Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-12-12

watching eagerly the contest In east
ern Europe womankind Is giving sigh
IF sympathy for the thousands Of
homes, the tens Of thousands Of wo-
men suffering the inevitable horrors
md worries Of wartimes. But they
ire a low class Of women, one says
ignorant, dull, unaspirlng and incapa-
1le OF suffering "as we suffer" but still
deserving Of better things. or all the
women concerned-the Turkish, the
Greek, the Bulgarian, the Servian, the
Montenegrln- possibly less Is known
about the last named than any Of the
others What would the most advanc-
ed advocates Of women's rights say II
they knew that the despscd Montene-
grin women are having very real
part In this war? What would they
say If they heard that II Is women who
look after the food and the transporta-
ton Of ammunition? Stil the position
Of the woman Of Montenegro is far
from enyiable. 1t IS no unusual sight
10 see gayly dressed man strOlling or
riding along with his wife trudging at
his heels carrying agricultural imple
ments or market products. In her
home she is not allowed to sit at table
with her lord and she may not remain
seated If any man. even stranger,
passes by, Thanks to King Nicholas
the first champion Of womanhood in
authority in Montenegro, much Of this
abuse Is being abolished
In Bulgaria a different atmosphere Is
felt. The general run OF women are
better educated and keep IN touch with
the advancement Of their sex in other
countries They are even interested In
the suffrage question and came very
near to winning the vote a few years
ago The Bulgarian women make faith.
ful wives and are busy In the home
and in the fields and have a love Of
elaborate ceremonials, the wedding
ceremony holding an important place
in their festivals In the country dis
trIcts the women still cling to the old
beliefs in witches and other evil pow
ers.
Seryia is primarily an agricultural
country and the typical Servian is a
peasant proprietor The country has
often been referred to "as the poor
mans paradise and certainly there is
no real poverty within It's borders In
times Of peace, but for all that the
lives Of the women are hard ones.
They work side by side with the men
In the fields and are held inferior to
the lords Of creation, Even among
the better class there are few mXurIes.
by far the most intelligent peoples
Of that section Of Europe are the
Greeks, yet In many parts of Greece
the lot OF the women Is ms bad as
that Of the lowest elsewhere and IN
no other Of these countries is the CON
trast OF advanced civilization and ira.
dtlon between education and igno
rance so sharply drawn The Athenlan
women follow Paris modes In their
dress, live broad lives pursue phlan.
thropic ideals ana take part In polltl
cal problems But the peasant won.
an In sonic OF the provinces lives the
life Of a thousand years ago-keep
animals In the house aud are barred
from the talk Of men. Greek life is
said to be neither oriental nor Eu
ropenn; 1t smacks Of both
Volumes have been written about the
woman of Turkey Her strange life in
the harem Is better known and at the
same time less known than that of any
OF her Christinniled nelghbors. The
legal position OF the Turkish woman 1,
more favorable than that Of any Other
European country and fur better thar
that Of the women In some OF oul
states. The Turkish woman may plead
her own cause IN any court OF law. nj
she earns money her husband has nt
right 70 touch It. Her husband may
not even inquire as to how she spends
her household money, and certain
sum he is bound to supply The very
strength of her legal position does mort
to limit the ordinary Turk to one wifi,
than all the preaching IN the worlC
against plural marriage
Two Greek prIucesses, Princess Alice
wife NJ Prince Andrew, fourth son O.
the king, and Princess Helena. IN,
daughter Of the crown prince, are
the front In the Balkan war, patient,
caring for the wounded soldiers aul