What I Saw in Turkey

The visit of His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic to Turkey, at the end of June, was a surprise that stirred much questioning, given the rupture and coolness between us and Turkey over the district of Alexandretta. Be that as it may, we are confident that His Excellency our President, who is the highest example of patriotism, undertook such a visit only for the good of Lebanon and the Arab world.

Among those who accompanied His Excellency to Turkey was Her Ladyship the First Lady of Lebanon. "The Woman's Voice" therefore decided to send its correspondent to sound her opinion of what she saw in Turkey during the few days she spent there. Her Ladyship kindly stated the following:

I was astonished by the great progress I observed on my visit to Turkey, and by the strong, comprehensive renaissance it enjoys, especially in the world of woman. There are a great number of girls there occupying important posts in the state, such as seats in parliament and the like. In Ankara there are nearly twenty women judges. The village woman wears men's trousers while at her work in the field. Learning is obligatory for every Turkish woman and man, and no individual is given an identity card or a ration card unless he can read and write well.

I went about Turkey as far as opportunity allowed. Among the things that impressed me greatly was my visit to a cultural institute where a girl learns sewing, the care of flowers, drawing, cooking, and all the other kinds of fine arts, in addition to learning to read and write. Here the pupil must devise for herself what she is to sew; when it is finished she puts it on and presents it to a specialized artistic committee, and the one who, after careful examination, wins the first prize is given a teaching post in the school itself for two years, where she does her part in helping the other pupils. The Turkish girl is active and diligent, careful to do her duty and to do it to perfection, ready to serve her country and to carry out whatever is asked of her with all pleasure and devotion, knowing that she fills a great part of her society and that it is upon her shoulders that her country rises and is made strong.

The greater part of the schools are government schools, and the Ministry of Education gives full care to training the young by the useful modern methods; hence the visitor finds the schools furnished with the newest equipment and implements, which make the work easier for the pupil and spare her time and mental strain.

The truth is that the Turkish woman, in my eyes, differs not at all from the European; and if she keeps up this renaissance of hers, she will without doubt cover a great distance in the world of civilization and progress. What I saw in Turkey pleased me, and what I heard during the short time I stayed delighted me greatly. And all that I saw and heard left in my soul the loveliest impression of this visit, whose memory the days and years will not efface."