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+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
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+
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #65749 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65749)
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-The Project Gutenberg eBook of An Englishwoman in Angora, by Grace Mary
-Ellison
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
-will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
-using this eBook.
-
-Title: An Englishwoman in Angora
- With illus., reproduced from the author's own sketches and
- photographs, and with a cartoon by L. Raven Hill
-
-Author: Grace Mary Ellison
-
-Release Date: July 3, 2021 [eBook #65749]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-Produced by: Turgut Dincer,, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed
- Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
- produced from images generously made available by The Internet
- Archive)
-
-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA ***
-
-
-
-
- AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA
-
-
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-[Illustration:
-
- MISS GRACE ELLISON.
- The first British woman to visit Angora since the beginning of the
- Nationalist Movement. She has always stood for Anglo-Turkish
- friendship.
- Frontispiece
-]
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- AN ENGLISHWOMAN
- IN ANGORA :: :: By
- GRACE ELLISON :: :: ::
- ════════════════════════════════════════
-
-
-
-
-
-
- With 34 illustrations, reproduced from the Author’s
- own sketches and photographs, and with a cartoon by
- L. Raven Hill
-
-
-
-
-
-
- _LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO.
- PATERNOSTER ROW_
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- TO
-
- MY DEAR MOTHER
-
- AND TO MY LATE FATHER,
-
- CAPT. JOHN ELLISON,
-
- IN LOVING MEMORY OF HIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE:
-
- HIS EVER COURAGEOUS DEFENCE OF JUSTICE,
-
- HONOUR, AND TRUTH.
-
-
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- FOREWORD
-
- AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA
-
-
-AT the time of writing I am the only Englishwoman who has been in Angora
-since the Nationalist movement began.
-
-Others, moved by curiosity, have sought permission to visit the country
-under its new _régime_, but Nationalist Turkey has bidden them
-wait—until she is sure that her guests will write, or speak, the _truth_
-about what they may see, and can be trusted to forget the prejudices
-with which they would almost certainly arrive.
-
-For myself, I have three times been welcomed to Turkey with open arms
-_on account_ of my nationality. On this occasion I was still welcome,
-but _in spite of_ my nationality—an ugly truth that my mind almost
-refuses to accept.
-
-To compare impressions from these visits one must first ask: “How could
-such a change of attitude come to pass?”
-
-Formerly Great Britain was _the_ country of all countries that “counted”
-in Turkey. To be a “gentleman”—(they used the English word)—was the
-Turks’ highest ambition. British stuffs were chosen in preference to
-French, _not_ because they were finer or of greater value, but simply
-because they were _British_. Our ideals, our policy, and, I must add,
-our governesses, were almost regarded as sacred in Turkish eyes.
-
-And now I am advised, for greater safety, to travel as an American! God
-forbid! I stand by the old flag.
-
-I would smile, could the tears be hidden, when I recall the police
-officer who so solemnly enquired if _I was sure_ I was not an American.
-
-“Perfectly sure,” I replied.
-
-“How then,” said he, “has that impossibility—an Englishwoman in
-Angora—become possible?”
-
-“Your Government,” I answered, “has made it possible. As you have no one
-else here from my country, I have given myself this mission.... An old
-friend of the Turks, a woman who loves her own country! Can she not do
-_something_ for that peace between us, which is a supreme necessity to
-both? That is why I am here.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-I do not forget that Turks were our “enemies” in the war. But they came
-back, beaten to the dust—and penitent. Then was the moment for us to
-have made our own terms. In that mood Turkey would have
-accepted—anything, but the _one thing_ we imposed on her—the Greeks at
-Smyrna! That policy of sheer folly has transformed the veneration of her
-people into fear and distrust, if not hate.
-
-Unjustly and unreasonably as we have behaved towards our old ally, we
-were not, indeed, alone in this mischievous exalting of Greek
-aggressions. Dare we not now own our mistake? We are great enough, and
-strong enough, to be generous, to mend our ways!
-
-To-day, surely, it is the duty of English patriots to pour oil on the
-troubled waters, to explain to Turkey what _can_ be explained, and to
-paint our countrymen, at least, less “black” than they have been made to
-seem by our rivals’ pen!
-
-Lausanne Palace Hotel,
-
- Lausanne,
-
- _January, 1923_.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CONTENTS
-
-
- FOREWORD
-
- PAGE
- An Englishwoman in Angora ix
-
- List of Illustrations xv
-
-
- CHAPTER I
-
- On Board the _Pierre Loti_—Turkey’s Debt 17
- to Loti’s Magic Pen
-
-
- CHAPTER II
-
- Turkey and Tolerance—A Friendship Wasted 22
-
-
- CHAPTER III
-
- Malta: the Name I was to Hear Throughout 29
- Anatolia
-
-
- CHAPTER IV
-
- Athens—“We Have Loved Helen; Must We 36
- Divorce Her?”
-
-
- CHAPTER V
-
- Smyrna: a Picture of Desolation 43
-
-
- CHAPTER VI
-
- British Chivalry!—Brave Women a 54
- Nuisance!
-
-
- CHAPTER VII
-
- Smyrna—God’s Work—The Exquisite 60
- Sunset—Man’s Work—War
-
-
- CHAPTER VIII
-
- Emotions and Impressions—“On the 71
- Way”—Nowhere to House the Poor People
-
-
- CHAPTER IX
-
- More Impressions-“Sitting Amidst an Army 79
- of Supposed Savage Fanatics, Debating
- the Greatness of God”
-
-
- CHAPTER X
-
- A Journey on Foot—A Country Made by God, 85
- untouched by Man
-
-
- CHAPTER XI
-
- A Public Meeting at Ouchak—Hospitality—A 94
- Sacred Rite
-
-
- CHAPTER XII
-
- A Luggage Train—The Worst Stage of My 104
- Whole Journey
-
-
- CHAPTER XIII
-
- A Third-Class Compartment—A Frenchman 114
- Amongst the Ruins
-
-
- CHAPTER XIV
-
- In the “Train de Luxe”—The Supreme Good 122
- Fellowship of English
- Laughter—Journeying Towards the Cradle
- of New Turkey
-
-
- CHAPTER XV
-
- Angora I.—Entering a “Brotherhood”—An 132
- Atmosphere of Camaraderie
-
-
- CHAPTER XVI
-
- Angora II.—At the Home of My Kind and 141
- Courteous Host
-
-
- CHAPTER XVII
-
- Angora III.—The Marvellous Atmosphere of 147
- a Great Birth
-
-
- CHAPTER XVIII
-
- The Ghazi Mustapha Kemal Pasha—The 159
- Greatest Man in Turkey To-day
-
-
- CHAPTER XIX
-
- An Interview with the Ghazi Mustapha 174
- Kemal Pasha
-
-
- CHAPTER XX
-
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha—The Man Who is 179
- Master of His Fate
-
-
- CHAPTER XXI
-
- A Turkish Cabinet—The Three Best-Known 192
- Ministers—A Cabinet of Young Men
-
-
- CHAPTER XXII
-
- Turkish Cabinet—The Less-known Ministers 198
- of the Sovereign State
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIII
-
- The Foreign Colony in Angora—A Group of 202
- Foreign Personalities
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIV
-
- Halidé Edib Hanoum, Author and Patriot—A 205
- Woman Dowered with the All-Conquering
- Gifts of the Truly Brave
-
-
- CHAPTER XXV
-
- Hospitals—Schools—Education and the 215
- Nationalist Writers—The Days Pass, but
- There is Still Much to Be Done and
- Seen
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVI
-
- Last Days in Angora: Excursions, 226
- Conversations, Picnics—HAÏDAR Bey’s
- Party
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVII
-
- Rome, the Eternal City—A Visit to the 239
- Catholics in Angora
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVIII
-
- Three Diplomats at Rome—The Guardianship 249
- of the Holy Tomb
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIX
-
- _En Route_ for Constantinople—A Night at 254
- Bilidjik Under the Frost-Laden Skies
-
-
- CHAPTER XXX
-
- From Bilidjik to Broussa by Yaili—After 259
- the day’s Roughening Experiences one
- can Sleep whatever the Accommodation
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXI
-
- A Few Days in Broussa—The True Islam 273
- Atmosphere
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXII
-
- Constantinople No Longer the Capital—The 285
- Heart and Spirit of Turkey are in
- Angora
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXIII
-
- Lausanne Palace Hotel—The Home of 298
- Turkey, France, and Japan—“Every
- Possible Phase of Complete
- Internationalism”
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXIV
-
- Turkey and the League of Nations—The 313
- Parliament of Nations Must Be Truly
- Impartial and International
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXV
-
- The Future—Above All, a Lasting Peace 318
-
- Index 321
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
-
-
- Miss Grace Ellison _Frontispiece_
-
- Burnt Quarter in the French Part of 48
- Smyrna near the Quay
-
- Lord Curzon: “Turkey for the Turks, 64
- indeed!”
-
- In an Ox Wagon 89
-
- From a Turk’s Back 104
-
- H.M. The Kaliph of Islam 112
-
- A Battle Royal with my Tangled, Dusty 122
- Hair
-
- A Bottle of Evian—Under the Table 123
-
- General Moueddine Pasha, Military 128
- Instructor of Mustapha Kemal Pasha
-
- The Market-place at Angora 136
-
- “The carriages swing from angle to 137
- angle”
-
- Grand National Assembly at Angora 144
-
- “There is so much to sketch from our 145
- front door”
-
- The Ghazi Mustapha Kemal Pasha, 160
- President of the Grand National
- Assembly, Angora
-
- On the wall of Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s 164
- study the Sultan Osman looks down on
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha
-
- The Ante-room at Tchan-Kaya 165
-
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s Sitting-room 168
-
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha Walking in the 171
- Grounds of Tchan-Kaya
-
- General Ismet Pasha, Minister for 176
- Foreign Affairs
-
- Rauf Bey, Prime Minister 192
-
- Halidé Hanoum, the well-known writer, 208
- patriot, and feminist leader
-
- Dr. Adnan Bey, High Commissioner for 208
- Constantinople
-
- Agha Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director of the 224
- Angora Press
-
- A Luncheon Party at the Ottoman Bank, 240
- Angora
-
- The Yaili with Drawn Curtains 255
-
- Broussa 256
-
- “He has the right to say, ‘Look at me’” 261
-
- The Tomb of the Sultan Osman at Broussa 272
-
- General Refet Pasha and Colonel Mougin 288
- in Constantinople
-
- Lausanne Palace Hotel 304
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- An Englishwoman in Angora
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER I
-
- ON BOARD THE “PIERRE LOTI”—TURKEY’S DEBT TO LOTI’S MAGIC PEN
-
-
-OVER a sea as smooth as ice, the sun shining brightly most of the way,
-the Messageries Maritimes steamer _Pierre Loti_ is carrying us to
-Smyrna. Ten years ago, to a beaten Turkey (unable, it was supposed, to
-face an enemy for years to come), I had taken the same trip. And now,
-despite the prophets, I am returning to a victorious people; doubly
-victorious, since all the odds were against them.
-
-“That is the kind of story I love,” I remarked to the sympathetic
-captain and his daughter, with whom I generally lunched as guest in
-their own cabin. They, indeed, were particularly interested in my
-adventure, for they knew the Near East well, and this was to be their
-last visit. Because he had just reached the age limit of those who ‘go
-down to the sea in ships,’ though it was only when you caught the word
-‘papa’ upon his daughter’s lips that anyone would suspect the fact.
-
-So they are blessed who marry young!
-
-“It seems strange,” I told him one morning, “to be here—on board the
-_Pierre Loti_, and surely a presage of good luck, since his books have
-done so much to increase and widen my inborn sympathies with the East.”
-
-Still more strange it proved; since the captain himself had named the
-ship for his admiration of the great French writer and in memory of
-personal friendship between them. A rare literary association for a
-steamer once in the service of the Czars. Wherefore, also, I found the
-master’s works in the ship’s library, and could renew acquaintance with
-many an old favourite: “Ramuntcho,” “Matelot,” “Ispahan,” “Les Pêcheurs
-d’Islande” and the “Désenchantées.”
-
-The captain told me of his visit to Rochefort, and _I_ told _him_ how
-Antoine went to the same house for final instructions upon the staging
-of “Ramuntcho,” which, however, did not prove a success. How, indeed,
-could anyone think of dramatising Pierre Loti, whether in prose or
-verse? He gives us neither psychology nor dramatic incident. I can only
-suppose that Antoine permitted them to be produced—to show once for all
-that the thing could not be done; a hard lesson for the master!
-
-“Among Loti’s collection of priceless treasures, rifled from every
-corner of the East, Antoine sought in vain for somewhere to place his
-hat! Finally, he hooked it on to an Eastern idol, and their talk began.
-In a few moments, however, there was a pause, for the astonished
-dramatist caught sight of the offending headgear suspended, as he
-supposed, in mid-air. However, a closer look revealed that it was
-resting upon a thin stream of water. The Eastern idol was a fountain!”
-
-The captain expressed his surprise that I should not only be so familiar
-with Loti’s work, but that I could really know anything intimately of
-his private life, “seeing how the Frenchman disliked my own country.”
-
-“My dear sir,” I replied, “if we are to find our friends to-day only
-among those who love England, we should be limited indeed. You and your
-charming daughter, _par exemple_, are you precisely admirers of the
-British Government?...
-
-“To me, Art is first, and the rest—nowhere! I care not whether the
-genius first saw daylight in Paris, in New York, or in Timbuctoo. I have
-more friends out of England than in England. Like Kipling’s cat, ‘all
-places are alike to me.’ I only ask that your land be warm; and with all
-peoples who do not rob me I am ready and eager to be good friends. To
-‘guard the frontiers’ in Art would be to bring back the Dark Ages. The
-most sincere love of one’s own country should never teach one to be
-disdainful of _les autres_.”
-
-“You are going to Nationalist Turkey,” he replied, “you will find
-yourself right up against Chauvinism all the time.”
-
-“I don’t believe it. Forgive me, I really think you exaggerate. And
-besides—with my strong sympathies for the Turks!—I have always found
-Orientals the most broad-minded men.”
-
-Then I brought back the talk to Pierre Loti. “Why do you say that he
-dislikes England so much?” I asked. “He _does_ object to golf near the
-Pyramids; he _is_ a little sarcastic about ‘Messrs. Thos. Cook & Co.,
-Egypt, Ltd.,’ forgetting what it means to travel without them; he
-dislikes our Government for its pro-Greek policy and its injustice
-towards the Turks. As an Englishwoman I agree. And, like him, too, I
-regard New York as the nearest earthly approach to hell! We certainly do
-not hate America; only its noise, its materialism, and its advertising.
-
-“I knew Pierre Loti best, perhaps, at his charming Basque home in
-Hendaye—thanks to my friendship with his heroines, Melek and Zeyneb. I
-know, at one time, he resented what seemed to him our Edward VII.’s
-‘interference’ in French affairs. But that master of diplomats never
-gave his advice unasked; and, when he was told of the great Frenchman’s
-hostility, Pierre Loti was promptly invited to Windsor, and they became
-the best of friends. Would he were with us now, that he might but talk
-with the Ministers of both nations!
-
-“After Windsor, Loti, I’m sure, would have spared his sarcasm. ‘There is
-one thing left now,’ he once declared. ‘We must appeal to H.M. Edward
-VII. _He_ only can do what he likes in France!’ The French Admiralty had
-just refused him permission to carry away from one of their ships the
-table on which he had written the ‘Désenchantées.’”
-
-The captain, it seemed, was ready to waive this point.
-
-“But I do not consider,” he resumed, “that Loti’s books are a true
-picture of Turkey as she is.”
-
-“They would not, indeed, suit his arch-enemy Messrs. Cook,” I replied;
-“as Turner painted, he wrote, for those who have eyes to see. Tell him
-you never saw _his_ Turkey, and he would reply: ‘Don’t you wish you
-could?’...
-
-“Had Loti himself been English, he would, naturally, have reached a
-larger public among us. The warmth of his colouring is too often lost in
-translation. As a schoolgirl I learnt by heart the wonderful Preface to
-his “Ispahan”: ‘_Qui vent venir avec moi voir les roses d’Ispahan_,’ and
-I have dreamt of those roses ever since.”
-
-The captain then spoke of the avenue at Constantinople which bears his
-name.
-
-“A charming remembrance,” I replied, “but he needs no such ‘rosemary.’
-Do we realise, I wonder, what French influence in the Near East owes to
-his supreme art. In England, except for a small minority, the word
-Turkey only means a vision of fair houris, veiled in the mysteries of
-the past, the great ‘Red’ Sultan, and massacres in Armenia. To France it
-means Aziadé, the Green Mosque at Brousse, Djénane, and the Fantômes
-d’Orient. Public opinion, to-day, can be ‘manufactured’ as easily as
-butter and cheese; but the imaginations once stirred by the magician’s
-pen will not yield so easily to the last Brew of Hate. France is not
-going to lose her dream of the East woven from Loti’s pen. A debt of
-gratitude neither she, nor Turkey itself, can ever pay.”
-
-To travel by this steamer, bearing the name of a writer one loves so
-well, brings unceasing delight. Your menu-card, the life-belts on deck,
-even the towels, all bear a name to fill the mind with memory of
-beautiful things. As my eyes fell on the _Pierre Loti’s_ lifeboat,
-swinging on its davits, I recalled the “Pêcheurs d’Islande,” with its
-tragic close: “and he never returned!” All the sorrow, the suffering,
-and the heart-ache; the useless watching, waiting, and longing—this, for
-the women, is War!
-
-Are we, indeed, to begin _that_ all over again? For a “Greater Greece”
-than the Greeks themselves can sustain?
-
-If _all_ women who have suffered (and who has not?) would march to
-Westminster to protest, would any hear and pause? Can we fight a Press
-in the service of profiteers, bolstering up the Government, blocking the
-public view?
-
-Are we not, after all, mere “pawns” of a Destiny that none can avert?
-
- * * * * *
-
-Pierre Loti’s long and interesting life is now very quickly drawing to
-its close. He has written his last words—a defence of his beloved Turks.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER II
-
- TURKEY AND TOLERANCE—A FRIENDSHIP WASTED
-
-
-MY supreme interest in Turkey among the Moslem nations, arose from
-influences, or instincts, I cannot now with any certainty determine. I
-suspect, however, it was in part reaction against the injustice of
-Gladstone—the idol of my father’s youth, until the betrayal of his hero
-Gordon—and in part indignation with those who called the Koran an
-“accursed book.” _My_ religion is the universal tolerance I expect for
-my own, and I can feel only the most profound admiration for the Great
-Prophet of Islam, whose fine personality has left so benign an influence
-throughout the East, and for his “Bible,” with its noble study of our
-own Christ. Carlyle, you will remember, pays glowing tribute to this
-“Prophet Hero!”
-
-So I devoured every book that I could lay hands on about these
-interesting peoples; fought for introductions to anyone who could talk
-of them, from book-knowledge or personal acquaintance; studied
-medicine—that their women might suffer less.
-
-It was in 1906 that I first met Pierre Loti’s “disenchanted” heroines,
-Zeyneb and Melek; and we soon became the closest friends. The tale of
-their daring, but unpractical, flight had stirred my imagination. Their
-father was one of Abdul Hamid’s Ministers, and two or three times during
-my visit they were almost kidnapped by order of the Sultan. On one
-occasion it was, indeed, only a miracle which disclosed the plot that
-was to have carried them off (by motor from Nice to Marseilles, thence
-back by boat to Constantinople) to the punishment awaiting them.
-
-For hours they held me spellbound by their vivid descriptions of harem
-life, particularly the Sultan’s, and of the “Terror” under Abdul Hamid.
-With this clever monster at the helm, the Turks suffered a hundred times
-more than the Christians. Whole regiments of Albanians ceased to exist;
-whole companies went off to Yemen and were forgotten; Ministers died
-suddenly, and private families disappeared wholesale. Yet they must be
-thrown out of Europe, “bag and baggage,” because, in a minor degree,
-Christian Armenians, too, bled under Abdul Hamid!
-
-After the departure of the two Hanoums (Turkish ladies), their father
-died suddenly. And though, when in Constantinople, I did my best to see
-and console their widowed mother, she persisted in regarding me as one
-of those _giaours_ who had stolen away her daughters! And would listen
-to no defence or explanation.
-
-It was then that I heard much of the coming Revolution: when and where
-“meetings” had taken place, who were members of the “secret societies,”
-which of their friends in prison would be liberated. In 1908, the Day of
-Deliverance suddenly came, to the astonishment of the whole world, and
-I, too, rejoiced, as though my own country were now set free!
-
-I was, luckily, again in Constantinople for those great days. I saw the
-hideous tyrant of a few years ago driven through the streets of Pera; I
-was present at the opening of Parliament; introduced to the Sultan Abdul
-Hamid and his Grand Vizier Kiamil Pasha.
-
-It was the Vizier’s charming daughter who soon became my dearest friend,
-and hostess for two subsequent visits. Once she spoke of me to Abdul
-Hamid’s successor, Mohammed V., as her “English sister” (her favourite
-term of endearment), and the Sultan replied: “I did not know Kiamil
-Pasha had any English children.” Poor man, he had a Turkish family of a
-score!
-
-It was Hamid’s fall that first revealed to me how much Turkey loved
-England, what she was ready to give for British friendship. I had
-witnessed the arrival of our Ambassador, the late Sir G. Lowther, and
-his triumphant entry to Constantinople, when the horses were taken out
-of his carriage and he was drawn by Turks to the Embassy. As Abdul Hamid
-had compromised the nation by friendship with Germans, young Turkey
-threw herself at the feet of Great Britain.
-
-Why could we not respond? Alas, our Ambassador and his French colleague,
-M. Constant, would openly express their preference for the despotic
-Abdul Hamid. And what was said, no doubt with no serious thought of
-offence, reached the ears of the young Turks and stung their pride:
-“People who visit Constantinople may be divided into two classes: those
-who like dirt and squalor” (of whom I was one), “and those who do not!”
-
-It was inevitable that the Germans should make _their_ profit from _our_
-discourtesy and blind contempt. We ought, from the first, to have known
-that she would send, as indeed she did, one of her finest diplomats to
-Constantinople. Marshall von Bieberstein, and his “retriever,” Dr. W——
-of the _Frankfurter Zeitung_ lost no opportunity of conciliating the
-young Turks, to what end we might, surely, have foreseen!
-
-After the Balkan war, I paid a visit to vanquished Turkey; this time as
-a guest of my “Turkish sister” in Stamboul, whose father had been,
-meanwhile, banished to Cyprus, where he died. Under the circumstances I
-could not (for fear of further compromising my friends with the
-Government) see much of our Ambassador, Sir Louis Mallet, though I met
-him twice, and found him a charming man.
-
-To all my appeals, at the Embassy and elsewhere, for British friendship
-and help to put Turkey on her feet again, I met the same foolish,
-“parrot” reply: “We cannot sacrifice Russia!” Nevertheless, when I
-returned to London, and published “An Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem”
-(the diary record of private friendships, widely circulated in the
-East), we, the friends of Turkey, determined to defy the Government, and
-formed an Ottoman Society for that purpose.
-
-When the war broke out I had just reached Berlin, once more _en route_
-for Turkey, Asia Minor, and afterwards Persia and India.
-
-It is obvious that the world-tragedy had even a sharper sting for those
-of us who were bidden to hate our life-long “best friends” among the
-enemy peoples. Often enough, moreover, the individual “foe” (as was the
-case with my Turkish “sister”) could not throw off the heart’s
-allegiance to England merely because “it was war.”
-
-Can we, indeed, honestly blame the young Turks? In the first place, they
-did not choose their own path. One man, Enver Pasha, joined Germany
-_against_ the wishes of a whole nation. As _one_ man, Mr. Lloyd George,
-would once have drawn the most constitutional of all peoples to fight
-the Turks, had not General Harington, luckily for them and us, disobeyed
-his command!
-
-Besides, we did _nothing_ to preserve our friendship with Turkey. Years
-of indifference, and most impolitic scoffings at real reforming
-enthusiasm, were followed, at the eleventh hour, by total neglect of any
-conciliating diplomacy, which could even then have kept Turkey out of
-the war, and shortened it by two years.
-
-For instance, on the outbreak of war with Germany, “without notice,
-without the most banal of the forms of courtesy, on the very day when
-the Turkish flag should have been hoisted over the ships handed over to
-the Ottoman Commission, which had come to England to take charge of
-them, the dreadnoughts were seized by Great Britain and no offer was
-made by the British Government to refund, at least, the price of the two
-ships....” So wrote the late Grand Vizier Hakki Pasha; and one could
-mention many other, similar, senseless pin-pricks, which may inflame
-such people almost more than insults of greater import.
-
-During the war my friendship for Turkey proved a serious handicap in
-hospital work. Anyone jealous of what privileges were by chance accorded
-to me would hand over a few choice tit-bits—that grew in passing—to the
-secret police. The French, unless in a fit of really inevitable
-war-depression, paid scant heed to such reports. The Americans, however,
-easily took alarm. One, I remember, actually spoke to me about the
-matter with a terror only equalled, in my experience, by that of the
-Cabinet Minister’s brother who once asked me: “How I could do anything
-so foolish as to live in a harem?”
-
-It was a poor compliment to one of Turkey’s greatest statesmen, and to
-my hostess, his distinguished daughter.
-
-But when I found that Roget’s “Thesaurus” gives as synonym for a harem,
-“a house of ill fame,” I understood!
-
- * * * * *
-
-Turkey, however, was crushed, defeated and, at Sèvres, humiliated. Were
-we not courting disaster by such unjust terms? If we remove the foot
-holding them down—but ever so slightly—will they rebound and strike?
-
-“I cannot understand,” I said to one of their delegates, “how a Turk
-could be found to sign such a Treaty.” For always, with all their
-faults, I had known them proud.
-
-“Had we not signed,” he answered, “the Greeks would have entered
-Constantinople, and God knows when we could have driven them out. What
-does it matter, the Treaty will not be ratified.”
-
-To keep out the Greeks, to save bloodshed! Maybe he was right.
-
-“At least, we are set free from Germany,” they said; and there is little
-we could not have asked then for such security.
-
-They would have allowed Great Britain any privileges, any concessions,
-all sovereign rights, if only we had not permitted the occupation of
-Smyrna! When the Dutch _pasteur_, M. Lebouvier, sent the _Times_ a full
-description of all the hideous bloodshed, the saturnalian orgies, and
-the riot with which the Greeks celebrated their triumphal entry, it was
-_suppressed_—and Englishmen do not know!
-
-Consternation, despair, and anger were the order of the day. Those
-hitherto most apologetic for the part played by Turkey in the war, were
-now ready to glory in what they had done. A million and a half Turks
-enslaved by 300,000 “servant” Greeks! Can such things be?
-
-In Constantinople a mass meeting of 250,000 people was held at the
-Byzantine Hippodrome, flags and banners were draped in black, women
-sobbed as at a funeral. They were _mourning_, indeed, for the city they
-were afterwards accused of having burned!
-
-By what deplorable influence were we thus moved to attempt what would
-practically have meant the extermination of Turkey? The magic name of
-Venizelos is not enough! Again and again, the friends of Turkey have
-asked why? But we do not know whether British action was deliberate or
-the result of an incredibly big blunder!
-
-M. Kemal Pasha’s great victory changed the face of affairs. Few in
-England had seemed to care what happened to this band of “rebels”; only
-a month before his victory, even our Intelligence Officers thought he
-would easily be beaten by the Greeks. Few had even heard of his three
-and a half years exile in the mountains!
-
-Meanwhile, at home, we paid little heed, and scant courtesy, to the
-three Ambassadors from Angora, who came to negotiate peace. Békir Sami
-Bey’s confidential conversations with the ex-Prime Minister about the
-Soviet Government were handed on to M. Krassine. Youssouf Kemal Bey,
-indeed, obtained a hearing, but nothing was done. Fethi Bey (the
-Minister of the Interior, sent as a last resource) was told, and that
-was true, that Lord Curzon was seriously ill, but that no one “counted”
-in England except Mr. Lloyd George. Naturally, he asked the Premier for
-an audience, which was “promised,” but never given!
-
-_Incivility does not pay._ It is too expensive a luxury for the greatest
-of nations. This level-headed Turk, accepting such treatment with all
-the dignity of his race, found many _other_ things to praise in this
-country. “The English,” he said, “understand only _one_ form of
-propaganda—the sword!” But of our institutions, our Parliament, our
-clubs, and the marvellous acting of Miss Sybil Thorndike in “Jane
-Clegg,” he said much, and nothing but praise, in Angora!
-
-As a woman who has received the greatest kindness and courtesy from the
-Turks, my resentment, on behalf of Fethi Bey, was expressed with
-unmeasured indignation. His mission was _not_ taken seriously; the
-Government dared to show him the cold shoulder!
-
-For his part, most graciously he suggested that I should come over to
-Angora myself, to the cradle of the Nationalist movement, and see the
-hero of the Nationalists.
-
-But for his ever-ready assistance it would have been useless to have
-made the attempt. When, in Angora, he renewed his apologies for all the
-discomfort I had endured, but I told him the journey itself had been a
-privilege, for it enabled me to see with my own eyes what his people had
-been driven to endure.
-
-No, I could never have forgiven myself if, in a moment of weakness, I
-had been discouraged by the chivalry of the British officials and
-allowed them to persuade me to stay at home.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER III
-
- MALTA: THE NAME I WAS TO HEAR THROUGHOUT ANATOLIA
-
-
-OUR first stopping-place was Malta, the name I was destined to hear from
-one end of Anatolia to the other.
-
-Was it not of Malta that Angora was born; and since “the trouble” in the
-East, Malta has been turned into a universal dumping-ground for
-officers’ wives and refugees. Whenever M. Kemal Pasha lifts his little
-finger, or Rauf Bey opens his mouth, the women and children are bundled
-off to Malta. They return, indeed, on any excuse, at the first
-opportunity (as why should they not?), until a panic-stricken Government
-again sends them to exile. One lady with us had done the trip in this
-way four times!
-
-Constantinople, without our women, makes one wonder if it were so wise
-as it appears, thus to play for safety! After all, cannot the
-Englishwoman endure what the Russian, Greek and Armenian are left to put
-up with? If the husband is in danger, should not his wife be with him?
-“We want to ‘protect’ our women,” I had been told, and there is no finer
-ideal than chivalry. But, after Constantinople, I would suggest that we
-women also “want to protect our men!”
-
-Softening, perhaps, the frankness for which my “French” education has
-been so often held responsible, I would only say: “There are alluring
-distractions!”
-
-And in marriage I pin my faith upon the Italian proverb: “Keep to the
-women and cows of your own country.”
-
-The utter destitution of so many members of the old Russian aristocracy,
-has not deprived its women of their temperamental charm. It has provided
-them with an occasion (genuine enough, God knows) for tears no British
-youth can resist, unmoved as he will remain under the fiercest
-shell-fire.
-
-Yet one Englishman told me his Russian wife had taken every penny he
-possessed, and vanished—he knew not where. Another “fears it is only a
-matter of time. His ‘noble’ wife cannot be expected to put up with
-Clapham, and when something better turns up, he will be discarded.” One
-married “a sweet, soft voice” out of sheer loneliness; and another,
-foolish and rich, clothed in priceless ermine the lady he met “at a
-bar!” There is no need to dwell on other, less honourable,
-“consequences” of such “casual” meetings.
-
-At every corner in Constantinople the “bar” invites the busy and the
-brave to cocktails or a whisky, an example we have given the “despised”
-Turk, who had the wisdom to make Angora “dry.” Here, too, is the best of
-chances for pro-Greek propaganda, as our men meet no “Turkish” women,
-who are “really” safe in the bosom of their families. One is tempted,
-almost, to hope that for them the day of “freedom” may be postponed.
-
-Facing this ugly side of what an “Army of Occupation” must always
-entail, does the Englishwoman who absolutely refused to “leave” need to
-stand on her defence? “Vanity Fair,” moreover, may serve to remind us
-that there were English women near Waterloo; and do our present
-generation require such careful wrapping in cotton-wool, while they are,
-nevertheless, too often left unprotected in the drab, hum-drum life of a
-modern “business” world.
-
-It is remarkable, again, to reflect that every Turk one meets, who
-really “counts for something” in Angora, is a “Malta” man. If M. Kemal
-Pasha believed in decorations, surely a special medal would have been
-devised for those who had “visited” Malta.
