Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-05
GIRLS OF NEW EAST
AMERICAN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
IN CONSTANTINOPLE.
Social Order Changing in the Orient
Mohammedans, Jews and Greeks
Living in Harmony.
From the New York Evening Post.

From the New York Evening Post.
The president of the American College
for Women at Constantinople is spending
the winter in this country in behalf of the
institution which is sadly in need of funds
From her some interesting details of the
progress of the women of the east toward
a higher educational and social standard
are gathered. The new women" of Tur-
key and the Balkan countries Bulgaria,
Rumania Servia and Greece, are more 49,
merous than the west is generally aware
of, nor are their ambitions discouraged by
their men. The government of Turkey, it
Is true frowns on all attempts to change
the existing social order but many Balkan
universities, including the new university
at Sophia, admit women and the American
College at Cons antinople is approved of
an patronized by prominent Turks. Proba-
bly, no other women's college in the world
contains so many and such diverse nation
aIities Turks, Greeks, Armenians, He
brews, Slavs, Germans, Danes and Amer
leans are counted among students and IN
structors. The professor are mostly from
American colleges. The president, MISS
Mary Mills Patrick Phi D.. has spent
many years in the east and is well fitted 10
preside over such a polyglot institution.
She speaks fiuently Turkish, Armenian,
modern Greek, French and German.
College Non-Sectarian.
Although founded by the Women's Board
of Missions in Boston, and still hberalIy
helped by it, the college is entirely non
sectarian and non-proselyting There are
not many Mohammedan women IN Inc
school at present, but there are many Jew
ish girls and Christians of the Armen-
and Greek Church. which has numerous
sects The democratic atmosphere OF the
1. -titution is remarkable. Daughters OF ne
rich and poor, of the lowly and the great,
are received on equal terms. The daughter
of a ca binet minister and slave girl study
side by side. There is no enmity between
the children of the ruling race ana Oh the
oppressed subject natio--s.
English is the language of the school ana
of the home but not all the classes are
carried on in that language Pecular 10
the institution are the classes IN cias ,si
Hebrew for the Jewish girls, Slavic Tor the
Bulgarians and old Armenian for the Ar
menian students. American women grad
nate students wishing to master any OF the
old or modern eastern languages VIII De
Interested to know of these classes. For
the rest the institution offers regular col
Iege courses. The instruction is thorough
and modern methods rule In every depart
ment.
Babel of Tongues.
1.-THE language work" writes Miss Pat
rick, lis especially interesting, but it is
somewhat bewildering to listen successfully
to Greek girls reading Plato, to Bulgarians
reciting a Slavic verb, to the heavy gut
terals of ancient Armenian and to the mu-
steal accents of the Turkish professor as
he expounds the difference between the Per-
sian and Arabic declensions." French and
German are not neglected.
The number of students varies, the con-
dition of eastern affairs being always more
or less unsettled. There are $50 alumnae,
belonging to eleven different nationaittes,
and the number of girls and women who
have attended for longer or shorter pc
riod is very large.
1t is interesting to follow the careers of
the graduates and former students and to
estimate the influence the college has ex-
erted on society. The great majority of
changed for them on account OF their SUI
perior intellectual attachments. The Turk
ish girl who has been graduated from the
American College would probably not be
asked by her parents to make a polyga-
nous marriage, and it is always within
her rights to decline an alliance. Polygamy
is not as frequently practiced. even among
the upper classes, as is commonly sup
posed Many enlightened Mohammedans re-
ject the custom either from distaste for It,
or because a harem is an uncomfortable,
expensive and troublesome possession. A |
large number of young men, educated in
European universities, openly advocate the |
introduction of the European domestic sys- |
tenn, and are even willing that their wives |
should receive their men friends with them. /,
At present there is little done, but the girls |
In the college. with the consent of their par
ents, have met and talked with men.
Graduates, Careers.
two are writer's of promise. One. now the |
versity. is making some valuable English
translat tons of Turkish works. This young