The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-20
), SULTAN IS CATCHING IT.
A TURKISH PRINCESS TELLS TALES
OUT OF COURT.

Them-Her own Father Had
Harem of 5oO-So His Daughter
KNOWS What She Is Talking About.
sultan Gives and Takes wives to
Suit HimseIf-Turkish Laws for
Women Are Not So Bad, but They
Are Never Enforced-The Wife May
Keep Her own Property If She Is
Smart Enough.
BY Rebecca A. Insley.
1.-THE secrets of the harem" are 10
remain secrets no longer. Simultane-
ously with the publication Of M. George
Dory's new book, 1.-The Private Life OF
the Sultan" a Turkish lady OF high
degree has just come to London TO
make a further expose. She proposes
TO begin a crusade against the degrada-
ton of her countrywomen, and AFTER
she has created a movement OF reform
to emanate from England, she Win go
TO the United States.
This female knight errant OF modern
davs is the Princess Hairie Ben Ayad,
the wife of a former Turkish Consul
at Rotterdam, who has espoused the
cause of the 'Legitimist" party in Tur-
key, and has, in consequence, been con-
demned to prison for ten years. he
ESCAPED TO England and his wife has
lust Joined him after numerous excit-
ing experiences. The party of the Lee
gitimists" is in favor of the deposed
sultan, Murad, the elder brother OF
the reigning monarch, Abdul Hamlo.
Murad has been in prison at Constan-
tinople for over twenty-five years, anu
his party claims that all evils in Iur-
KEY would be righted If he were re-
stored to power.
The Princess dairie bids fair to be-
come the latest London fad, and her
movements are chronicled as if she
were a parsonage of extraordinary i'm
portance. She possesses great beauty,
having a face of unusual refinement
for the somewhat heavy brunette type
of the East, and she carries herselt IN
a regal way. She drives out with her
husband frequently, but always yelled,
wearing a long black satin cloak and
hood, from which the veil hangs to the
throat. In the house she loves to wear
the close fitting garments of the Euro
pean.
She is a daughter of the late Maho-
mond Pasha Ben Ayad of Tunis, who
represented his country at the Court
of France during the time of Napoleon
Ill, and received several marks of
honor from the Emperor. He kept
magnificent harem Of over 500, includ-
ing his wives and female slaves, so
that his daughter knows of the things
whereof she speaks, although her own
husband has not INDUCED in the luxury
of so many wives. She is the first
Turkish lady who has ever set foot in
Europe with the mission of making
known the social condition of her ma
tive land, but she says that there are
many other women in Turkey who
would come forth in like manner IL
they dared, and that they are keenly
conscious of their miseries.
The Sultan himself seems to be the
greatest polygamist Although a law
exists which permits a man to have
only four wives at the same time, and
another which prohibits slavery, the
Sultan disdains to be bound by either
law. But his greediness to acquire so
many wives bring him no end of trou-
BILE, for each one becomes the center
of a political faction as soon as she
enters the royal palace. Many of them
are very shrewd and ambitious, and
sometimes not overly fond of his i'm
perial majesty. One of his wives was
accused of conspiracy against him
about a month ago, and the Sultan
shot her with his own hand. Another
one was sent into exile as late as
last week, being suspected of setting
fire to his majestys bedroom. She was
only saved from death because she had
been a favorite wife for over fifteen
years and because she had a brother
high in political power
The Sultan seldom condescends to
marry legally any of his wives, acord-
ing to the Princess, unless he takes
fancy to the wife of one of his sub
jects who is powerful enough to refuse
to give her up. The Sultan then DEGREES
her divorced and goes through the form
of marrying her. If he becomes tired
of a wife, one of his royal ministers
receives her as a present-whether the
minister wants her or not! Another
way of disposing of these wives is to
present them to his political enemies,
who also dare not refuse them, and
who thus take a spy into their own
households in constant communication
with the throne.
The Princess Hairie declares that
Turkish women would have all the free
dom they wanted if the laws which
have been made in their favor were
only observed. No woman can be
bought or sold or given in slavery ac-
cording to law, but thousands of them
are at this very day in slavery. A law
exists which demands a girls consent
10 her marriage, but thousands of them
annually are forced into marriages by
their parents. A woman can take legal
steps for a divorce if her husband mis-
behaves with another mans wife, or if
he does not maintain her according to
his rank and wealth, or If his parents
mistreat her. But the women are very
few who dare to take advantage of
this law. Again, there is curious re-
ligious law, which says a man must
house each of his wives so that she
shall not see the smoke from the resi-
dence of the others. But in reality
most of the men keep all their wives
under the same roof and allow them
10 fight out their Jealousies as best
they can.
The women of Turkey could be we'll
educated If the Sultan and the religious
teachers-who are his tools-would per-
nit But they have recently banished
the English governesses from Turkish
homes, and they oppose the foreign
schools, Catholic and Protestant, which
have been established among them. The
Princess speaks very highly of the
American School for Girls at Constan-
tinople, which, she says, is literally
patronized by the daughters of ad-
vanced Musselmen,~ Notwithstanding
the opposition of the Sultan. The
priests try to keep the people, especi-
ally the women, in ignorance. These
priests are in the employ of the govern
ment, they are the official surveyors OF
the wards, and delegated by the munich
pality to arrange the marriage con-