Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-10
Visit to a Turkish School.
From the Forum.

From the
Let US visit together one OF the secon-
dairy schools for girls, OF which there are
sixteen In Constantinope. These schools
are called Rushdie. \ Rushdie school Is
one lust above the primary grade, cor
responding practically to a secondary
school Yet Rushdie schools for girls arc
still very elementary and differ also from
the secondary schools or other countries
by having more handwork / am sure that
there is no other city In the world in which
education for girls has advanced to the
stage of nominal secondary schools where
visitors received with such lelsureiy
and deferential politeuess as in Constantin-
ople. All work is laid aside in order 10
entertain Us, and the four teachers attend
us In body with their hair adorned with
flowers for the occasion. Coffee must he
served first in anteroom on the walls
of which we see quaint Interesting pictures
of Mecca and Medina. We then enter TWO
large rooms with latt!ced windows. open
ing into each other. where over one hum
dred girls are assembled. the oldest being
about fifteen. Each girl has spread her
finest piece of embroidery on her desk for
our inspection, some Of the pieces being
very elaborate and well finished.
The girls follow US with their bright eyes
as we pass from one desk to another. and
finally we are seated before the blackboard
with the help of which the accomplish
ments of the pupils are freely displayed
They multiply small numbers; they can
read and write, and they can chant well
from the Koran. which is the most pie
turesque thing that IS taught in these
schools. All the girls In the school have
Korans printed in gilt letters, and pretty
young girl with a sweet voice steps forward
at our request to chant one OF the suras
But while formerly the Koran was the only
reading book in the schools. we notice that
there are now readers quite modern in
chara cter. containing harmless stories that
young children can understand. and from
one of these. chapter called The Good
Neighbor." is also read. Further investi-
cation shows that the course of study In
cludes not only careful teaching of the
Koran, Arabic and Persian and some arith-
metic but also practical lessons In COM
position. geography. history and elemen-
tary science. Girls of the middle and lower
classes go to the Rushdie schools and the
latter are sometimes patroniZed even by
the higher classes.
In all the schools boys and girls have the
opportunity of committing to memory the
whole of the Koran. although this accom-
plishment Is not SO frequent it was for
merry. boy or girl who has done this
is called Hatiz. and boy Hafiz is often
invited to chant in the mosques. Although
it is not the general custom for girls to
chant in public. they sometimes do 1t under
the age of thirteen. Thus. for instance, a
young Hafiz might be told to appear at
st. Sophia at a certain hour every day
during RamaZan to chant the Koran for
which she would be paid perhaps 800 pias-
tiers (about $l3) for the month 1t NAV
happen that boy or a girl becomes a
Hafz before the age of twelve. The Rush
die school that / have described has one
educated Hafiz.