Show turkish girls study medicine opening of school to women called lowering of last barrier in crusade for equality HOMES RESEMBLE FRENCH polygamy olyo amy has ha become thing of part pact and liberty 1 Is equal to western sisters sister necessities of war brought emancipation constantinople tradition backed y prejudice doubtless causes many people throughout the world to regard the status of women in mahometano Maho countries roun tries as the same came as that portrayed in the arabian nights and to picture the turkish woman as the slave of a polygamous husband ignorant and illiterate imprisoned in a harem barem with nothing to do but to lounge upon cushions smoke a leb and minister to the pleasures of her lord and master this Is fallacious and unjust there Is hardly any polygamy in turkey today the average turkish woman Is the only wife of her husband and Is comparable in education and personal liberty with the women momen of most other lands this latter fact has now been emphasized pha sized by the admission of women and girls as students to the medical school of constantinople university the first official attempts to secure the admission of women to medical studies and to the exercise of the profession were made in 1917 by dr rassim ferid then sanitary director of constantinople ue he gained a favorable vote from the superior council of health and a demand by the ministry tor for the elaboration of an enabling act champions womans comans cause for many years bessim omar pasha professor of the obstetrical clinic at the faculty the founder of the red crescent rector of the university has championed the cause of women in the councils of the faculty and university in 1911 beaslin omar pasha inaugurated tor for women regular regula r lectures at the university on the question of hygiene this was the first step A short tune time after in 1914 a feminine university was founded which during its five years of existence has awarded 43 diplomas buts but despite its title its teaching did not go beyond secondary studies A little later in 1919 1 women were admitted to the university of stamboul first to the faculty of science and letters then to the faculty of law while the faculty of medicine still remained closed to them at the beginning the women followed special courses distinct from those of the men then the separation between the sexes was abandoned from year to year the number dumber of women increased today are students in the university the necessities of war brought about womans comans intellectual emancipation in the balkan war of 1912 1932 a school ol of nurses was founded until then the red crescent had employed only men as nurses later women took part in the administration of the red ked crescent finally during the world war the difficulties of life the high cos cost t of food the prolonged absence of heads head of the families and the necessity of feeding the children compelled women of a family to share the work of the men in commerce administration and instruction by her work woman has acquired the right of independence she has come out of the harem and ever more concerns herself with the outside world in the home many women and young girls have adopted european habits and toilet and you could not distinguish a Muss ulmon salon colon from a christian salon the most advanced families have assumed habits of we life cop led from the french and the husband at the side of his wife receives at table his invited guests men and women the pleasure and charm ot of life have thereby assuredly gained tor for the turks and for the foreigners who visit the country morality has lost nothing thereby the turkish spirit has been modernized the emancipated women have the right to speak and the right to write |