-
-As a prison, it is agreeable enough, though the climate strikes one as
-enervating. The sun shines, even brightly, for the greater part of the
-year, and sunshine softens the captive’s lot! Had I never visited the
-island I should have soon learnt to know “the sights,” for in so many
-homes of Angora, Maltese picture postcards are displayed, almost like
-holy relics: Valetta, the “Chapel of Bones” (a barbaric idea), the
-Mahommedan cemetery, the cathedral, and the landing-stage. Everywhere,
-too, are the fair ladies of Malta, whose head-dresses closely resemble
-the Turkish tcharchaff.
-
-The Angelus had sounded as I first entered the cathedral, to find myself
-amidst long rows of black-veiled women, reverently kneeling on the cold
-inlaid-marble floor, their heads bent in prayer, their fingers counting
-the beads as they recited their rosaries. The native type is
-dark-skinned, almost Mongolian, but they all speak English. For are they
-not British subjects, paid in British money, and entitled to our
-protection? There was talk, indeed, of extending the cover of
-“Nationalism” to them also; but, personally, I still felt everywhere,
-and all the time, that calming atmosphere of order, happiness, and
-prosperity that is brought by the British flag.
-
-How is it, then, that we have so consistently failed to quiet the
-Turkish storms? Of course, every one of the “powers” has been involved,
-each playing for its own hand, striving to end or prolong the war in its
-own interests.
-
-It is well known that the Turk himself has above all committed one
-crime—he has kept Constantinople!
-
-Bent on a policy of peace (!) we undertook to disarm Turkey; but the
-mission despatched to Anatolia for this purpose could, or would, not
-accomplish its task. Then in May, 1919, despite the Mudros Armistice, we
-allowed the Greeks to occupy Smyrna! In March of the following year,
-came the English _coup d’état_!
-
-The highest personalities—generals, important officials, anyone
-suspected of sympathy with the Nationalists—were arrested, placed in the
-hold of a man-of-war, for internment at Malta. All were taken on mere
-suspicion, thrust into prison without trial!
-
-Yet the _naïveté_ of the whole proceeding is almost _more_ puzzling than
-its high-handed injustice! These dangerous men (!), supposed to be
-plotting against Great Britain, are all huddled together, and left to
-their own devices, for two years—and then released! Were we afraid? Did
-we repent? Will Government never _pursue_ one policy to its logical
-conclusion?
-
-I could but “wonder about” these things as I knelt in prayer. Clouds of
-incense have filled the cathedral, the Blessed Sacrament is safely
-returned to the tabernacle, the huge candles are extinguished, and the
-veiled ladies are reverently leaving the dimly-lighted church. Cannot
-faith bring peace?
-
-“There must be peace.” I, who have faith in the spoken word, will
-declare it, everywhere and all the time, and will count him traitor who
-utters a word to the contrary. But I will tell them in Angora that “I am
-sorry for” Malta!
-
- * * * * *
-
-Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior, carries his comfortable Turkish
-philosophy to the last extreme. Whatever happens, he will say that “It
-might have been worse.” In Malta, he acknowledged that he would have
-preferred greater comfort, but, then, “he _might_ have been much more
-uncomfortable!” In any case, he seized upon the chance to learn English,
-and learnt it remarkably well. It is best, he believes, to understand an
-enemy; and, to that end, you must learn his language. Of Mr. Lloyd
-George, he declared that “Turkey owes him a debt of gratitude we can
-never repay.... But for the occupation of Smyrna, and the Malta _coup
-d’état_, there would have been no Nationalists. But for your Prime
-Minister we might all of us have been vassals. Indeed, we owe him a
-great deal.”
-
-When I asked him what to expect in Angora, he warned me that “I must not
-look for the luxuries of the Savoy.”
-
-“Well, I can leave our jazz bands without one pang,” I replied.
-
-“But you may find worse things in Angora than Jazz bands.”
-
-Men like Fethi Bey, ready to meet all emergencies without complaint,
-make the right material to face the problem of Reconstruction, in a
-country ruined from end to end; and what a comfort it is to meet a man
-without a grievance!
-
-When I attempted to sympathise with him for having to ride, because no
-motor could take these snow-blocked roads, he declared that “exercise
-would do him good.” When his horse stumbled, “it might have been worse.”
-
-Yet, on _my_ account, he apologised again and again for the condition of
-Angora; and I could only compare his humorous comparison with the Savoy,
-to Dr. Réchad’s strange attempt at consolation: “You certainly won’t
-need any evening dresses.”
-
-It is, no doubt, the gift for always making the best of a bad bargain,
-that works for peace in the Turkish home. Your husband is not perfect,
-but “he might be worse”; the food is bad, but there might not be any; if
-the rooms are not clean, “we have known dirtier.” It is an
-“accommodating” point of view!
-
-There is a story by Nasreddin Hodja, the great Turkish wit, which
-happily illustrates this racial characteristic. The Anatolian lived in
-constant terror of a vociferous wife, though no doubt he often reflected
-that there were worse women in the world. One day, however, someone told
-him that she had fallen into the river, and was being carried away by
-the tide. “Don’t worry,” said he, with a stoic’s calm, “she will go
-against it. She always does.”
-
-On another occasion, this man of wit had carried a basket of figs to the
-lame Timur, on an official visit of respect. Timur amused himself by
-throwing the fruit in the Hodja’s face; but at each blow he cried out:
-“Allah is Great.” When asked why he so often praised God, he answered:
-“My wife wanted me to bring you apples.” Since Timur was privileged, if
-it pleased him, to strike the guest, he “thanked God” that he had chosen
-_the smaller_ and lighter fruit.
-
-As for my own mission in Malta, I had really come to buy a British
-flag!, as Messrs. Cook’s manager at Naples had supplied “everything” but
-just that.
-
-For years I have never travelled without a Union Jack. The idea of
-undertaking so long and dangerous a journey without it, filled me with
-strange foreboding. Everywhere on the Front I had my “flag.” In a state
-of coma at the military hospital, the nuns were in great distress
-because I had expressed a wish to be buried in the flag, which, being
-under my pillow, was nowhere to be found! Naturally, in Paris I had
-foreseen my need. But the registered trunk, booked to Rome, had fallen
-on evil days, and there will be no luck for the “thief,” who is probably
-polishing his boots with my sacred relic!
-
-At first, I seemed unable to escape the lace-makers of Malta; and when,
-following the direction of a naval officer, I found myself at last in a
-real “Harrod’s Store,” my luck, also, was still out. At the Army and
-Navy, the managing director declared they had “no sale for Union
-Jacks.”... Each man possessed his own. He dared not sell me the firm’s
-flag, for an order to hoist it might be given at any moment; and, if he
-failed to obey, he would very likely be driven out of the island!
-
-As a last resource, I drove to a man said to have “flags for hire.” By
-this time I was too frenzied with disappointment to conceal my
-eagerness, and they promised me one for £7! Luckily enough, excitement
-prompted me to unfurl my treasure then and there, to find myself gazing,
-in mute astonishment, upon the Stars and Stripes! “Isn’t it the same
-thing?” cried the impostor, as I flung myself out of the shop.
-
-But time and tide wait for no woman, and I must silence my
-superstitions, to join the _Pierre Loti_ once more. Taking a last look
-on the fortifications of Malta, my thoughts turned to the imprisoned
-Turks, and my heart was filled with shame.
-
-One day, perhaps, the Turks may hold Malta sacred, for assuredly the
-cream of her people were gathered there. One might almost have thought
-that such men as Prince Said Halim (late Grand Vizier), Rauf Bey, Fethi
-Bey, Hussein Djahid, and my admirable Angora guide,) Vely-Nedjdat, had
-been carefully selected to keep each other company.
-
-Mrs. Stan-Harding once said of her eight and a half months in a Soviet
-prison: “At least I had this advantage, I met the best people in
-Russia.” As her hearers seemed puzzled by such a statement, she added,
-“They were all, naturally, in prison!”
-
-I must tell them, in Angora, that England, at least, has always honestly
-tried to put right her own wrong-doings, and one day (may it be soon!)
-she will “redeem” herself to them also.
-
-Mr. H. G. Wells somewhere describes the strange, great love we often
-feel for those we have deeply wronged—the wife, the friend, the enemy.
-May it not, at the long last, be so “after the war?”
-
-Who knows if, indeed, this be not the dark hour before the dawn, of our
-nation’s friendships—with those we have been led to hate?
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER IV
-
- ATHENS—“WE HAVE LOVED HELEN; MUST WE DIVORCE HER?”
-
-
-IF only it were always calm, how delightful it would be to travel by
-sea!
-
-FROM Malta to Athens, indeed, is not a long run; but when every moment
-you are tossed from side to side, at the mercy of all the winds in
-heaven, most things have a disagreeable look. As we approached the brown
-and arid coast of this historic peninsula, I thought how unjust it seems
-to have driven the Ottoman Greeks out of fertile Turkey to a fatherland
-that cannot feed them. You cannot obtain blood from a stone, nor
-fruitful crops from an unfertile soil. What is Greece to do for these
-poor people, who cannot all turn merchants or moneylenders?
-
-Before landing at Piræus, with my Italian escort, I took the precaution
-to investigate the rate of exchange—250 drachmas to the £1 sterling.
-
-“It is strange,” said I, “that we have none of this inconvenience in
-Turkey. There one always gets a fair ‘exchange,’ and no worry.”
-
-The steamer slows down to anchor, and on all sides we are hustled by
-modern Shylocks. “Two hundred and fifty drachmas for a pound,” I asked,
-“how many for five shillings?” And the Greek answered: “Fifteen.” “Come
-and listen to this Greek arithmetic,” I called in Italian; but the man
-understood me, and let out a hearty laugh. Though I turned from him,
-without malice, he promptly raised his price from fifteen to forty-five
-(!), and in the end I bought drachmas enough to take us ashore, hoping
-for better terms on land.
-
-I shall never forget that day at Piræus—heat and dust, flies and
-refugees. Could a more terrible combination be imagined? All along the
-quays lay these wretched folk, many of them fast asleep, with armies of
-flies crawling over them. If by chance one stumbled over a dusky body,
-which it was not easy to distinguish from the soil, a cloud of flies
-rose to smite you in the face—the most fatal of disease-carriers! The
-brown-faced women, dirtier even than the Neopolitans, now crowded round
-us, offering cakes and sweets from which they were every moment obliged
-to brush off thick coatings of flies, that once more struck one in the
-face or settled over my shoulders.
-
-My Italian escort had, meanwhile, kindly procured a newspaper to act as
-fan, and now, hurriedly brushing away these horrible pests, he took a
-silk handkerchief out of his pocket to cover my neck. “What a
-magnificent husband you will make for someone,” I said, smiling with
-gratitude; and he blushed with all the charm of his twenty-one years.
-
-In another moment my eye fell on the hard brown faces and big “Jewish”
-noses of the moneylenders, forcing a smile as they call on you to “buy.”
-They have very much the same expression as Southern Italians; keeping
-one eye, it would almost seem, to make a pleasant impression on possible
-purchasers, while the other betrays the keen and swift reckoning of
-profits to the uttermost farthing.
-
-Seated behind little tables topped with boxes of glass, they are eagerly
-displaying their filthy paper money; haggling, arguing, smiling, and
-cheating you in one breath! Surely no type of humanity could carry us
-further from the heroes of our schoolday imaginings!
-
-Wearied with fly-dodging, in fact, I had scant energy left for a “good
-bargain,” over this “paper filth” for honest English sterling.
-
-Sympathy now prompted me to ask the Italian Whether his eyes were not in
-pain; and, by the power of auto-suggestion, the inquiry caused my own to
-ache as they had never ached before. Before we landed the captain had
-given me a solemn warning on no account to rub my eyes, however
-tormented by the continual glare of a bright sun on white houses, or I
-should be certain to “catch an incurable eye-disease and go on ‘weeping’
-to the end of my days.”
-
-“Never, never speak of disease again,” I had answered. “Misfortunes come
-quickly enough, without our going to fetch them.”
-
-Fortunately even the flies could not make it a _long_ journey from
-Piræus to Athens; and we could glance in passing at the quaint and not
-unattractive bookstalls, now showing large photographs of modern
-“Heroes”—the Greek generals! After all, they had done their best. _They_
-were no more responsible for the mistakes of _their_ Government, than we
-are for ours.
-
-Taking train for the last part of our route, we were packed like
-sardines among the ugliest possible types of human beings one could
-imagine; but, luckily, soon alighted at a station whose magic name
-should thrill the dullest heart.
-
-We were in Athens! But the Italian could only exclaim: “What women!” I
-reminded him that they were, after all, descended from Helen of Troy,
-for whose beauty the world in its youth made war. Yet it seemed almost a
-heresy to name that name in such surroundings.
-
-If only one could show all men what a tragedy is here.
-
-“There is something I long to do,” I told my companion. “I would summon
-crowds of my countrymen and my countrywomen to the Albert Hall and
-borrow the magic tongue of Mr. Lloyd George, to draw their tears for our
-dear Christian brethren at the mercy of the brutal Turk! And then a
-deputation of these money-changing Greeks should be brought in to stand
-at the Welshman’s right hand and his left!”
-
-How many, even then, would read, mark, and digest the grim comment?
-
-But the Italian laughed again and again at the picture my words
-suggested. I could only murmur: “What is it, to be twenty-one!”
-
-I believe we went into every church in Athens; for ever since I left
-home I have never passed a church or a mosque without sparing a moment
-to enter and pray for peace. “It will do no good,” said my companion,
-and I replied: “It will do no harm.”
-
-We saw many women also at prayer, kneeling before their Ikons—not for
-victory, but in sad thoughts of their own dead, and for help and
-strength to bear their own terrible sorrows.
-
-Once the Greek Pope came up and spoke to us, supposing, to my young
-Italian’s honest confusion, that we were man and wife. The spirit moved
-him to denounce, in very broken French, the treachery of England; and,
-whether or no it was from heat and fatigue, or from the sight of those
-broken-hearted women, something seemed to burst in my throat and bitter
-tears streamed from my tired eyes. I could not tell him _I_ was English.
-I could not find words or strength, such as came to me later in
-Anatolia, to plead a little for England by putting some of the blame on
-M. Venizelos.
-
-While the Italian discreetly left me—to kneel before an Ikon in silent
-prayer to the Man of Sorrows—I could but stand and suffer the attack
-upon my beloved country, choking with tears of humiliation.
-
-Alas, the incident does not stand alone. When taking tea in an hotel, I
-asked my companion to make inquiries about the best place to buy a Union
-Jack, and the proprietor seized the opportunity to give us _his_ opinion
-of British honour.
-
-Now I never heard, throughout the whole of Anatolia, a single Turk speak
-of Britain or Mr. Lloyd George as these Greeks both spoke. It is a pity
-that some of our pro-Greek politicians were not with me—to learn the
-_real_ value of all they have undertaken for their Christian brethren.
-
-In that church, maybe, I was so cruelly overcome because the
-broken-hearted women had stirred in me a glowing vision of the great
-Pericles. “For me,” was his proud boast, “shall no man wear mourning. I
-have not shed one drop of human blood.” Could any ruler leave this earth
-with a nobler record? Could any conceive for himself so fine an epitaph?
-
-_Our_ rulers, and Venizelos, have wasted the precious blood of Europe to
-flatter their personal vanity and nurse an idle imperialism for Greece;
-and when everything goes wrong they have only to resign!
-
-I had determined to ascend the Acropolis, whatever the effort to reach
-the top, and refused even to be discouraged when at the very entrance
-our driver pulled up and informed us that “it was forbidden” to drive
-within.
-
-It did not occur to me to protest; but we had scarcely walked twenty
-yards up the steep ascent when a carriage (containing the captain and
-his daughter) and then another carriage (!) drove by. Naturally
-indignant, we returned to ask the man what he meant. To evade argument,
-he disingenuously explained: “It would need two horses to get up there,
-and I have only one.” The subterfuge only infuriated me the more, and
-when he had six times sturdily refused to obey orders, I simply seized
-the miserable little being by the shoulders and shook him like a rat.
-Violence proved the only way, and we had no more trouble with him!
-
-It is horrible, in such hallowed surroundings, to be haggling about
-money; but, of course, we were cheated over our change!
-
-“Never mind,” said the Italian, “let the creatures rob us. Gentlemen
-cannot fight with grooms.” And as I looked at the exquisite profile of
-this young Venetian against the Athenian skies, I could fancy myself
-accompanied by one of the old Patricians, amidst his degenerate,
-money-changing descendants.
-
-Almost in silence we wandered over the ruins of a civilisation whence
-came the highest culture of the world. I felt, indeed, as if I had been
-born too late; for what have _I_ in common with the century in which I
-live?
-
-To-day nations are not judged by their lyrics that are the measure of
-their imagination, and without imagination the race must die. Our
-standards are skill in commerce!
-
-Had I the art, whether of pen or brush, to pay fit homage to this
-immortal rock, who would look or listen? Could I invent yet one more
-machine to “save time”—for making more money—the world would be at my
-feet.
-
-Where shall _we_ look for a Pericles, who hand our laurels to the
-presiding genius of a “cash and carry” _store_?
-
-There is no finer view of Athens than one can gain from the Acropolis,
-as the city lies at its feet, like some plain of brown paper dotted with
-green palms and the little white houses drawn in chalk.
-
-“Here,” said I, “is the Greece of Oxford—of Homer and Plato, of Æschylus
-and of Sophocles! The magnificent traditions of an immortal past.
-
-“It was in Oxford of classic memories, that I first heard the Tales of
-Greece, first listened to her great scholars telling of Andromache and
-Antigone in the exquisite language of the finest literature in the
-world.
-
-“Here, too, is the Greece of Byron—of Childe Harold, and of the _Maid of
-Athens_!”
-
-How the voice carries in this clear atmosphere! No wonder these ancient
-people would crowd under the blue skies to every play, tragic or comic,
-that their great dramatists could produce.
-
-And now, as the sunset colours—gold, scarlet, violet, and purple—are
-glowing upon the immortal rock, over the marble ruins, I marvel at
-“tiny” Athens and her “vast” name.
-
-Alas, for Hellas and modern Greece!
-
-Had her own people been as faithful as Oxford to the traditions of
-ancient Greece, what would have been the Eastern Question to-day? And
-for some, no doubt, it is this very honouring of Hellas that has been
-responsible for our fatal pro-Greek enthusiasms. If we recognise the
-superiority of the modern Turk, loyalty to Plato, to Aristotle, and to
-Socrates must forbid speech; gratitude to the lyrcis of Hellas must tie
-the tongue. Orators and poets, artists and thinkers cannot forget.
-Hellas still lives and rules in the Republic of Letters and Art.
-
-We understand Oxford; but for those who have been on the spot, facts
-tell another tale and speak with another voice. Where, in Greece to-day,
-are her men of intellect or imagination, even her aristocrats or her
-warriors? The millions spent in propaganda may serve to prolong the
-legend, they cannot alter facts. To visit, with glowing anticipations,
-this land of our dreams, means the awakening to bitter disillusion.
-Those only are still blind who will not see.
-
-In Angora I could but plead for England: “We have loved Helen; must we
-divorce her?”
-
-More than the eloquence of Venizelos, more than the gold of Zakaroff,
-more than any pity for Christian martyrs; it is our age-old loyalty to
-the civilisation to which we owe our visions and our ideals—that has led
-us so woefully and so wilfully astray. Is there not, after all, some
-“merit” in British “fair play” to a “lost cause?”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER V
-
- SMYRNA: A PICTURE OF DESOLATION
-
-
-FOR Orientals, the sky is no less variable and uncertain than the
-political horizon. In the space of an hour the sea, calm as a lake, has
-been transformed to a roaring torrent.
-
-Smyrna in the distance, and we are battling forward through one of the
-worst storms of the season. The steamer dances like a cork on the foam,
-while long sheets of rain drench the decks, huge waves washing into
-staterooms soak the carpet, thunder and lightning rage overhead; as in
-the grim battle of life, we can but hold on till the clouds pass.
-
-Soon, indeed, are the waters about us again at rest, and the town rises
-to our view. A city burnt to the ground? Where are the ruins of which we
-have heard so much? Of a sudden the heavens answer.
-
-As the lightning begins to play over the land, the “shells” of houses
-and their hollow interiors stand out clear before us—a picture of horror
-and desolation it would be hard to match. As we draw nearer it is no
-longer necessary for us to gaze upon the devastation; the blind could
-catch a strong smell of burning (not in itself disagreeable) and, in a
-few moments, we see that even the rains have not entirely quenched the
-clouds of smoke still rising from the tobacco factories.
-
-Turkey considers herself at war, and red tape still prevails. But now
-one does not find many Turks who can speak English, though, strange to
-relate, there are quite a few English here still. We are not issuing
-passports to Turks!
-
-Seeing my Turkish letters (better these than a British passport), the
-passport officer sent his secretary with me and my luggage to the Vali’s
-(_i.e._ governor’s) house. The Angora Ambassador in Rome, Djelalledine
-Arif Bey, had also telegraphed to the Vali that I was on my way, and
-requested that, as some acknowledgment of what I had done for Turkey, I
-should be given all possible facilities and a right royal welcome! The
-Vali, without doubt, did all he could.
-
-I inquired of the officer what kind of man was the Vali, sure that the
-measure of his enthusiasm or his indifference would clearly reveal
-whether the master was liked by his men and thus provide me with a peep
-into the unknown. The man’s eyes positively lit up as he replied. It was
-clear that I should be well received by a good man. “He was sent to
-Malta, you know,” concluded the officer, as if that were enough. And,
-though I was English, I understood. I believe that the word “Malta” may
-soon be safely translated “patriot.”
-
-I suppose it needed some courage to come to Turkey, braving the Custom
-house and passport officers even with special “protection”; but I met
-with no difficulties whatever. My companion only seemed puzzled by my
-name being the same as my father’s! A Turkish woman, of course, would
-be, _e.g._, Aïché Hanoun, wife of Rechid Pasha, or daughter of Zia
-Pasha. But have no foreign women, bearing their father’s name, been
-through the Smyrna customs, or am I not only the first British woman to
-visit Angora, but the first British spinster to enter Turkey?
-
-Something of all I owed to the Vali for his “speeding up” of the
-customary formalities was forcibly impressed on me when I went back for
-my Turkish papers, to find one of my fellow-passengers, a Frenchman,
-still struggling with his passport and the custom duties.
-
-The Vali’s konak (or palace) which I had long known from pictures, looks
-on to public gardens where the band plays every afternoon a strange
-mixture of Oriental and European music. It was delightful to hear
-Oriental tunes again, if indeed one can call Oriental music _a tune_.
-Anything in the major key seems out of focus with Turkey, its
-atmosphere, its scenery, and surroundings. The more one hears and
-understands the piercing melancholy of these refrains the more one loves
-them; and I am particularly grateful to all those Turks (M. Kemal Pasha
-included) who entertained me with the true native work.
-
-In front of the marble steps of the palace Greek flags are used as
-mats—dishonoured and trampled with Turkish mud! Such a symbol of
-conquest struck me as neither generous nor happy; but I soon found that
-it had been adopted without the knowledge of the chivalrous Vali, who
-immediately put a stop to the custom.
-
-His palace is lavishly supplied with fine carpets, always the chief item
-of furniture in the East, while there are many chairs and a handsome
-desk in the waiting room.
-
-“Welcome to our shores, dear miss,” said the Vali.
-
-And that he might at once disassociate me from English policy, I
-replied: “That is certainly a charming welcome from a Malta man.”
-
-“Malta to me,” said my host, as he took my hand like an old friend, “is
-still incomprehensible. What can have happened to England?”
-
-“I understand it, dear Excellency, no better than you can. The more I
-hear of what has taken place in Turkey during the last few years, the
-more often I repeat your own words. What, indeed? To an Englishwoman who
-loves her country, it means great sorrow; but this unreasoning hostility
-towards your people must stop. That is why I am going to Angora. After
-my visit, at any rate, the Turks shall see that _one_ Englishwoman can
-stand out against injustice.”
-
-“Thank you a thousand times, dear miss,” was his reply, as the attendant
-brought in coffee and cigarettes.
-
-Like all the Nationalist leaders, the Vali is a young man. He looks, in
-fact, about forty, and comes from an Albanian family. Of medium height,
-slight and dark, good-looking despite his glasses, and intelligent; he
-is, above all, an honest and kindly gentleman. If all the “fanatics” of
-Angora are of this description, I shall have nothing to fear. Abdul
-Halik Bey is a great admirer of England.
-
-Begging I should not hesitate to ask for anything, assuring me that no
-service possible to render will be neglected, he called up the head of
-the police and three of his officers to make my acquaintance. The Vali
-explains that as Smyrna is in ruins, I must go to the only existing
-hotel—a temporary establishment under the care of Naim Bey, who had been
-the proprietor of the two best hotels in Smyrna, now burnt to the
-ground. This “temporary establishment” was the town residence of the
-Spartallis and a very fine mansion indeed!
-
-When I had said _au revoir_ to the Vali, I paid my return visit to the
-chief of the police, Zia Bey—a handsome and very energetic young man of
-about thirty-two, who speaks only Turkish.
-
-Again we drank coffee. He pointed to the picture of M. Kemal Pasha above
-his desk, and made a little speech about him, which, alas, I could not
-understand. As comment, however, I clapped my hands, adding: “M. Kemal
-Pasha Chok Guzel” (_i.e._, very beautiful), which evidently pleased him.
-He could see at least that my spirit was willing to pay tribute to his
-national hero although the Turkish words failed me. Throughout Anatolia,
-whenever at a loss for words, I adopted this phrase; never once did it
-fail to convey the meaning I intended—congratulations for his
-magnificent victory.
-
-Zia Bey has published some detective novels—from his own personal
-experiences. Like the man himself, they seem to have secured wide
-applause.
-
-He, too, like the Vali, is a stern enemy to delay, and often receives
-several people at once. He will listen to all you have to say, while the
-business of an earlier caller is still to be executed. Practical and
-courteous though such a custom may be, it obviously has its drawbacks. I
-wonder what would happen had I any advice to ask, or any suggestion to
-make, on what to me at least might seem private and confidential
-matters. Thanks to this system, however, it has been my privilege to
-meet at the Vali’s, or at Zia Bey’s, many notables of Smyrna, whom I
-might not have found time or occasion to visit.
-
-One day when drinking my daily coffee with Zia Bey, he handed 20,000
-Turkish pounds to a French merchant. A policeman, he explained, “found
-this in your rifled safe.” The merchant was so astonished that he spoke
-to me about it, adding: “Would they have been returned to me in any
-other land?”
-
-Every day, after calling upon the Vali, I used to visit Zia Bey. To the
-Vali, of course, I could speak in French, but to Zia Bey I seldom went
-further than a repetition of praise for M. Kemal Pasha. It is not words
-that count when the heart is following the dictates of truth.
-
-At the hotel I could only be accommodated by the dismissal of another
-guest. Men were sleeping everywhere—in the drawing-room, sitting-rooms,
-bedrooms, three, four, and six in a room, grateful to find anywhere to
-lay their heads. To my lot fell one of the best rooms in the house,
-containing a sofa as well as a bed large enough for four. I felt very
-guilty, but what could I do? I was the only woman!
-
-To this improvised hotel everyone in Smyrna comes sooner or later, if
-not for accommodation, at least for meals and “light” refreshment. The
-country, of course, is dry, but the guests walk round the laws as
-cleverly as they do in the U.S.A. Americans are, perhaps, the chief
-offenders, and seem always able to bring in with them whatever they
-require. If they are caught Naim has to pay the damages! “Poor things,”
-he remarked by way of comment, “they are so far from their homes.”
-
-Most unfortunately, the Turk’s kindness and consideration for his
-customers is not withheld from the flies. The Nationalist motto, “A free
-and independent Turkey,” has certainly been granted them—they go
-wherever they like, do whatever they like. They sit in thick layers on
-the table-cloth, they drown themselves in your glasses, you swallow them
-with your food; “and to think,” said a Danish merchant, “these creatures
-have been fattening on corpses!”
-
-Whatever their nationality, all my neighbours made the most chivalrous
-endeavours to shield me from these pests. I was advised to sacrifice my
-bread as a cover to my glass when not drinking. I always refused water,
-and Naim Bey defied the law to give me German wine.
-
-One day, exasperated beyond endurance, I procured what the French call a
-“guillotine,” and successfully slaughtered every fly that came within my
-reach. The “Italian” gently inquired whether the corpses were not more
-awful than the living insects.
-
-“At least,” I said, “they cannot bite or carry microbes,” and I pursued
-the slaughter with a zeal that astonished even myself. I even aimed at
-those I saw walking over the South American’s arm, and hit his nose!
-Without a smile, he courteously declared that he did not mind what I
-might do to his nose, “but you _will_ be careful of my glasses, won’t
-you?”
-
-“Can’t you _do_ something?” I asked Naim one day.
-
-“They will go away when it is cold,” he replied with the philosophy of
-the true Turk.
-
-“Cure or endure is also _my_ motto,” I told him, smiling, “but I never
-endure before I’ve made a fine attempt to cure.”
-
-On another occasion, my energies were not rewarded with true _Christian_
-gratitude or tact. I was busy as usual, when an orthodox lady who had
-given her nationality as “Catholic,” and was staying in Smyrna by
-special dispensation of the Turks, said to a Greek neighbour: “Look at
-this lady slaughtering flies, as her friends the Turks slaughter
-Christians.”
-
-“Madame,” said I, “I have passed this morning among the ruins to which
-your ‘Christians’ have reduced this city.” I had yet to see the hideous
-devastation in Anatolia!
-
-There were about two or three hundred business men in the hotel, waiting
-to learn their fate. They divided themselves into three distinct groups,
-in three different mess rooms. _First_, the silent, water-drinking,
-go-to-bed-at-nine Turks, in the library. _Secondly_, Americans, in the
-smoking-room, who left their allegiance to prohibition on the other side
-of the Atlantic; singing and dancing to the accompaniment of a banjo
-till the small hours of the morning. _Thirdly_, at a long table in the
-dining-room, sat the rest of us—principally business men—Italian,
-Spanish, Dutch, South American, Frenchmen, or Danes. My only
-fellow-countryman informed me that among other complications he had come
-to Smyrna to arrange, he has somehow to explain away the disappearance
-of 50,000 gallons of pure alcohol, sent from Cuba to Smyrna _via_ New
-York. The officials in New York had helped themselves to the precious
-nectar, and sent the cargo on to Smyrna, refilled with water! Such are
-the trials of prohibition!
-
-One and all, these men have but three topics of conversation: (1) the
-senseless policy of Mr. Lloyd George in sending the Greeks to Smyrna;
-(2) the criminal desire of the Turks to abolish capitulations; (3) the
-“probabilities” of likely successors to the deported Greeks and
-Armenians in the business world. It is assumed that Turkey cannot
-survive without the assistance of some European power. The Turk is a
-producer, not a merchant. The Italians affirm that trade would flourish
-in a happier world if they were given the vacancy. The Americans,
-however, dispute this honour, whilst the Dutchman, supported by a Dutch
-clergyman (born of French parents, but a British subject, in the service
-of Holland, speaking all three languages without an accent), declares
-the only power that is “going to count” in Turkey is Great Britain.
-
-“In spite of her deplorable and ill-advised policy, her inexplicable
-treatment of the Turks, her protection of the Greeks (which has made
-_them_ more arrogant and destestable than ever), there is _something_ in
-the British national character which still commands respect and
-admiration. In six or eight months we shall see England back in Turkey,
-stronger than ever. England is _not_ her government.”
-
-I believe he is right. There was a more practical reason for his
-convictions than his deep affection for his English wife.
-
-Holding no brief for Mr. Lloyd George, I still scorn these men of
-finance as cowards for their unmeasured abuse of the Premier.
-
-“If you foresaw disaster so plainly,” I asked, “why did you not
-protest?”
-
-“Every Chamber of Commerce sent a petition to Mr. Lloyd George,” was the
-reply, “which he put into his waste-basket.”
-
-“Naturally. As practical men, is that your idea of a _protest_?”
-
-“One of our biggest men, Mr. Patterson, went to the Paris Conference on
-our behalf.”
-
-“Did he make himself heard? I assure you, if I had _one_ hundred pounds
-invested in this country, instead of the hundreds of thousands your
-Scotsman holds, the world would have heard something of _my_ visit to
-Paris!
-
-“You saw financial disaster and ruin ahead, yet allowed yourselves to be
-talked into silence by M. Venizelos!”
-
-Somehow, _these_ men could not excite my pity. They were themselves more
-to blame than Mr. Lloyd George. With their huge financial backing, and
-vast interests in Smyrna, it was actually in their power, and theirs
-alone, to have kept out the Greeks.
-
-It is a quaint result of my sense of justice that, in the French Secret
-Service, I am known as “a niece of Mr. Lloyd George.” When the brilliant
-one-time _chef de Cabinet_ of Monsieur Briand published his violent
-attacks on Lord Robert Cecil and our late Premier, he also printed my
-replies. “He did not,” he kindly explained, “consider there was a word
-of truth in what I said, but he was unwilling to thwart an
-Englishwoman!”
