The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-01
TURKS ADMIRE
ENGLISH GIRLS
Flock After Them Says Young
Woman Traveller
SOME QUEER PROPOSALS
Natives Lose Little Time Making Their
Wishes known and Disregard Con-
acknowledgement Alone
In Constantinople Risky
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
Some have sung about the independ- |
ent American girl and her ability to
take care of herself, but here's a pretty |
young Englishwoman who reached New
York yesterday and who has been teach
ing English In Constantinople for eighteen
months. Before that she lived in Ma
deira. in Tenerlffe, in South Africa, and
In Athens, and she has kept her eyes
open.
She was stopping at one of the hig ho-
tells yesterday, but she said she was leav-
Ing today for Boston to visit some Amer
lean friends who she met in the East.
And she absolutely would not consent to
the use of her name.
There are reasons" she said. "A ro-
nance? You may call it that If you wish.
But do not wish my people to know
where | am just now. They think 1 am
too fond of travelling and insist that l
stay home. But I have the wanderlust
and cannot stay in England. Why did 1
go to Turkey? Well, it was due as much
to a spirit of adventure as to anything
else. Then l wanted to teach, and teach
inE IN England does not pay.
"Of course, I am a college woman, that
is to say l have attended one of the
smaller English universities. I say, If
you must have a name, you may call me
Mile. Tosta' That name is known to
some Of my friends. 1t was my love of
adventure that led me to Turkey. I had
lived for a while In Madeira and then +
tried Teneriffe and then I went to South
Africa. l did not like Cape Town, so 1
next went to Athens, where l had some
friends, and where I was to teach. But
1 didn't like the city and the Greeks.
Contrasts Greece and Turkey
Then cousin of mine and two friends
of ours, a German and a French girl. |
were going to Constantinople to teach
their languages, and, as 1t was just after
the Turkish revolution, / thought 1t
would be an excellent thing to go along
with them. I stayed in Athens only five
weeks, and | may say l would prefer
Turkey to Greece The Greeks are more
highly civilized. but, surprising as 1t may
seem, the Turkish men are more gentle
manly and as they are more stupid, they
are not so crafty.
1--WE had some friends in the English
colony, and through them and through
advertising in the papers we got pupils In
some of the best Turkish families. The
Turkish ladies' if they are at all edu-
Gated, are very pleasant. AS for the city
ITSELF the beauty Of the Orient Is spoiled
by the filthy streets. 1t is interesting to
mix with the people, but there is no free
dom, and woman has to be extremely
careful there. Most of the Turks who
wish toe learn English are young men
starting in business They are apt pu-
| pills. There are two American colleges
one al Scutari, one on the Asiatic side of
| he Bosphorus, and the other, | think, at
Bebeck, and we had to compete with
them.
LAS we reached Constantinople SO
soon after the revolution, we saw many
effects of it, but more attractive than
ruins were the bazars at STEAMBOAT,
where one may get all sorts Of curiosities.
But the Turk Is robber, and unless
you have your wits about you, you are APT
TO get cheated.
Americans Just Arriving
"The German business men were the
first to get into Constantinople in large
numbers after the deposition of Abdul
Hamid, and the Americans are just COM
ing in. The Germans are bound to stay
in the lead The Englishmen that one
meets in that part of the world are not
true types of Englishmen at all. Most
of them are half Levantines, with Turk
ish father or a Turkish mother. | heard
lots of talk before | left of building
tunnel under the Bosphorus, which will
probably be done by Germans.
rs a woman subject to insult? Well,
Constantinople Is not city for a
woman to walk about in, particularly If
she Is alone. The Turks cannot under
stand a woman not wearing a veil. We
could rot go out after dark unless we
were well escorted English girls are
focked after. and it seems to be the
ambition of every Young Turk to get an
English wife. And they have an awful
habit Of pr opposing to you.
zone day | was at luncheon with the
French girl in a restaurant. A young
Turk in uniform came over to the table
and laid down his card and a letter The
letter VIC s in French but II was addressed
to the English Lady. We didn't touch
the thing until the Turk had left the res
taurant, and then we found from the card
he was a grand pasha. We opened the
letter, but found that instead of being
meant for me it was for my cousin, who is
a blond. and very beautiful. We took 1t
to her. 1t was a proposal of marriage.
OF course she returned both the card
and the letter without a word, but the
next uay arrived what must have been all
the flowers that could be purchased in
Para This Turk followed my cousin
about everywhere, and If she would leave
her carriage he would walk behind at a
respectful distance.
Adopting European Games
They have started to adopt European
games in Constantinople. and now have
a skating rink. The young Turks learn
to skate apparently merely for the pur-
pose of skating up behind English girls,
and trying to make their acquaintance.
That is about the only opportunity they
have. There is a good-sized English COL
ony here, or rather at Moda, across the
strait
IL have never been inside a llarem but
my cousin has, and she found the women
interesting. but more or less sad. The