The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-22
THERE IS SORROW AMONG THE
WOMEN IN SULTAN'S DOMAINS
There Are Tears in Constantinople as Well as In Berlin,
London and ~ Would Have Maintained
Neutrality of Turkey

that the TlGnlS OF Hpli1dtf " t1iC iGh
chise have been recognized, somewhat
g~,1Ideinglv and g~uardedly, yet with a
view to their influence in pubilc al
fairs. Austria, III pursuance OF her
announced policy Of concedinS the
people OF The annexed provinces Pc
Iitical rights in 1910, granted q new
constitution.
This constitution recognized pro-
pertv rather than sex as tbs basis Of
the franchise. 1t provided that Wild
ovs and spinsters who were landoWn-
ers. and who paid above a certain
amount on their estates-sometninS
like S3O-should be entitled to vote.
The Voting Rights.
The restriction Of the right 10 wild
ovs and spinsterS might be construed
as q concession to mans superiority,
or to his place as the head OF tne
family. but in this respect it did not
differ from some OF the municipal
franchise privileges given woman pro-
p~erty-oWners in England.
The striking fact. was that in BOs-
mia. where the Mohammedan women
have been kept by inmemor.al usage
in greater Seclusion than i'll Turkey
itself, they We're given the right to
vote. 1t was not given to them as
Motanmedan women. because spin
sters and widows WhO were
or Prot-stantS or JeweSseS had the
same privileges; but the MOhanmeda1l
population was SO largely prepOndeI-
! ant thai in effect the franchise Vas a
gift to Mosien omen
\ concession was made to tradi-
ton in that the women themselves d!u
not go to the polls, but cast their votes
BY male proxies. That votes for wo-
men were popular was shown. At
| one election, the account Of which
49, ! = ,rrAri1 lxynA.r
eight women were recorded as voting,
and all OF these but twO We're Moham-
medanS.
Under martial law it ma be that
the Women Of Bosnia are not now al
lowed to exercise the franchise, but
they are in no different position than
the men in this respect. Having been
given the right to vote, and having
once exercised the privilege, it is a
safe prediction that when the war is
over the Mohammedan women Of BoS-
MIA will yield nom Of that which was
granted them. Instead, they are more
likely to insist on d broader franchise
and to obtain it.
Egypt has had a distinctive woman's
movement for years past, though il
has not yet been directed toward sec
urinS the ballot. Under English rule
in Egypt there is not much even fol-
men in the way OF political institu-
lions based on the ballot. That may
come some day. but it is not so neal
at hand as in Turkey
In Egypt.
The educational movement amOns
the Egyptian women has been partly
due to the influence of French idea;
and to the nationalistic aspirations o
the group known as Young Egypt. TIL,
khedival family. in its encourage, ha
reflected the influence Of education
and this influence has spread anon,
the higher classes. There are high
, class Egyptian ladies who speak Eng
: lish as we'll as French, but not mar
, Of them.
The western superstition regardin
the harem has given false ideas 0
Egyptian as well as OF Turkish life
y Every Mohammedan household is no
8 hareTn. There are some officials
g II some Egyptians who are not of
y hcials, who maintain four wives an
+ the ~cOnCubineS permitted by the pre-
phet's law, but these are not nun1e1
n Gus.
q Whether in the harem or in an
homogeneous household, the infuenC
Of is recognized. One day j
Cairo the dragOman who was show
ing me Q called my attention t
n the r~esidence Of a prominent lgyptial
This man, who had plenty OF courag'
Z did not acquiesce ~obseQuiously in Ems
lish rule. He was an open critic of i
and generally he was locke upon c
q contentious, Il not a seditious, EgyI
tan. At any rate, he was not meel
"a To my establishment. the dra gonna
II in pointing out this rnan'S residenc
i casually remarked, He is u very NEE
a man" I expressed my doubts, but tt
dragVnan solved them by ccntinuin
He is a very meek man-at ION
w He has two wives
"a The explanation was suficien
ia When l related the incident to
u British Official he said there we're
IS number of other prominent Egg
OF tians VIC were monoganists, but wi
er he hough ought to be encouraged
st practice limited polygamy. or an
IL thing that would encourage meeEnes
n Paris fashions are said to ha
We something to do with the changil
position OF the high-class Egyptis
=, u-n1oa11 Thay- ofil n