Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-18
AENDINC TURKISH MANNERS
Christians Are Better Treated Now in
Constantinople.
TURKS sELF.sATIsF1ED PEOPLE
Soldiers No Longer Permitted 10 Mo-
lest Women I'm the streets ms of
Old, but Fanaticism in Army
IL Very strong.

CCNsTANTINOPLE. April 17.-It used
TO be necessary for a Christian woman
here In the Ottoman capital to step off
the narrow sidewalk into the street
whenever she had TO pass a Turkish soil
der. IL she did not give the Moham-
nnedan he right-of-way he seemed to be
bound by some barrack regulation 10 so
az far as he dared toward throwing her
on her face, and II happened daily that
some luckless CHRISTIAN girl or old
woman In a quarter where no one dared
to interfere was showed headlong into the
filthy slush of the roadway.
No matter how much room the woman
gave the colder on the sidewalk, there
was never enough for him to pass with
out lunging his heavy shoulder into her.
Not a few women have been injured for
life by such assaults, from which there
seemed to me no recourse. The native
Christian. the subject of the sultan, of
course had none, while for the foreigner
It was practically impossible TO identify
the offender. 1t was, therefore, unsafe
for Christian women to walk alone any
where but along the Grand Rue de Pera-
a filthy street, but the best Constantino-
pie affords-and even there CO vert
shoulder blows or pinches were not in
frequent.
Embassy or consular women generally
drove, or IL they went out afoot they
took with them a kavass, an armed pro-
tector. usually a Montenegro. carrying
IN his hand a stout stick and in his waist
belt prominently a huge revolver.
For an European It is often most un-
pleasant to accompany a woman on a
walk through the streets of Constantine
pie, where fanaticism against infidels has
been cultivated 70 n diagram which dOea
not exist in most parts of the country.
This is the city which the European
countries want to take from the padisha;
this is the imperial city which held out
longest against the Moslem, which was
the world capital, the gem for which he
paid a river of blood; this is the city OF
the khalif.
Fanatics Recruited for Army.
When the ~suTtan's authority was UNI
challenged he made up his Constntinople
garrison of the most fanatical elements
in his dominions. sending every officer
educated at the military college to serve
IN Macedonia, Mesopotamis or even the
oest-laden Yemen and keeping here only
I'D men mad with religious zeal and
'gnorant young men promoted frolc me
,anks.
The influence of these soldiers, who. un-
IKE regiments away from the capital, we're
well fed. we'll clad and we'll cared for, told
upon the population. and even the ham
mails, or porters of the street, were rude
to Christian women. II one understood
their language there was but one thing to
do when walking along the street with a
lady-to close ones ears, for u~nspeakablc
remarks were directed at her. Even today
the lower class Moslem objects to yield ain
inch Of ground to let an unveiled woman
pass.
Army officers an the better class Turks
are generally polite in this respect as well
as In many others. Whereas under the old
regime officers and most civilians dared
not be seen showing Difference to Chris
tlans and generally bore themselves of
fensively against their own inclinations.
today any man is at liberty even to associ-
ate with ron-Moslems. and many young
officers are seeking to be taken into
Christian families in order to learn foreign
languages and western ways.
But things have not changed to a large
extent among the soldiers, as is indicated
by the curious lesson which l am told is
being taught IN the barracks. Privates
are being Informed that for the moment
absolute equality must be given to infidels.
especially to foreigners. OF course the Of
Ulcers cannot tell the ignorant soldiers to
forget in a day what tradition has taught
for centuries, that infidels are but their
''rayah," their cattle,
The soldiers are made to think that the
courtesy now demanded for subject races
Is due to pressure from Europe, the infidel
world, which is powerful and threatening.
BY this deception the officers hope, 1t
seems, to get fair treatment started, and
It is noticeable everywhere how much
room the soldiers, especially the khaki clad
men from salonica who launched the revo-
luton. give to women as well as men
along the streets.
Gross assaults are a thing of the past,