdllS,
It'll to them that they turned for help.
1t needed but little time to teach the
Turkish mothers what was needed at their
hands and, where before a little French
was the maximum Of learning acquired by
Mus,ulwoman. she was taught to read and
write in several languages, to play the
piano, 20 draw, to paint-in a word, to have
as complete an education as any young LADY,
destined to appear in society. This system
included, of course, novel reading, and in
them the young girl, who before believed
| that the highest happiness for her was to be
tyrannized over by man she did not know,
III common with five or six rivals, suddenly
saw opened before her long vista of un-
/ known bliss, which to her dszzled eyes
seemed more beautiful than anything prom
Used III Paradise. She heard of balls, fetes,
parties, where women spoke openly with
men who were not doctors or cousins: she
heard for the first time that woman is
considered as highly as a man, and may
even claim from him the homage which till
now she thought had been exclusively his
prerogative; she saw in them the descrip-
tons of happy homes where one wife
alone possessed the love and confidence
Of her husband; and little by little the poi
son imbibed circulated through her veins.
She felt sne had a right to a part, at least,
Of these privileges, but fearing to be the
nrst to claim them. she would perhaps have
continued for some time still to bear yoke,
now become hateful, if she had not been
surrounded by counselors who pushed her
On, and these counselors vera not chosen
rom the best part Of society. Effectually the
worst part OF it all was that the movement
Wlglhate1 naturally with the highest
classes, who were surrounded, by the fact of
heir rank, by legion of base Armenlans
- dHQ lJIeaKS the cNfIru of fhair
VINO were ready with praise the instant
Iney saw possibility of recompense, and
whose example was hardly able to give
81 life '-- -'-'-'-04A "a
lhe HE she had led in a harem had not
prepared her fer the sudden change which
was 10 occur In all her customs, She had
Fever known that there are other CHAINS
suaa nose inflicted by the tyranny of man,
t sna mat life might contain higher aims
sa Ieu Vle mere fact OF living for self in feet,
81 9oil.n1esS Is virtue in harems, which all
,Ius1 Ioliow who wish to live. and she bad
49, Csougnt that 1t might be possible to
S SliuA u others before thinking of herself.
~ Ea I1e other hand, the mothers are not en-
o,s.Gt t ~ 10 teach their daughters those pure
H. Frra nlgn principles which every woman in
bo. opg ,nihks 1t necessary to inculcate in
;na,' NllluIen' In fact, she has not sufficient
,nnuence over her children to do it. The
"ro @ are usually slaves, and, as such.
ar no never considered with the tender rever-
N.Y. "uIGh an European mother may COM
n'etiu' Every child has different
nnIt- DY whom he will stand by
%;uy spirit, and whom ne
ha III. GGlelid against her rivals, but whom
bos 'a' never respect, aud whom, alasi he
tsnoL. ieason TO respect, for she has never
If asi uS nm anything but the one principle
otbo- .; luesS and she does not practice any
is ~ .Htue herself. Each one for himself
The 4 ny ilS ITO OF harems, and this learned.
ina V ~ are permitted to grow accord
cbso' ~ their different characters, neither
g. iio'h wrong nor taught the right.
wbiob ,'' =. Sllne ago | saw an English paper in
Il ,poroI, tne author hotly denies that the
tnooa 40 10 rhed III harem are worse than
gocisty "Ight In some parts of European
sucb rl IL may be true, but it is not to
nmaIi!p 'aces that a European gentleman
ghIa :; sehos his daughters to be educated,
be must be remembered that
md 4 -bL Is the home of thousands
earn NJuSahds of young girls who
Mo-. eneir first ideas Of right and
5 kprroS5,,,ddnd who can hardly do SO while
k1va tb1ltu Dy examples such as the slaves
ncb os H. A Turkish girl of Is knows as
klnetrr.iIi me ' as European of 40, and it is
pirl oa d that 1t should be SO. OF course.
kSpcas anot De modest under such circum-
bben = a!Iu IL was not surprising that,
ttBchod ~ reactlon set in, she should have
The ne sne extremes to which she went.
Rss too e,l, from Ignorance to knowledge
Ess d d. sudden for the Turkish woman; she
uaH2ed by the bright glare which snd-