Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-02
MOSLEM WOMEN
LIKE CLUB LIFE
WITH MEN AWAY
Albanian Organization ThriUes
and American OUercOneS
Objections.

TIRANA, Albania, Feb. 2.-FOr the
first time in history Mosiem women have
a women's club. 1t is the first woman's
club in Albania.
When the American Red Cross ar
rived in Tirana it established a hos
pital, dispensary for habies and for
adults, a sewing room for women, an
orphanage and a school. But these were
only for the poorer people. The we'll
TODD women, shut in according to the
Moslem custom, forced to wear black
wells on the streets, were not being
reached by any one except the women
doctors. And the work OF the Red
Cross was not receiving full co-opera-
ton from the Moslem women because OF
the restrictions on their lives. SO it was
decided TO organize a woman's club.
The Red Cross women visited all the
homes and invited the women to formal
tea. They came, over sixty of them,
swathed in the heavy black clOaks aud
lem woman on the streets most pc
culiar object. They had tea and jam,
they smoked innumerable little cigarets
and, through an interpreter, the Amer
leans talked to them. They were told
about women's clubs in America, what
the women did for the poor and espec-
tally how much the Red Cross in Tirana
needed their cooperation.
The Moslem women were thrilled and
interested. Many of them heard about
the hospital and the dispensary for the
frs time. Enthusiastically they learned
how to elect a president and other Of
fcers and were appointed on commit
tees to work with the hospital, the or
phdnage and the other institutions. The
American women were delighted.
the npxf dav red the first
difficulty. Nine Toptani Beg called to
say that she was sorry, but that she
would have to withdraw from the hos
pital committee.
"But why, Nine. Toptani, when we
need you so very muchf'
Madame would not explain at first, but
finally the story came out. The doctor
at the hospital was a man. Many Of the
patients were men. Her husband would
not permit her to be seen there.
Then American ingenuity set to work.
Very well, if Toptani Beg objected, but
surely he would not mind If she stayed
on the committee and only went to com
mittee meetings with the women. She
need not visit the hospital at all.
Both Madame and Toptani Beg were
pleased with the arrangement. And
when all the other women in the hos
pital committee came to make the same
excuse they were all wheedled into stay
ing for committee meetings. But the
committee meetings were made as in
teresting as possible The cases Of all
the poor women in the hospital were dis
cussed. The curiosity of the women was
too much They wanted to see the hos
pital.
That was arranged. They were to
visit the hospital only when the man
doctor was not there and then only the
womens wards, For two or three days
they whisked discreetly in and out.
But one day there was a very i'll
woman patient, who had a little baby.
Madame Toptani Beg and two other
ladies were absorbed in talking to her.
Then they wanted to know exactly what
the doctor said about her.
The American woman with them de-
murely suggested that they wait until
the doctor came so that she could ask
him. They waited. The doctor gave it
a long name, which conveyed little either
to American or Moslem
Would Nine. Toptani Beg care to talk
to the doctor herself?
There was a moment of hesitation
while the American woman waited for the
fate of her woman's club to be sealed.
Nine. Toptani Beg saw the doctor and
talked with him.
And now the hospital committee of
the Ladies Humanitarian Society of
Tirana-which is its name-visits the
hospital at any and all times They
chat with the doctor even if he is a
man. They even visit the men patients.