-
-Shortly after the appearance of my “defence,” the correspondent of a big
-newspaper in Chicago spoke of “my uncle,” Mr. Lloyd George. I protested,
-“not because I should not be proud of the relationship, but because I
-happen to have no such claim.”
-
-“Dear lady,” he replied, “don’t think I shall ever want to spoil your
-little game.”
-
-Such a remark did not merit a serious answer, and I allowed the matter
-to slide. I knew very well Mr. Lloyd George would never lift a finger to
-help “his niece,” for have I not four times appealed to him in vain on
-matters of the greatest national importance? Yet “his niece” will
-continue to defend him against “unjust” attacks, and criticise him also.
-
-The Smyrna capitalists also did not love me because I wrote: “The day is
-past when financiers can obtain ‘concessions’ for 500 Turkish pounds
-backshish and then complain of the Turks for being amenable to bribes.
-The happy day will never return when the foreigner lived in Turkey
-without taxation, with next to nothing to pay in rent, was charged one
-and sixpence for a shooting licence, and had full control of money and
-trade.”
-
-“Turkey is now for the Turks, and the Capitalists will have to recognise
-this or leave.
-
-“Never again will Smyrna become the Aliens’ Paradise it once was. Would
-anyone, for example, have dared to offer the trams provided for Smyrna
-to any other nation but Turkey? Why were there not electric trams,
-instead of these wretched horse-boxes drawn by underfed ponies? And the
-compartment reserved for Turkish women was not even separated by a
-partition, but by a sheet that once perhaps was white!
-
-“There are men in this town,” I wrote, “who would plunge Europe into
-war, to bring back the dear old lazy-going Turk who made so charming a
-background for our novels and plays. They would restore him for no
-higher purpose than to fill their purses at his expense.” At least, I
-said to these merchants: “If you cannot ‘love’ my whip, you know, in
-your heart of hearts, that I have spoken the truth. You should have a
-mighty respect for me, and I ask for nothing more.” The South American
-answered: “Every word you say _is_ true, and we _all_ admire you for
-it.”
-
-Towards nightfall, however, my mind was occupied by certain more
-personal anxieties. The Italian had not yet even come to the hotel, and
-I could hear nothing of him. I began to reproach myself with not having
-attempted to extend the protection of my papers to him, although, like
-the gentleman he is, he had already refused my suggestion to that
-effect.
-
-I could only apply, as a last resource, to the Vali’s secretary, who at
-once took me to the Caracol (_i.e._, the “lock-up”), where we found my
-friend in company with the Frenchman we had already been pitying for his
-struggles with passports. Neither of these young men were known in
-Smyrna; neither of them had secured permission from Angora to land;
-neither of them were personally known to their Consuls; neither of them
-were able to speak a word of Turkish. They could not explain themselves,
-and were, therefore, to be kept under arrest till further inquiries
-could be made.
-
-“After all, in war-time did we not do worse things than this?” I asked
-the enraged Frenchman, who was declaring such treatment would make a
-_casus belli_.
-
-“When I was serving your country and travelling to San Remo with a
-special letter of recommendation from the French Minister of War, I was
-detained for forty-eight hours at Mentone, because they considered my
-‘Plato’s Republic’ a proof of sympathy with the Bolshevists.” I was
-able, however, with the secretary’s willing assistance, to liberate both
-my fellow-passengers without further delay.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Naim Bey gave me many special privileges, no doubt as the result of
-prompting from the same quarter. He sent me up breakfast in the
-mornings, though his servants were all “Catholics” (_i.e._, Armenians,
-under the Papal protection), and did not know their job. I never could
-understand how he contrived to supply me with milk, as the Greeks had
-killed most of the cows; but I was no less heartily grateful for his
-permission to use the Spartelli library, and for the reading-lamp which
-he borrowed for me from an American.
-
-All these acts of kindness, however, were done with such an appearance
-of ease that I even ventured upon one more request.
-
-“Could I use the piano to accompany my Italian friend?”
-
-He did not hesitate to banish the six occupants of “mattresses” in the
-drawing-room from their domain until we finished “La Tosca” and “Madame
-Butterfly.” Then an American begged me to play the “Swannee River,” and
-nearly broke down before he had even got to the chorus.
-
-“Did I not tell you,” said the sympathetic Naim, “Poor things, they are
-so far away from home!”
-
-I suppose I should not be too severe upon these merchants among the
-ruins of their past glory, and, to do them justice, they are accepting
-defeat like good sportsmen. The Dutchman is as merry as a cricket,
-despite his £80,000 “gone west,” his thirty years’ work undone for ever,
-his fine farm burnt to cinders.
-
-I wish he would make a book out of all he has seen and done in this land
-of romance. No one knows it better, and, if my own sympathies are apt to
-be with the brigands from whom he has twice suffered capture (because
-they only rob the rich), I have enjoyed few men’s tales of adventure
-more than his. Good and strong men are rare enough, and I know this one
-would never forget a friend. If danger threatened, it would only reach
-you over his dead body.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER VI
-
- BRITISH CHIVALRY!—BRAVE WOMEN A NUISANCE!
-
-
-“WOMEN are so absurdly brave,” said a charming British official, “that
-is why they are such a nuisance.”
-
-He was seated at a small, improvised and over-crowded bureau in one of
-the few remaining houses on the Smyrna Quay. He had just sufficient of a
-Scotch accent to make one see that he would stand no nonsense—an asset,
-surely, in his position. Yet the obvious and zealous concern for his own
-countrywoman proved that, however carefully the calm exterior of the
-Scot may hide his feelings, his heart beats strong and true. He is no
-less proud, too, of his “women” than any citizen of the States!
-
-But this able and active young man, master of any emergency at a crisis,
-could not accept my point of view about the Nationalist Turk. That,
-certainly, was not _his_ fault, for who is there to interpret this “new”
-people to him? He only knows that, for the first time, Turks have dared
-to express themselves, and—like brave women—are becoming a great
-nuisance! Under the good Hamid, these lazy people were easy enough to
-manage. “Turkey for the Turks!” What a monstrous notion! Yet one feels,
-nay knows, that he has plenty of intelligence, will face facts, and
-learn to accept the inevitable.
-
-Meanwhile, I, for my part, am throwing a most unwelcome additional
-weight upon his already over-burdened shoulders. He is clearly annoyed
-at my having come so far, and, in his place, who would not have felt the
-same?
-
-But, unfortunately for him, he knows very well that a woman who, despite
-difficulties well-nigh insurmountable, has been able to reach Smyrna
-without a British viza, means to get her way and will not be lightly
-driven back.
-
-If only the man had adopted the bullying and supercilious tone that
-becomes a uniform! One can so easily meet the “correct” officialism,
-counter its attacks, stand up to its incivility, and go one’s own way
-with a clear conscience. But it was not to be with my Scotch friend.
-
-“I admire your courage immensely,” he said with a courteous grace, “but,
-pardon my asking, what is the sense of it all?”
-
-“I want to study ‘the movement’ at Angora, and to see the national hero,
-M. Kemal Pasha.”
-
-“Is it worth risking your life for that? Forgive me, it does seem rather
-a wicked waste.”
-
-Outside his windows, on the calm waters of the bay, rode warships of
-many nations. The bright sun looked down, unkindly it almost seemed,
-upon the ruin and desolation around us. The arms of England, France and
-America were all there. Holland, he told me, had begged in terror for
-the protection of a warship.
-
-“Terror of what?” I asked.
-
-“Have you not heard, can you not see, we are on the brink of war?
-To-morrow you will be going home with the others. Our Government has
-given orders for the immediate evacuation of all our people. Later you
-will receive final instructions, and be told the meeting-place. This
-time it is war. There is no help for it. It has to come.”
-
-He showed me a flashlight, well hidden in a corner of that dilapidated
-office, which would send out its news of “safety” when every Englishman
-had left the town, and he, my friend, had followed them in a boat with
-its oars muffled—if he were able to get away. If not, well, he had done
-his duty!
-
-But I remained unmoved. “Do not worry about me. I have made all my
-plans, and shall start to-morrow for Angora. I know the risks, and I
-know, too, that all will be well for me.”
-
-At first, evidently, his official mind suspected that I was playing with
-his nerves, idly boasting of what no one would seriously attempt. When
-convinced, however, that I really meant what I said, he banged his fist
-on the table and just shouted:
-
-“By Jove, if you belonged to me, you should _not go_.”
-
-How I hoped he had lost his temper! But no, in another moment he was
-again all quiet concern, courteously persuasive.
-
-“But,” said I, “I have reached here against long odds. I have come
-entirely on my own responsibility, and at my own expense. The Turks who
-met me here will take care of me, not my family nor my Government. Even
-war will not stop me.”
-
-“And when there is war,” he replied, with a note of almost despairing
-entreaty, “for as there is a God above, it will come this time. Think of
-it! A woman absolutely alone among the Turks; not a European to help
-her. Six months, at least, in a concentration camp, illness, perhaps
-torture. God knows what will happen to you!”
-
-“I shall not be put into a concentration camp, for there will be no war.
-I am going to stop it!”
-
-I was smiling now, which only added to his distress.
-
-“My dear young lady,” he cried, “keep your courage for some wiser, finer
-cause. Britain needs you.... Seriously, you are not going, are you?—And
-the war!”
-
-“I shall nurse the British soldiers, or else return——”
-
-“You speak of the Turks as if you trusted them. Is this wise?”
-
-“Indeed, yes. I know them. The only way to treat a Turk _is_ to trust
-him. He has never yet let me down. Why should he now? Even at this
-crisis you will find there is no other way but trust with the Moslem.”
-
-Of course he was not convinced.
-
-“Charming theories, but dangerous in practice; above all, dangerous for
-you. Go home. You can see your friends again when things are more
-settled. Don’t think I don’t admire your pluck; I do. In all my
-experience I never met a woman ready for greater risk; but we value you
-too much to let you go.”
-
-It was a wearisome line of attack. I could so much more easily have
-dealt with violence from a would-be dictator. I tried again, hoping to
-silence a busy man.
-
-“Please imagine you are an American,” I suggested, “and that time is
-money.”
-
-“Time is _not_ money when a woman’s life is at stake. Forgive me, your
-courage—which I shall never forget—is immense, but you are not a
-sportsman!”
-
-“What do you mean?”
-
-“It is not fair to us—Englishmen! What will the Turks think of us,
-allowing it? They will have a mighty poor opinion of British chivalry.
-And we do not deserve it! Would they let one of _their_ women do such a
-thing? We, too, protect our women!”
-
-I was losing ground, at least _that_ appeal hurt; but I could not yield.
-
-“You need not worry,” I replied, with more unconcern than I could really
-feel at the moment. “I will see that they understand. They _do_ know how
-England cares for her women; but they know me, what a determined
-customer I am. They will not blame you.”
-
-He played his last card, bashfully indeed, but with a grim resolve that
-won my respect.
-
-“Dear lady, I have no wish to be personal, but you have driven me to it.
-You are not—ugly enough to undertake this journey.... Go and see the
-British Navy you love so much. We will look after the Turks, and you
-too. Come and see them when we have finished with them.”
-
-I saw that I must not only be firm, but I must speak, and speak plainly.
-“If any harm comes of it,” I said, seriously enough, God knows, “it will
-be my own fault. The Turk respects women who respect themselves. Ten
-years ago I went to Asia Minor, with a military escort, the only woman;
-but I was absolutely safe all the time, everywhere.”
-
-There was no more to be said. Discomfited, indeed, by so much chivalry,
-I left him, intending, after all, to wait and see if war were declared.
-But, fortunately, I had given no promise, for to the Scotchman I knew
-truth and honour were sacred things.
-
-In justice to the official attitude, it should be clearly said that no
-one could be expected to understand what I should have given up had I
-returned to England, under orders, with the rest of my compatriots.
-
-What, after all, were the difficulties that I had overcome in comparison
-with my real object—to reach Angora? What matter if the family coffers,
-the purses of my friends, and even editorial generosity, were one and
-all closed against me? None should have on their conscience that they
-had sent me to my death!
-
-My contract with the newspaper! It was “deliver the goods and your
-reward shall be handsome.” The goods, indeed, are delivered and, in a
-fashion, made public. They have not, however, been acknowledged as
-“woman’s work,” and the reward seems still far to seek!
-
-I had not supposed that in journalism “the sex” must suffer the double
-loss of justice and credit. The articles were certainly not stamped with
-any plain mark of a _feminine_ special correspondent.
-
-Unfortunately, we are not in Turkey! where women’s achievements have
-still the “novelty” that can command a fine flourish of trumpets, where
-no cry has been needed of “equal work—equal pay!”
-
-Had I foreseen, should I then have returned to punish ingratitude? I
-think not. At such a moment I could not forego the most thrilling
-chapter of the story that has held me for so many years; ever since,
-indeed, I used to climb on the knee of the dear being whose name I bear,
-to hear him tell of his journeyings to those Eastern lands—Japan and
-China, India and Moslem Turkey.
-
-Many curious interpretations have been put upon my interest in these
-peoples. The Turks themselves have wondered how it came about.
-
-It is because they had been my friends long years before I ever set foot
-on their now familiar land. Its colours, its beauty, its glorious
-summers and sunsets, the fine thought and philosophy of its high-minded,
-sober people, were known to me in the nursery, as only a child can live
-in the imaginations stirred by those it loves. They were always brothers
-to me, the Orientals of India and Persia, Egypt, Arabia, and Turkey. I
-would give much, indeed, to secure for them the happiness they deserve
-for what they have given to the culture and to the civilisation of the
-world.
-
-The stupidity of treating the Asiatic as an “inferior” I could never
-understand. It is no less impolitic than unjust. What a delight, in our
-century of semi-tones and of commercialism, to talk with men like
-Tagore!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER VII
-
- SMYRNA—GOD’S WORK—THE EXQUISITE SUNSET—MAN’S WORK—WAR
-
-
-I TAKE daily walks in Smyrna, with one of the Vali’s officers, chiefly
-among the ruins. The European part of the town (save for a few houses on
-the quay and a few hospitals, schools, and churches) has simply ceased
-to exist. The empty “shells” of what were once fine streets are a great
-danger to passers-by and must all be blasted.
-
-When I told my guide that from the deck of the _Pierre Loti_ the town
-showed scarcely a sign of fire, he promptly led me—for eight
-hours—through the most horrible _débris_! Instructed to treat me with
-great respect, he marched steadily ahead with all the gravity of a
-funeral mute. He had been told, moreover, to reconstruct, as it were,
-the whole city for my information, and he was obviously determined to
-overlook no detail. He pointed out exactly how the fire had been
-planned, and why it had broken out too soon. Passing the Stores, he laid
-a finger upon the very spots marked by grenades that Greeks and
-Armenians had thrown. There was a grim disgust and disdain in his last
-comment: “And all this _funniness_ is supposed to have been done _by
-us_!”—a strange use of the word funniness.
-
-On another occasion, resting a moment among the ruins of what had once
-been an altar, watching the poor Turkish natives as they raked the
-_débris_ for firewood, we were suddenly surrounded by a most dismal
-procession of limping cats and dogs, thin as boards, crying with hunger
-and pain, homeless, maimed, and with none to claim them or cherish their
-shrunken limbs. I suggested that we should buy a little ether and send
-them to their long sleep. My companion was shocked beyond words.
-
-“Poor beasts,” he exclaimed, “have not they as much right to be on God’s
-earth as we? Who are we that we should dare to cut short their
-existence?”
-
-Naturally I did what I could to express all the sympathy his words
-aroused; determining, nevertheless, in my own mind, that I would beg the
-Englishman or the Italian to accomplish this errand of mercy.
-
-At the same time, the incident only further excited my deep interest in
-the strange mentality of a people who claim the full rights of existence
-even for maimed cats and dogs, and are yet held guilty by the whole
-world of massacring millions of Christians for mere sport.
-
-Later that day I was for the moment extremely puzzled by the strange
-behaviour of all the inhabitants within sight, which certainly seemed
-most _un_-Turkish. “I have known your people for fifteen years,” I said
-(only intending a mild joke), “and this is the first time I have ever
-seen a Turk hurry! What is the matter?”
-
-“They are going to blast the ruins,” was my companion’s calm reply.
-
-To my thinking it was, indeed, time to be off; and I hopped away like
-the others, in and out among the charred ruins, at one moment catching
-my heel, at another tearing my skirt and coat. When, panting and
-breathless, we at last reached comparative safety, I laughingly asked my
-guide why he had given me no warning. “You could have no idea whether I
-could run like this at the last moment.”
-
-“His Excellency told me that you were to be treated with the utmost
-respect,” was the solemn reply!
-
-It was true that the day before I had been informed that it was
-forbidden to take photographs among the ruins, and I at once closed my
-Kodak. But in the evening an apology arrived from the Chief of
-Police.:—“I might photograph, when and where I pleased.”
-
-I can only suppose my guide believed that “Allah would guard me” when
-the blasting began; at least, whatever was to be my fate, he was ready
-to share it!
-
- * * * * *
-
-We have been wandering about the muddy streets of the bazaar,
-immortalised by Pierre Loti. It is here, in these little Turkish
-booths—the tinker’s, tailor’s, and shoemaker’s, the meat-man’s, the
-baker’s, and the sweet-seller’s—that the inhabitants of Smyrna must do
-their shopping to-day. How can we think of Frank Street and its vast
-European “emporium,” now no more than a smouldering heap of crumbling
-ruins?
-
-Town-planning is as yet unknown in Turkey. Here, as elsewhere, the
-houses seem to be straggling upon the hillside, forming an architectural
-patchwork far more picturesque than the most correct symmetry.
-
-We are now to ascend Mont Pegasus, and though I hate climbing, the
-sunset panorama of an Eastern city will reward a greater effort than
-this. To look on the fading sunlight in all its glorious magnificence of
-purple and scarlet and mauve, is to know we are in the presence of God;
-and if ever the world needed His guidance, it surely must seek Him now.
-
-“That,” I murmured, “is how God meant us to find His world—a life of
-sunshine, a death of beauty. No fear, no shrinking before what must come
-to all; but His glory reflected about us, as the sun’s beauty is reborn
-for us in the infinite, waiting sea.
-
-“Look up, and then turn your eyes down to man’s work below our
-feet—black war, grey ruin and desolation!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-An English lady, Mrs. de C——, the widow of a distinguished British
-Minister in Teheran and Bucharest, has just given me a more level-headed
-and _fair_ description of the Smyrna fire than I have yet heard from any
-other eye-witness. Her husband was manager of the Aidin Railway, and had
-the luck to unearth a unique collection of priceless antiques along the
-route. Tea was served in the entrance hall of their house in the
-European quarter, one of the few still erect, which reminded me of the
-British Museum. One could fancy oneself among the treasures of the
-Parthenon, which it has fallen to British hands to preserve.
-
-She told me she owed her home to the wind’s kindness. “We were on the
-roof all night, watching its varying directions, although it did not
-come our way until about 2.30 A.M. As the abandoned Greek ammunition was
-all stored behind us, we could no longer risk staying in the face of the
-wind. At the same moment a flashlight from H.M.S. _Iron Duke_ began to
-play on the pier, and we realised that Admiral de Brock was signalling
-for us to leave the town. Pushing our way through a howling mob of men
-and animals, we at last reached the waiting boat; but no sooner were we
-on board than, to our relief, the wind once more veered. There was a
-chance for one side of the Smyrna Quay, on which stood the Aidin
-station.”
-
-In her judgment, the Turks acted throughout with the greatest
-moderation. Everywhere in Anatolia I found clear evidence that Greeks
-had indulged in the worst type of barbarianism, amply sufficient to
-justify any slight Turkish excesses that may have occurred in Smyrna.
-
-Since her Greek household had all departed, Mrs. de C—— was very busy
-“about many things”—dusting, sweeping, and cooking. Nor were her
-sympathies very keen with the Greek refugees, to many of whom she had
-extended hospitality. They had accepted a night’s lodging, and then
-decamped with sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, and clothes!
-
-Lunch, however, had been served for her by a “Catholic,” who cooked
-Turkish dishes to perfection. “Catholic” is now the last word in
-“Nationality,” covering a multitude of “pasts,” and saving the
-“Christian” from having to answer awkward questions.
-
-The “Catholic” who waits on me at the hotel was an upholsterer in quite
-a large way of business. The sewing-woman, whom I have occasionally
-employed for odd jobs, though a Greek, is also “Catholic.” In Angora
-these derelicts are self-styled “Catholic Turks.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-I have boarded the warship, despite the captain’s fear of a woman’s pen.
-What would he find to say about my _real_ intentions? Most of us,
-happily, can look on sailors of all nations, as I do, absolutely without
-prejudice. For here, at least, none can capture our laurels, and all the
-world loves a British sailor.
-
-Amidst the beautiful fittings of his luxurious cabin, I was received by
-the captain with every mark of the courtesy that is second nature to the
-real English gentleman. He was a naval man to his finger-tips, stamped
-all over with Nelson’s magic call to “Duty.” For his magnificent
-achievements in the war, his V.C. was indeed richly deserved; and yet, I
-wondered, is it the wisest policy to expose this _real_ “personage” to
-the kind of actually trivial irregularities which in a town like Smyrna
-a too formal officialism may so easily mistake for grave affronts to our
-national prestige?
-
-While in Smyrna I saw an example of such real dangers—a mere nothing
-that might suddenly have developed into a _casus belli_, though in this
-case any serious disaster was, luckily, averted.
-
-The Turks had given the sailors from different warships special
-permission to land on the quay without the formality of going through
-the Custom House. Unfortunately, certain Armenian girls saw their chance
-to coax the sailormen into helping them to escape. I am told that the
-British were adamant to tales of woe that turned Americans, French, and
-Italians to putty; but I will not believe it, for I prefer to think our
-men had their share in defying the law to help women.
-
-The Turkish authorities, however, were, naturally and properly,
-indignant at the deception, and gave orders that in future everyone
-should land at the Custom House. Most unfortunately, the order was
-immediately carried out, without a warning to the captain. When that
-personage came ashore next morning, therefore, he found himself
-confronted by an Anatolian peasant, rifle in hand, who actually slipped
-in an extra cartridge under the great man’s eye.
-
-Our consul, of course, intervened, and the captain, with his sword
-drawn, was permitted to land, ample apologies being tendered in due
-course by a repentant Vali.
-
-No more was heard of this incident; but with some “big” men it would not
-have been allowed to end there.
-
-I admit that a warning should have reached the captain; but Turks are
-proverbially careless about official details. It was just bad luck, too,
-that some petty officer was not the first to land, who could have borne
-the indignity without loss of prestige, and “arranged” matters for his
-chief; but if we must appoint our “best” men to such a post, someone
-smaller should be sent in advance to spy out the land. Friction is bound
-to occur between our experienced officers, statesmen, or diplomats
-(above all, if their sense of humour is not very keen) and the primitive
-Anatolians of young Turkey. We should, surely, have been well advised in
-this matter to follow the French way of employing “middle men” for a
-time.
-
-I love the casual freedom of Turkish customs, which will suffer a train
-to be kept waiting for my private comfort; but the characteristic may be
-extremely trying on another occasion. Every virtue has its pet vice!
-
-When I visited Turkey after the Balkan war our steamer somehow “missed”
-the mouth of the bay, and no one remembered the exact position of the
-mines! As a matter of fact, the _Senegal_ was blown to atoms only a few
-days ahead, and our own escape was pure luck. There was considerable
-alarm on board, and I was once more filled with gratitude for my own
-small share of the fatalism of the Turk!
-
-On this occasion, for my own private benefit, I could also have wished
-that our captain had been a “smaller” man, or one less scrupulously
-compact of duty. When I admitted that I had really come on board in
-search of a British flag, no matter how torn and tattered, he only
-looked at me as though I were mad.
-
-“You don’t seem to know much about the inner workings of the navy,” was
-all he _said_.
-
-“One does not bother about the ‘inner workings’ of anything one loves,”
-I answered.
-
-So with the gravest courtesy he explained to me that a new flag could
-not possibly be obtained until the “tattered” one had been handed over
-to H.Q. Nevertheless I believe that a French, Italian, or even an
-American, captain would have contrived some means of acceding to my
-request.
-
-As it happens, I once saw the man off his guard. He was playing the host
-to a beautiful Englishwoman and her French husband, his neighbours on
-their own yacht, and no one could have seemed more naturally genial and
-light-hearted, with his really delightful sense of humour. Is it
-_necessary_ for a uniform to conceal all traces of humanity? Why could
-not the world see the man’s best side in the officer? The strictest
-sense of “fair play,” combined with great patience, will work even
-better with the Turks when added to a generous supply of smiles and wit.
-
- * * * * *
-
-When the Vali sent word that all was ready for me to proceed on my way
-to Angora, I could not hesitate. Whatever my compatriots may have said,
-and would, no doubt, have now repeated with greater emphasis, I could
-not think of having allowed him to take so much trouble on my account
-for nothing!
-
-Above all, particularly towards a Moslem, the last thing that any lady
-could think of doing would be to betray the slightest lack of trust.
-What matter if we were on the brink of war? It simply never entered my
-head that I could really come to any harm from the Turks!
-
-It is of interest, nevertheless, to put on record the various, not
-altogether unreasonable, warnings that I received at the hotel in Smyrna
-from my fellow-guests. One and all were quite convinced that I had taken
-leave of my senses. Only a mad woman would think of going to Angora at
-this season and on the brink of war!
-
-_The Spaniard_ had spent his life in the Near East and knew the Turks!
-“Your own friends,” he said, “the Ministers who know you, may show you
-the greatest respect; but you are English and cannot speak the language.
-The _people_ are mere fanatics!” However, he gave me a box of insect
-powder, a bottle of iodine, and—most welcome of all to me—a yard of
-flannel to make an abdominal belt!
-
-_One Italian_ implored me to “come back and enjoy the Italian skies....
-You will freeze in Angora.” He gave me a packet of chocolate and half a
-bottle of cognac.
-
-_A Second Italian_ could only endeavour to “face the fact” that I was
-determined to have my way. As he knew something of where I was going, he
-brought me quinine, asperin, mosquito-cream, and calomel.
-
-_The Dane_ was horrified to learn that I had no gold. “Gold is essential
-in war-time. Gold saved my life in Russia;” and he handed me in exchange
-for paper fifty gold Turkish pounds, which, however, proved more weighty
-than useful.
-
-_The Dutch Parson_ gave me his blessing. Though generally optimistic and
-pro-Turk, he admitted that things looked unusually black at the moment,
-and advised me to “wait and see.”
-
-_A British Naval Officer_ would not admit the sarcasm of his comment
-that it was “very interesting” of me to “go to Angora!” He considered
-“the Turks the finest race on the face of the earth.... My God, they
-know what I mean!” And, personally, I believe they knew very well.
-
-_One American_ could only repeat that “it was a mad idea.... We are not
-safe even here. There is plenty of oil there, certainly, but—heroics
-_is_ heroics!”
-
-_A Second American_ wanted to know “what they were giving me for this
-stunt,” and guessed “it was a pretty high figure.” That I was going on
-my own responsibility and paying my own way he “simply would not
-believe.”
-
-_The South American_ was the first of them all to express any confidence
-that the Turks would be kind. What _he_ dreaded for me was the
-discomfort. “Above all,” he said, “avoid the Red Army.”
-
-_The Englishman_ characteristically pinned his faith on the courage of
-our race. “It has brought you here,” said he, “and I believe it will
-bring you back.... Here is my woollen jacket, a tin of milk, and this
-letter to an American friend of mine. Promise me, if _ever_ you are in
-difficulty, you will seek his help.”
-
-I afterwards made inquiries about this invaluable ally, though I was,
-fortunately, in no danger. I found that, after all, he never reached
-Angora, though he had applied to go there last March!
-
-_A Third Italian_ told me that he had just found a little silver St.
-Antoine de Padou among the ruins.... “My prayers for you will go with it
-always. After the snows of Angora, our Italian sunshine, its songs and
-its laughter, will await you.” Besides the St. Anthony, he gave me a
-book of Italian proverbs, a box of insect-powder, cough-drops, and
-chocolate.
-
-_The Frenchman_ only exclaimed: “No Angora for me, _merci_! I am
-counting the hours until the boat arrives to take me away from all
-this.”
-
-_The Englishwoman_ (Mrs. de C——) felt proud to think of the “feather in
-a woman’s cap,” that such an adventure would surely prove.
-
-_The Dutchman_ declared that he would trust even his own daughter on
-such a journey, if “the Vali had pledged his word for her safe
-conduct.... I know this country inside out—its language, its dangers,
-its possibilities, its virtues and faults.... You may trust the Vali....
-If war breaks out, they will take you, with all possible politeness, to
-the nearest frontier.”
-
-He gave me all kinds of useful information, and much-needed boxes of
-matches and cigarettes.
-
-Truly a wonderful budget of advice and a most original collection of
-gifts! Did ever a woman thus start such a quest?
-
-Yet they had made me sad! Some were born here, others had lived in the
-country all their lives, and how few of them would trust the Turk, to
-whom, after all, they owed, at least, their material existence.
-
-“I will show you,” I said, as we were all assembled for farewell, “that
-I am right, and you are _all_ wrong. Though my country may turn on
-Turkey, she will be good to me.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-It was nearly seven o’clock next morning before the officer came for me.
-It was so late that our horses had to be whipped up to a smart pace over
-the bumpy road to the station. My conductor had been so anxious about
-all arrangements, that he had packed the food for our five or seven
-days’ trip, and entrusted it to a chauffeur, who was perverse enough not
-to wake up in time.
-
-This certainly might be regarded as an omen of ill-luck, and even as I
-got into the train, between the officer and a cheik (who had been
-professor of Arabic at Oxford), the South American stepped forward to
-ask whether, after all, I had not better return with him.
-
-“And show the Turks I do not trust them.... Never. Besides, this
-gentleman has lived in Oxford, and is therefore almost a compatriot.
-Tell my friends in Smyrna that I am perfectly well and happy, and that I
-am going to have a lovely time.”
-
-I saw that both my conductors were greatly pleased by my expressions of
-trust, which they well knew how to appreciate.
-
-Nevertheless, when we had been driving along the quay and my eyes had
-fallen on our own man-of-war flying the Union Jack without which, for
-the first time in my life, I was embarking upon my perilous way, I was
-not far from tears.
-
-My thoughts were crowded with all that England has ever meant to me,
-from the quiet corner in the churchyard where my father is sleeping, to
-the little face, seldom innocent of jam, that looks up so eagerly to
-tell his “Auntie” he has been a naughty boy.
-
-Shall I, indeed, soon find myself in an “enemy” country, which surely
-should be, as I have always known it, the land of my England’s dearest
-friends?
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER VIII
-
- EMOTIONS AND IMPRESSIONS—“ON THE WAY.”—NOWHERE TO HOUSE THE POOR PEOPLE
-
-
-IT was, indeed, a kindly Providence that led the cheik to accompany us
-upon this stage of my tour. No one could have been more polite and
-thoughtful, more ready to gratify my every wish at great personal
-sacrifice, than the officer from Smyrna. But he had not been at Oxford;
-he could not speak our language with the distinguished accent of that
-University; above all, he had not the vast culture of this man of God.
-His information would have been conveyed in German, a language I speak
-with _no_ pleasure.
-
-The cheik has large brown eyes, a dusky skin, and a face which, though
-stamped with suffering, is kindness itself. He wore a long grey coat and
-turban, and appeared to me at that moment years older than his actual
-age. Maybe my inborn veneration for Oxford professors misled me; and no
-doubt I was also influenced by the obvious respect of the many
-hoary-headed disciples who came to the station to bid their “Master”
-farewell, bending to kiss his hand and receive his blessing. Great
-erudition, again, must always add to a man’s appearance of age, and his
-allusions to varied experiences in many a Moslem land did certainly
-suggest the passing of years.
-
-Like myself, however, he was going to Angora for the first time,
-venturing behind the long line of bayonets which still separates that
-troubled land from the rest of the world.
-
-In complete sympathy with my admiration for these men who had suffered
-and been victorious, he was eager to learn a little of the tribulation
-through which they had fought their way to liberty and freedom.
-
-“It seems to me,” I began, “that were I the British High Commissioner, I
-should have found some means of, at least, paying a visit to Angora.
-What do our legislators yet know about this land under their charge, for
-which they have been made responsible? They can have no idea of the
-people’s aims, their faults and their virtues. You might as well take
-charge of some province in heaven of which you only know that it
-exists.”
