The Washington herald., 1909-03-21

preroEatives, and fearful OF conspiracies,
Abdul Hamid. the Sultan OF Turkey. is
said TO be avenging himself on the help
less people within his harems The few
who enjoy the privilege Of knowing the
inside" life Of the Yildiz are telling
strange tales Of horsewhipping. and even
Of bow-stringins and drowning, says a
Constantinople correspondent in the New
York Post. The Sultan is reported here
% De terrified AT the increasing revolu-
tiOnary tendencies In his own household
Revolutions, plots. and escapades are
said now to be everyday occurrences in
the seraglio- The movement is as strong
as the Young Turk activities were for
merly- A beautiful, yet bold and intel
ligent sultana, who escaped from the ha-
rem recently, disguised as a drinking
water vender. is reported as saying:
Il formed the determination 10 escape
from the harem and carried il out, and
now urge my cOuntrywomen 90 do the
same thing. until the accursed institution
is wiped out. The harem deprives a worn-
an Of her most sacred right. the exercise
Of freedom OF choice in love Il out
RACES all the noblest sentiments OF wOu1-
anhood- II subjects the wife 20 a servi-
tude which is more degrading than that
inflicted upon criminals IN any part OF the
world. For these reasons all good women
and men should help TO save the inmates
OF the harem from their fate
Although our holy religion made US
free. We are oppressed by our ignorant
despots OF husbands, and. like slaves, We
are compelled 10 sumit 10 their caprices.
q
that the women have the right 10 study,
70 travel, 20 pray in the mosques. TO
make pilgrimages TO Mecca. 10 engage in
all branches Of trade. 10 sign bills Of ex-
change, and 10 be sisters Of charity. Our
husbands deprive US Of liberty and keep
us confined within four walls We must
obtain laws which will safeguard us from
the arbitrariness Of our husband despots.
from oppression. and martyrd0m. We are
the mothers OF the people, the companions
OF men; the education and progress Of the
people lie IN our hands. II the men do not
change their attitude toward us let them
know that the day will come when they,
too. will be slaves. and then the Moslem
race viii perish
A Woman the Ruler.
The Sultan's seraglio is situated In the
Yildiz Park. It is the innermost Of three
Enclosures and completely isolated from
the external world According 10 the
Turkish custom Of many centuries. the
Sultan is not the absolute lord and mas
ter his desire IS not law. and life and
death are not in his hands. The imperial
will is not without restraint. In ordinary
harems. there is no limitation 10 the
power Of the master over his legitimate
wives and female slaves, but the Shadow
Of Allah. the Sultan. must bow before the
prepOnderating authority of his mother.
who is the supreme srbiter Of the rules
II is the Sutans mother who has the
power Of life and death over the women
under her control. This Is the custom. the
law Of the harem. but Abdul Hamid IS
the kind Of man who never respects the
custom and law. so long as his absolgt-
ism is not fOrcibly curtailed
Within the last month. since Abdul
Hamids authority has been shaken and
the aspects OF his rule have become more
gloomy, several sultanas have fallen vic
TINS Of his anger. On good authority I
am informed that he has himself person.
ally horsewhipped several Of them. con-
fined some Of them in their rooms. de-
priving them Of the right OF promenade
within the seTagliO. I am also told that
at least two OF them have been thrown
into the sea. The Sultan. as a rule. goes
around 10 the harem, and does not hest
tate moment TO shoot down any wo-
man who makes a suspicious move.
No Names No History.
The women of the harem, as the women
of all Turkey. as a rule. are not known
by their names and acts. as their West
ern sisters are. Occasionally one hears
here the story Of q thrilling escape from
a harem. but nothing more than that. So
the sultan may remove a sultana-and
you have neither a name nor any history
of her But the Sultan is well known.
and how he played the game Of politics
when II was about the empire and not
about the harem. The Yildiz murders
are well-known; but only since the recent
political change are many mysteries being
cleared up. II would take a volume to
tell Of all the midnight murders: but a
few stories win appeal 20 the ordinary
mind
The case which brings the state OF af-
fairs most conyincingly TO mind is the
death Of the brilliant and honest NOuri
Bey. secretary general for foreign affairs.
- &c" nuns DSAytt MS oedtiA -NouIl Was
conversing with friends and was in per-
feet health The son OF a French officer.
the Marquis de Chateaumeuf. Nouri dis
tingUished himself in the Constantinople
Imperial Lycee, and afterward at the
Paris University. The Sultan made him
minister OF agriculture. He became a IA
vorite He remained an honest man
Nouris two Franco Turkish daughters
were immured I'm COnstantinODle
harem. and. rebelling against their con-