The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-11

struction was instituted, schools were
founded, and everything seemed to her.
aid the dawn of new intellectual era in
Turkey. Previous to that time the only
schools for girls existing throughout the
Empire were the Rushdieh or primary
schools, generally attached to the
mosque of each quarter.
A pretty custom, which r.ay still be
seen in many of the old quarters of
Stamboul, prevailed on the admission of
new pupil 10 one of these schools. On
the day app rointed for her arrival the
children of the school, headed by the
imam, and perhaps somebody with a
''musical" instrument, 60 in procession
to the house of the new scholar, who
awaits them decked in her most splendid
fnery, new satchel, gaudily embroid-
cred, hanging at her side. If she be
very little her father or some good
natured man will carry her, while the
quaint procession, singing hymns to the
Padishah. wends its way through the
streets to the school. Afterward all re-
turn in the same way to the new pupils
house, where feast of cakes and sweet
meats awaits them.
At these schools the imam, or reader
of the mosque, provides scanty mental
nourishment to boys and girls together.
Under his care the girl learns to repeat
few verses from the Koran, and to read
and write little. But when she be.
comes old enough to wear the yashmak,
that is, about ten, she is taken from
school, as it is no longer seemingly for
her to keep company with boys. The
smattering of the two R. $ which she ac-
quires is never kept up and gradually
slips out of memory, her time now being
occupied in learning to wait deftly, and
to perform gracefully all those elaborate
obeisances and genuflexions which oc-
cupy such an important place in Turkish
society.
In rich families the girls used to share,
and still do in some Epases, with their
brothers, the instructions OF tie hodja,
a species of resident tutor. Any of the
slave girls who desire to learn arecalso
free to do so from the same teacher.
From the hodja the girl may, if in
clned to intellectual pursuits, acquire,
besides reading, writing and the rudi-
ments of arithmetic, something of Otto
man history and literature. 1t is In
teresting TO note that neither singing nor
dancing is considered desirable ac-
complishment for girl; it Is decidedly
.sfast" for her to do either.
As many Turkish gentlemen object to
their women folk shopping in the town,
on account of the opportunity it affords
for Irritation, it is common practice with
Pcra tradesmel TO send their shor-girls
to the harem with goods for sale, or
dresses to be tried or. These girls, gen.
eraly French Levantines, bright asS TAX
ing in manner and appeuraa ces, some.
times catch the fancy of their customers,
and it is common fallacy of the Turk
that person gifted in one capacity must
be equally so in every other, shop girl
will often be engaged as nursery gov
erness by some semienlightened human
anxious to educate her girl la Franco.
Utterly unfit both as regards knowl-
edge and character to undertake such
duties, these girls impart to their pupils
little beyond slight knowledge of the
French language and taste for novels
of the Zoia school. The impulse to ex.
t-eme fightiucss which results has
brought Frank education into disrepute,
and checked the movement, still in its
infancy, for the better instruction of
girls, the Turk generally being ignorant
of the world and judging by his own
limited experience. The serious Mussul-
mans are shocked at the levity of the
girls brought up in the new fashion, and
perceive in it justification of their OBJ
lection to Christian teachers, while the
ardor of the nrogrcssionists has been
damped hy the unforeseen consequences
of haste.
To obviate this prejudice and prevent
the corruption of Mussulman girls, Nor.
NAL School was founded in Stamboul in