South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-27
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Rulers and Leaders of Wartime Europe
By the Princess Radziwin
Copyright

tied. expressed the desire TO visit
the sultan's harem and 10 be intro
duced 20 his wives and mother, the
old Valide Sultana. She was con-
sidered a power in the land. thanks
% the influence which il was known
that she exercised over the mind OF
Abdul Hamid Now this was the
first time that the possibility of a
visit OF "a foreign princess lii a sui
tan's harem had been spoken of,
because the Empress Eugene, dur
ing her famous journey 70 STAN
bOul. was only admitted into the
wOmen's apartments OF the old
SeragliO, where slaves for whom
the sultan did not care any longer
resided but never in the rooms oc-
cupied by his favorites of the mo-
ment
But the German empress was de-
termined 10 see the genuine thing,
and everybody understood that it
would never do 70 thwart her in this
wish on the other hand. il was
absolutely forbidden 20 let a Euro
pean woman penetrate as a visitor
in the shrine sacred TO the sultan's
domestic life, and Abdul Hands
old mother was far too great a
sticker for tradition 10 think for one
moment that she would submit to
its being disregarded. even for such
an important parsonage as the con-
sort OF William II. At last, i'm his
perplexity, the sultan decided TO
consult a very sanity dervish. who
was considered a most holy man by
the whole Of the population Of Con-
stantinople. and asked him what he
was 70 do. The dervish replied that
he had better open wide the doors
of his harem TO the Empress Au-
gusta, give there some sumptuous
entertainments for her. but at the
same time get some slaves 10 take
the part OF his wives and mother,
so as TO avoid the latter the dis
/ honOring contact with an infdel
woman.
The Harem.
The sultan took kindly 10 this
advice, and acted accordingly. The
cOnsort Of William III remained
convinced that she had been enter
tanned by the princesses of the Tur-
kish imperial family and returned
from her excursion 10 the east quite
enchanted with all that she had
seen there, and especially with the
very warm reception she had been
made the object Of in Abdul
Hands harem. The fact that she
had cOnversed with his slaves, and
treated them as if they had been
her equals was however, revealed
to her a few years later. She be-
came fearfully angry. and very
nearly brought about a quarrel be-
( tween Germany and Turkey. which,
however, was avoided thanks TO the
display of unusual diplomacy on
the part of the then Turkish am
bassador in Berlin. and especially
of the Turkish military attache.
who was none other than the too
famous Enver Pasha
The latter persuaded the kaiser
that he had better overlook the mys-
| tification Of which his wife had been
the victim. on account of the many
solid advantages he might reap
from an alliance with Turkey.
which might prove of incalcula BILE
benefit for Germany in case of COM
plicauons arising between her and
| Russia. William III was always of
a practical nature. and he was not
slow TO take the hint which was Of
fered him, with the results that we
have seen. But now that ne has
once more put TO the fore. the idea
of appearing as a guest. if not as a
conqueror, on the shores of the
Bosporus. IL is rather amusing to
recall this incident OF a past. dur
! ing which the present awful war
was being carefully prepared by an
INSCRIPTIONS sovereign.