-
-“There is not a Turk to-day who would not welcome you as British High
-Commissioner,” was the gallant reply. “We are, indeed, deeply grateful
-for your trust. You have found the key to unlock Moslem hearts—to
-_trust_ us.”
-
-“Surely it is with nations as with individuals, the man who trusts and
-is deceived will yet prevail over his deceiver, whatever temporary
-profits that traitor may grasp. There can be no final conquest over
-truth. That was my late father’s teaching, and if it has sometimes left
-me an easy prey to liars and thieves, it has not killed my faith in
-human nature or hurt my pride. Self-respect will always compel me to
-treat every man as my friend.”
-
-As we proceeded on our journey, one felt hourly more conscious of the
-barrier that has been so unwisely set up between the Allies and Angora.
-As railway and telegraphic communications had been cut off, news was not
-only delayed, but distorted beyond recognition. One only marvels that
-some grave disaster has not arisen from such confused reports, apparent
-contradictions, stern threats, and frequent misunderstandings. It would
-seem as if the Allied Commissioners had no desire to keep in touch with
-this “little Republic of the Mountains.”
-
-In all my wanderings I have never experienced such an overpowering sense
-of isolation. For me there have been no “personal” communications from
-Europe since October. That “English letters are not accepted in
-Anatolia,” that all my friends’ news will be returned to them marked
-“Service suspended” or “cannot be reached,” may explain the facts but
-does not make them easier to bear. When homeless dogs howl and whine
-outside my bedroom window, superstitions will intrude—dread of disaster
-to distant friends.
-
-There is, however, another and far more cheering side to our experiences
-on the road. The “stranger within the gates” is still a sacred person to
-these peasants, even although from an “enemy” land. There was absolutely
-no sign of hostility all along the line, but everywhere the greatest
-kindness. One and all gave me the gracious Eastern welcome, in
-picturesque phrases, commending me to the care of Allah; these
-“fanatics” from whom mere murder was the smallest evil I had been told
-to expect!
-
-Though we had started, through no fault of our own, without any
-provision for food, I did not anticipate any serious inconvenience on
-this account. In these hospitable countries I knew we had only to name
-our need. The cheik, indeed, had been presented with two large baskets
-of food by his disciples, and also carried a picturesque terra-cotta
-water-pot, which he could refill whenever we stopped to alight.
-
-“Eat, my children,” said he, “and when all is finished, the Lord will
-provide.”
-
-“What a feast from the Song of Solomon,” I exclaimed, as the contents of
-his basket were disclosed—pomegranates, spices, nuts, helva (i.e., honey
-and nut-cheese), raisins, and bread!
-
-One is grateful for these slow trains that afford such ample opportunity
-for seeing the country, with its fig-trees, olives, and palms, and the
-bright sun bringing a climate that recalls the South of France. Yet
-everywhere, long before we reached the actual devastations, one felt
-that despair and sadness were hovering over the land. At first, we
-sought in vain for the reason of our impressions. Then suddenly I knew:
-There were no cattle.
-
-Of course, Mrs. de. C—— had told me, they had all been brought into
-Smyrna by the Greeks. Outside her house mules were being sold for
-fourpence or sixpence apiece, and if no purchaser could be found even at
-that figure, the wretched creatures were left mutilated on the wayside,
-their eyes burnt out, their legs broken by hatchets!
-
-Our first halt was at Manissa, once a flourishing town of about ninety
-thousand inhabitants, standing some sixty-five kilometres above
-sea-level. The Governor and all the “notables” were on the platform to
-welcome the travellers, and had arranged that the “train should wait,”
-for us to be shown round.
-
-Some kind of most primitive carriage had been produced from somewhere,
-and we were driven through more “ruins” to the “temporary” town hall for
-the inevitable coffee and cigarettes. In the best English, the governor
-told us of Greek atrocities and the victory of M. Kemal Pasha,
-introducing us also to his whole staff.
-
-I asked whether it would be possible for me to obtain precise figures of
-the devastations, and he promised they should be prepared for my use at
-once. When I reminded him of the “waiting” train, he merely waived such
-difficulties aside as a “secondary consideration,” begging me “not to
-mention it.”
-
-Naturally, I found one ruined town very like another. There was, in a
-sense, little to see beyond “parts of” the mosques, badly scorched or
-half-burnt minarets, and, at Manissa, no more than one thousand houses
-standing out of fourteen! Also, the statistics reveal a heartrending
-loss of life!
-
-The women and children, I learnt, had been driven into the mosques,
-which were surrounded by machine-guns to ensure against any possibility
-of escape, and _then_ set on fire. As the full realisation of such
-hideous barbarity took hold of my imagination, it was as if all my
-senses were paralysed. That cold perspiration which so often precedes a
-faint, seized my limbs. I was powerless either to speak or move. How
-would our twentieth century appear to the old cave-dwellers it has
-pleased us to call savage? Mrs. de C—— was right, indeed, to say that
-the Turks were “moderate.” Such scenes must compel revenge and let loose
-the worst passions of men.
-
-On our return the cheik tactfully endeavoured to distract our thoughts
-by hospitable preparations for lunch. However little one felt disposed
-to eat, he could have devised no kinder or more wise expression of
-sympathy and understanding. Unfortunately, we had not yet escaped the
-company of swarming flies, which afterwards vanished, however, with
-startling completeness, when the train climbed into colder altitudes.
-
-Our next halt was at Kassaba, where the “notables” again paid us a
-visit, offering _both_ coffee and tea, one after the other. When the
-cheik mentioned the loss of our food, _and_ my partiality for fruit, a
-messenger was at once sent into the town for bread and the most luscious
-melons, which reach to the highest possible perfection in Anatolia. I
-have always been grateful for Turkish fruit!
-
-The Governor told me “he had simply _nowhere_ to house the poor people.”
-He “dare not think” of how they could pass the winter! I _saw_ them,
-sitting in holes among the ruins, cooking whatever they had been able to
-scrape together for a meal; the women huddled together in the “beds” of
-fountains which were covered with straw and carpets, after the water had
-been drained out. This arrangement permitted the slight protection of an
-awning, only too badly needed for their threadbare clothes!
-
-There seems no way of coping with the emergency, since they had no tools
-for even the most primitive building. Except for those lucky enough to
-secure one of the few booths in the town, the shopkeepers had to set out
-their stock upon the cobblestones!
-
-I dare not ask how many babies had died of cold. Anatolia has been bled
-white through twelve years of war! Whatever the nation’s quarrel, it was
-from hence were taken father, or brother, or son. Yet still, beside
-these shivering women, you see long train-loads of more soldiers,
-cattle-trucks full of human beings, called to some new “front.”
-
-How is it these women can, even now, tenderly hush “the cry of the
-children,” and give their men? Theirs is a “willing” sacrifice for an
-ideal, the freedom and independence of the Fatherland.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I had been “protected” in advance, I found, by the authorities, who had
-announced by telegram the arrival of “an American lady.” It was,
-perhaps, perverse, even ungrateful, but I persisted in contradicting the
-news at every stage. I would far sooner take all risks under my own flag
-than falsely accept shelter beneath the “Stars and Stripes.” “I have no
-dislike for America,” I assured those who assumed that explanation of my
-obstinacy, “it simply does not happen to be my country, any more than
-India is yours.... I have nothing but good to say of individual
-Americans; the most charming people on the face of the earth.”
-
-Nevertheless “I keenly resent the clamour of Mr. Morgenthau for ‘an
-ideal republic of his own making on the banks of the Bosphorus, to be
-backed by all that “Tammany” means in the U.S.A.’ I am for asking him,
-then, to start by making an ‘ideal’ republic on the banks of the
-Hudson.”
-
-American oil-hunters are always boasting that _they_ never declared war
-on Turkey. “You did not,” I have admitted, “but you urged, nay begged
-and almost ordered, us to do it for you.... Your _Literary Digest_
-printed at least one eloquent appeal to Great Britain for a ‘holy’ war
-against the ‘unspeakable Turk’!” And if they resent my protest at being
-called “an American,” I am convinced they would have done the same in my
-place. They, too, have the virtue of national pride.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The train was held up once more for a little excursion to what had been
-the prosperous town of Alaşehir, a well-wooded district with abundance
-of fresh water. Here out of four thousand eight hundred houses only one
-hundred remain, and the women and children have been simply wiped out!
-Unfortunately, we had not time to visit the Hodja, who had found a quite
-comfortable lodging in the trunk of an oak tree—a philosopher and a man
-of letters. “I cannot live in a tub, like Diogenes, because I do not
-possess a tub; but there is nothing wrong with this oak, which I suspect
-will prove even warmer.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Everywhere, at Manissa and Kassaba—even at Salihli, with its houses
-reduced to four!—we were invited to stay and “put up for the night!”
-Here were about two hundred inhabitants surviving from two thousand five
-hundred, and from fifteen to twenty families sleeping in the mosque.
-Yet, they would “certainly arrange something,” and it needed all my tact
-to refuse any more extended hospitality than tea and coffee, served on
-the roof of one of their four houses, from which we could look down upon
-the skeleton town. Apparently, these stricken people found some sort of
-comfort in the mere idea of my having _seen_ their suffering, though
-often enough I could not even find _words_ for the sympathy no one could
-fail to feel.
-
-Once more lunch in the train. Pomegranate seeds should be eaten one by
-one, a slow process, but as the cheik says “it passes the hours!”
-
-He apologised for the number of times I had been reminded of what in
-Turkey they call “the work of the British ex-Premier.”
-
-“I had to expect that,” I replied, “when I came to Anatolia; and it
-gives me the chance of reminding the Turks what part was played by M.
-Venizelos!”
-
-He tactfully turned the conversation to Oxford, paying a very high
-tribute to Mr. Asquith’s brilliant son: “A noble character, highly
-intelligent and broad-minded. A victim of war we could ill afford to
-lose!”
-
-Association inevitably led to the question I must have been asked a
-hundred times during my journey, “Why does Lloyd George hate us so
-bitterly? How can he admire the Greeks?”
-
-“He knows little of either,” I replied, “nothing, at any rate, from
-personal observation of them in their own lands. We have first-class
-Near-East specialists, no doubt; but his chief informants have been
-nonconformist preachers, even more biassed than he. Nonconformity is the
-traditional foe of the Turks. Their boasted ‘freedom of thought and
-conscience’ does not extend to the Servants of the Prophet, and as they
-once echoed Gladstone, to-day they echo Lloyd George.”
-
-“And in America?” asked the cheik.
-
-“Their church is an advertising agency. They have transformed ‘dissent’
-to a ‘trust.’ Go to the States with an idea, and, if it pleases them,
-they will ‘put it across’ like any other commodity, as a ‘cute’ business
-proposition. With a colony of two million Greeks, and, maybe, as many
-Armenians (whose exaggerated and unchecked ‘lamentations’ have full
-Free-Church support), America will never give Turkey even a fair
-hearing. You have read their ‘Press’?”
-
-“Alas,” he answered, “I fear the East is losing its faith in the West.”
-
-“Do not say that,” I answered. “Men like you, who have known us at our
-best, must declare that to-day’s madness is but a phase. Tell us these
-things should never have been and shall not continue. Write as you _can_
-write, and teach the people of Europe to be once more themselves.
-
-“When East and West shake hands again, there will be peace, and peace we
-_must have!_”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER IX
-
- MORE IMPRESSIONS—“SITTING AMIDST AN ARMY OF SUPPOSED SAVAGE FANATICS,
- DEBATING THE GREATNESS OF GOD”
-
-
-THE train is slowly crawling up the heights, the air grows colder and
-colder, we put on wrap after wrap, and, all of a sudden, not a fly to be
-seen!
-
-The scenery, meanwhile, seems more desolate at every mile we pass. The
-horribly systematic destruction has overlooked nothing, and every
-village is in ruins. The corn, so carefully hidden in pits, has been
-burned; the water, on which life itself depends, has been polluted; the
-peasants are vainly digging in search of the hard-earned paper money,
-savings which they had buried beneath the soil, only to turn up a few
-black cinders! Even the trees have been nearly all razed to the ground.
-
-There is nothing you can tell me about the “devastated areas” in France,
-for I have visited every inch of the ground; but there the people could
-move on to the next villages, and were not imprisoned among the ruins. I
-would not minimise German atrocities, but they did not fill the churches
-with women and children before firing them! The wholesale destruction of
-villages and of cattle is not “legitimate warfare,” but this butchering
-of women has put the Greek outside the pale of civilisation.
-
-“They have left us the sunset,” I could only murmur, “this marvellous
-panorama of which one never tires.” The desolation, indeed, lends it a
-double wonder. Why cannot men, too, die in glory?
-
-The railway line has been cut at Gunhani. Here, no doubt, the Governor
-has been instructed not only to welcome us with every comfort—tea,
-coffee, and statistics—but to find us beds which do not exist!
-
-We are travelling in the dark, since the sun has deserted us. Every now
-and again the officer flashes out his little electric lamp to see that
-all is well. The feelings of my fellow-passengers must be murderous, for
-have I not kept the train waiting all along the line, so that we are
-even later than normal Turkish management would have made us? But I can
-detect no black looks.
-
-In the pitchy darkness, as the train slows down for the last time,
-before its immediate “return” journey, ragged figures are seen crowding
-the station. Their turbans are brightly coloured, despite the dirt and
-rain to which they have been exposed; their clothes are mere “shreds and
-patches”; they have fashioned themselves picturesque slippers of straw.
-Like the grotesque figures of some stage chorus from no man’s land, they
-dart about us on every side, each man seizing upon some one article of
-luggage. If I express anxiety about my possessions, the cheik bids me
-“fear not. God is with us. All is well, and in a short while we shall
-remember this discomfort but as a page of history.” It was a lesson
-against worry I never forgot—the secret of Islam’s suffering in silence!
-
-Stumbling over a stony and dangerous roadway, we at last reach a tent on
-the side of the mountains, which has been prepared for us by the reserve
-officers. We must sit on the cheik’s trunks and prayer-carpets, for the
-ground is damp and mists enfold us. My chivalrous friend insists on
-wrapping about me his shawl, his scarf, finally his long coat. “I do not
-feel the cold as you do,” he declares as I try to protest; but the touch
-of his hand contradicts the kind words.
-
-In the distance we could see a few hill-fires and the torches of
-night-wanderers as we enjoyed our evening meal. But no sooner had I
-begun to wonder how many hours must pass before our experience became
-history, than, behold, a gust of wind tore up the prop of our tent and
-buried us in confused _débris_.
-
-There was nothing for it but to extract ourselves and sit _upon_ instead
-of _beneath_ the shelter that had been found for us. The cheik bravely
-proceeded to delight me with all the wisdom of his religious philosophy
-while the officer went in search of help. I have done strange things in
-strange lands, but I wonder what would British “authority” say to this?
-An unarmed, but fearless, Englishwoman in the damp, cold mists, waiting
-through the dark night for her “discomfort to become history,” amidst an
-army of supposed savage fanatics, and debating the greatness of God!
-Truly, the Unknown bears strange offspring.
-
-Little darts of light, no bigger than glowworms, are now everywhere
-moving up and down the steep paths through the black mist.
-
-It is not easy for the swiftest of native messengers to track the
-“hidden” official of the mountains. Yet they seem to slip over the dark
-ways like birds, carrying their message and returning while you are
-wondering if they have yet started upon the road. Men have been
-despatched, like carrier-pigeons, in all directions, and we soon hear
-that the commandant, two hours away, has set out to find us, and we are
-to walk as far as we can to meet him.
-
-Once more the long procession, carrying its shawls and cushions, bags
-and water-pots, is marching in hope of a night’s repose. In a little,
-however, from somewhere, “orders” come in to “halt, and prepare the lady
-a bed.”
-
-Behold, it is done. Two boxes are found to support a wooden plank,
-_beneath_ which the cheik will find some measure of rest for his weary
-limbs, though he has given me his prayer-mat for mattress, his
-attaché-case for a pillow and, against my express command, nearly all
-the wraps in his possession. Under such conditions one does not
-“undress” for the night; but rather contrives every possible addition to
-the number of thick woollen garments normally required in these climes.
-The officer has not even a rug to protect him from the damp earth, and I
-find words strong enough to resist the loan of his coat.
-
-Alas! I am not, after all, a true Eastern. My philosophy will not bring
-sleep. Never since the days when the awful stream of gassed men were
-being carried into the hospital, have I listened to such a terrible
-chorus of coughs. There is little enough “quiet in sleep” on these
-saturated clay mounds, although I no longer hear the Nationalist Anthem
-and other patriotic strains, to the accompaniment of a piping flute,
-which had been rising about me in the evening air.
-
-Probably the cold that seemed almost beyond endurance, did not really
-master me for long, as all these numbing horrors were lost in
-unconsciousness before the dawn.
-
-I am awakened at last by the officer who ventures to “shake the
-sleeper,” being seriously alarmed, he tells me, by my pale looks. There
-is a most welcome glass of hot tea, and a fire! A mingling of German and
-Turkish assail my ears, while from the distance I hear a silver voice
-calling the “faithful” to prayer. Here is a free translation from the
-cheik, of the muezzin’s words: “Get up, you lazy fellows, rise, make
-your ablutions, and praise God for His goodness.”
-
-I can only repeat “praise God,” though in face of what we have seen even
-these words seem almost mockery.
-
-“God is great,” said the holy man, “but man will not understand His
-greatness. God loves the East, whence came thought, philosophy, and
-faith. The Christ we, too, venerate, came from the East. Yet the West
-has given us nought but injustice. You who love the East, pray for
-tolerance and understanding between all peoples.”
-
-The muezzin has awakened all the soldiers in the mountains. One could
-fancy a scurry of rabbits from the hidden tents. They are fetching water
-for the ablutions, and I, too, must wash me—in eau de Cologne. The blood
-flowing into my numbed limbs forces a cry I cannot stifle. “That is what
-happens when a woman goes out to war,” I said with a laugh, for the
-officer confessed that I had given him some anxious moments.
-
-Yet another cup of tea outside the now stifling tent, over the exquisite
-violet-tinted fumes of a charcoal fire—deadly poison, maybe, but
-harmless so long as you do not _know_.
-
-The ablutions, a religious rite, are performed here in couples—one
-pouring the water into the other’s hands, that he may wash his face
-three times, carefully going over the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. When
-he, in his turn, pours the water for his companion.
-
-The cheik tells me Moslem custom demands the body _must_ be clean,
-though the clothes may not be free from dirt. If only the morning
-“ablutions” were part of our Christian creed, what a difference they
-would make to the comfort, _par exemple_, of Naples!
-
-All now lay down their “carpets,” and proceed to prayer. To-day, indeed,
-many must manage with the bare earth. What an inspiring picture it
-is—the absolutely unselfconscious absorption of the humble and prostrate
-Turk before his God! There is, surely, a sense of shame to the true
-Christian for some of his own brethren in the sight of reverence so
-natural and so devout.
-
- * * * * *
-
-My enthusiasm, unfortunately, does not extend to the steaming dish of
-most sustaining breakfast-soup, compounded of flour and vinegar and egg.
-One or two sips of the tonic are enough a send me to dry bread and a
-glass of tea—about my tenth since dawn!
-
-All around us, though not yet in their uniforms, are scattered the
-future soldiers of the new Citizen State, ready and eager, poor fellows,
-for their fifty miles march a day, on coffee and bread, or even on bread
-and water!
-
-By what right do we ask such things from the sons of women? That, cut
-off from every pleasure, all joy in God’s world, they should spend their
-days in war and prayer! They seem happier, somehow, than those of us who
-have travelled and seen the world, who must think and judge for
-ourselves, wondering at last what is Truth or Justice, where are the
-profits of self-sacrifice? Love and joy are, after all, but the
-“negatives” of grief and hate. Abolish the dark couple, and you will
-gain the light.
-
-For the moment, however, the soldiers of to-morrow are content. They
-have never tasted alcohol; miserably clad, without proper clothing or
-shelter, they sit about us expressionless and resigned—singing hymns of
-joy that sound far more like a funeral dirge. There is no need for
-thought, since they are ready to die for their fatherland, their leader,
-their faith.
-
-Yet, though they know I come from an “enemy” country, there is no
-kindness and consideration they will not extend to a woman who trusts
-them. Where is the Bolshevism of those who have lifted me over every
-step of mud, and are even now girding their loins to carry me onwards
-for forty miles? Will _they_ massacre, who, at my bidding, would lay
-them down for me to walk over were I to make such an idle request? Fear
-belongs to those _responsible_ for England’s injustice. They, indeed,
-among these people, _would_ be torn limb from limb and trampled on unto
-death.
-
-We have no horses or anything on four legs to draw the loaded wagonette,
-that must now carry the cheik and myself, in addition to its usual cargo
-of food and varied wrappings. I have, certainly, had “smarter” escorts
-than the men now drawing our “equipage,” but never any with kinder
-hearts.
-
-There is no thought here of payment for service. Money is firmly
-refused; and from those who have, and seek, absolutely nothing for
-themselves, such a welcome could not fail to touch the most callous of
-human beings. How is it that all Europe declares no one can “manage”
-these simple folk? My own receipt for life with the Moslem—of mere
-courteous consideration and unquestioning trust—has been repaid with
-compound interest a thousand times!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER X
-
- A JOURNEY ON FOOT—A COUNTRY MADE BY GOD, UNTOUCHED BY MAN
-
-
-IT is not given to many in this enlightened twentieth century to travel
-in a country as God made it, almost untouched by man. Upon the road from
-Gunhani I saw no signs of man’s handiwork, save a few miles of
-Deacoville, a tunnel, and the primitive carts of Anatolia. These are
-made from a few logs nailed together, and fastened to two wheels, cut
-solidly out of a block of wood. Their continuous squeak does not seem
-out of keeping with the primitive surroundings, and may be regarded as
-an “accompaniment” to the peasant’s songs.
-
-The story is told of a “benevolent” American whose imagination was fired
-by the project of turning this land into a “new America.” He would
-subject the fertile soil to “intensive” cultivation and smother it with
-sky-scrapers. So he persuaded a Turk to come over to “God’s own country”
-(as man has made it) and study the United States.
-
-His guest, however, refused to admire, took passage for home at the
-earliest possible opportunity, and informed his friends that, “having
-now seen man’s ‘best’ country, he would never again leave God’s.”
-
-Nevertheless, in the Western mind these wide stretches of waste land
-among the beautiful mountains, beneath a cloudless sky, cannot fail to
-rouse a longing to break the silence by a “little emptying of our
-crowded towns.” The women and old men _are_ digging, sowing, and
-cultivating, with but slight return for their heavy labour; now that the
-young are all “wanted” for defence.
-
-“One day we _shall_ have peace,” said I to our carriers, and they
-murmured “_Inch Allah!_” Turning my wish to prayer, I could only repeat,
-“We _shall_ have peace.”
-
-As often as I can persuade them to rest, I seize the chance of telling
-them about England. When I mention our great Moslem King George they
-naturally confuse him with Lloyd George. And, later, “if your King loves
-his Moslem subjects, as you say he does, why does he permit his Minister
-to remain?” I assure them that he will not, and their faces brighten as
-they cry: “There will be peace, then.”
-
-As we plunge into the tunnel, about a kilometre long, our men raise
-strange howls which echo around us with the most weird effect; but we
-are in darkness that can be felt, and anyone coming unwarned in an
-opposite direction, which is _downhill_, could scarcely avoid a crash.
-As it happens, there is an engineer on the line. Our men lift off his
-wagonette and replace it, further down, than ours.
-
-I marvelled that they had sufficient strength for the job, living on
-coffee and bread. Meanwhile, our flashlight revealed Turkish ladies
-walking along the tunnel without a glimmer of light to guide them, who
-made their way by a continuous beating of sticks upon the wall.
-
-In this strange land, one is not afraid! I think of all the alarm my
-journey excited in Smyrna, and am more than ever convinced that I _only_
-need an interpreter. If I knew the language, I would go alone and
-without fear! Primitive people in Turkey have a high code of honour.
-They would not steal a penny, they will not even accept what I offer to
-pay. Though he would tear to pieces an enemy of his country, the Turk
-would stand between me and danger, for he knows I am a friend.
-
-At last we are out of the tunnel, stretching our legs with relief in the
-open air. Suddenly a strange sound breaks on our ears from the
-mountains. As we stop to listen, we hear someone calling upon us to
-“Halt! You must go no further!” I remember—this day, they had told me,
-there would be “war”! A strange figure seems to be hopping down the
-mountains, about 800 metres in height, which proves to be the
-_Commandant de la Place_. He had arrived at our tent very late the night
-before, and left me a “message of welcome.” Is he now bringing the
-terrible news the war has begun? No. Only offering us hospitality.
-
-He had not expected us to start so early, and apologised for “calling in
-his nightgown”—the only alternative to letting us pass his “inhospitable
-doors.” I begged that I might take a photograph, and, leaving all our
-belongings upon the wayside, we readily set out to climb the mountain,
-while he shouted the news of our approach to hasten the preparations of
-his wife. As a matter of fact, the difficulties of the ascent were quite
-sufficient to give her ample time; and when we reached the house at
-last, the pure, fresh air (that struck cold in spite of the brilliant
-sunshine) inspired a hearty welcome to “rest” after so stiff a climb!
-
-The commandant (who is richly bronzed by outdoor life in the sun) seemed
-quite content with his two-roomed cabin among the hills, though one
-could sense the tragic experiences he would never obtrude. Three of his
-children had perished from cold and hardship, and I caught anxious
-glances towards the two remaining, fine, sturdy-looking little creatures
-as they were. His mother-in-law, busily intent on grinding the corn,
-bore further witness to their hidden struggles.
-
-I was immediately given a chair; a mattress was found for the cheik, and
-once more we learned that in this country you are expected to have some
-coffee _before_ a glass of tea, and then roasted almonds and
-melon-seeds. I like to think it was the children who decorated their
-little cat’s ears with pink tassels in our honour, much to the animal’s
-annoyance. While the pig had been also “decorated,” to _his_ intense
-delight!
-
-Madame retired immediately on our arrival; but when “tea” was finished,
-I begged that she might join us. Though veiled and shy, she came. Then
-she and her husband brought their outes (a Turkish guitar played with a
-feather) and sang to us without any restraint.
-
-We stayed with them so many hours that, at last, I began to fear I was
-expected to make the first move. At three o’clock I asked the cheik when
-we were going to continue our journey, and he quickly answered: “When
-you please”—confirming my suspicions.
-
-I was now informed that we should probably be too late for the one train
-in the day, and have to face a journey of many hours in bullock-wagons,
-drawn perhaps by mules. No one even hinted that I was to blame; yet no
-one would have dreamt of being so rude as to tell me that it was _my_
-place to break up the party!
-
-The line from Smyrna to Angora had been cut at Gunhani, as had the line
-from Haïdar Pasha at Bilidjik and Kara-Keuy.
-
-From Gunhani we had to reach Afioun-Karahissar as we best could, partly
-by Deacoville, then by ox-wagon and luggage trains to Ouchak and on to
-Afioun. The railway bridge destroyed at Gunhani was a fine example of
-French engineering, which went right over the mountains, from eight
-hundred to a thousand feet high. It will take years to rebuild. The
-Turks do not complain, and have cheerfully accepted the terrible
-discomfort to passengers and goods traffic, with their usual philosophy.
-“The destruction of an important railway,” as they calmly remark, “is
-legitimate warfare and first-class strategy.”
-
-We could realise, however, what the disaster really _meant_, as we
-climbed down, without the help of any kind of pathway, from the
-commandant’s little house on the steep hills. Once on the road we took
-an ox-wagon, drawn by mules, for what was still little better than a
-mountain track, to the nearest point of the railway that was in order,
-in the direction of Afioun-Karahissar. Unable, like the cheik or any
-Oriental, to sit on my legs, I had to let them hang over the side of our
-wagon.
-
-This scurrying down from the commandant’s house was not “a picnic!” Our
-fearless drivers and their marvellously sure-footed beasts, could not
-prevent our being flung from side to side of the springless cart,
-holding on for dear life. Sometimes the officer had to spring out and
-push from behind to save us from falling backwards.
-
-The telegraph wires, of course, were also cut; but the rapidity with
-which messengers are able to run and leap over these ragged mountain
-ways enabled them to bring news _back_ to us, of the quickest way to
-find a train, in an incredibly short time.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- IN AN OX WAGON.
- “Unable to sit on my legs, I have to let them hang over the side of
- our wagon.”
-]
-
-I had found it a herculean task to reach, and return, from our resting
-place on the hill-top. The bullock-cart seemed to find it scarcely
-_less_ difficult to manipulate the narrow and broken roadway. Yet the
-Turkish soldiers had _somehow_ found means and strength to heave their
-heavy artillery over these awe-inspiring passes, from which one slip of
-the foot meant instant death.
-
-There was, naturally, “nothing doing” at the station till very late that
-night, when we should have to pass the dark hours in a luggage train.
-Just before it was due to start, however, the Governor arrived with
-sardines, fruit, and bread, of which we managed to make a good dinner
-“on board,” actually our first meal that day, except for the
-commandant’s almonds.
-
-A chair was found for me in the empty carriage, but others had to sit on
-the floor. We had candles and, by some means, word was sent in advance
-of our approach. They tell me it is quite a short journey, but I cannot
-help wishing that we had been able to stay in the bullock-carts.
-
-Through that strange night—not so cold, indeed, as yesterday—we seemed
-to crawl on one mile and then shunt back two, to an awful accompaniment
-of clanging metal that made it impossible to sleep. I had only to close
-my eyes for a moment and our train was certain to be violently thrown
-back. Really, I thought my head would be shaken off my body.
-
-As always, the cheik made heroic efforts to wile away the dark hours and
-distract my mind. There was no question I could ask him about Islam in
-vain. Here is the best I can reproduce of that fascinating lesson in
-faith and philosophy delivered in a luggage train by night:
-
-“The very word _Obedience_ (_i.e._ Islam) is contrary to all Bolshevist
-ideas, just as Bolshevism itself is contradicted by the Reign of Terror
-in Russia. Islam teaches the ‘preservation of property,’ Bolshevism
-destroys it. Verily, the Turks must have passed through sorrow and
-tribulation before they could ever have felt any temptation to ally
-themselves with the Russia of to-day. Yet the Soviet has helped us in
-our time of need, and we owe our fidelity to the alliance.”
-
-I spoke of the vast sums paid out by Russia to Abdul Hamid to maintain
-enmity between the Turks and Great Britain.... “That you have made
-friends with your hereditary enemy surely means grave peril to India.”
-
-“So we all feel,” answered the cheik. “But we can never forget the shock
-to the Moslem world of the ‘rumour’ that Constantinople (the seat of
-Caliphat) would be handed over to Russia. England had gone back on her
-word and lost our respect for ever. Henceforth we could be deceived no
-longer. We were cyphers, mere pawns, on the political chess-board of the
-Powers. The principles of Islam were distorted without hesitation to
-prove that no Christian peoples could live unmolested under Turkish
-rule. How could Great Britain be so blind to the unbounded respect she
-had earned from Islam by her fine tolerance of _all_ religions in India?
-Now she has ‘changed all that,’ and the war in the Near East was a
-_religious_ war.”
-
-When I attempted to frame some excuses for the pro-Greek attitude of the
-British Government, he reminded me of our “old pride in Moslem
-allegiance. You have more Moslem than Christian subjects.... Is not your
-Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George, a democrat? Where can he find more
-perfect democracies than in the East, under Moslem rule? It is a ‘new’
-ideal in the West. When President Wilson began to preach it, he was
-derided as a Utopian, because he was three centuries ahead of his time!
-Every Moslem has _always_ been equal before the law—the Sultan stands
-_with_ his subjects.”
-
-“That does not quite ‘explain’ Abdul Hamid,” I said.
-
-“He was the exception we shall never repeat. You cannot argue from
-exceptions.... It is the English who have ceased to value the precepts
-of Islam. The Koran bids us obey those in authority. Rather than rebel,
-we leave the country.”
-
-“And M. Kemal Pasha? Has he not rebelled?”
-
-“No, indeed. He simply defended his country, deposed the
-vassal-traitor-Sultan.... M. Kemal Pasha rules direct from the Koran. He
-will have strength to set aside the heresies of the Byzantines that have
-been grafted on to our Government. It is nonsense to say that the Koran
-has been found unfitted for the requirements of the twentieth century.”
-
-“There, I fear, I must plead guilty.”
-
-“You will see, when you have stayed among us a little longer, that it
-can be honestly interpreted to meet man’s present needs.”
-
-“The freedom of women——?”
-
-“The ‘seclusion’ comes from Byzantium. M. Kemal will change that, if
-only he does not himself make a foolish marriage.”
-
-“How do you mean—foolish?”
