Evening star., 1915-05-15
MARRIAGE IN TURKEY.
Women in Land of Crescent Have
Made Progress Toward Freedom.

From Loodon T1t-Bits.
While the life of Turkish women is
no longer that of female slaves to ar
rogant. polygamous husbands-for they
have made great progress toward a
more free and emancipated life during
the last few years-they still seem con-
tent to adhere to various manners and
customs which, in the past, have had
so much to do with Turkeys general
deterioration. The imperial harem, for
instance. in spite Of certain changes and
certain privileges accorded to the i'm
peria1 Ottoman princes and prfncesses.
still remains harem in the real sense
of the word-part Of an oriental house
exclusively kept for the use of women
Across its threshold no man may
enter, and one gathers some idea of the
still somnolent character Of Turkish
women from the fact that although the
inmates OF the harem are ALWAYS asked
-FOUR times at the end Of each year
whether they would like to marry and
leave. they invariably prefer to remain.
And yet" says Miss Grace Ellison, in
An Englishwoman in a Turkish Ha-
rem. not one OF these women seems
In the least to feel her slavery, and no
doubt they would turn their backs in
horror on the ugly, unprotected exist
ence Of some Of the women of my coun-
try"
Po1ygamy. according to Miss Ellison,
does not exist nowadays in Turkey. or
at least 1t is very exceptional Even
many members of the imperial family
content themselves with one wife. The
reason for this is only too obvious.
when four wives meant to their pos
SCISSOR four tillers sf the land" said a
witty pasha, there was some sense in
polygamy. but not when they buy their
~
One OF the strangest phases Of Turk
ish married life concerns the position
Of the mother-in-law. II know no
Turkish wife," says the authoress. who
does not live either with her husbands
or her own parents. Some parents make
1t stipulation before consenting to
their daughters marriage that she shall
still live with them, and have met
some parents who have refused good
marriages for their daughters simply
because they could not allow them to
leave their home. The Turkish mother
urges her son to marry as soon as pos
sible. He marries before he can even
keep himself His family sees nothing
extraordinary in the fact that they have
not only to keep him. but his wife and
family"
The Turkish mother-in-law. apparent
ly, is all-powerful in the Turkish house.
hold. Il is she who is the head Of the
house, who sits in the place Of honor,
who Is nrSt greeted, VINO gives permis-
sion to do such and such thing. and
who is called by her daughter -in-law
hanoum effendi (honored LADY,.
In regard to the choice of a husband.
1t is interesting to note that the Turk
ish woman now demands, at any rate.
the privilege of talking with the man
she is to live with before her fate is
signed and sealed. "She does not have
the opportunity" says Miss Ellison. "of
knowing him as we Engltshwomen
know our future husbands. but she can
at least know whether he will get on
her nerves. in which case she refuses
to marry him. Judging. however. as
she still does, by instinct. she gener-
ally chooses at least man whose
physical appearance pleases her. Many
that they accepted their husbands not
with any feeling Of gratitude Or de-
light, but rather with one of profound
thankfulness that they were no worse"