The Washington herald., 1917-07-16
TURKISH WOMEN NAY
NOW SIT WITH men
Returned Envoy Says Ottoman En-
pire May Switch to Allies.
b. JOHN L. BAI.DERsTON.
Icopyrirht, lsfI. y the Mcclure Newspaper
syudicatel

mas been obtained from a neutral
diplomatist who left Constantinople On
June 2, after serving there during the
last two years. His work brought
him In contact with the heads of the
government and with the military
chiefs both Turkish and German.
Even the most inquiring foreign
resident In Turkey" said this man,
finds his efforts to obtain accurate
information persistently baked. No
diplomatist is allowed to leave Con-
stantinople. except, of course, to re-
turn home: communication between
Ambassadors and ministers in the
capital and consuls and vice consuIs at
Smyrna, Beirut. Damascus and Jer-
usalem Is limited and extremely ir-
regular.
only one non-Turk has succeeded
IN getting through from Smyrna to
Constantinople for nearly a year. He
turned up towards the end of last
month. and told us that. thanks to
the good feeling of the Turkish gov
ernor there, Europeans and Americans
have q ys-y comfortable time. The
British colony numbers about forty,
and its members are technically sup
posed to be interned. As a matter Of
-@~N NAASy oAC COHlplCNC lDCEAy
during the daytime. the only restric-
ton being that they must be indoors
before 10 o'clock each evening
Peace Sentiment Grows.
The peace sentiment Is daily grow
Ing stronger throughout all classes,
but 1t Is folly to imagine that Turkey
viii ever take the initiative toward
making q separate peace. think, on
the other band. that sympathetic
handling on the part Of the allied
powers might detach Turkey from
her Teutonic masters.
Popular discomfort in Constanti-
nople Is provoked by the food scare
ity and not by ;he loss OF close on
70 10000 square miles OF Turkish ter
ritory and 100000 Turkish subjects
IN Asia. I don't think that the aver
age poor Turk has any spirit left to
grieve greatly over imperial losses,
but the authorities, who probably
know their people better than l do,
take no risks; and an organized at
tempt to conceal, or at least mini
mize, British successes in Mesopo-
tamia and Egypt is in operation. The
fall Of Bagdad has not yet been Of
ficially announced in Turkey. nor has
any Turkish newspaper ever con-
tained any reference to II.
The Germans are more unpopular
than ever; but. curiously enough,
their grip on the country il tighter
than ever. The only tactful thing
the Germans do is 20 conceal the out
ward manifestation of their author
ity. The rumor about a German gar
rison of 5000 men in Constantinople
is false. At the most there are not
-I Hiarraaf1Nr
concealed in a building outside the
city. The crews of the Goeben and
Breslau never come to CONSTANT
nople, and there are no German po-
licemen in the city. Enver Pasha
still continues to be the dominant
figure in Turkey.
This man Is an enigma He rules
with a rod of iron; and those of his
opponents who have escaped the sum-
mary process of hanging are so ter
rifed and obsequious that the great
man reigns undisturbed. The misery
and suffering OF the great masses Of
people in Constantinople and the
other large cities Is very great; but
! doubt whether. making allowance
for the size of their respective popula-
tions. there is a. much abject proVerty
as in London or New York. 1t must
be admitted. however. that people do
actually die of starvation In Con-
stantinople.
In spite of all German efforts to
impose a system of food distribution
upon Turkey. bread is the only food
in which partial government
monopoly has been established. Every
Turk, rick or poor. is entitled to half
a pound of bread daily for 2 cents.
II he needs extend beyond this
amount he must buy a kind of luxury
bread called 'Trangola' at 20 cents a
pound. The Europeans find the cost
Of living terribly high. Early this
month, as personally sscertained.
tea cost SO. coffee. $3.50. and sugar
s. a pound.
All Glasses Live Well.
The middle and upper classes, in
spite of, or because of. the war, live
a CAV, feverish life. The cafes, the
aters and cinemas are crowded daily.
special cinema performances are
given for women, who are now allow
ed in the same places Of entertain
ment as men. But the rights for
women's movement in making aston
ishing progress. A great charity con-
cert took place early last month in
Constantinople. and a group Of aristo-
cratic new women determined to ex-
ercise their rights. They went to-
gether to the concert hall. only to find
il barred by two policemen. There
are men in there; you cannot enter, ;,
said the head policeman in horrified
tones. We are going in. we have
bought our tickets said the spokes-
woman. impossible said the police
man. Telephone the minister of the
L.. rsad
the women. The policeman rang up
the minister and received the laconic
reply. Let the ladies in The new
women of Turkey had won another
victory.
side by side with the new move
ment 90 the old ways. went recently
to call upon the grand vizier and his
wife. The latter ordered coffee. but in
spite Of repeated protests to the SER
wants il was not until one hour and
a half later that the co1ee arrived.
The grand vizier's wife Is not modern.
She Claps her hands to summon the
servants and does not touch an cleo
tric bell. The long delay before the
coffee was served did not displease
her. You see.' she explained. that
we Turks are not really suited to the
rapid go-ahead. methods of the
West
The Young Turk government, II
must be confessed, is doing its utmost
to encourage the Turks to prepare
themselves for the after-the-war eco
nomic struggle. Elementary school
teachers are excused from military
services and new schools are spring.
ing up like mushrooms throughout the
empire
Speaker Takes Joyride
With Infant Cr,nd.on