-
-“A princess. We attribute Enver’s downfall to his having married a
-princess. He then required money to maintain his ‘royal’ position; we do
-not inquire from whence it came! If M. Kemal Pasha follows his example
-we shall lose faith in his democracy.”
-
-“And a foreigner?”
-
-“That is almost as bad. The helpmeet of _our_ choice for him should be
-one who would help the country to progress along Eastern lines, not
-Western. Rather a peasant than a foreigner or a princess.”
-
-“I hope he may find one with the intelligence of Halidé Hanoum, and with
-her womanly charm. To me she seems wholly delightful. She can advance,
-and remain a woman, as our Anglo-Saxon reformers have seldom done.”
-
-“We shall see; but you must make no mistake. You imagine that women ‘do
-not count’ in the East, yet I assure you a foolish marriage for M. Kemal
-Pasha would be a national disaster.”
-
-“I wish you were not so much against British rule.”
-
-“I must face facts. You have been doing strange things here for the last
-twenty-three years. We do not object to you because you are rulers, but
-to the way in which you now rule. In Islam all the faiths co-operate.
-Israel has its place, and we venerate Christ no less than our Prophet.
-It is the same in England itself, yet the very men whom you receive in
-your London drawing-rooms are spoken of in Egypt and India as
-‘natives.’”
-
-“Neither can I understand that.” I agreed.
-
-“No, _you_ would not; but, if you really want to know the truth, we are
-discouraged and hurt. How can your Empire accept your ex-Premier’s
-pro-Greek campaign after his _glorious_ speeches in support of
-democracy?”
-
-“The more I think about it,” said I, “the less I understand.”
-
-“Well, the consequences for us are black. We were so long content to
-pass our days in confidence that all was well with British at the helm.
-Now we are watching with anxious eyes; only we pray that the ‘to-morrow’
-which all good Moslems desire, may yet come with M. Kemal Pasha. I have
-sons, who must all be soldiers, since we no longer trust the West.”
-
-“Will they be educated in England, at Oxford?”
-
-“No, alas! They are in Germany. They must learn to put the
-responsibilities of citizenship before sport. They must not associate
-with men who might afterwards settle in Egypt and call them ‘niggers.’”
-
-These were bitter truths for my pride in England.
-
-The cheik, by the way, was born in Egypt, and regarded as a dangerous
-Moslem foe! I wonder if that can in any sense justify his exile from his
-native land?
-
-As he tells me: The victory of M. Kemal is the direct result of an
-attempt to express the spirit of nationalism, which will not be kept
-down. For the first time Moslems have adopted the Nationalist appeal. If
-that fail, you will be confronted by a Pan-Islam uprising. The eyes of
-all Moslem are on Turkey. Strike her, who is Islam’s head, and every
-limb will rise in protest against the blow.
-
-“As a man of God,” I protested, “you have no right to speak of war.
-There must _not_ be war.”
-
-“When responsible British Ministers refer to Salonika as the Gate of
-Christendom, we can no longer stand aside.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-The Governor and all the “notables” of Ouchak were on the platform as
-our luggage train arrived “in state.” When they invited us to stay the
-night, I accepted at once, without giving anyone else the chance to
-refuse. After three days and two nights on the road, I could not forego
-the luxury of a wash and a change of clothes, or the chance to brush and
-comb out my hair!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XI
-
- A PUBLIC MEETING AT OUCHAK—HOSPITALITY—A SACRED RITE
-
-
-AT Ouchak, I frankly declined to spend another night in a luggage train.
-I admired the Turks’ resourcefulness in coping with the extremely
-limited service of trains—the women inside a luggage-van and the men on
-the roof. I do not regret the fact that I have probably endured even
-more discomfort than other European visitors to Angora, since I have
-attempted and achieved more. But for the moment it seemed really
-essential to pause and rest.
-
-We were told they had only one private train car on _this_ side of the
-break in the line, which had been reserved for the Minister of Finance,
-whom we should probably soon meet. Engines were terribly “short,” and
-most of the trains had been burnt by Greeks.
-
-The Governor drove us to the house of one of the wealthiest men in the
-town, once the headquarters of King Constantine. Our host proved to be a
-mere lad of twenty, who was nevertheless directing a large carpet
-factory which had partially escaped destruction, with considerable
-efficiency and skill.
-
-Thanking us with graceful dignity for the honour of our visit, he gave
-immediate direction for our reception in his noble guest-chamber. He
-apologised for the bareness of rooms, rifled by Greeks; but, in my
-judgment, the rich and wonderful carpets were furniture enough.
-
-As M. Kemal Pasha had taken over the house from King Constantine, our
-host asked me, in joke, whose “bed” I would choose! I naturally at once
-replied M. Kemal’s. “Ah no,” said he, “you must not decide without
-seeing both.”
-
-Being always afraid of air-raids, the Greek sovereign had taken an
-underground suite, certainly arranged with great taste and every
-attention to creature comfort. Lit and heated by electricity, the
-arrangements closely resembled a German trench. M. Kemal Pasha had slept
-on the first, or top, floor, and as I like to think, under my white
-satin covering, worked with irises. It was a proud moment for our
-host—that _I_ should occupy a bed already honoured by M. Kemal!
-
-I told him how at Gerbervilliers Sœur Julie once let me sleep in a bed
-previously occupied by Cardinal X., and even conferred on me the supreme
-honour of using his Eminence’s sheet! That “last touch,” said my host,
-he, “unfortunately, could not repeat. The Pasha’s sheets!—well, they
-were not _here_.”
-
-We soon sat down with the Governor, the Mayor, and other “notables,” to
-a well-cooked meal of Turkish delicacies, supervised by our host
-himself. My only criticism of Turkish dishes is based on their
-“fattening” qualities, and the pleasure in flavours which tempt one to
-over-eat.
-
-More “notables” appeared for an afternoon reception, in strange and
-picturesque costumes: Deputies, hodjas, and judges. How I longed to
-borrow that judge’s saxe-blue silk robe for a dressing-gown; but,
-knowing that he would “give” me anything for which I expressed a fancy,
-my honour sternly forbade the request! Everyone had left their shoes on
-the mat, and sat in their stockinged feet. My muddy boots were a
-disgrace.
-
-They all talked Nationalism, overjoyed by the recent victories and, I
-cannot deny, bitter against Great Britain.
-
-I was invited to a big “Nationalist” meeting, to be held that night at
-the Young Men’s Club, and was only too glad to have the chance of
-answering the questions I knew they would want to put. It is always wise
-to encourage our critics to air their grievances.
-
-We were conducted up a rickety staircase to a large room thick with
-smoke. The men were all wearing kalpaks, and evidently puzzled at first
-by the “Englishwoman in their midst.” Some of them smiled, others
-plainly showed their surprise, and others just stared.
-
-After the cheik had opened the meeting in a very few words, our host
-rose to explain my presence. He told them that I had come to Angora
-entirely on my own responsibility, because, though our authorities
-called it “brink of war,” I wanted to convince the Turks that we should
-not _have_ war.
-
-Then, with the Governor as my interpreter, I begged them “to believe
-that Mr. Lloyd George’s policy was _not_ the policy of the English
-people. He had only followed Gladstone in _this_ matter, and he had been
-led astray by M. Venizelos. No other Englishman would make war on
-Turkey, and we, the people, were therefore determined upon his fall.”
-
-“_Inch Allah_,” cried the people.
-
-Then I said that “whether our Conservatives or Labour men followed Mr.
-Lloyd George, it would make no difference to them. Both parties are all
-for peace. I was not Turkey’s only friend in Great Britain. We who knew
-were all hard at work for peace.”
-
-It was a strange meeting! Did the Governor really translate what the men
-actually said? Some were obviously filled with anger, though
-“_saura-saura_ and Mr. Lloyd George” was all I could catch. The Governor
-interpreted, “The speaker does not approve of Mr. Lloyd George’s
-policy.”
-
-“Nor do I,” I replied, which made them all laugh heartily.
-
-“In any case,” I concluded, “there is not going to be war. It is
-contrary to all reason, and we have been enemies long enough! We are
-going to be great friends now.”
-
-I answered a host of questions, which, however, the Governor had
-softened in his interpretation to avoid hurting my feelings.
-
-Finally my host invited the audience to express their appreciation of
-the visit from an Englishwoman, who had persisted, against such terrible
-odds, in coming to give them so much “news” from Great Britain; and the
-old wooden roofs echoed to their cheers and clapping.
-
-Maybe the British Government would scarcely have approved our meeting;
-but there are many people in England who take a different view; and as I
-told the people, “I had been seven years on the French front (a real
-slice out of one’s life) and I knew what war meant. I will not believe
-our men are going to be led to war again. However our politicians may
-talk, whatever hysteria may be printed in the Press, we have sound,
-practical reasons for friendship. There is nothing in the Nationalist
-Pact to which Great Britain can seriously object; nothing, certainly, to
-justify the shedding of blood on either side.”
-
-After the meeting we drove back to our comfortable quarters, and talked
-long into the night over tea and cigarettes. Too tired to sleep, I told
-my host if once I dozed off there would be no waking me “this side of
-anytime,” so I “let myself go” upon the glories of old England and the
-fine traditions of our race—a subject my present companions were still
-perfectly ready to applaud.
-
-We passed on to America and her big Press. To their taste, British
-journalism is “just dry bones—without a breath of life.” They must have
-something picturesque, unrestrained by any considerations of taste or
-possible hurt to the feelings of those concerned.
-
-I told them of the strange pride with which an American dared to boast
-of an “interview” with King Constantine. “His Majesty,” as the reporter
-had written, “without asking me even to sit down, drew from his pocket a
-handsome case and helped himself to a cigarette. He naturally did not
-offer one to me.”
-
-Constantine was, naturally, infuriated by the sarcastic implication, and
-denied the “interview” altogether. The “man from the States” promptly
-started an “action” against him, and withdrew it, once he had thus
-secured far more publicity (which means dollars) than all the
-“interviews” he might have secured with deposed royalties, would ever
-have brought his way.
-
-A lady compatriot of his, in the same spirit, once claimed to have
-secured an “interview” with M. Kemal Pasha, and wrote that “he smoked
-Player’s cigarettes.” When I told her friend that this was certainly
-untrue, he said: “What matters! It was good copy.”
-
-I was not, however, altogether surprised to learn that this “impression”
-of Constantine was, most probably, quite true. All kinds of similar
-stories were in circulation about the dead monarch, but the Turkish
-officers were of opinion that, though as commander-in-chief he certainly
-appeared to live underground, there was little he could be expected to
-achieve with the army at his command. To be _fearless_ is a commandant’s
-first duty, and for that quality they were as ready to praise the fallen
-Djémal and Enver as M. Kemal Pasha himself. With all his faults and
-mistakes, none could accuse Enver of fear.
-
-My “lady’s maid” on this occasion proved to be a picturesque young
-woman, dressed in very bright colours, wearing her hair in two long
-plaits enclosed in a gay scarf. With the pleasant zeal of her race, she
-squandered the whole contents of a beautiful Eastern water-jug in
-“pouring them over my hands,” a process which used up all the water long
-before I felt clean! And not even grease and eau-de-Cologne would drive
-off half the effects of these terrible days from my face. It was a case
-for Turkish baths. And Nazafer, my little maid, proved so timid and
-gentle a hairdresser that I had to use some English “force” in this
-direction when she had left me for the night.
-
-Yet words cannot express the delight of this welcome change to all the
-luxuries of civilisation. A blazing wood fire, a hot bottle, and the
-generous supply of white satin cushions worked in a lovely iris design
-on my vast, picturesque bed!
-
-If the dogs outside could only accept their grievances with the silent
-dignity of the East! As I peep through my lattice windows over the
-half-ruined city, now bathed in the silver light of the new moon, I can
-only marvel again that we hear scarcely a murmur from these suffering
-people in their terrible distress. What do we want with this mutilated
-country for which they are ready to die?
-
-Here is the tale of a patriot that outstrips the wildest imagination to
-have conceived. A certain woman, so poor that she had but one miserable
-garment to protect her starving babe, catches sight of some “munitions”
-that are lying near her, _exposed_ to the cold! She does not hesitate a
-moment, but lifting her poor child’s only covering, carefully wraps it
-round the “instruments of war.” Maybe the good God will send me another
-child,” she whispered; “at all costs, my country must be saved!”
-
-How dare we attempt to hamper these people’s freedom, bought at so dear
-a price? Surely the future is _theirs_ to shape as they will.
-
-When the morning is well advanced, and the sun is streaming upon me
-through scarlet lace curtains, I am at last awakened from dreams of
-burning cities to the alarms of war. Downstairs, sad and bewildered
-faces almost convince me that actual hostilities have begun. But I am
-now fully awake, and still refuse to believe.
-
-“It is absolute nonsense,” I insist on telling them. “_My_ country is
-_your_ friend.”
-
-But even the optimism of our host had been shaken by the pessimist
-newspaper reports. They all knew, however, that, if it _was_ war, I
-should stay with them, and they would allow me to nurse our own
-“men.”... It was not the “men” who would make war; and I gladly repeated
-their high tributes to the fine soldierly qualities of the Turk, in
-startling contrast to most Germans!
-
- * * * * *
-
-Our host himself superintended the preparation of my breakfast tray—eggs
-and butter, honey and jam, fruits and cheese.
-
-“You have sent me a grocer’s shop,” I exclaimed to him later, but he
-waived aside my gratitude with a casual, “Don’t mention it.”
-
-I reminded him that he had promised I should see “madame” and the baby.
-“Could not she share our meal?” He said she was tired and really
-preferred to rest. Was the excuse diplomatic?
-
-He told me that almost immediately after their marriage (about a year
-and a half ago, when she was only seventeen), they had “escaped” to
-Rhodes, and it was only too likely their brief experience of home—such
-as war had left them—would be once more cruelly interrupted. She,
-unfortunately, did not speak French, but I could easily read in her
-large, pathetic, dark eyes the excuses she strove to offer for what
-would never have struck me as “inadequate” hospitality.
-
-I tried to convey my deep sympathy to her husband. “You seem like a
-couple of dear children,” I said, “just eager to make us all happy.”
-
-“Every Turk,” he replied gravely, “must marry young. The country needs
-children.”
-
-M. Kemal Pasha entirely confirmed the curious impressions that this
-household could not fail to produce on any visitor from Europe. It
-almost made one think of Turkey as the social Antipodes. In England so
-many women are now doing men’s work, in addition to their own. Here we
-see men working for both sexes. I have no doubt the sweet little lady
-had “prepared” everything in advance, but when we arrived, she felt it
-becoming to disappear! It was our host, again, whom I had surprised in
-the midst of his ministrations for a most excellent lunch!
-
-The afternoon was spent in driving about the pillaged city, visiting our
-host’s carpet-factory and a number of weaving-looms in private houses.
-It is a privilege, indeed, to see all these treasures of beauty shaping
-before one’s eyes. It must, I think, be a great relief for the “tired in
-mind” to “get busy” about mechanical work. One’s fingers soon turn into
-machines, weaving the wool in and out of the frame, cutting the pile,
-the whole process of creating those wonderful Eastern “floorings” we all
-admire. The making of even “high art” goods must rest the nerves, like
-the “perpetual motion” of my Scotch mother’s knitting needles!
-
-In the distance the cemetery looked like a large field, glaring with
-poppies and cornflowers that it was puzzling to find so late in this
-cold climate. As we approached, however, the picturesque scene proved to
-come from dyed wool left to dry on the tombstones, which were,
-themselves, of a turban-like shape.
-
-In the market we were astonished to find how quickly trade had
-recovered, almost to pre-war activity, since my last visit. Somehow they
-have discovered tools and wood to patch up booths for the old business.
-
-I told my companions I “hoped the people would soon be given material to
-rebuild the whole town, that Europe would send money in admiring
-recognition of their ‘already proven’ ability to help themselves.”
-
-It seemed almost a “confessional” for me, as the officers and municipal
-authorities, the deputies and the hodjas, plied me with question after
-question, because they knew I would tell them all I could, and speak the
-truth!
-
-They brought me photographs—of cities in ruins, of mutilated and
-disfigured human beings!—unfortunately too primitive for reproduction,
-but no less invaluable as documentary evidence, almost too ghastly for
-man to “look on and live”!
-
-We drove also to the aviation ground and were shown what the officer in
-charge had contrived to make of the cannon left by Greeks. Though
-everything was systematically hacked to pieces, it had been all “put
-together again” by the Turks with astonishing patience and perseverance.
-
-Naturally proud of his work, and delighted to tell us how it had all
-been managed, the officer, fortunately, quite forgot I was English. He
-was telling us that he found a few French 75’s, but that most of the
-guns were howitzers. Suddenly realising the need for caution, or rather
-courtesy, he burst out: “Cannon, Lloyd George,” and won from us all the
-most grateful and laughing applause.
-
-I was further especially pleased with his outspoken pride in the Turkish
-women aviators, of whom his own wife had been one. All honour to
-them—from that Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, Halidé Hanoum, to every woman who
-had unloaded munitions from the boats and “done her bit” in the
-factories!
-
-He told us how women had watched for ships bringing munitions as for
-angels of deliverance. How they toiled at the unloading and bore their
-burdens with uncomplaining zeal. No man must lift a finger for work that
-could possibly be undertaken by women. As M. Kemal Pasha says: “The
-women have _done_ their part in saving the country, they must _have_
-their share in governing it.”
-
-It has always been supposed that France supplied most of these
-munitions. But the Turks paid _us_ £5,000 sterling (at the present rate
-of exchange) for a load of their own munitions that we had “picked up,”
-and they bought arms from the English officers in Constantinople.
-Further supplies, of course, were obtained from Frenchmen, Italians,
-Russians, and, incredible as it may seem, from the Greeks themselves.
-Turkey bought arms wherever she could, and set herself the grim task of
-readjustment.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Meanwhile, the Governor had been telegraphing for us in all directions
-all day, for news of a train to take us on our way. All the services, of
-course, were disorganised, and the line cut—a message from Smyrna to
-Kassaba might take twelve days! We would not worry, or hope!
-
-At about 9.30, we hear of another luggage train! It is not a long
-journey from Ouchak to Afioun-Karahissar. We are now well supplied with
-food and candles, a dilapidated deck-chair has been dug out for me, and
-the cheik’s brilliant conversation will “make history” of the night.
-
-I had managed to have a few words with our host’s wife before we left
-the house. Her husband translating, she thanked me again and again for
-my visit, and then, asking me to excuse her going to see an ailing
-brother, she sailed away with her little babe in her arms. As she turned
-smiling on us from the big gateway, I could not resist blowing a kiss to
-the child-like and pathetic figure she made—for all the world like a
-schoolgirl and her doll!
-
-Towards evening, as we were preparing to leave our host, I caught sight
-of a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Like an Englishman, he quickly
-brushed them aside, and turned to me with a smile.
-
-What had I said, or done? We had been skating on thin ice all the time.
-I would never deliberately hurt anyone’s feelings, but I cannot resist a
-joke, and, in a foreign language, there is danger of misunderstanding.
-
-I found a chance of asking the cheik to tell me frankly if I had
-unwittingly given any offence, for which I would be only too eager to
-tender my sincere regret and apology. But he explained: Our host’s
-brother-in-law had died during the night, and, not wishing to disturb
-our entertainment, his wife had bravely set out alone to attend the
-funeral.
-
-So even the most intimate domestic sorrow was not permitted to interrupt
-our enjoyment; the intrusion, as it _must_ be felt, of an unknown woman
-from an enemy land!
-
-I have never met, even in Turkey, such a fine spirit of hospitality.
-_My_ tears could not be kept back. Here was a mere lad heaping coals of
-fire on my head. Again and again the words sternly echoed in my brain:
-“These things should never have been.”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XII
-
- A LUGGAGE TRAIN—THE WORST STAGE OF MY WHOLE JOURNEY
-
-
-WE are an hour late, the rain is pouring in torrents as I mount from a
-Turk’s back to my now familiar “van”; the station is full of friends
-crowding to witness our start and say farewell.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- From a Turk’s Back.
-]
-
-After no more than an hour of what proved to be much the worst stage of
-my whole journey, I was determined against any further dependence upon
-“goods traffic.” I should infinitely prefer to walk. Our compartment, I
-know, had not been chosen for comfort—there was no other to be had. But
-the roof leaked, the doors would not shut, it was impossible to keep our
-candles alight.
-
-At every few kilometres there is a halt. After an hour and a half the
-cheik and the officer are beyond words. Wrapped in rugs on the cold,
-hard floor, they are soon fast asleep, and now peacefully snoring. I
-should have thought myself that our continual joltings were enough to
-wake the dead, but my friends, fortunately, seem able to sleep on,
-pitched as they are every moment from side to side like long, shapeless
-bundles of woollen stuff. I put my umbrella up and donned a mackintosh,
-while our fellow-traveller, the Inspector of Forests, is no more able to
-sleep than I, but does his best to relieve the monotony by smiling at me
-(since we have no common language) whenever a candle is blown out and he
-patiently relights it.
-
-It was, perhaps, no more than subdued hysteria which suddenly drove me
-to break the long silence with strange sounds of laughter that awakened
-and clearly startled the cheik. After a little, I managed, somehow, to
-explain my unseemly outburst.
-
-The day before leaving Paris I had written to Lord Robert Cecil in
-earnest endeavour to persuade that fine enthusiast for the League of
-Nations that an international “Mother of Parliaments” could never
-maintain its authority under suspicion of antagonism to Islam.
-Therefore, I begged him to remove the stigma once and for all by going
-to Angora himself. And now the picture had flashed into my mind of Lord
-Robert, having responded to my suggestion, only to find himself being
-rattled about beside me, under an open umbrella, on the floor of a
-crawling luggage train in the black darkness of a wet night.
-
-It was a relief just then for all of us to join in a good laugh; but the
-policy of the League has not been helpful to Islam, and, in this matter,
-its unnecessary mistakes—as I have again and again pointed out—will
-prove a serious hamper to its otherwise splendid activities.
-
-Meanwhile, our merriment is soon checked. Sudden shrieks from the engine
-and an exceptionally generous supply of jolts and bangs conjure up to my
-mind awful visions of a collision in the gruesome loneliness of the
-night. The cheik, however, does not share my alarm, but calmly answers:
-“Methinks we do but unrail!” To me, however, the prospect suggested of
-ending my days in an Anatolian ditch, without even the covering of my
-Union Jack, offers but poor consolation.
-
-“Come, wake up,” I almost shouted, “it is too terrible! Someone _must_
-talk to me about Islam.” And when I realised my own selfishness in not
-leaving the poor man to sleep, I could only put forth the plea: “I am so
-interested in your religion.”
-
-“I am flattered indeed,” was the immediate response. “Religion in the
-East is truly a real and living force.” At his grave words I saw again
-that long line of weary soldiers among the mountains at their prayers.
-
-“I shall wound your feelings,” I went on, “if I persist in questioning
-you about the grievances of your people, though God knows my curiosity
-is not idle.”
-
-“It is far better to wound my feelings and publish the truth than to
-suffer the slightest risk of your misjudging us. You may help to see us
-righted, for Great Britain may have indeed ‘sinned in ignorance.’”
-
-But my allusion to Lord Robert Cecil had raised the problem of
-Christianity in the East. I had to admit that he was accused of working
-for “union” between the Anglican and the Greek Churches. “He _is_ a
-devout, loyal and energetic Anglican, but I refuse to believe that he
-would ever encourage such criminal folly.”
-
-“He is, indeed, too honourable,” replied the cheik. “That is only
-another example of bringing politics into religion, which must kill
-faith.”
-
-“But does not Islam teach us that politics and religion are one?”
-
-“No, indeed; that is a false, Western, interpretation of the Koran. It
-is our work to-day to set free religion from the canker of all
-statecraft.”
-
-I could not resist interposing at this point with my conviction that no
-_established_ Church can pursue wisdom; while the insecurity of our Free
-Churches to-day must always “put brakes” on their power against the
-Government, and “muzzle” the _real_ freedom of thought or truth.
-
-When we got back to Greece, the cheik gave me chapter and verse for his
-conviction that “if the Turks should allow the Greek Patriarch to remain
-in Constantinople, their tolerance would have degenerated to mere
-weakness.
-
-“It was a golden dream for the Greeks, nearly realised; but it is not
-for us to substantiate it.
-
-“They were to drive us back into the depths of Asia Minor, to rule over
-the peoples who had been their masters for five centuries, to recapture
-the great ‘Bible’ towns for the Cross; to settle on the shores of
-Marmora and Constantinople, that they might drive on to Rome!
-
-“Their vision, assuredly, did not lack grandeur.
-
-“It even seemed for a little that realisation might be achieved by zeal
-and ardour, until King Constantine’s return provoked M. Briand’s famous
-‘Note’ of November, 1920, and put an end to the dream.”
-
-Here I uttered a word of regret that we had not then followed the policy
-of the French “surely a course that might have saved us from all the
-jealousy and suspicion we have so perversely incurred.”
-
-The cheik replied indirectly by reminding me that M. Venizelos was not
-to be quite so easily, or immediately, defeated: “A great, some say a
-subtle and profound, personality, who had the _entrée_ to all the Courts
-of Europe. He formed in himself a strong link between the Greek Colonies
-and all the Powers, particularly England and America. He made British
-friendship the pivot of ‘Greek Expansion.’ He was not a man to bow
-before any discouragement or difficulty.
-
-“Now he conceived the idea, attributed to Lord Robert Cecil, of union
-between the two Churches, which at once enlisted the strong support of
-another Cretan, Monseigneur Metaxatis, no longer Metropolitan of Athens
-after King Constantine’s return.
-
-“Metaxatis was received with open arms in America, where he devised the
-formation of an ‘American Orthodox Church.’ Your Archbishop of
-Canterbury was his next convert, and, thus supported, he was able to
-flout Ottoman protests and to appoint himself (or see that he was
-appointed) a ‘Patriarch’ at Constantinople, under the title of Metelios
-IV.
-
-“I scarcely see how any real union could be established between the
-Protestant-Anglican—or is it Catholic?—Church and the Greek, if we
-realise the superstitions that Greece has never thrown off. The Greeks,
-whatever their faults, have always been faithful to their old, classic
-religion. The superstitions, if not the glories, of Hellas are, one and
-all, upheld to-day.”
-
-I said that I thought the hand of Providence could be seen in M. Kemal’s
-victory, which had saved us from this preposterous idea.
-
-When I learned later, in Angora, of the Patriarch’s criminal disloyalty
-on behalf of the Greeks, I almost wondered if Turkish religious
-tolerance had not been carried too far. This wily Churchman actually
-dared to make collections, _in Turkey_, for the Greek army designed for
-the capture of Constantinople; openly preached treason and rebellion.
-Yet he was sheltered behind his sacred office from the captivity of
-General Trécroupis at Eski-Chéir!
-
-What can we say of this Cretan, who thus dared to tamper with our
-national Church? What shall we say of his spiritual fathers who approved
-the plan? What can we say for Greece?
-
-Surely the Churches, whatever their creed, should uphold honour between
-all men. If the power a priest inevitably exerts over the penitent is
-once abused for political ends, religion becomes no better than treason.
-We look up to those in positions of trust and responsibility: priests,
-lawyers, or doctors. When they betray their trust our sentence is doubly
-severe.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The train now seems to have “put up for the night,” but it is shaking
-like an earthquake; and as the rain lashes upon us in torrents, its
-engine shrieks in unison with others in the dark distance. Every moment
-I expected the whole construction to collapse. It was the old impression
-of the “cellars” during an air-raid, the horrible suffocation of
-claustro-mania, or the terror of being buried alive.
-
-“I must get out.”
-
-“You cannot. Where will you go?”
-
-“I shall walk.”
-
-“You will be blown away or killed on the line.”
-
-“I cannot help it. I must get out. The train is choking me.”
-
-“But it may start off again any moment, and you would be left stranded
-on the line.”
-
-The officer, poor man, said nothing. He knew his duty. Whatever I might
-choose to do, he must accompany me and share my fate.
-
-The inspector at last jumps out, and the cheik, exclaiming, “If you must
-go, you must,” throws me down into the arms of that sturdy and solid
-being, as you might fling a cat out into the rain. Now fully exposed to
-the “four winds of heaven,” the drenching storm seemed to be tearing my
-hair off my head, and I was soon ankle-deep in the thick mud; but the
-air was good, and merely to be out of the train banished all fear of
-being crushed to death in the darkness by some passing steam monster.
-
-I _ought_ to have braced my nerves with the thought that Turkish women
-have to endure these things; but for some reason the train terrified me.
-As I can justly boast, I was terrified by nothing else in this country.
-
-Three times they coaxed me back into that choking van (as now and again
-the train shifted along for a few miles), and three times I insisted on
-being tossed into the storm. It was about two o’clock in the morning
-when, to the intense relief of all, we actually arrived at our
-destination.
-
-We disembark for “positively the last” time at Afioun-Karahissar, where
-the deluge adds its gloom to the now familiar woefulness of a town in
-ruins. Yet many of the inhabitants are actually sleeping in the mud of
-that awful night.
-
-We are driven some way beyond the town, to the one primitive and
-tumble-down roof that can possibly offer us shelter. Like most Eastern
-hans (_i.e._, inns), it is built round a courtyard, the living-rooms
-next to the stable; but horses are warm and agreeable neighbours. Once
-at the front, on a particularly cold and bitter day, the French, who
-shrugged their shoulders and refused none of my mad requests, politely
-allowed me to travel with the horses!
-
-We climb rickety stairs and cross a wooden veranda to examine the
-rooms—one with three beds, the other with two. Alas, the former is too
-much for even the cheik’s philosophy, and he decides for the courtyard.
-Neither of the beds in the double room is clean, certainly, but a marked
-advance on the alternative; and, after placing the cheik’s quilt and
-prayer-mat _between_ myself and the “men in possession,” and wrapping
-myself up in two thick rugs, I am glad enough to “go to bed in my
-boots,” with at least the prospect of “keeping still” for a few hours.
-If a fire _has_ brought out more “visitors” than were obvious at our
-first inspection, it is still better than traffic “by goods.”
-
-The officer is compelled literally to “sit up” all night, as there is no
-room for him to stretch his limbs.
-
-On such a night I could have wished for a “smaller” hole in the floor,
-and that the “mud” walls had not been quite so badly in need of repair;
-yet the shabby and threadbare costume of the “man with our morning tea,”
-was not sordid, but only picturesque.
-
-The cheik, like so many men, is an excellent housewife, and when he laid
-a clean handkerchief upon a large volume for tray, our breakfast of
-bread and helva, nuts and fruit, looked quite appetising.
-
-It is not the “indolence of the East” that is leaving these people in
-destitution among the ruins. One day, what remains standing will have to
-be pulled or burnt down, and a complete rebuilding undertaken. But
-nothing can be done under a threat of war.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At every inn on our return journey the whole of the “service” was
-entrusted to men. This, no doubt, largely explains the usual discomfort.
-Women must not remain entirely anonymous.
-
-The cheik told me he hoped the new generation, largely educated in
-Europe, might welcome such innovations, but “it would be difficult for
-the old. My wife, for instance, complained at having to ‘receive’ men
-visitors in Berlin. She considered it ‘cheap’ and ‘lowering’ to her
-prestige.”
-
-I can only hope the women of Turkey, when they achieve progress, will
-advance on the right lines—more determined on tact than pace.
-
-One must, of course, discard conventions at need, as I was doing all the
-time on this journey, but one can, at the same time, respect the
-feelings of others.
-
-I could not, for convention, allow my present companions to keep up the
-full Eastern “separation of the sexes”; and, as the cheik remarked,
-London ballrooms would be no less offensive to Turkish ladies of the old
-school than the comparatively “close quarters” which common humanity
-forbade us to avoid.
-
-There are often, of course, directly opposed conventions in different
-climates. In the Eastern mosques men keep on hats and take off boots;
-Europeans reverse the custom. Eastern women object to “low” frocks and
-“strange” partners “for the dance”; and, as one who had joined in them
-once told me, it is better to dance alone; for, if the music suddenly
-stops, a “couple” feel so embarrassed!
-
- * * * * *
-
-We were driven to the station for a train due to leave at 10 in the
-morning, which actually started about 5 P.M.! We had first attempted to
-find room in a third-class compartment with a French colonel, a Turkish
-officer, and two servants. But Europeans, even in Asia Minor, are seldom
-inclined to be accommodating, and my “ally” (!) diplomatically expressed
-his desire to be left alone in his glory. “You will be much more
-comfortable, my dear madam, in a less crowded carriage. I fear you could
-not even find a seat among all these officers, and, at least, fifty
-boxes.” We were not slow to take the hint.
