The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28

gime, the pasha and men of influence
decided that things were going badly IN
their harems, that the women were no
longer content to sit there all day putting
henna on their finger nails and stuffing
themselves with sweetmeats. and waiting
resignedly for their lord and master to
favor one of them with word or look Re-
bellion was brewing among them and the
heresy Of European notions was working
sad havoc. They did not even believe
any longer that they were born to be
mems slaves and created to serve men S
pleasure. And the charchaff was offering
them practical immunity for very differ
ent purposes.
So, from one side and another, appeal
was made to the sultan that the women
might be allowed or compelled to put
aside the discriminating charchaff and go
back to the yasmak, which at least made
1T possible to tell who was who, and was
now regarded as by far the lesser of
two evils. What consultations and dis
cussions went on in the big white Yildiz
Krosque no one knows. but at last, less
than year ago. new proclamation was
issued, which was so queerly worded that
It practically gave women the choice of
dressing as they pleased so long as they
made some pretense of covering their
face. Which meant, of course, that even
in Turkey, women were beginning to get
their own way.
About this time / made the acquaint-
ance in Constantinople of an American
dentist who has the honor of looking
after the sutans teeth and in conse-
quence has many patients, both men and
women. among the highest classes. He
has spent hours in various harems and
has thus been able to make the ac-
quaintance of many Turkish women and
study their characters and peculiarities.
AT his earlier visits the chief eunuch
would remain in the room while he did
his work, but afterwards he would be
left free from surveillance and could cha.
with the women as he pleased.
He assured me that they are like a lot
of school girls, except that they have
far less instruction than the average
European school girl, and that they
would worry his life out with questions
about the women of America. Endless
in their curiosity to know how our wo-
men dress down to the smallest de-
tail. how they spend their time, and es-
pecially what use they make of the Won
derful freedom given them by American
men. Already many of them In the
house wear American dress, the wells
and charchaffs being put on only when
they go out of doors. Many of them,
100, are studying french anu rHBilSi,
with native governesses to teach them,
and are reading with a great thirst for
knowledge, such books in those lam
guages as come into their hands.
Are there many pretty ones. / ask
ed of the dentist, among these Turkish
women
''Of course there are a few" he said,
''but most of them are fat and coarse
looking and altogether uninteresting.
You know Turk doesn't think a w0-
man is beautiful unless she has a figure
like a beer barrel"
Are they Intelligent"
Some of them are very, and no doubt
many would develop into fine women If
they had half a chance-that is, if they
had better instruction and a decent re-
hgion. 1t is my opinion, they are get
ting pretty sick of being treated as ami
mails without souls"
/ have no doubt the American dentist
is correct in this opinion, and these re-
cent revolutionary happenings with the
yasmak and the charchaff are signif-
cent of other things TO come-they show
the way the wind is blowing.