The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-02
WoNAN'SLIFEIN TURKEY
,ow THEY ARE HOUSED AND
WATCHED AND RULED.

pVOul 9n-HOW the EulCSn'S DOctOr5
Are Treated.
From the st. Louis Republic.
Il has been glibly asserted of late that
English society in Constantinople is making
* infuence so strongly felt that in many
ssniies the Turkish women are being edu-
rsb. aud enjoy the same privileges and
treedom as the foreigners in Pera, the for
eign settlement of Constantinople. II this
g the case much must have been done in
three years. lived in Constantinople in
1855. and the condition Of things was very
different then.
The Turkish women were mere slaves for
their masters use, ignorant of the first
/ rIdiments of education and living like pris-
4 oaers in their own homes. Indeed, 1t Is
almost impossible to see anything of Turk
jsh women except of the lowest class, beg
cars in the bazars who plague you for
baksheesh and break through the native
custom and unveil their faces for some
handsome foreigner who seems attracted by
their cleaning black eyes. have followed
the journeys of some old. discarded, Lon
dom built brougham. jolting over the rugged
streets of STEAMBOAT and crossing the long
wooden bridge, over which it is said
YOU never meet two men of the same ma
fionality coming abreast. 1t is half mile
long and connects Pera and Galsta with
Stamboul. The faded green blinds of the
carriage are drawn closely down; it will
pull up by the side of the wharf where the
Rosphorus steamers lie and hundreds of
raldues with Turkish boatmen in loose white
crepe blouses are waiting to be hired. Three
or four women will get out conducted by
one of the eunuchs of their harem, with
w ENyt hair n
maks, and step into a private cabin on
hoard one OF the steamers which is without
windows and lighted only by a few
circles of thick glass about two inches In
circumference let in on the roof. They are
the ladies of one harem visiting the inmates
OF another, and the steamer will stop
and let them off at one of the many beauti-
full prisons of these captive women one sees
all the way up the Bosphorus. They are
built of pure white marble and decorated
with rich carvings, the delicate wooden lat
tice work. which covers the windows more
than half way up, being painted with the
most gay and stricking colors. They are
charmiugly picturesque to look at against
the deep blue sky and the green banks of
the BoSphorus.
INSIDE THE HARRM.
But what of the life of the poor women
within? At the window Of the harem you
lovely black eyes all in a row peering over
the lattice half blinds watching the pleasure
steamers and caiques pass up and down the
Bosphorus Like children, when they are
tired of watching they will return to their
toys and sweetmeats, ra-hat-lacum Zig
PASTE and dried sweet rose leaves, and drag
way the long day on their low couche:
smoking their narghilei until they
are drowsY with its strong fumes
In the narrow back streets Of
Galata, if you can manage to thread
your way through the thousands of canine
jackals which lie about the streets all day
baskng in the sun and which are the only
scavengers the city possesses, and If you
are not sensitive to smells, for 1t has
been said that you get the greatest variety
of smells as well as of nationalities in Con
stantinople Of any city in the world, you
will see hundreds of women who are now
discarded and belong to no harem, but who
can look back to their past life as one OF
luxury and content. They are the womer
of certain class whom we may not men
ton here, who dare not ply their wares
on the streets with their faces uncov
cred, but who sit all day long king the
exquisite Turkish embroidery which thu
western shops are full of to-day, and fol
which their Jew employer gives them few
cents. The faint yellow stain SO often seer
on the daintiest pieces of Turkish embroid.
cry is drop of opium juice which they
smoke or chew all day long. When {
stranger passes idly up their streets there
are rows of dark heads and cleaning blacs
eyes thrust out Of the windows. But of the
upper class of Turkish women one sees
absolutely nothing.
The one Turkish lady's face l ever saw
unveiled outside of harem, was only g
face at a window opposite mine. Every
morning before the streets we're busy witt
traffic, watched a figure in rich yellow
brocaded silk come to the window and pust
it open. A gsyly painted narghilei pipt
and carved brass tray with tiny cups o
coffee and sweetmeats were placed on tn
window ledge. Then / could just see TIM
gay brocaded figure and the outline of
beautiful, dusky Eastern face, and the gol(
tassels on the points of her red Turkish slip
pers as she lay stretched on low divan q
the window with the long tube of tn
narghilei, covered with blue silk, between
her lips. A bare, rounded arm with sim
glass bangles on it would be stretched on
to the window ledge and carry tiny bras
cup of thick black coffee to her thin re-
lips In this way the first hour of the da
would be passed until the traffic began o.
the streets, when I saw my pretty neigt
Dor no more until next morning.
GREEK GovERNEss.
One of the introductions took with m
TO Constantlnople was to a Crock lady who
like most of the educated Greeks, was
great linguist and made large income b
teaching languages amongst the foreig
settlers in Pera She had the pupils of a
nationalities, English, French, Greek, TIA
Ian and Turks. One of her children We
the wife Of Turkish pasha who was high
minded enough to wish to have his wife ed
ucated, being the mother of his children an
the companion of his home life. The pup
during the first two or three les
sons sat in the corner of the ROOF
Turkish fashion, sucking her thumbs
whilst she watched her instructress build
Ing houses on the floor with letter blocks
gradually, however, she became less afrai
OF her pretty Greek governess, and afte
one years hard work my friend had laugh
ner to read and speak a few words G
french. She had also been employed a
governess by another pasha for his tw
lovely daughters, the father having sper
the greater part of his life in Paris wishe
to have his daughters educated and brough
up as western ladies, having himself sutfere
keenly by being linked to Turkish woman
totally uueducated, who had formerly bt
ionged to the sultan's army of wives an
who had been one of his past favorites. II
wished to settle bonorably for life, and ger
erously presented her as a wife to one of b
pashas who was unable to refuse the gift
ne wished to remain in the government en-
ploy His two daughters at the age OF
ana II were highly accomplished glrii
speaking with ease three languages beside
their own. Their PoVerness had been the