-
-However, there is no sign of being able to leave the station for some
-hours, and the sun is shining for a change. Everyone, naturally, prefers
-the platform; and having learnt, it appears, that I am _not_ married to
-either the cheik or the Turkish officer, the colonel approaches me with
-renewed curiosity. When I explain that I am English, he simply answers:
-“You mean American?”
-
-“The one Frenchman and the one Englishwoman in Anatolia,” was my retort,
-“have met by chance at a wayside railway station, and you will not even
-allow me to enter your carriage. Are _you_ really French?”
-
-“I should be delighted and honoured if you will come and talk to me,”
-was the would-be gallant reply, “but I have twenty boxes” (he has
-quickly disposed of thirty). “I thought at first you were a lady of
-sixty.”
-
-“And numbered your boxes to match my years! I see; after all, you _must_
-be French!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-[Illustration:
-
- H.M. THE KALIPH OF ISLAM.
- A charming gentleman and a distinguished artist.
- p. 112
-]
-
-The cheik told me that Afioun means “opium,” and Karahissar is the
-centre of that trade, completely paralysed for the moment. When I had
-tea with Dame Rachel Crowday at the League of Nations in Geneva, I heard
-that Turkey desired to join the Opium Convention, a striking instance of
-public spirit in a country that needs all the money it can possibly lay
-hands on; but the moral welfare of her people counts for more than
-“profit” to the State. M. Kemal Pasha, indeed, has shown equal wisdom by
-prohibiting the sale of alcohol. In Constantinople it was said, with a
-truly “Western” hauteur: “How can the Turks imagine that they will
-succeed where the United States have made such a failure?”
-
-“Is that a sound argument” I replied, “for giving them a chance of
-becoming what the States were _before_ prohibition? Americans do not
-know ‘how to drink’; and I am afraid the Turks also might learn to use
-alcohol, _not_ as a beverage or a pick-me-up, but just to get drunk.”
-
-The strength and endurance of Turkish children, nourished on bread and
-water, must prove of the strongest possible support to prohibition. “And
-remember how quickly the Arab’s wounds were healed at the front, while
-alcohol was so effective an antidote for septic-poisoning, because it
-had never before even entered their systems.”
-
-Constantinople had proved a sore affront to my national pride; but there
-was an occasion in Naples when its humiliation was even more complete.
-
-I was passing a crowd of happy children on the quay, rolling and
-tumbling about in some strangely ridiculous fashion. Always keenly
-interested in children’s games (and prayers), I went up to them and
-asked what they were doing.
-
-It was a game entitled “The drunken Englishman”!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XIII
-
- A THIRD-CLASS COMPARTMENT—A FRENCHMAN AMONGST THE RUINS
-
-
-AFTER a few miles of such travelling as had now become familiar, I
-determined that I would change my carriage and pay a visit to the French
-colonel—which proved far more lengthy than I had intended.
-
-When I had manipulated the climb, I found plenty of room in spite of
-boxes.
-
-“What on earth are you doing here?” was his first question, to which I
-gave him a _tu quoque_.
-
-“I am looking after the French interests in Syria,” he replied, an
-answer that could not fail to provoke a laugh.
-
-“That is well worth noting,” I said, “a parallel to my journey from
-London to Edinburgh, _via_ Paris! It will make ‘good news’ for the
-British Foreign Office.”
-
-“And in what way can it concern them?” was the stiff reply. “Their own
-record in these parts is not entirely _sans reproche_.”
-
-“Don’t forget I am an Englishwoman and not, as you insist on saying, an
-American.”
-
-“Is it not practically the same? You speak one language.”
-
-I started up, almost in anger. “Never dare to say such a thing again. I
-might as well ask whether you were a Senegali. The language is the same.
-Individual Americans, some parts of their country, I consider, are
-magnificent, but their Government!”
-
-“Will any Government bear close inspection?”
-
-“Perhaps not.”
-
-“You regard the States precisely as I should expect from an
-Englishwoman. But, after all, what has Great Britain done in Turkey,
-after ‘letting us down’ over ‘reparations’—perfidious Albion!”
-
-“I may be dense,” I returned (somewhat evasively, I admit), “but what
-exactly is the connection between Syria and M. Kemal Pasha?”
-
-“Everything and nothing,” was the characteristically enigmatic reply.
-
-“I take that as courteous French for ‘mind your business,’ as charming a
-phrase as your _Pourquoi-parceque_.”
-
-He supposed that “I had been sent to Angora by the British Government,”
-and I promised to send him notes on my conversation with “the
-authorities” at Smyrna.
-
-“Naturally,” the colonel persisted, “they would _pretend_ they had
-nothing to do with your undertaking; but do they not pay your expenses?”
-
-“I never heard of our Government having _paid_ a woman; I never heard of
-their even consulting a woman—except Miss Bell—and, according to Colonel
-Laurence, her great charm is that everyone takes her for a man!”
-
-The colonel laughed.
-
-“I am absolutely independent; nor shall I send a word to the Press
-unless I want to do so.... The Government may exile me or send me to
-prison; so may the Turks. But I _shall_ describe _what I see as I see
-it_; and if anyone can prove me in error, I will correct my statements
-and apologise.
-
-“So few of us have the courage to write either articles or books in the
-spirit of true independence that truth demands. We writers should not be
-at the beck and call of newspaper editors. We ought not to respect their
-policy if it offend our conscience or the truth. _They_ should follow
-our lead. Had we only had more _esprit de corps_ this terribly false
-position of Great Britain in Anatolia to-day could never have come
-about.
-
-“If the articles in which I have told the truth are _not_ published you
-will know the reason. The editor has his opinions, and I refuse to
-change mine.”
-
-“What about the British propaganda?”
-
-“There is no British propaganda.”
-
-The colonel laughed, loud and long. “No country,” he said, “has spent so
-much on ‘intelligence’ as Great Britain. Gold has been poured from her
-coffers. That is why she has been so badly served.”
-
-“I entirely agree. We _have_ squandered millions in the Near East—in
-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and everywhere else. But towards women no
-Government has been so mean. It is our own fault; ‘cheap labour’ is
-considered patriotic; and, after all, the Government could not find the
-money to squander unless someone was willing to take their pittance.”
-
-“My dear young lady, the British are rolling in money.”
-
-“M. Briand told the same tale till I cornered him one day, and then he
-said: ‘Your country is so rich that she can even afford to give ‘golden’
-hair to her women!’”
-
-“Well,” he replied, “I can but admire you—to have undertaken such a
-journey, at such a time, without the backing of your Government or the
-Press—and all for no purpose!”
-
-“You are frank,” I said with a smile. “Do you think I could have
-accomplished more with the financial backing that your women can always
-command from your Government?”
-
-“I cannot understand your Government.”
-
-“Neither can I.... That’s why I am here.... Do you remember the Bible
-story of a city offered salvation if but _one_ righteous and upright man
-could be found within her gates? So, God willing, may I, as _one_
-Englishwoman and a friend, preserve for my country some last shred of
-respect and faith in our honour among the Moslems of Turkey and India,
-Egypt, Persia, and Palestine.”
-
-Courtesy, I suppose, kept him silent, and we were soon busy with
-preparations for dinner. He produced a towel for serviette, a piece of
-newspaper for table-cloth, and—luxury of luxuries—a knife, a fork, and a
-mug in which to enjoy some good French wine! The menu, too, was a
-change: _foie gras_ and sardines, almonds and figs, apples and jam.
-
-“I shall come and dine with you again,” said I, lest he should be too
-shy to invite me.
-
-I found that the colonel and his staff could fully sympathise, from
-their own experience, with my anathemas upon luggage traffic. I told him
-“no doubt it was he and his friends who were making those awful ‘night
-noises’ that so alarmed me”; and though, of course, he denied it, my
-story received the tribute of a polite and good-natured laugh.
-
-“I admire your courage,” he said again.
-
-“Reserve your judgment. You will have time enough to see later what a
-combative person I can be.”
-
-“_Nous verrons._”
-
-We reached Eski-Chéir at about nine o’clock, and a telegram announced to
-the colonel that a special private car was on its way to meet him.
-
-“Now,” said he, “I can offer hospitality, not only to you, but to your
-friends as well.”
-
-We went to a café for tea, where numbers of Turks, wearing kalpaks, were
-singing patriotic songs. Directly they had finished, I clapped my hands,
-crying: “M. Kemal Pasha, _Chok Guzel_,” and their delight was obvious.
-
-“Poor fellows,” said the colonel, whom I began to find sympathetic, “it
-needs such a tiny effort; they will respond to the least hint of real
-sympathy.”
-
-There is nothing sordid about this little tumble-down café, though its
-floors are thick with mud and the attendants are charmingly shabby. “At
-least,” I said, “this dirt and discomfort is artistic.... What artist
-would dream of painting an American sky-scraper, luxurious and
-comfortable though it be? Yet here one could cover the walls of an
-exhibition from one day’s experience. The picturesque water-pots, the
-quaint trays, the artistic tea-glasses and coffee-cups, the colouring of
-the costumes.
-
-“If Mr. Chester of the U.S. has come here to sweep away all this he is
-an enemy of Art.
-
-“I love creature comforts—warmth, baths, and perfumes, but I sincerely
-trust no fever of reform will ever induce the Turks to spoil their
-surroundings; and, above all, that they will never call in American
-specialists to teach them building achievements. By all means let them
-adopt American hygiene; but American architecture, God forbid!
-
-“I will pay honour where honour is due. To all who have so nobly
-perpetuated the work of Florence Nightingale I bow the knee. But what
-will American innovations do for Turkey?
-
-“In the East End of New York, America’s melting-pot, I once saw a
-picturesque old Jew reading Spinoza in the original, as he sat absorbed
-on the sidewalk. His velvet cap was old and shabby, the long grizzly
-beard maybe none too clean; but in the primitive robes of his ancient
-race he looked a true Oriental.
-
-“Then appeared his ‘American son’—a ‘Bowery’ accent, many smart rings, a
-costly gold watchchain across his brightly-coloured waistcoat, spats and
-patents, and a ‘time is money’ expression on his alert face. Which of
-the generations would you prefer?
-
-“If the Turk ever asks our advice, I sincerely hope no ‘counsels from
-Europe’ will ever replace the artistic traditions of the East....
-Europeanised Turks are not the ‘best’ Turks.
-
-“You have already, alas, in the Hippodrome at Constantinople, that
-cheap, ‘made in Germany’ monstrosity of a fountain, which the
-once-mighty Emperor William bequeathed to you as the ‘souvenir’ of a
-visit to ‘his brother,’ Abdul Hamid! Why has war left it untouched?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-It was a strange comfort to compare the happy faces of these men with
-those one knew under the late Sultans. In those days, two or three
-meeting together in a café were always in fear of arrest as
-“suspects.” I remember what songs broke forth on the Night of the
-Constitution—funereal, indeed, they sounded to our thinking, but such
-_are_ their songs of joy.
-
-Then they sang for joy, since “freedom” was too new a thing for serious
-contentment; oppression had only just been lifted, the sense of security
-had not arrived. Now, in the sure knowledge of freedom from the Greeks
-and from Imperial rule, they sit, calm and confident and well satisfied,
-no longer an Emperor’s slaves, but citizens of a Free State. Can one
-wonder that every one of them would die rather than lose one inch of the
-liberty so bravely won?
-
-“Please tell them,” I asked the officer, “that I have been in Turkey for
-every crisis of progress in recent history, and that none has filled me
-with such proud delight as the victory of M. Kemal Pasha. I am here
-to-day to offer him my congratulations.”
-
-The colonel politely remarked that it would have been only “prudent”
-speculation for the British Government to have despatched me upon the
-mission I had undertaken for myself.
-
-I thought how well it would be for many of my compatriots to do similar
-work in other lands. It may be against all our traditions, but
-“propaganda” could now do much for England. Here, on the brink of war,
-where all men were filled with righteous indignation against us, I have
-at least been able to leave a “better impression” of my country in
-wayside cafés and many Turkish homes.
-
-Yet, as official language would express it, I have not “licked the boots
-of the Turks,” and everywhere I have been treated with the true courtesy
-of the chivalrous. May the experience not prove to have laid the
-foundation of a new and interesting career for women? To explain in all
-lands, and to all envious or hostile peoples, the true greatness of the
-British Empire, will not be work in vain.
-
-Since my return I have been frequently asked to explain the rôle of the
-French colonel in Angora. I cannot feel that his presence implied any
-disloyalty to Great Britain. Again and again we have been asked by
-France to modify our policy in the Near East. But as neither threats nor
-coaxing has availed to save us from being the tools of designing Greece,
-France was driven to “make her own arrangements.”
-
-I do not say that she abandoned Cilicia simply for conscience’ sake, or
-that she gave back that rich cotton district to Turkey from a pure love
-of justice. But I am ready to congratulate her on the wisdom of retiring
-before she was driven out. We must obviously own that Angora is not on
-the direct road back to Syria, and that the colonel has lingered some
-months by the way. That, however, is really his own business; and I do
-not forget that I, too, once went to Turkey for six weeks and stayed six
-months! No doubt he is no less welcome to M. Kemal Pasha than I was to
-the Grand Vizier’s daughter.
-
-He certainly proved an invaluable source of information. As I told him,
-“he must have telegraphed to his Government every time he heard the
-Pasha sneeze”; and, emphatically, he has done good work. Honest,
-upright, and sincere, he can “explain many things” to the Turks, and
-assist them with tactful advice. At the worst, he has harmed no one,
-which cannot be said of all diplomatists in Constantinople!
-
-I, personally, can respect those with whom I do not agree, even those
-who, on behalf of their own country, dislike mine. It would surely have
-been more prudent to _follow_ the French example, by having a
-representative in Angora, than to criticise them. Suspicion leads
-nowhere, and such a man as General Harington “on the spot” could have
-done a great deal to hasten peace.
-
-France has no desire, or, at least, no considered campaign, to undermine
-our influence in the East; and the colonel, at any rate, was quite aware
-that, whatever the gratitude Turkey may owe and feel to her, it is
-England who will soon (once more) hold the first place in Turkey’s
-affections. The terrible and tragic bunglings of these last years will
-then be forgotten.
-
-They have told me themselves that M. Franklin-Bouillon did all he could
-to advise them to preserve good relations with England.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The car arrived about eleven o’clock, and though we were driven to spend
-the night in the station (a junction between HAÏDAR Pasha, Angora and
-Smyrna); though the wind howled over the beating rain, and the train
-shrieked in the distance, the contrast of so much comfort (on the
-luxurious couch of a roomy car) with the experience of the previous
-night, made one feel that the discomfort itself had been worth while.
-
-As the colonel, the cheik and the officers in turn brought me a glass of
-tea by way of nightcap, I said to each: “How good it is to be here!”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XIV
-
- IN THE “TRAIN DE LUXE”—THE SUPREME GOOD FELLOWSHIP OF ENGLISH
- LAUGHTER—JOURNEYING TOWARDS THE CRADLE OF NEW TURKEY
-
-
-IT was well past ten when I woke next morning. Though the sun was
-blazing through the uncurtained windows, I had slept undisturbed.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- A Battle Royal with my Tangled, Dusty Hair.
-]
-
-There had, of course, been no chance of “undressing for the night.” But
-I had been able to take off my boots, and having a whole compartment to
-myself, I was only too glad to take out my wire brush for the luxury of
-a “battle royal” with my tangled and dusty hair.
-
-I was still only half awake and far too tired to think of _les
-convenances_, when a smiling crowd of excited and gesticulating
-Turks suddenly appeared on the platform. Truth to tell, the
-six-days-and-five-nights’ journey seemed like an eternity. I had
-forgotten Smyrna—almost forgotten the war. Were these happy children
-the “enemies” of my country?
-
-A tactful little bird now reminded me that Turks are not used to the
-vision of ladies “at the toilette,” and it was, perhaps, a somewhat
-perverse form of gratitude that tempted me to fill my rubber basin from
-my host’s bottle of Evian in order to wash my hands “under the table.”
-
-[Illustration:
-
- A Bottle of Evian—Under the Table.
-]
-
-Despite haste and discretion, however, I experienced an unusual sense of
-being dressed and clean, as I eventually stepped out into the daylight
-to make the acquaintance of Eski-Chéir.
-
-I found the colonel on the platform talking with animation to a
-nice-looking Turkish general, who also, it appeared, had a saloon, to
-which we all three soon adjourned for coffee and talk. He, too, will
-scarcely believe that I am English.... “I did not think Englishwomen
-could laugh so heartily,” was his excuse for scepticism.
-
-“My dear sir,” I replied, “I was born laughing, and shall keep it up to
-the bitter end. God has given me a few gifts—not many—and that for which
-I give most thanks is a keen sense of humour.”
-
-So I trotted out all the experiences of my journey one by one, not
-forgetting the Greek I had to “shake” at Athens, and the Frenchman in
-the “Caracole.” Convulsed with laughter, they one and all shouted: “She
-is _not_ English!”
-
-This strange impression of our race prevails, I know, also in France and
-America. They forget Shakespeare’s Falstaff and the supreme “good
-fellowship of English laughter.” French wit, no doubt, reveals the swift
-play of a keener and more subtle intellect; ours is a “midsummer
-madness” of warm hearts in the Forests of Arden.
-
-For my part, when the “literature” mistress challenged her class to
-“hunt for humour” in “Julius Cæsar,” I put my finger upon the Stage
-Direction—“Enter Cæsar in his nightgown!” I could not then, nor can I
-now, agree that Brutus’s wife’s distracted hurrying away, and then
-recalling, the page for news of his master is anything but tragic
-pathos.
-
-Few nations, again, will enjoy as we do a joke against themselves. When
-I published a “Turkish Woman’s Impressions of Europe,” about ten years
-ago, in which she so happily hit off the weakness of our Western
-civilisations, the Continent was up in arms. It was an _English_ critic
-who gaily expressed his “most sincere thanks” for so “thorough a
-dressing-down.” No publisher in the States would take the following
-book, with Americans as “victims,” for fear of his “sensitive” and
-“patriotic” (!) readers.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At a half-ruined restaurant near the station, over the most excellent
-meal I ever tasted in such miserable surroundings, we had a long talk
-with General Mouedine Pasha and his two sons about politics and some
-curious stories they had heard somewhere about England. It is natural
-that these men should not be interested in any other subject. The
-general, he told us, had been in and out of prison for the last fifteen
-years—exiled by Abdul Hamid, escaping, and caught again. After the
-Armistice he left Constantinople, at great personal risk, to join M.
-Kemal Pasha; was, for a time, Governor of Adana, and is now taking up
-his post as Ambassador at Teheran. Most of the leading soldier
-Nationalists—M. Kemal Pasha and Fethi Bey among the rest—seem to have
-been his grateful pupils, and, naturally, he is a proud man to-day.
-
-If only the authorities at Lausanne had known or could imagine anything
-about life in Angora during the last three years! All the best men
-exiled, persecuted, and imprisoned. What wonder that Nationalism had
-grown into a religion!
-
-He was indignant at the suggestion that French officers, or a British
-strategist, were “wanted” in the Turkish Army. “My pupils,” he said,
-“are more fitted to _give_ instruction than to receive it....
-
-“The buying and selling of munitions, the haggling and bargaining
-introduced in the army—all that ought _not_ to be—came from Germany.”
-
-He was not the _only_ “big man” in Turkey to lose faith in their
-war-ally, or to recognise some compensation for their terrible defeat in
-the freedom from Teuton rule that it involved; but they are not,
-therefore, any more kindly disposed to the yoke of “the Allies.”
-
-Eski-Chéir had been one of the most flourishing towns in Anatolia, and
-was destined from its position as a junction between two big railway
-lines—Angora and Baghdad—to become more prosperous year by year. Every
-town, of course, has its own story of looting, “violation of women,” and
-fire; but to the spectator all now seem very much alike, and what
-chiefly impressed one here was the amazing rapidity with which it had
-started to recover.
-
-If the produce be only lifted from the backs of patient and sure-footed
-donkeys on to the Mother Earth, it is, after all, extraordinary that
-there should yet be any produce left. Peasants ready to walk miles along
-muddy roads to sell their goods in such small quantities for so little
-profit will scarcely welcome the cost of transport by modern methods.
-For them, time is _not_ money, and four weeks’ tramp beside a donkey is
-far cheaper than a few hours by train.
-
-It surprised me to find the curio-merchants already again supplied with
-their tempting wares: mother-o’-pearl ikons and other relics, old
-coffee-mills, coral seals, cameos, etc. Trade was fairly brisk, being
-run on the sound basis of quick profits and small returns, fair prices
-and honest dealing.
-
-The attractions, of course, come nowhere near those of the famous bazaar
-at Constantinople; but I was grateful to find so little haggling over
-the price. I remember two types of merchants at Constantinople. One
-kindly-looking old man with a long white beard was sitting cross-legged
-over his charcoal fire, making himself a cup of coffee. When I inquired
-about a fine Persian dressing-gown that took my fancy, he simply
-answered: “Much too dear for you,” and so dismissed me. The other always
-asked for three times what he was prepared to accept—a most irritating
-habit. When I visited the bazaar in Turkish dress, my Turkish sister, of
-course a real Turk, asked if he really found he _could_ rob people in
-this way. “I never rob Turks,” was the naïve reply, “only the English
-and the Americans.” The temptation to disclose my nationality was
-strong, but in those less liberal days it might have meant “trouble” for
-my friend.
-
-Here I soon saw it would be waste of time to visit _any_ bazaar after
-the French colonel. He counts it a day wasted if he has not found some
-treasures, which are all sent for him to Paris.... “Poor man,” as my
-friend the innkeeper would have remarked, “he is so far from home!”
-
-In Eski-Chéir before the fire, however, art had been altogether put away
-for munitions. The factories worked day and night, cannons and lorries
-in readiness all the time. One day we shall learn something at least of
-the ceaseless efforts by which victory was snatched out of nothing.
-
-We left the town at about ten o’clock in the evening. At last we are
-actually _en route_ for Angora. “I cannot even yet quite believe,” said
-I, “that I am really starting, that I shall really arrive.” I heard that
-some American women (more enterprising, or less expensive, than their
-confrères) have reached Ismidt, but can get no further.
-
-It was, indeed, “hard-going,” and I believe that the colonel’s “salon”
-only just came in time. I was told, four years ago, by the eminent Jean
-Louis Faure, that _if_ I survived at all it would be as a permanent and
-complete invalid. Yet I have faced more since then than most “strong”
-people would care to attempt.
-
-The Turks, remember, who could not obtain or afford a yaili (the native
-carriage) were driven to “walk” the eight hundred miles to Angora in a
-climate that more than doubles the strain on one’s physique.
-
- * * * * *
-
-As soon as we meet new faces, the questions about Lloyd George all begin
-over again.
-
-I told the story of _Les Misérables_. How the ambitious Welsh lad and
-his uncle, the village cobbler, “worked at the French” together in the
-old days, one looking out “what a word meant” in the dictionary, the
-other discovering how to pronounce it. Mr. Lloyd George had often
-declared that the policy of his whole career came straight from his
-first study of that immortal classic—“to devote his life to helping the
-‘under dog.’”
-
-Perhaps he has lost the copy of _Les Misérables_ he used always to carry
-with him, and so missed the road to that magnificent goal; so, at least,
-it seemed to my Turkish audience. “That is the man, a democrat who could
-understand and appreciate our fight for freedom; what has driven him to
-hate us?”
-
-I could only repeat such “explanation” as I had been able to offer
-before to their compatriots of the mountains.
-
-The colonel was kind enough to suggest how much I might have saved
-England had I been here a year ago.
-
-“It is very doubtful,” I answered, “whether I could have done much, even
-then. Our Government makes up its own mind without listening to outside
-information. As a matter of fact, Colonel Aubrey Herbert, a _recognised_
-authority on the Near East, called twice at 10, Downing Street, to urge
-that very scheme upon the Premier’s private secretary, Mr. Philip Kerr,
-but they preferred to keep me in England.”
-
-“But why is your ‘intelligence’ so badly managed?” he asked.
-
-“What evidence can you produce for such an assumption?” was my retort.
-
-“There could surely be no other explanation of your leaving the Greeks
-without support ... unless, indeed, they are right who whisper that Mr.
-Lloyd George actually wanted the opposing armies to exterminate each
-other. His conduct, certainly, lent colour to the charge.”
-
-But I refused to be drawn.... “‘Intelligence’ is not my province,” I
-answered, “although I _can_ say that the Turks were not served much
-better in that respect.... They won by ‘faith’; what we of the West call
-‘superstition.’”
-
-I was able to more or less look after the son of an eminent Turkish lady
-writer during his studies in Paris, just after the Treaty of Sèvres. His
-father, one of the leading Governors under the last administration, had
-given up all to follow M. Kemal Pasha. When I asked the boy whether they
-had any hope of success, he just flashed out: “They _must_ succeed. His
-stars are ‘right.’ He _could_ not fail!”
-
-On the other hand, Turkish diplomats, one and all, declared he would
-fail.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- GENERAL MOUEDDINE PASHA.
- MILITARY INSTRUCTOR OF MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA.
- TURKISH AMBASSADOR AT TEHERAN (PERSIA).
- p. 128
-]
-
-“Must such splendid efforts be thrown away?” I sadly answered; “are
-there _no_ circumstances that _might_ arise to justify at least some
-hope?”
-
-“My dear lady,” was the courteous and grave reply, “we _wish_ him
-success, as you do; but you have too much good sense to believe in fairy
-tales. The Pasha has neither money nor munitions. He has the Greeks
-(well supported by the Allies and the Sultan) against him on the north,
-the Armenians on the east, the French on the south. He will put up a
-brave fight and perish in the attempt. The days of miracles are past.”
-But the miracle happened!
-
- * * * * *
-
-And now, as the train followed the line of the victorious army, our
-young men took out their maps and eagerly pointed out to us these, now
-almost sacred, landmarks. Their father, at the same time, explained many
-technical details—why such and such a position could not be maintained,
-where the Greek strategy had failed, how General Trécoupis (now
-thankful, no doubt, to be in the Turks’ hands at Eski-Chéir) had
-surrendered to a mere lieutenant.
-
-By way of return for all this interesting information, I told a few
-simple stories about the Royal Family of Great Britain, which I have
-always found interest these people far more than my “grander,” or more
-romantic, reminiscences from the Courts of Europe.
-
-They are never tired of hearing that our Edward VII. only required _one_
-“gentleman in waiting” at a time at Marienbad; whereas the Czar
-(Ferdinand) of Bulgaria was always accompanied by a suite of eight or
-nine. Sir Edward Goschen was instructed to dress, like his royal master,
-in a green Tyrolese hat with its little shooting feather. He was sent to
-sit on “the king’s bench” until the crowd had satisfied their natural
-desires for “a good view,” and gone home to breakfast. _Then_ Edward
-VII. himself arrived.
-
-I went on to tell of a Wagner concert, so crowded that a certain little
-American lady of about seventy quietly settled into the only empty seat
-that the King’s attendant just happened to have vacated. She simply
-“refused to believe” the scandalised authorities when they told her that
-she was sitting beside the King of England. Edward enjoyed the joke,
-would not allow “his friend,” to be disturbed, and chattered merrily to
-her between the music to the end of the programme.
-
-Her countrywomen, in Ascot gowns, driving their four-horse carriages up
-to the golf-course at Marienbad, _in search of_ an introduction, did not
-find His Majesty so easy to approach. The most determined of them all
-(up against something that “money” could not buy) was driven to use her
-scissors to cut off a few hairs from his dog’s tail. “At least,” she
-said, “if I have no souvenir of the King of England, I have a bit of his
-dog,” and she mounted the hairs in a locket and wore it until she died.
-
-“You see,” I concluded, “how much these ‘democrats’ admire a king. Will
-the fever, I wonder, ever take root in the East?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-When we reached the Sakharia, the eyes of the general were filled with
-tears, and it was some time before he managed to speak of what _had
-been_. It seemed, indeed, too good to be true. The Greeks had penetrated
-to Sakharia; and now they were driven out of the whole country!
-
-“Without our Pasha,” said he, “we should still be slaves. To-day, none
-dare fail in duty to our Fatherland!”
-
-They were all this man’s pupils, these Nationalist leaders. To his fine,
-upright character they owe an example they are proud to acknowledge. His
-sons told me that he was in exile for six years, and they had no idea
-where he was! It was easy to see how they admired him and how devoted he
-was to them; and now his work at Teheran will not be easy; such men give
-their whole lives to service!
-
-We have travelled quickly and comfortably over this desolate country;
-the little engine, _stoked with wood_, is tugging its long burden up the
-long heights.
-
-“Look,” said the colonel, “there is Angora.”
-
-“That little village perched on a hill?”
-
-“It is not a village,” he corrected, “it is a town.”
-
-Yet somehow I felt this was not what I had expected ... “such a tiny
-speck of a place to bear so great a name!”
-
-Well, I had my first peep at that which I had come so far to see—the
-cradle of the New Turkey. Soon I shall meet the hero of the
-Nationalists!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XV
-
- ANGORA I.—ENTERING A “BROTHERHOOD”—AN ATMOSPHERE OF CAMARADERIE
-
-
-“WELL, what did you expect to see?” asked the colonel.
-
-“Really, I don’t know exactly,” said I, “but something different.... I
-suppose I am foolish enough to look for some sort of likeness to our
-Western towns.... There is a certain resemblance in parts to a town in
-the Rhondda Valley, except that the Welsh mining districts are sordid
-and this is picturesque.”
-
-“Why not leave it as it is,” said the colonel—“unique and impossible to
-classify? Begin your explorations at my house, where you can enjoy
-another glass of warm tea.”
-
-This, in fact, was the first house I entered, and the last I left, in
-Angora.
-
-On a crowded platform—for the arrival of a train is an event—stood a
-Chef de Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other officials.
-The Prime Minister embraced his old friend the cheik, and carried him
-off to his simple two-roomed dwelling.
-
-When I met Fethi Bey in London, it seemed incredible that he should have
-been treated as an enemy and exiled to Malta. Now that I came to know
-Rauf Bey, it was impossible not to feel the same. Away in these distant
-mountains, he speaks the most excellent English, without even an accent.
-
-I remember a merchant of Smyrna, who complained to me that “these
-horrible people expect us to learn their language, to speak and write
-it.”
-
-“And why not?” I answered. “They learn ours.”
-
-“Oh, that’s quite different. Besides, Turkish is much too difficult.”
-
-I reminded him of Mrs. John Burns. When her husband became a Cabinet
-Minister, a certain fine lady decided to amuse herself by inviting “the
-man’s wife” to tea. Her note ran: “Do excuse my not having called on
-you. It is so far for me to come from Mayfair to Battersea.” Mrs. Burns
-replied: “It is exactly the same distance from Battersea to Mayfair.”
-
-“That is a charming story, but it will not persuade me to learn
-Turkish.”
-
-The Prime Minister, for some reason wearing a fez in place of the
-picturesque kalpak, brought me apologies for Fethi Bey’s absence. “It is
-Friday, and he has not been to the office all day.” We had all forgotten
-that it was the Moslem Sunday.
-
-“Now we are going to be friends,” I said later to Rauf Bey, “we must
-arrange ‘the same day’ for our prayers of thanksgiving for peace.”
-
-“It is you who will have to change,” he replied, smiling; “you must
-learn to go our ways now.”
-
-Here, indeed, at this far-away little station, one seemed to be entering
-some kindly “brotherhood.” Everyone was wringing the colonel’s hand,
-embracing the general and the cheik. I felt, too, that my
-fellow-passengers were telling them about “a new member” they wanted to
-introduce, saying heartily: “She will soon know all about the rules of
-our club.” Everyone here plainly “stood for” the same ideals. We are
-talking like friends already, without the formality of an introduction.
-We are all working for a definite and well-defined goal. Houses are
-scarcely needed for hospitality in a town with this atmosphere of
-_camaraderie_.
-
-I found myself chatting with the Prime Minister as though we were old
-members of the same club. When, a few minutes later, I described the
-unconscious influence to the colonel, he only said to his friends: “See
-how quickly she catches the atmosphere of this delightful place!”
-
-Here it is sympathy with Turkey in her bid for freedom that gives one
-the _entré_ to the society, as in London one gains admission to the
-club, in my case for example, as a writer of books. There is no sense of
-suspicion. You feel you have a right to be here all the time. If you
-were not _trusted_ you would not be allowed over the threshold.
-
-Soldiers and refugees, officers and deputies, they are all on the
-platform. Everybody has seen us, everybody has greeted us; next morning
-the kindest little paragraph of welcome appears in the newspapers. I
-have completely forgotten the war!
