The Woman Question in Turkey

The Woman Question in Turkey then, is the question of changing the character and the direction of the influence of the women of the country—a class in all essentials of different aim and interest from the men, in mental power far less cultured than the men, in religion still dominated by heathen notions which have lost their hold on the men, in knowledge centuries behind standards attained by the best of the men—a class, even to some extent among the Christians of the country, still walled in against influences from outside, and yet having in their hands control of the nation during its early years, as well as the ultimate direction of the acts and the consciences of the men through the same means by which women everywhere influence the conduct and aspirations of their husbands. Ignorance, superstition and crude selfishness have their citadel of refuge in Turkey among the women, and this citadel is well nigh cut of if from approach. Yet if the plane of life of this people is to be elevated, access to this well defended citadel must be found. The key to success in such an enterprise is held by the women of the country, for the men see them, that they are fair to look upon, and at once they do their bidding..

Some Mohammedans have painfully wrestled with this problem and long to secure change that will modify the character and influence of their women-folk. The missionary bystander necessarily asks himself how such men may be helped to gain their wish. Tveal comprehension of the condition of women among the millions of Asia will lead any one who has a trace of good will toward submerged humanity to feel sympathetic yearning that those women may be led to a better use of life. Perhaps some able to lend them a hand may find it hard to escape responsibility if the help is not given city tour istanbul.

Acting the good Samaritan

Some will answer that we have the best authority for leaving the dead to bury their dead. But that phrase was not uttered for the consolation of those who wish to escape the burden of acting the good Samaritan. The use of it in a case like this is short-sighted as well as cruel. Recent experience in China shows that penalty can reach even to us for neglect of effort to humanize the backward races. Furthermore the history of the siege of the Peking Compound has revealed a reward which we actually gained for taking a juster view. For I opine that if all the money were reckoned up which missions to China have cost during the last twenty years of effort, and if those few hundred of Chinese diggers and ditchers at the Legation who thus learned to be men were set down as the whole result of the expenditure, the humble part taken by those Christian Chinese in preventing the horrible catastrophe which we feared was not dearly bought. There is self- interest as well as duty in studying what we can do toward solving this Woman Question which looms so large at Constantinople.

The whole force of Oriental logic and philosophy is directed against culture of womankind as a class. To prevent her use of her mind woman is forced into marriage in childhood, becoming a mother often at fifteen. For this end the dwarf- in” effect of premature encounter with the heaviest perplexities of life is derided as proof of mental deficiency. For this end the moral consequences of lack of training are rated as evidence that woman is so essentially vicious as to make her education a crime. The man of the East knows that if the woman is allowed to read and to think, facilities for gratifying his own tastes will be greatly diminished. So he obstructs efforts to open her mind, pointing out that any large view of education for women will teach her to sew instead. All this shows that custom and prejudice in Asia fear attacks made at this point. Hence the line of effort which promises effective results on the Woman Question in Turkey is the line of education for women. Before we saw how the reactionary Turk dreads education for woman, wc all knew that she must be brought out of the depths to the level of the century in which she lives before she can take her due share in the work of stimulating its progress.