The Washington herald., 1916-12-03
Seen and Heard
by GEORGE MINER.

New York, Dec. 1.-The Moham-
medan institution of the harem has
probably aroused more curiosity
than any other social condition in
the world. 1t has always been
wrapped in mystery and secrecy.
Countless weird tales, some roman
tic and others horrifying, have been
spread broadcast concerning the life
in it.
As few people who were not of the
faith knew anything about the sub
ject, it has been an easy matter to
start any kind of story about doings
in harem and get it believed. The
chances are that there are lots of
sensational yarns about harem affairs
that are true that have never been
told, and also that lots of sensational
harem yarns have been told that are
not true.
Now it seems that we are likely
to have the veil lifted from the whole
business. Miss Mary Mills Patrick,
the president of the Constantinople
College for Women, has returned to
the United States and asserts that
the great war is bringing the Turk
ish woman out of the harem and
from behind the veil. She believes
that this feminine mystery of the
ages is about to be solved.
when the harem woman stands
revealed" said Miss Patrick, "the
world will be astounded at her su-
perior intellect and progressive
spirit. Our curiosity of centuries is
about to be gratifed. How these
women live, what they think and
what their dreams may be is grad
ually unfolding in the general up
heaval in Europe today Let me as
sure you right now that these things
will not be at all what we Ameri-
cans have pictured them.
"Our idea that life in a harem is
one continuous debauch could not
be further from the truth The
women of Turkey, as a class, are
splendid women. They are not friv-
olous, nor petty, nor empty minded,
nor dull
"The veil and the secluded life are
no more acceptable to the Turkish
women than they would be to a
stenographer in Chicago or a dry
goods saleswoman in New York.
"They do not countenance inn
morality and fast living any more
than do millions of good women in
the United States, and their stand
ards are quite as high and noble as
those of any women in the world.
"These women are greatly mis-
understood by the men and women
OF America. AS a class, they pos
sess an unusual degree OF intelligence
and initiative, and when they have
fully come into their own the world
will be astounded at their high sta
ton.
II attribute the high standard of
intelligence among them to the fact
that ever since the sixth century these
women have had absolute control of
their property, both as to administra-
tion and disposition, from the time
they were IS years old. Frequently
my classes have been interrupted by
lawyers come to call out one or more
of my girls, IS or I6 years of age or
older, to decide whether they wished
to sign certain papers concerning
lands and houses they owned.
While It is true that the Turkish
women have been ground down by
the marriage laws and hidden away
IN harems behind wells, they are more
enlightened and progressive in spirit
than the average women of most
other civilized countries.
They are now in revolt against
their archaic marriage laws and will,
l think, succeed in having them re-
adjusted within short time. They
are smart women and they are good
women ana they Will be victorious,
am certain"
Miss Patrick has lived for many
years in Turkey and should certainly
know what she is talking about. But
what she says is pretty hard to swal-
low-that is, about their being smart
and progressive. The few Turkish
women l have seen did not impress
me that way I can we'll understand
their being moral. l don't see how
they would ever have any tempta-
ton to be anything else, for they are
about as pretty and attractive as an
overfed Digger Indian squaw. !
have read great deal of romantic
slushy writing about the beauties OF
the harem. It's bunk. There amt no
such animals.
Chicago's health commissioner says he
| is going to provide the country an object