-
-The colonel lives on the first floor of what was in the “beginning of
-days” the Station Hotel. M. Kemal Pasha himself lived there for a time,
-and now it is the “French Embassy.” Fortunately, the colonel has
-schooled himself into _imagining_ a house is warm, whatever the
-temperature; and I found him very comfortably installed, with plenty of
-fresh air and a fine open view. Within, however, there were, except in
-the bureau, no rugs or carpets on the bare boards.
-
-To secure the luxury of a European wash, I decided to spend the night in
-the station, where the young secretary gladly gave up his room to me,
-making a bedroom of the bureau for himself and the colonel’s
-aide-de-camp, Captain Hikmet Bey, after we had all enjoyed a very
-appetising little meal.
-
-The “Catholic” servant, however, was frankly annoyed at having to wait
-on an Englishwoman—“that hateful intriguing race that killed my
-husband!” He was killed, as a matter of fact, by the Greeks, but we are,
-not unnaturally, held responsible, and once more I realised how little
-“brotherhood” there exists between Christians. I confess it is always
-with an effort that I remember Armenians _are_ Christians. In the end,
-however, Marie decided that I was not really English, and we became the
-best of friends. When I left Angora she shed many tears, kissing my
-hand, placing it against her forehead in the picturesque custom of her
-race, and begging me to come back soon.
-
-When I handed her my rubber hot-bottle, she apparently supposed I did
-not care to use the jug which already stood on the table, and filled it
-with _cold_ water! When she understood that the water must be hot, she
-brought it back to me to wait and watch what I would do with it. The
-idea of putting it in my bed made her laugh heartily; and then she
-decided to sit down and see whatever would happen next!
-
-But I was tired, and, with none to interpret, began to wonder how I
-could send her away. My phrase-book, as usual, did not provide the clue,
-so I merely pointed to the door, saying _kapou_ (a door), which luckily
-had the desired effect. But she was back again as soon as she dared in
-the morning, to enjoy more laughter at the sight of the hot-bottle by my
-side.
-
-The principal road from the station to “Holy Angora” is wide enough for
-three or four carts to pass.
-
-Here are two-horse carriages, their primitive harness decorated with
-turquoise beads, driven by picturesque, shabby Arabaje (_i.e._,
-coachmen) in turbans of many colours. Also the yaili, so called from
-their springs, and the famous Anatolian log-carriages, drawn by
-bullocks. By the _side_ of the road, sunk in the snow or mud, are the
-heavy carts drawn by buffaloes and driven by women, who wear the large,
-baggy, Anatolian trousers, and conceal their hair beneath a scarf. Their
-clothes, poor souls, are so nearly covered with patches that some of
-them seem “all patch.” The men all wear kalpaks, and we see the peasants
-(men and women) riding their laden donkeys or trudging along beside
-beasts as patient as themselves. They look as though they had walked
-straight out of the Bible.
-
-The main road passes the Grand National Assembly on the way to the few
-shops. The restaurants make a fair show of Turkish delicacies, like your
-ekmek-kadaïf, and kébab. We pass two hans (_i.e._, inns) as primitive in
-comfort as appearance, built of mud in which large holes can be seen,
-and full of danger to the unwary on their rickety staircases. The
-“commercials” in their yailis, on camels or donkeys, however, can find
-no other or better accommodation. There are pictures of Ghazi Pasha all
-over the town, and in one or two bookshops you can also buy his
-principal colleagues, patriotic postcards, and other “Nationalist”
-pictures in gaudy colours.
-
-At quaint little booths in the market-place we find a tempting array of
-fruit, vegetables, and meat, bread and cheese, raisins, nuts, and boots!
-
-And, finally, we reach a few dwelling-houses of wood, stone, or mud that
-do not seem to have been built on any plan, and now look more irregular
-than ever because of the huge “gap” on the hillside caused, of course,
-by the usual fire!
-
-[Illustration:
-
- The Market-place at Angora.
-]
-
-The weatherbeaten mud and thatch dwellings are whitewashed inside, and
-have plain wooden doors with handsome knockers and quaint, huge locks.
-They are mostly heated by mangals of burning charcoal that give out
-poisonous fumes. However, the wood-stoves are not much better, as they
-quickly produce an intense heat and then die down as quickly, besides
-the danger of setting the whole place on fire.
-
-It is difficult to find one’s way in Angora, but the coachmen are
-wonderful. They “take” anything in their headlong course, so that one is
-constantly jolted out of one’s seat as the carriages swing from angle to
-angle, up and down the steep slopes. To start from the Ottoman Bank on a
-wet day requires a double dose of fatalism.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- “The carriages swing from angle to angle.”
-]
-
-Ismet Pasha was much amused when I told him that I always said my
-prayers before starting out for a drive, and uttered some “holy
-ejaculation” every five minutes of the way. Even a handsome car like M.
-Kemal Pasha’s can be seen dancing about like Shakespeare’s elf—“over
-hill, over dale, through bush, through briar!” A chauffeur who can pilot
-you through Angora could negotiate any country under the sun.
-
-It was as well, perhaps, that my host, Feszi Bey, had arranged for me to
-be driven to his house under the cover of darkness, when pitfalls were
-not so obvious. He is Minister of Public Works, and was at the moment
-attending the debate on the dethronement of the Sultan. As none of his
-family speak French, Osman Noury Bey, of the Ottoman Bank, had been
-instructed to act as my escort, and we found them all in the
-sitting-room, with its lattice windows at each end, round as large a
-fire as it was safe to have. The heat was almost overpowering after our
-brisk drive in the night air.
-
-Osman Noury Bey was obliged to leave me on the threshold, as he could
-not enter the women’s apartments. While the _harīm_ and sex-separation
-are not now rigidly enforced by the most educated Turks, they have not
-by any means yet disappeared. I found that the whole “woman” question
-was really on much the same footing in Anatolia as in other countries;
-that is, “liberty” varies with education, upbringing, and surroundings.
-In this house the women were closely veiled and dependent upon their own
-sex for all their pleasures and companionships. Osman Bey himself is
-thoroughly liberal-minded and would have allowed his wife full freedom,
-provided only her hair was covered, but she goes out very little and
-clearly prefers the old ways.
-
-On the other hand, the wife of Djavid Bey, ex-Minister of Finance, goes
-to private dances; while Halidé Hanoum goes everywhere and has mixed
-freely with men for many years. Yet I, a woman, have never seen her hair
-unveiled.
-
-While we were waiting for my host’s return, I did my best to “make
-conversation” by signs and gestures, and was really surprised at my
-success. You can convey far more than one would suppose when you
-seriously endeavour to _make_ your company understand. I had my book,
-too, of “conversations in Turkish,” and so managed to remark: “The house
-is large—the fire is warm—I like a warm fire.” Had I depended upon the
-women in Turkey, I might soon have learned something of their language.
-
-Our host arrives, and he is kindness and courtesy itself.
-
-At about half-past nine, his Excellency asked me when I would like to
-dine.
-
-“Whenever you are ready,” I replied.
-
-“Oh, no,” was the courteous reply, “it is when _you_ are ready. _Vous
-maître maison, moi votre service._” Too charming a thought for one to
-examine the accuracy of the language!
-
-He was always amused to see me “hunting” in the dictionary; and as I
-could _never_ get used to “beginning at the end and reading backwards,”
-my most painstaking researches often produced strange results.
-
-Like most of the Nationalist ministers, Feszi Bey is a man of about
-forty, tall, well-built, dark, with large dark eyes. He is one of the
-richest men in Asia Minor, owning about eighteen villages in Diarbékir,
-and is immensely proud of his sons. His house in Constantinople was
-“requisitioned” for English officers and left almost in ruins; but he
-has large estates and many houses in his native land. Here, in Angora,
-he was paying what seemed to be a heavy rent for somewhere to live,
-considering the scanty furniture and lack of comforts in this house.
-
-The ground-floor was occupied by kitchens and another room which the
-merciful man had given up to his horses, leaving his carriage outside in
-the rain and snow. Though not in any way like a stable, the animals were
-clearly well-cared-for here. A very steep wooden staircase, certainly
-_not_ built for ladies’ high heels, leads to a central room—almost a
-“lounge”—which opens into four others. It was dimly lit by candles, a
-survival from war-days when petrol was worth its weight in
-gold—literally two hundred francs a litre.
-
-Feszi Bey has been in Angora ever since the movement began, and has
-acquired that striking expression of a set, firm resolve which I notice
-on the faces of all his colleagues. I asked him whether he did not
-“sometimes tire of living in this bare and rough Asiatic fortress, so
-far from all means of culture or distraction.”
-
-“We have our work,” he replied; “too absorbing and too important to
-leave us time for complaint. We do not even ‘miss’ our comforts, or need
-more than an hour or two’s sleep. There is so much to plan for our new
-country, the day, and most of the night, are not long enough.”
-
-Here one naturally feels far more in “New Turkey” than at Smyrna; the
-impression grows on one day by day. At Lausanne I tried to make them
-understand that they were still busying themselves over a Turkey that is
-dead.... “You can’t talk to these people as you were accustomed to speak
-under the Sultans, they would not understand you.”
-
-They only smiled at a woman carried away by her emotions. But they were
-wrong; this is no question of sex. The very ramparts, clear-cut in the
-distance like gigantic razor-blades, the very remains of the Roman, even
-the Seldjoucide and Osman, civilisations which halted among these hills,
-will bear witness to the birth of a new nation!
-
-As I gaze out over the mountain-tomb of Timourlin a voice seems to cut
-through the chill air: “Here is a glory that will not perish. Here,
-where the civilisations of the world’s childhood have flourished; here,
-on the ruins of the great Empire of the Ancients; here beginneth a new
-Turkey, the democrat of democracies!”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XVI
-
- ANGORA II.—AT THE HOME OF MY KIND AND COURTEOUS HOST
-
-
-THE next morning we breakfast, “when I am ready,” which is 8.30. My
-host’s face beams with delight, and the generous _menu_ could hardly
-fail to put “the guest” in good spirits—toast and boiled eggs (my
-allowance being half a dozen a day), biscuits and cheese, olives, and
-glasses of tea.
-
-In Nationalist houses “reading the papers” and discussing foreign
-telegrams have become almost a religious rite. This morning, clearly,
-there is “good news”! The very air we breathe seems lighter, faces look
-less anxious, men are greeting each other in hopeful tones! What can it
-be?
-
-Of course, I am not kept long in suspense—“Mr. Lloyd George is a fallen
-angel!” Well, certainly, I shall not go into mourning; but, at the same
-time, the animosity thus so sharply revealed makes one sad for one’s own
-country.
-
-With their inborn tact, my friends suggest that we all go to the Pasha’s
-to celebrate, _not_ the fall of a “Lost Leader,” but the prospect of the
-Conservatives’ return to power.
-
-To them, as in England, the change is welcome for the long vista of
-possibilities it opens up. Shall we resume the Beaconsfield traditions
-without Gladstone’s sentimentality? Will Mr. Bonar Law find means to
-justify our faith? It is obviously early days yet for any assurance in
-prophecy.
-
-Yet, if the exit of Mr. Lloyd George delighted the Continent and the
-Near East—as if a modern Nero had been assassinated—I, for one, could
-only think with sorrow upon the “splendour of opportunity” which he has
-missed and lost. No man, since the world began, ever held in his hands
-such a power for good in England and among all nations. He could have
-raised the prestige of Empire to even greater heights and led the
-councils for peace.
-
-Almost the contrary has come to pass. To-day, certainly, our faith, our
-good word, our justice, and our fair play (without which England is
-_not_ England) are almost everywhere subjected to suspicion and
-distrust.
-
-When Turks tell me it is as easy “to buy” one of our officers as those
-of other nations, that they have done so over and over again in
-Constantinople, I try to say that it cannot be. When my host tells me
-they paid £6,000 sterling for our men’s assistance to charter a boat and
-escape from Malta, I can only admit, in silence, that they
-did—somehow—escape. When I learn that at least _one_ correspondent in
-Constantinople is subsidised by the Greeks, I can bear no more. Whence
-have bribery and corruption invaded our country against the traditions
-of centuries? I told them I used to feel that “I was sitting on a rock
-amidst howling and roaring seas; now even the rock itself is sinking.”
-
-To pay honour where honour is due, I compliment the Minister on the
-splendid “foreign” news of both his papers—the _Tanine_ and the _Vakit_.
-I wish to-day that I knew the language and could read the articles by
-Hussein Djahid and Ahmet Emine. Even translated, I find them full of
-sound commonsense and beautifully written. If at times they are bitter,
-there is none of that sensationalism which our Press has lately borrowed
-from the States.
-
-My host is due at his office at 9.30, but, though he has ventured to
-glance at his watch, the talk continues. At about 10.30, I casually ask:
-“Are you not going to your office to-day?”
-
-“When you allow it,” was the startling answer.
-
-Now, surely, time is of importance at least to a responsible Minister?
-Yet he will cheerfully give up an hour of his sleep (for that is what it
-will mean) to my entertainment, because I have forgotten _my_ duty.
-
-“Do not hesitate,” he went on, “to tell me of anyone you would specially
-like to meet, man or woman. It shall be arranged.... Fethi Bey will
-lunch with you to-day. Whom else shall I invite?”
-
-I said that I should, one day, like to see Younous Nadi Bey, the editor
-of _Yeni Gun_ and President of Commission for Foreign Affairs in the
-Grand National Assembly. “He must be interesting, since our Press
-describe him as a ‘man who ought to be shot’!”
-
-I found this gentleman, as I expected, well worth going out of one’s way
-to meet. Without the exquisite manners of Hussein Djahid Bey, he is one
-of those men who, having made up his own mind about right and wrong,
-never hesitates to act.
-
-At any rate, until he _is_ shot, he will not allow the Government to
-sleep, nor to trust Europe without sufficient guarantees. He graciously
-wrote in _Yeni Gun_ that I had given him some very valuable information
-about our policy. I certainly did my best to explain Lord Curzon’s
-position. Neither he nor Fethi Bey, however, could understand how he
-could stay in the new Cabinet. I scarcely expected that they, or any
-foreigner, could realise the full measure of England’s folly in putting
-the whole machinery of government into one man’s undisputed control.
-Like everyone else nominally in power, the Foreign Minister became a
-mere cypher.
-
-“Why did he stand it?” they asked.
-
-“For the moment, no protests would have had any effect. His resignation
-might easily have brought in a far more complete collapse, and,
-meanwhile, he probably felt that the interests of Conservatism were, to
-a large extent, in his hands. Lord Curzon knows the East, and he knows
-what _ought_ to be done. As Goethe says: ‘Between the knave and the
-fool, one should always choose the knave.’... _Gegen die Dumheit,
-kämpfen die Götte selbst vergebens._ (Even the gods fight in vain
-against stupidity.)”
-
-Again and again I try to assure them that our policy in Turkey is going
-to “come right.” When they politely retorted that we “did not seem in
-any great hurry to start turning,” I could only suggest that “Empires,
-like whales, could not quickly change their direction.”
-
-Younous Nadi Bey is a most interesting talker. Like so many of the
-Nationalists, he “comes from” Malta; like them all, he loves his country
-sincerely, and is eager to protect her. Can we expect these men to trust
-the Power that, only three months ago, was doing its best to destroy
-them? For myself, I could only hope that we should soon give them sound
-reason to change their opinions.
-
-I afterwards paid a visit to Younous Nadi at the offices of the _Yeni
-Gun_. After coffee in his primitive “editorial sanctum,” I was shown
-over all the “works.”
-
-The illustrations are prepared with a hand machine, which reminded me of
-our school magazine activities; but the “results” are, if anything,
-rather better than our own “dailies” achieve.
-
-The operator had built his bed over the solitary press, in part, no
-doubt, to save time, but possibly also with the idea of protecting his
-“treasure.” The editor apologised for the lack of all our modern
-processes of production. I was the more inclined to compliment him upon
-his conquest of difficulties.
-
-It is surely a _tour de force_ to “get the news” from this Anatolian
-machinery, and there are sixty papers in Anatolia!
-
- * * * * *
-
-We were staying in the Hadji Baïram quarter of Angora, so called from
-the mosque and turbé erected in memory of that sainted man. My host’s
-house stands on the edge of a hillock, exposed on all sides to the rain
-or wind or snow. No carriage can drive up to the doors, and, too often,
-that last hundred yards’ walk means being soaked to the skin. Any number
-of stray dogs and cats find shelter in its many doorways, howling and
-whining all through the night.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT ANGORA.
- p. 141
-]
-
-My guide is supposed to call for me at ten o’clock in the morning, but I
-have often enough rejoiced at his indifference to the clock. There is so
-much to sketch from our front door: an unused cemetery, with
-moss-covered stèles (tombstones) lying in picturesque confusion; a
-tumble-down shepherd’s hut; a crumbling mosque; mud houses in need of
-repair; and for background, a steep hill crowned by Timourlin’s tomb.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- “There is so much to sketch from our front door.”
-]
-
-While painting, I have counted just four passers-by—two men leading
-their fruit-laden donkeys, and two women taking their asses to drink. No
-artist can resist Oriental landscapes; and genius, I suppose, would
-hardly remember to share my longing for nice warm “Western” baths in an
-atmosphere that means “microbes” in summer and in winter all kinds of
-discomfort.
-
-The “sights” for tourists do not delay one many days. There are
-excellent “Red Cross” hospitals, a military hospital, an école normale
-for girls, a military school, the Ministries, town gardens, the Armenian
-Orphanage, the “Embassies,” and the Ottoman Bank. One can also enjoy
-long drives through miles of uncultivated land.
-
-These various “institutions,” particularly the educational, are full of
-interest if one had time to thoroughly investigate the whole system,
-since probably no civilisation in the world differs so radically from
-our own.
-
-Explorations, however extensive, must all be over before five o’clock.
-For as the eastern sun sets in its glory, we all go home—ministers and
-deputies to plan and work, the rest of the population to talk and wonder
-what the “great folk” are doing.
-
-I never understood how all the people managed to hide themselves in so
-few houses. Turks, we all know, can perform miracles with mattresses and
-divans; but even their ingenuity can seldom have overcome so “tough a
-problem” as the inhabitants, official and civil, of Angora.
-
-There _is_, admittedly, a housing “problem,” and building has not yet
-begun. As Angora is to be the permanent seat of Government, they cannot
-much longer delay the important consideration of providing for Foreign
-Embassies.
-
-I have already driven many times past the Assembly (which closely
-resembles one of our county clubs); I have seen the admirably-arranged
-flower-gardens and heard the band. To-morrow, for the first time, I am
-to _enter_ the Nationalist Parliament!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XVII
-
- ANGORA III.—THE MARVELLOUS ATMOSPHERE OF A GREAT BIRTH
-
-
-IN all my wanderings, East and West, over Europe and America, I have
-nowhere been so much thrilled by a dominating sense of “real effort” as
-at Angora. Against a background of prehistoric civilisations, the human
-bees swarm in and out of their Parliament, buzzing away night and day, a
-_free and independent Turkey_.
-
-What will their “delegation” accomplish at Lausanne? Is the war only
-postponed, or will there be peace? “At one moment our spirits rise to
-the most daring hopes; we see ourselves marching into Constantinople. At
-the next, Younous Nadi Bey reports ‘grave news’ from abroad, and
-preparations for war are resumed.”
-
-The colonel persists in “doubt” towards England. “Do you know,” said I,
-“I am astonished at my own superiority?”
-
-He was not convinced, but demanded chapter and verse.
-
-“We both love Turkey; but I also love your country and you dislike mine.
-Therefore, am I not immensely your superior?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-In a sense, no doubt, we exaggerate things away here in Angora. If
-Europe could ever realise what “a free and independent Turkey” really
-means to her own people, the miracle would still seem no more than one
-tiny step forward in the interests of the world. Yet sometimes I wonder
-over the words of Cardinal Gasparri: “Turkey has not only dictated to
-England, but to France and Italy as well.”
-
-And now, here in Angora, I see them coming along their one wide road.
-All mingled without a thought of social distinctions; all intent upon
-the same goal—their country’s freedom; all alike proud of the price they
-have paid—officers and deputies, ministers and civil servants, soldiers,
-peasants, and caravan-drivers. Are not these, then, the one true
-democracy of the world?
-
-“If I resent being called American,” I told my friends here, “it
-certainly is _not_ because I dislike democracy. In Western practice,
-alas, it has been like ‘freedom for women’—so imperfectly carried out.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-From its original bungalow design, the building of the Grand Nationalist
-Assembly still retains a certain resemblance to the club-pavilion. But
-considerable extensions are being put forward as rapidly as a climate
-that only varies from ten to fifteen degrees below zero will permit;
-while its commanding position, and the care bestowed upon the entrance
-and grounds, are admirably calculated to uphold the honour and dignity
-of the Nationalist flag overhead.
-
-There is a large ante-room on the left as you enter, where I generally
-spent a good part of the day, after my first visit to the Assembly,
-occasionally finding my way into the actual Debate. There were always
-coffee and cigarettes in the ante-room; and it was there I met
-practically all the ministers and deputies, who must, at last, have
-grown weary of my endless questions on every conceivable aspect of their
-ideals and their activities. “You must accept me,” I said, in
-half-serious apology, “as a self-constituted Father Confessor” to the
-new nation he loves and admires so much.
-
-Across the corridor, too, I was allowed sometimes to say “good
-afternoon” over a cup of coffee to “the Pasha” (as M. Kemal is here
-known to all) in his Presidential Bureau.
-
-Honestly, I believe the men “understood” all my questions, however
-indiscreet, and did not take offence. They seemed so eager for me to
-meet _everyone_ and learn _everything_.
-
-It was, indeed, a very pleasant and most human pursuit of knowledge—a
-continual succession of brilliant and zealous men, interpreting
-themselves and their dreams to an eager listener.
-
-Among other matters, I was particularly anxious to know whether
-Constantinople or Angora was to be the _permanent_ capital of the new
-State, and to understand all the reasons that would determine their
-choice.
-
-I love every inch of Constantinople. There are obvious and important
-religious-historical associations with its mosques and its public
-buildings; comfort and dignity, space and beauty, are, as it were,
-already at hand. Yet, paradoxical as it may seem, to me it lacks, and
-will always lack, the marvellous atmosphere of a Great Birth that so
-impresses one in Angora.
-
-The Turks, I found, were unanimous in having a similar preference and,
-naturally, put forward more precise and practical reasons for their
-choice. There may be occasion for a _temporary_ sojourn in
-Constantinople.
-
-_But_ they want an “Asiatic” capital; they want to govern their own
-country beyond the reach of possible interference from dreadnoughts;
-they want to maintain an intimate continuity of association with the
-cradle of the movement that begot the State.
-
-There is, moreover, a primitive and Asiatic charm in Angora, which
-should serve, as it were, to “keep them holy” from the materialisms and
-the intrigues of Western commerce-Empires.
-
-Here we are all brothers, fellow-labourers in a common cause. All have
-suffered—at Malta, in Egypt, or from corrupt Ottoman Imperial
-Government. Could such union and natural intimacy exist elsewhere?
-
-The “Brotherhood” of the East does not mean anything like our various
-forms of socialism. The “democracy” or almost complete ignoring of class
-distinctions, does not destroy, or even modify, the inherited respectful
-submission of illiterate peasants to their “superiors” in intellect,
-authority, or military power. Their religion teaches them to obey.
-
-It _does_ mean a universal recognition of identity of interest; that the
-“good of all” is every man’s good and every man’s responsibility; that
-all have _equal_ rights to know what can be done for them by the State,
-to give their opinions, to express their wishes or their complaints, and
-to be heard with courteous attention. You feel that literally the whole
-nation is being busy about its welfare and its hopes.
-
-With us, of course, the submerged proletariat could not practise (and
-would not be _allowed_ to practise) such _real_ equality without
-perpetual self-assertion and loud outcries against the “slavery” of the
-past.
-
-Every Turk, in his degree, has always been content with so little. His
-personal nature is uncomplaining, from a combination of fine feeling and
-what in us would mean lack of courage. Herein lies at once their great
-weakness and their great strength.
-
-Even the “new,” _soi-disant_ “arrogant” Turk does not complain. He may
-intend to, he may assure us that he will. Western friends, no doubt, are
-often tempted to wish him the master of a little more push and noise.
-Longer intimacy and a more sympathetic understanding, however, will cure
-us of this mistake. Were he not so supersensitive all the time, did he
-attempt our rush methods of progress, he would soon cease to be himself
-and lose the fine mystic idealism for which no sacrifice has been too
-great, no passion of waiting and working too prolonged.
-
-They will not yet set up a Republic, as we understand the word. No
-nation on earth has less capacity or inclination for Bolshevism. There
-could never be any common chord between their faith and the principles
-of Lenin and Trotsky. One hears so much of the Red influence behind
-Nationalist demands that it is well to meet these men in their own
-houses (truly “in labour” for a Nation’s birth) to see and know that
-such accusations are absolutely false. Soviet Russia has been a “friend
-in need” to the Turks, and may befriend them again; but—_nothing more_.
-
-The overpowering magnificence of the Bolshevik Embassy may be a measure
-of their designs, but carries no proof of achievement. When personages
-like Fethi Bey and Rauf Bey are working in tiny offices no better than
-glorified barns, one does not, of course, like to see the Soviets in
-possession of the only large and well-appointed building in the town.
-There is a staff of seventy, including an army of typists. The attachés
-are well supplied with cars, carriages, and other Western luxuries,
-paying their bills with gold Russian roubles.
-
-They are allowed to distribute Red literature, though no one in Turkey
-thinks of reading it. When the Russians once sent a few Turks to Angora
-to preach Bolshevism, they were promptly shot by the Nationalist
-Government, _pour encourager les autres_! That was the end of Bolshevist
-propaganda!
-
-I asked one of the deputies what Turkey thought she had gained from the
-Bolshevists. “When any foreign representative visits a country as
-friendless as Turkey,” he replied, “and says: ‘We thoroughly approve of
-all your ideas and principles; we want to show the world that we believe
-in the doctrines of freedom and independence that you are preaching,’
-should we turn away from the only sympathy we received?
-
-“Besides, we had many frontiers to defend; at least by shaking hands
-with the Soviet we secured _one_ frontier. I know that this simple act
-of grateful friendship has been much discussed and severely criticised
-in Europe. It may have done us great harm; but beggars cannot be
-choosers. Who else stretched out a hand of friendship?”
-
-“And gold and arms?” I inquired. “Forgive my indiscretion.”
-
-“A very little gold,” he replied, “not a penny more than two million
-Turkish pounds. We had arms from all nations, no more from Russia than
-from Czecho-Slovakia. It will surprise you to know that most of them
-were bought from England and Greece.”
-
-“But where could you get the money?” I next inquired.
-
-“From our Anatolian population. In no other country, would the people
-have accepted such heavy taxation upon their lands, their cattle, and
-their corn. No other country has been driven to resist the whole world
-in defence of her very existence. Our taxes must have reached 75 per
-cent. So you see that if Europe does not care to help us, we can manage
-for ourselves, and waste no tears over her in difference.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Certain European papers have published a report that Camerad Areloff has
-been admitted to the Cabinet Councils of New Turkey. When an Ambassador
-from Angora was asked why her Government did not contradict the obvious
-falsehood, he retorted: “If any paper, in any country, announced that
-your British Ambassador was taking part in the Councils of the French
-Cabinet, would your Government protest?” It was readily acknowledged
-that we should consider such a statement to be entirely beneath our
-notice.
-
-“Of course you would,” said the Turk; “and we take precisely the same
-view.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-When I arrived at the Assembly one afternoon the band was playing in the
-gardens—a strange accompaniment, I thought, to the serious business of
-Parliament. I asked one of the deputies whether this was a national
-holiday, or a day of thanksgiving for the arrival of the ex-Khalif at
-Malta? It was lucky for me that the rather dangerous little joke only
-raised a smile, while he explained that, as the Imperial Band had fled
-from Constantinople with the Nationalists, its loyalty must be
-acknowledged and its services utilised. It did, in fact, play here for a
-short time every day. Now I remembered that I had heard bands also in
-Smyrna and Constantinople.
-
-It was graciously suggested that I should choose something myself for
-the band to play, and I asked that we might have some Turkish music. One
-of the deputies, it appeared, had written an opera; and after listening
-with great pleasure to some selections from his work, I was introduced
-to the composer. The opera, naturally written round the cause, is full
-of a pathos that brings tears to the eyes of an understanding audience.
-They also gave me a patriotic love song—the reunion of two lovers
-(Anatolia and Roumelia) after long years of separation—which I should
-like to have heard again and brought away with me. Its beauty was
-haunting, though not quite easy to follow at a first hearing.
-
-For Roumelia, we know, her share in the horrors of war is over. Now it
-is Anatolia who must suffer. Trouble was even fomented among the tribes.
-First, the rebellion of the Roums, who were encouraged to stand for
-private independence; then the hostility of the Alewites, and the
-rebellion of Armenians in Cilicia; finally a rising of Circassian
-tribes—Durdje, Khandeke, Adabazar. Naturally again, the men to whom
-Abdul Medjid had given the villayet of Sivas, after the horrible
-massacres of 1864, were loyal to the Khalif’s successor and furious at
-any idea of Nationalist interference.
-
-The course of true love between these two nations had not run smoothly.
-No wonder their reunion should be celebrated with such appealing
-remorse!
-
- * * * * *
-
-The President of the Assembly, Mustapha Kemal Pasha, was talking to me
-one day of the French Revolution, and compared what he called his own
-“very elegant” beginning with the poor little Assembly in which Michelet
-had to work, with its single table and just a couple of chairs!
-
-Here, in addition to the large ante-room and M. Kemal’s bureau, the
-Vice-President, Adnan Bey, husband of Halidé Edib Hanoum—has his bureau;
-and the actual Assembly Hall (built for concerts) is a fine room, with
-its Strangers’ and Press Galleries, its platform, and Speaker’s desk.
-
-The Speaker (in this case the Vice-President) appeared to me to be
-ringing his bell for order all the time; but the whole scene recalls the
-French Chamber of Deputies, and here, too, they all talk at once and
-interrupt each other without ceremony.
-
-When I mentioned to “the Pasha” how strange it seemed to me that a
-Parliament should be so noisy, Fethi Bey explained by describing to his
-chief the dignity of our proceedings at Westminster.[1] He proved, once
-more, to be a keen observer, quick to decide and act, though a man of
-few words. His cold reception in London did not diminish his keen
-interest in our civilisation, which appeals to him immensely, and which
-he was always ready to praise. He told me he wanted to go back to
-England, this time incognito, and really master all the institutions,
-activities, and policies of the country, in order to explain us to his
-own people.
-
-Footnote 1:
-
- Fortunately he saw us on our best behaviour at Westminster.
-
-I only wish that he could make time for such a mission. The interfering
-propaganda of Europe has made Turkish nationalism very touchy. One
-certainly cannot blame them for any suspicion or readiness to take
-offence, nor wonder at the reception they might accord to offers of help
-from even the best foreign specialists whom they had not themselves
-elected to invite or consult. The fight for freedom has been
-single-handed, and the price too heavy for them to endure a thought of
-taking the slightest risk.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I noticed one more evidence of Democracy in this Hall of Assembly. There
-is absolutely no formal division, either by rank or office, in the
-seating accommodation. The deputies sit anywhere, each at a sort of
-school-desk, and when the President comes in to hear a debate, he simply
-looks round for the first vacant seat.
-
-There is, however, a tribune for speeches in front of the Speaker’s
-table, from which I enjoyed much fluent and animated oratory. The Turks
-speak mostly without notes and their constant gestures recall the
-French. Others, however, no doubt partly from my not knowing the
-language, produced a similar impression to that of prayers in a Jewish
-synagogue.
-
-The Assembly is never closed, each member, however, being entitled to
-three months’ holiday. At this time about two hundred were in attendance
-and crowded the hall to overflowing. The total membership is three
-hundred and forty.
-
-I am not allowed to forget that it was England who really created the
-Nationalist Assembly—May 16, 1920, is the historic date—when we took
-possession of the Turkish Parliament in Constantinople, and the patriots
-(a hundred and fifty of the most enlightened Turks) were imprisoned at
-Malta. Then it was that Nationalism demanded, and set up, its own
-Assembly.
-
-Men from Malta and the other deputies who escaped from Constantinople
-form two-thirds of the present Parliament; the remaining third have been
-elected in the country itself.
-
-Its composition is, indeed, unique, representing all sorts and
-conditions of men, as varied in age, social position, and dress as they
-are in ideas.
