South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-03-18

W ell what 90 YOU Lnluk OF Jnal
Old maids in Turkey,
And they're beginning to worry
about them. if you please
don't see anything to worry
about. when it comes TO old maids.
do you-any more than when it
comes 10 old wives. or old grand
mothers. for that matter?
Old maids always look TO me
rather a gay anu independent sort
of persons.
Whenever / see two sisters and
one OF them has white hair and
the others hair isn't even touched
with gray. you don't have to offer
me a large sum OF money to get
me 10 guess which is married and
which is the old maid.
The single woman nine times out
of ten looks ten years younger than
the married one. Why not? She
has nobody but herself To think
about-no little thumbs TO tie up.
Just as she's getting into the inter-
esting part of the book, no Group
TO wake her out of her beauty
sleep. no clock to watch when he
| Is detained downtown, and doesn't
think TO telephone. or course, l
wouldn't change places with her for
all the world. There are a lot of
| looked at In the light of cold reason.
you know, really the old maid seems
70 have rather the best of 1t in
some ways.
However, this isn't why they're
worried about them in Turkey.
They're new there-that's why.
All the Turkish women were al
ways in a harem. Either they mar
ried the pasha and dressed them
selves in silver lace and gold thread
and spangles TO please him, or they
were slaves there, and carried altar
of-rose bottles, and danced to the
soft light Of a perfumed candle.
/ They didn't go out in the world and
teach school-not they
They didn't go down town and
get a job, sorting mail. or answer
ing the telephone. They never
/ heard OF such a thing.
Was IL Really Romantic?
They just ate candy and drank
sherbets and got as fat as fat. The
fatter you are the prettier you are
i'm Turkey-and they wore a veil
and tinkling anklets and dozens Of
bracelets at time, and gossiped
and uttered IN the soft dusk of the
| harem. and never even knew what
was going on in the outside world.
Romantic-wasn't it, But dear
me. what a bore II must all have
been-the soft lights. the tinkle
tankle OF the music. the soft thud
OF the dancing girls feet, the cigar
cts and the sweetmeats and the
\ coffee-ugh. I'd rather be a cowgirl
and ride my horse across the west
ern plains, away-away--into the
red heart OF the sunset
I'd rather be an office girl, way
/ glimpse OF life on my way back and
forth to work. anyhow.
Ia rather be in sweat-shop and
I make paper flowers, or press damp
cloth with n steaming iron for a
living.
Id rather be anything than 10
live in a harem-wouldn't you
with a queer old Turk who didn't
believe that women had any soul.
for a master.
/ wonder how the Turkish women
feel about il.
It's none OF their doing. the re-
ducin.. the size OF the harems all
over Turkey. It's the high cost OF
living.
over there in Turkey now there
are three women 10 every two men.
AL wells and auklets and sweet
r.eat5 cost q good deal more money
now tnan they used 20. ard all the
rich paShas arc hold'nC themselves
down 20 three wives a, the very
most ard As FOR favorites and
ta4nrtc girls-;he poor things they
say are starving 20 death
Agt listen g. tfis-,hey re going
o. -I,e women The yisht 20 vote
ir Turkey.
1,,fn,,- Arc nf0erent N,t,