Evening journal., 1915-01-01
Stories From The European Firing Line
As Related By Some Eye Witnesses

tunity of winning emancipation. So
far as the male Turks were concern
ed calling the movement a popular
subscription" was a misnomer. Rath-
er unpopular extortion" would have
been far more applicable. The Off
cials in charge simply fixed the
amount each man must contribute. It
ranged from week TO a months sal
ary If the man paid-well and good.
If not, the local authorities collected.
But so far as the women were con
cerned. this was unnecessary. They
gave benefits. teas and bazaars when
the participation in such things by
Turkish women was as radical as
would be the advent on Broadway Of
the female populace of New York in
Lady GOdiva garb. Their fall in the
estimation of the Turkish male by
such participation eQualled also what
would be the fall in the estimation of
tho American man caused by a gen
eral pulling Off Of The Godiva act. Yet.
they never hesitated
Ia addition, they pinched and
sclimped TO make the greatest con-
ttibution possible. They cut down
their household expenses; they ate
less; they dressed more cheaply and
ihoy sold their jewels-some even sold
their hair the most sacred of wom-
ans natural adOrnment. accordingly
TO the psychology of Turkish men.
IN all a total of s35. 700. 900 was
raised The Turkish women raised
more than one half
( me TWO dreadnoughts were being
rushed TO. completion in British
shlpyards when Turkey most needed
( them after Greece had bought two
cruisers from the United States. The
last installmont was paid and the
crews and officers selected. Then
came the European war and England
seized the two craft British an
nouncement that they will be paid for
li in full was of no avail.
Leading Turkish citizens tell me
that the bitterness and resentment
raised by this act is responsible for
/ Turkeys present position. No one
! they say has over caused such feel
ing of hatred as the taking over of
the two warships that had been paid
for actually out of the very life blood
and tears of the Turkish people.
Perhaps the world at large will
say that we are unreasOning i'm our
hate against England and that we
Turkish women are thereby display
ing those very weaknesses of char
acter and sentiment which are sup
posed to unfit woman for life OF
equality with man." said Madame
Sulieman. wife of Sulieman Boy. a
Turkish cavalry officer, but no one
Will realize how our very lives. our
whole future existence was bound W
In these vessels. With the victories
of those two warships that were GER
tain to have come the Turkish wo-
men would have been able to win
from the Turkish government cor
cessions for development and eman.
cipation that it will now take a whole
century to gain. The seizure OF
those warships by England has re-
tarded our lives. So you can hardly
wonder that We are now making ban.
dages and doing everything possible
to aid our troops in the field against
such an enemy.
but entirely aside from our per
sonal feelings. England blundereC
when she seized those warships. Il
she had not done so Turkey woulC
not now be at war. The seizure gave
Germany her great opportunity anC
she took IL. Could you blame u'
when she offered us the Goeben anC
the Breslau for accepting them anC
then espousing Germany's cause?"