-
-As I looked down from the gallery on this strange, eager group, my eye
-was caught by the picturesque figure of that “ancient of days,” the
-Deputy for Dersim. Diab is a Kurd, ninety years old, who speaks Turkish
-with difficulty. A tall, erect old man, with a long white beard and
-large piercing blue eyes that need no aid from glasses; he wears the
-tribal head-dress and robes, carrying an amber chaplet. Though the only
-deputy who can neither read nor write, he is a great personage in his
-own country, the chief of an important tribe. As, however, he has only
-twice spoken in the Assembly, we may suppose that the mountain
-population are generally able to settle their own grievances outside
-Angora. He tells me that, like most of his constituents, he lives almost
-entirely upon goats’ milk and bread, and that, as many of them have
-reached their hundred and twentieth year, he himself is reckoned a young
-man!
-
-Curiously enough, however, it is the Dancing Dervishes who have sent up
-one of the most progressive spirits to the Assembly. The “Grand
-Tchelebi,” too, is a picturesque figure in his long brown cylinder felt
-hat and ecclesiastical robes. Descended from an even older family than
-Osman’s, he yet voted with the Hodjas for the dethronement of the
-ex-Khalif.
-
-The hostility of many deputies towards the Hodjas is rather puzzling;
-but the journalist who said, “These men cannot think as we think,” may
-be right. He added: “Every big nation except the English has recognised
-the wisdom of separating Church and State. Yet when we advocate the same
-policy we are severely censured.” It is also stated that the Hodjas
-themselves cannot keep pace with the most progressive among the leaders,
-and are, therefore, quite willing to stand outside the Councils of the
-State. The Assembly no doubt would not suffer any religious element to
-hamper progress or interfere with its newly acquired freedom and
-independence.
-
-The predominance of military uniforms will strike any Western observer;
-but one should remember the country is still at war. A few still wear
-the fez; but the very great majority have adopted the more picturesque
-kalpak, that varies in colour from grey and brown to black, and must be
-comfortable and warm in winter.
-
-There are, naturally, many of the special difficulties in this Assembly
-that are inseparable from all beginnings of progress, in a country with
-no experience of self-government. The more illiterate deputies, for
-example, know nothing of Europe, and regard everything Western with
-bitter hostility and distrust. On the other hand, I met one day a
-brilliant Socialist munition-worker who, having studied Karl Marx and
-Arthur Henderson, wants to establish a precise replica of English trade
-unionism in Turkey—which God forbid!
-
-There are some simple farm labourers, shopkeepers, lawyers, doctors who
-have studied in Paris, newspaper editors, University professors, and
-Valis.
-
-The most enlightened speak practically every language in Europe, and are
-thoroughly well acquainted with public life on the Continent. They stand
-for the Freedom of Women, and did their best to make Halidé Hanoum a
-member of the Assembly. They would be perfectly at home in our most
-exclusive drawing-rooms; yet they work well, in the Cabinet itself, with
-men absolutely ignorant of any country except their own. “Social, or
-class, differences,” I am told, “have no place in any Parliament. They
-are created by Society women outside!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-During the Conference at Lausanne, the papers published a scandalous
-statement that “a deputy could purchase a seat in the Assembly for ten
-gold Turkish pounds!” As a matter of fact, all Turkish elections are
-very carefully controlled by inspectors and the municipal authorities.
-No one who knows anything of M. Kemal and his colleagues would dream of
-imagining that this form of bribery or purchase could be allowed.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Smarting under the policy of Malta (not unlike that of Daudet’s hero,
-who locked his goat in a room but forgot to close the window), the Grand
-“_National_” Assembly lives up to its name, and is, above all,
-anti-everything that could interfere with real freedom. For three and a
-half years of untold hardship and self-sacrifice the gospel of
-Nationalism has schooled the people. It is their religion to-day, from
-the “Pasha” himself to the humblest shepherd of the hills.
-
-At Angora we read the papers and talk politics all day; at night we
-dream of the National Pact. Everyone watches for foreign telegrams; we
-all attend the Assembly; the statesmen work without ceasing through the
-twenty-four hours. The genius of M. Kemal as military chief and civil
-organiser is unequalled.
-
-Why, then, do the nations doubt? Turks to-day are fully determined to
-run their own country; they will find the necessary ability and will
-suffer no interference. Europe has so far condemned them unheard and
-refused them a square deal. We must change all that and see to it that
-the East may have her chance!
-
-The more closely I have studied the National Assembly the greater
-confidence I feel.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XVIII
-
- THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA—THE GREATEST MAN IN TURKEY TO-DAY
-
-
-NOW that I know Angora, I must know also its Nationalist hero.
-
-Fethi Bey has invited me this afternoon to meet the President at the
-Assembly. The Lausanne Conference is beginning—perhaps he will give me
-his impressions.
-
-From the window of the antechamber I saw the Pasha arrive, attended only
-by one aide-de-camp. There is, of course, absolutely no foundation for
-the stories that he is even more strictly guarded than Lenin, among a
-people who trust and love him!
-
-It is not necessary to see M. Kemal Pasha to realise that he is the
-greatest man in Turkey to-day, quite apart from his actual achievements.
-He has, indeed, accomplished miracles; but it is rather the universal
-attitude of the people by which one measures the man. I feel that my
-host’s regard for me was definitely increased when I had had lunch with
-Mustapha Kemal. The servants announce the “Pasha, Pasha”—no need for a
-more precise name.
-
-Should one hold him greater as statesman, soldier, or orator? since he
-is past-master in all three aspects. Personally, I am more grateful to
-him who prevents war than to the conqueror. It is as a statesman that I
-met him, and I will therefore first consider his political ideals and
-work.
-
-Great events create great men, and it is but once in the life of a
-nation that situations so grave as that which found Mustapha Kemal are
-ever likely to arise. He rose out of the terror of the Hamidian régime,
-the years that followed, and the humiliation of _occupied_ Smyrna. It
-needed, however, the suffering and sorrow to which all reformers must
-serve their apprenticeship to mould his character and to bring him where
-he now stands. It was the long-suffering martyrdom one saw in the face
-of his late mother that forced him to realise what he must do, and he
-has never faltered from the goal.
-
-Only here, beside them, can one understand all the Government has had to
-do in Angora, and see for oneself how the whole flock still look to this
-one man for courage and inspiration. Had _he_ lost faith in the goal or
-in his capacity to reach it, all would have been lost. “Freedom for
-Turkey or death for the Turks” has been his motto throughout the years.
-
-I suppose that, however often one may proclaim it, they will not believe
-who have not seen, a new Turkey is born into the world. It is, indeed,
-idle to weep over the days that are dead and gone, when the Turk counted
-for nothing in his own land; when the foreigner ruled the roost, and
-ambassadors were princes! The new Turk has arrived; the member of a new
-nation. No important demand was made at Lausanne by Turkey that any
-self-respecting people could be asked to forgo.
-
-And yet the Powers are still attempting to treat with “old” Turkey! We
-have no longer to maintain our officious, if well-meant, interference on
-behalf of disloyal minorities; to insist, _par exemple_, that Christians
-shall be exempted from military service, as America never exempted her
-negro population.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA.
- PRESIDENT OF THE GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ANGORA.
- (Signed portrait presented to the Author).
- p. 160
-]
-
-No wonder, again, M. Kemal has been more than tempted to wish (what, for
-no other reason, he could desire) to abolish religion altogether, after
-the imposition upon Constantinople of that arch-intriguer the Greek
-Patriarch! When France and Italy recognised the “State” Church for the
-parasite that may, at any moment, suck up its life-blood, they cast the
-Church aside. Confronted at the very outset by a precisely similar
-danger, Mustapha Kemal at once cut off the Khalifat from the Assembly
-and considerably limited the power of the Hodjas, a far more difficult
-operation than French disestablishment. Yet we expect him a second time
-to expose himself to the intrigues of a Greek Patriarch!
-
-He is, as a fact, far more leniently inclined towards the Greeks and
-Armenians than any other Turkish statesman. He sees even their wanton
-destruction of Anatolia as no more than the outburst of a misguided
-people, the victims of bigger, intriguing Powers. He would rather
-welcome their return to loyalty than give their place in commerce to the
-Jews, from the humane conviction that they have no homes outside Turkey.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The home life of Mustapha Kemal, literally given to his country,
-involves severe daily self-sacrifice. From month to month he allows
-himself no recreation, no change of scene, no intercourse with the
-world’s culture. Among these lonely mountains he cannot break the
-monotony by going to a play or to a concert; he does not hunt or follow
-any kind of sport; and even Nature, at least in winter, is scarcely
-kind.
-
-His life is one of continual mental and physical effort: reading,
-studying, and planning, seeing everyone, for they all want to see “The
-Pasha” and not the second in command. To me he seems like a professor,
-who must be forever explaining to his people what their Nationalism
-really means. Perhaps the nearest historical parallel to his abounding
-personality is that of Julius Cæsar; and one is tempted to hope that he,
-too, may find time to leave us the “Commentaries.” The world would know
-how to value what the Turks need put on record, the thought of this keen
-and alert mind which is able to interpret, if not supplement, the Koran
-for modern conditions and aspirations. They have, as it were, many
-centuries of progress to catch up; and, fortunately, he is no blind
-respecter of _tyrannical_ religious or historic traditions that hamper
-advance to freedom. A commentary of great value could be compiled from
-his thoughtful and stirring speeches.
-
-It may be that, as in art the highest form is simplest, we shall, after
-all, see the perfect Democracy in the East. The ideals of President
-Wilson have been discarded as impossible; Russia has signally failed to
-carry out the teachings of Karl Marx. Mustapha Kemal Pasha, at least,
-has put _his_ doctrine in practice to the acknowledged advantage of a
-country in the “Slough of Despond.”
-
-Turkish statesmen maintain to-day that any form of a Second Chamber
-remains only the unfit survival of decadent Monarchies and Empires, that
-the Single Chamber is the most perfect machine for Government, avoiding
-friction and delay.
-
-Time alone can prove!
-
- * * * * *
-
-At my first interview with “The Pasha” he was wearing a big astrakhan
-kalpak, pushed well down over his forehead, and smoking cigarette after
-cigarette. Though busy receiving ministers and deputies in the
-Presidential Bureau, he was at the same time waiting, as it were, for
-the right moment to sum up the whole situation in one final and decisive
-reply that could not fail to end all discussion. This power to drive
-right through a subject, to find the way out and take it, is one of the
-chief sources of his unique authority.
-
-He was ready, however, for a sociable cup of coffee, and immediately
-asked for news of England. Fethi Bey reminded him of a few scenes from
-life to which I had introduced him in London, including dinner at a
-Ladies’ Club. Most women would admire the picturesquely weatherbeaten
-tint of the Pasha’s complexion, though the piercing, almost stern,
-glance of the eye should remind you that you will do well to say clearly
-and quietly what you have to say—and go! Though so businesslike and
-energetic, he has a beautifully modulated voice. His French is
-well-chosen; in Turkish he is an orator. Here, then, are the face and
-the expression of a conqueror, but the voice is the voice of a cultured
-man of the world.
-
-Next morning Mustapha Kemal sent his car (a present from the people of
-Smyrna) that I might be driven to his villa at Tchan-Kaya, almost twenty
-minutes’ ride from Angora. This is the best road in the district; the
-others are just rows of holes and bumps on which someone has thrown some
-cobbles and, incidentally, some houses! Though Tchan-Kaya was given to
-him by the people, he has handed over this property to the army, and
-lives there as their guest—surely an unusual, but charming, example of
-brotherly love. I wonder whether the Pasha will do the same in the house
-I saw, also presented to him, at Broussa, which an historian and
-architect came over from Constantinople to redecorate.
-
-From Tchan-Kaya one obtains an excellent bird’s-eye view of Angora;
-whether at midday or at sunset, sprinkled with, or buried in, snow,
-always picturesque. We get a few hours of sunshine every morning until
-quite late in the year; enough to welcome the beautiful white minarets,
-so marked a feature in every Eastern scene, whence the muezzin calls the
-faithful to prayer five times a day. Dotted over the hills of Tchan-Kaya
-we see the Pasha’s special guard—the Lasz—wearing a uniform our ladies
-would be delighted, I think, to copy in velvet or satin. The fashion,
-however, would only suit those who, like these soldiers from Trébizonde,
-are tall, slight, and well-built.
-
-At the door one gladly accepts the vociferous greeting of a fine brown
-retriever. Then comes the aide-de-camp, Mahmoud Bey, always ready with a
-gay smile for his chief’s guests, who leads one straight into the house.
-
-The kiosk is large and well-built. In the combination of hall and
-ante-room a white marble fountain is always playing. One of the two
-pianos in Angora stands in a corner; these are both, alas, more
-ornamental than useful, made, one could guess, somewhere about 55 B.C.!
-A large desk, some fine plants, and the usual Turkish or Persian rugs
-complete the furniture. One door leads into the Pasha’s mother’s
-apartments, the other to his own sitting-room.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- On the wall of Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s study the Sultan Osman, first of
- the House of Osman, looks down on Mustapha Kemal Pasha, who has
- ended the dynasty.
-]
-
-I could scarcely believe that I was speaking to the legislator, as my
-host rose to greet me from his Western red-leather sofa. Without his
-kalpak, his fair hair, well brushed back, his close-cropped moustache,
-his well-tailored clothes with the correct crease, would surely carry
-him through a London drawing-room without a guess that he was not
-English, or, at any rate, not from the North. Again, his keen sense of
-humour is not common among the Turks, and it was a delight to find how
-heartily he joined in the laugh which his delightful stories provoked.
-
-I am told that the Pasha’s type and colouring are not uncommon in his
-native Roumelia—as ever, the North is fair!
-
-Noticing some “Napoleon” literature on one of the writing-tables, I
-regretted that “I had not thought of bringing a book about the ‘little
-Corsican,’ instead of merely offering my congratulations on a
-magnificent victory.”
-
-“Please never think of such a thing,” he replied. “He interests me as a
-great general, but——”
-
-“I understood your interest amounted almost to veneration, or so it is
-said.”
-
-“What a strange rumour! I naturally study all the great strategists; but
-to compare the Sakharia with Austerlitz is surely no great compliment.”
-
-[Illustration:
-
- The Ante-room at Tchan-Kaya.
-]
-
-Though I confess to being considerably startled by this emphatic
-declaration, it reminded me of a conversation with Monsieur Clemenceau
-some years before the war.
-
-“He told me,” I said, “that he considered Lord Rosebery’s enthusiastic
-admiration of Napoleon had been almost a blot on his own political
-career.... ‘Where is the greatness of that vain egoist?’ asked the
-outspoken Frenchman. ‘I consider myself a hundred times greater, for
-this simple reason: When Napoleon came down he fell for ever. When I, or
-my country, are down, then I am at my greatest and best.’”
-
-Though M. Kemal could smile at the Gallic boasting, while honouring the
-boaster, his own criticism was more quietly expressed:
-
-“Napoleon put ambition first. He fought for himself, _not_ for ‘the
-Cause’—with the inevitable _débâcle_.”
-
-As I listen to Mustapha Kemal, taking advantage the while of his
-gracious invitation to thaw my frozen toes and hands at the wood fire, I
-wonder what a “keen soldier” would not have given to be in my place,
-with the chance of hearing a private lecture from one of the world’s
-great generals, a man not more than forty.
-
-“Were you ever in doubt of success?” I asked.
-
-“No, never,” he replied. “I saw the whole scheme from the first (even
-when we had no munitions), just as it finally worked out. We delayed—to
-save bloodshed and devastation. Fethi Bey went to London as a last
-resource, because we wanted a treaty—in ink, not in blood.”
-
-Is not that last effort for peace, perhaps, this great man’s finest
-gesture to a war-ridden generation? Knowing the glory he could win for
-himself, in the certainty of strength for conquest, he yet made three
-separate attempts to persuade the Powers to enforce a peaceful
-retirement upon the Greeks. Preparation is not relaxed; no detail has
-been forgotten; the peasant armies are ready in Anatolia, wondering why,
-since peace lingers, the Great Chief does not fight!
-
-One of his generals told me later: “You cannot judge “The Pasha” until
-you have seen him commanding his army. No man could be more fearless,
-more hard on himself, or kinder to his men. He simply ignores pain,
-though a rib be driven into his lungs; and when he leads them, the
-soldiers know all is well. ‘His star is good,’ they say, and they have
-no use for generals in the East for whom the stars are known to predict
-ill. His mind works rapidly to clear decisions. Above all, he never
-loses his head, and his judgment is sound.”
-
-Without this universal, unstinting affection and esteem from both
-officers and men, Mustapha Kemal could never have established the
-Assembly and created a new Turkey. When he had thus realised the vision
-of his ardent youth, that never left him through years of exile, revolt,
-and disgrace; when, at any moment now, he could declare himself
-Dictator, he will not steal responsibility from the people’s
-representatives. “The Assembly,” he says, “is not one man; I am only its
-President.”
-
-He dislikes hearing the word “Kemalist.” “It does not carry with it the
-spirit of the movement, which will go on, whether I am dead or alive.”
-
-If one speaks to him about his own work, he either answers: “I did my
-duty,” or refers all honour to the Assembly.
-
-I have talked with many of Europe’s great statesmen, but found none more
-modest than he. Yet who among them has snatched such triumph from odds
-as opposing?
-
- * * * * *
-
-The furniture of this little room is, of course, all “native.” The
-dinner-service comes from Kutahia, the carpets and rugs are Anatolian.
-On the walls hang jewelled swords and other trophies or souvenirs, sent
-in homage from Moslem rulers to the conqueror they all acknowledge. He
-may endeavour to efface himself, to glory in his simplicity and set up a
-real democracy; but the stamp of his personality is on the whole Moslem
-world; he holds in his hand the keys of Islam. Nationalism has now
-acquired a deep religious significance; the Pact is a “decalogue” none
-may deny.
-
-A well-known Turkish writer has boldly compared the movement with
-Christianity; humbly born, bringing suffering to all, death and
-martyrdom to many—for an Ideal of the Spirit no human enemy can crush.
-
-Who touches Turkey, with Right behind her, will set all Islam on fire to
-put down Might.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s Sitting-room.
-]
-
-In Egypt they speak of “Holy Angora,” and, wherever future assemblies
-may meet, she will be always sacred. An Egyptian princess, I notice,
-uses capitals when referring to the Ghazi Pasha as “He” or “Him.” If
-only the delegates at Lausanne could have managed to peep behind the
-scenes at Angora! If they still considered the Nationalist demands
-unreasonable, they could scarcely have failed to pause before the
-deep-rooted fanaticism they have inspired.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The Pasha is nothing if not frank. He has no time for bluff, though his
-pride was stung by the idle boasting of our ex-Premier: “You’ve got to
-speak to these people with guns.”
-
-No charge could be more ridiculous or untrue than to say that Mustapha
-Kemal is ever influenced by Camerad Areloff. Bolshevism and Nationalism
-are poles apart. Yet the Pasha could scarcely refuse invitations to
-conversation with any credited representative from a country like
-Russia; though no words of his are likely to change M. Kemal’s
-invariable habit of using his _own_ judgment and making up his _own_
-mind.
-
-Though he seldom speaks without a practical purpose, I was honoured by
-an intimacy that nearly approached that of an old school friend. There
-were changes, however, to rather puzzling reserve, almost frigid
-politeness, in his case probably not caused by any reminder of my
-nationality. He knows not only whom, but when, to trust, and I suppose I
-had unwittingly opened some dangerous topic.
-
- * * * * *
-
-One almost wishes at times that he need not live so perpetually in the
-heat of the fray. Driven, perhaps, by greater intelligence or stricter
-integrity, to some unpopular action, he might lose his halo, or at least
-dim its lustre, while the new country was still too unstable for any
-weakening of his guiding hand. There are fanatical members of the
-Assembly who, _bien entendu_, are far more extreme than he, whose
-unchecked counsels might spell disaster. I sought, indeed, for the
-opposition within of which we have heard so much, and found only a very
-small group of rather small-minded men, at present with little power.
-
-Nevertheless, foolish measures, that might prove a real menace, and were
-certainly false to true freedom, have been put forward and discussed.
-The schemes for excluding Albanians and Arabs from the Assembly, and for
-requiring five years’ residence in one place, hit “The Pasha” himself.
-Telegrams of angry protest came in from all quarters, and he soon
-stopped the mischief. Others, however, may prove more difficult. The
-opposition seem to me seeking in Nationalism—“_midi à 14 heures_,” as
-the French say.
-
-At present he is not only adored by those who trust him and gave up all
-to follow him, but respected and admired by those recently serving the
-Sultan, who had not the courage to believe that right must triumph and
-truth prevail.
-
-I believe that his personality could always dominate the Assembly at
-Angora, and there is unquestionably no possible foundation for the
-reported rivalry of Kiazim Kara Békir. They are the best of friends,
-each conspicuously loyal to the other, and Kiazim Kara Békir is far too
-proud of his leader to want his place.
-
-I foresee, however, that even his clearest instructions may sometimes be
-badly interpreted, and thus bring blame for what he has not done and
-never intended. There will be difficulties again in certain foreign
-relations, because the most loyal Nationalists, for whom justice and
-gratitude alike demand reward, will not all be so well fitted as the
-existing diplomats for the embassies of Europe.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Though no one could have suspected it from his manner, I learnt that my
-Angora host had been seriously alarmed at the prospect of receiving an
-Englishwoman into his household. His first impressions, however, were
-unexpectedly in my favour. And the ladies agreed: “You are just like our
-Pasha—fair hair and blue eyes. You might be his sister.” It was the
-highest possible compliment, the best possible passport.
-
-Mustapha Kemal found time to be no less hospitable, and often treated me
-to a concert of Anatolian songs with the oute (or stringed guitar)
-accompaniment. It was at his house I first tasted the most delicious of
-Turkish confections, “_poulet à la Circassienne_,” that is chicken with
-nut sauce. It was frequently offered to me after that; but, alas, like
-all things Turkish, even their “light” pastry _Bereks_, it is as
-fattening as it is appetising.
-
-One afternoon “the Pasha” joined us to pay visits to the houses
-surrounding his kiosk. We made a strange party: the Ghazi Pasha and his
-aide-de-camp, the Englishwoman, and a big white ram! The magnificent
-goats of Anatolia follow one about and welcome caresses such as we
-lavish on a pet dog. The Armenians weave handsome shawls from their
-silky hair. Angora is also famous for its cats and its rabbits.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- Mustapha Kemal Pasha Walking in the Grounds of Tchan-Kaya.
-]
-
-Naturally, the “veiled” tenants stood in too great awe of their Pasha to
-say much, so we first walked on to inspect the new family of a favourite
-dog, then visited another happy family of geese and chickens and the
-horses! Like many Orientals, M. Kemal is over-merciful to his beasts,
-who are apt to grow fat and lazy from insufficient exercise.
-
-Mustapha Kemal always says, and means, that everyone has a right to come
-and see him. He enjoys talking with peasants, and pays a generous
-tribute to their sterling worth. But in Turkey, some mysterious inborn
-tact prevents the uncultured from awkward attempts at intrusion upon his
-superior, however brotherly the hand of friendship between them. It is,
-however, almost impossible to compare the two countries, for, despite
-the Moslem’s respect for authority in every shape or form, rank and
-family do _not_ count with him as with us, and the feudal habits, of
-which no so-called democracy can cure us, must appear strange indeed to
-these simple folk.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I have been privileged to hear “the Pasha” explaining the new Turkey he
-has created, expressing all his ideas, hopes, fears and anxieties; and
-this, at what is perhaps the very summit of his career, when his nation
-has just entered upon her existence of freedom and independence.
-
-Yet I hesitate before the attempt to analyse or to describe the
-character and political achievement of this man; to convey all the
-subtlety and the strength of his mind. The complexities, and the
-apparent contradictions, of the Oriental are always baffling to the
-West; while, though far superior to vanity, the Pasha knows his own
-value and takes himself, as it were, too much for granted, to encourage
-or assist others in the dissection of his character. I can but rest on
-the tolerance all great men extend to our judgments, if prompted by
-sincerity and justice and a love of truth. As it is written in the
-proverbs of old Japan: “If your judgments are tempered by the dictates
-of truth, the gods will protect you, even though you offer no prayers to
-them.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-We are naturally enthusiastic before a New Turkey, built out of nothing.
-Surely these people are capable of carrying on? If some ask: “Will this
-man lose his head?” we answer: “He has not done so under the strongest
-temptation. Why should we fear?... He has not made himself Dictator; he
-has refused wealth and honour; he has abolished ‘decorations!’”
-
-When the work of reconstruction begins in real earnest, when the
-country, so rich in minerals and with so fertile a soil, can be
-developed in peace to the best advantage; then I, for one—now I know
-him—believe “The Pasha” will prove to us that he can unite his people no
-less wisely in the building up of their fatherland than in saving it
-from tyranny and interference.
-
-The Nationalists have had their warning from mistakes made by the
-Committee of Union and Progress, against the only real danger one can
-reasonably foresee, that of teaching the people to run before they have
-learnt to walk.
-
-To all who would see the vision realised of an established, strong, and
-well-governed new Turkey, I only say: “Take care of your Pasha, for ‘his
-value is above rubies.’”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XIX
-
- AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA
-
-
-THE Ghazi M. Kemal Pasha granted me the following interview just after
-the conference at Lausanne had assembled.
-
-“To what extent, if any, has the attitude of the Grand National Assembly
-been responsible for setting public opinion against the Turks?” I asked.
-
-“Our attitude has never changed. All reports of inconsistency are false,
-and circulated by the clever propaganda of our enemies. The Government
-has to render account of itself not only to a Chamber of Deputies, but
-to History; and no responsible or self-respecting Ministry could act
-with such disloyalty to its own principles, the very spirit of its
-being, as the Press has accused it of revealing. All these false reports
-come from those Englishmen, some of them official, who are working to
-prolong the war, a crime no one can lay on our shoulders. You know of
-the untiring efforts we made for peace, and you know the result. In any
-case, though personally accused, I am not responsible. I am only
-President of the Assembly. The Assembly is not one man.”
-
-“Do you think that a really _sincere entente_ can be established between
-Turkey and Great Britain?”
-
-“I do not think, I am _certain_, that we shall eventually return to the
-old traditional friendship. There are no reasons against, and so many in
-favour of, that course. We make no demands beyond respect and honour for
-our independence. We have sent away our Sultan to secure greater
-freedom, and to prevent all risk of danger to our independence.”
-
-“Do you think that the Conference will produce good results?”
-
-“Eventually there can be no doubt that, however heated and however
-prolonged the discussions, it will bring peace. Unfortunately, we cannot
-wait for ever: The Powers should recognise now, what they must
-ultimately admit, that we could not accept terms which would deny us
-that liberty for which we have sacrificed so much and fought with such
-stern resolve.
-
-“For every reason, we desire peace; a settlement that will enable us to
-get on with the vital work of reconstruction. Details must take time,
-but the essential question should have been arranged before this.”
-
-“The papers accuse Angora of arrogance and zenophobia,” I reminded him.
-
-“The charge is invented for propaganda. Is it _arrogant_ to stand out
-for our just and logical rights ? Of ‘zenophobia’ I know nothing! My
-whole life, in every action, is proof that I do _not_ hate Europe. I
-never fought for hate, but to save the truth. The same inspiration
-guides and controls our politics.
-
-“I could never myself keep on hating a nation for the mistakes of its
-Government. I fought against the Bulgarians, who are my greatest friends
-to-day.
-
-“And towards the Greeks I feel the same. I am confident that we shall
-soon be great friends, friends as we were before the Powers intervened.
-As they were led away by false flatterers, they will be the first to see
-their mistake and repent.”
-
-“Have you banished the Christians, or are they leaving Anatolia in mere
-panic?”
-
-“We have taken no steps in this matter, but left them absolutely free,
-to go or stay. They have been terrified by propaganda, largely American,
-directed by religious animosities. While they followed the Greek army in
-thousands, and are still flying, many others are coming back. To-day you
-can see two long streams of refugees among us, one leaving, the other
-returning. They know that all Christians, whether our own subjects or
-foreigners, will always enjoy, as they _have_ always enjoyed, the full
-liberties accorded them in every civilised country.”
-
-“Are you satisfied with the situation in Constantinople?”
-
-“We shall keep faith to the promise we made at Moudania. Meanwhile it is
-unnatural to see foreign troops in Constantinople, and they should be
-taken away as soon as possible. Their presence involves abnormal
-conditions, which have made it necessary for us to administer that
-villayet from the Assembly at Angora—an indignity which should not be
-prolonged.
-
-“While conversations are maintained in Lausanne, and since everyone
-knows we must keep Constantinople, the Powers should not insist on the
-armed guarantee.”
-
-“Do you congratulate us on having secured a Conservative Government?”
-
-“It is early days, surely, to speak! If they will help us to friendly
-relations with England and the other Powers, that is all we ask. Your
-parties are not our business. We are, generally speaking, against all
-policies of expansion, because they lead nations into the abyss; and, in
-our judgment, such policies are impolitic.”
-
-“What are your views on the Freedom of the Straits?”
-
-“Like the delegates at Lausanne, we want _real_ freedom, not freedom in
-the hands of one Power. We are ready to discuss the problem with all who
-have any interests in that quarter. There can be no freedom till
-Constantinople and the Sea of Marmora are secure.
-
-“We must have national frontiers; that is, all territories peopled by
-Turks. We accept for boundaries or limit the enemy-lines as they were
-when the Armistice was signed. Is that an unreasonable claim in return
-for all we have given up from the old Ottoman Empire?
-
-[Illustration:
-
- GENERAL ISMET PASHA.
- MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
- FIRST TURKISH DELEGATE AT THE LAUSANNE PEACE CONFERENCE.
- p. 176
-]
-
-“Towards ‘minorities’ we stand by the National Pact, confirmed by the
-recent Treaty with France, signed at Angora. We are fully prepared, nay
-anxious, to recognise all such rights as have been given to minorities
-in the different treaties between the Powers—since the war. It must,
-however, be clearly understood that foreign control, inconsistent with
-the absolute independence we demand, is _impossible_.
-
-“Nor can we grant any special privileges for Capitulations to the
-subjects of foreign nations who may choose to live in Turkey. They are
-welcome to _precisely the same rights_ as our own subjects enjoy, but we
-will never recognise any such privileges to foreigners as are unknown,
-for instance, in France, England, or America. Those who would still
-challenge our claim to the complete independence that we are determined
-to secure will have to find means to exterminate all Turks now inspired
-by that ideal. But I am confident that such a slaughter would not be
-permitted by the civilised world. Civilisation, on the contrary, will
-soon learn that our Turkey has her place in the future. She will help,
-and not hinder, civilisation. Civilisation must, therefore, be
-interested in, and support, her independence.”
-
-On December 22nd, the _Morning Post_ printed the following leading
-article about this interview:
-
- The interview which Mustapha Kemal Pasha has given our
- Correspondent emphasises the one supreme result so far reached
- at Lausanne, namely, that the new rulers of Turkey are willing
- and indeed anxious to resume friendly relations with this
- country. The compromise which is apparently on the point of
- being reached at Lausanne concerning the Straits and the
- demilitarised zones may not survive the touch of reality and the
- sharp breath of war. But that is no reason why we should deplore
- or despise such a settlement, for it is at least a sign of
- goodwill, an offer on the part of Turkey to come to an agreement
- with the Western Powers, who, by the strange irony of fate, are
- the real friends of Turkey and yet were forced in the Great War
- to call themselves her enemies. The Lausanne Conference has
- dealt with and perhaps settled the Thracian boundaries, the
- protection of minorities, and the guardianship of the Straits,
- and there remains for it now to secure an agreement regarding
- the capitulations, the Patriarchate, and the future of Mosul.
- But the real importance of Lausanne lies in the fact that the
- world now realises that Kemalist Turkey is not the cat’s-paw of
- Bolshevist Russia, that the Turkish Nationalists did not defeat
- one invader in order to put themselves at the mercy of another,
- and that the ambitious plan of Moscow for using Turkey as a pawn
- in the great game of destroying British dominion in the East is
- in all probability doomed to failure. It is too early yet to say
- that the Bolshevicks have been outwitted, but both in their
- silences and their speeches there are evidences of chagrin. They
- have found out that Lausanne is not Genoa and that, if we may
- thus describe him, Curzon _libre_ is a very different person
- from Curzon _enchaîné_. Chicherin had his Rapallo. Perhaps it
- was his final triumph.
-
- Kemal, in his interview, said: “I am certain we shall eventually
- return to the traditional friendship between Turkey and Britain.
- I can see no obstacle thereto.” With the fall of the Coalition
- Government, the last obstacle has gone. Lord Curzon has been
- firm with the Turks, but not venomous, frank but not insulting.
- He can afford to leave rude harangues and offensive imprecations
- to the congress of fallen angels now assembling at Algeciras.
- Indeed, all the declarations of the Foreign Secretary go to show
- that he is sincerely anxious to reach a durable and friendly
- settlement with the emissaries of Angora, and that if he is
- determined to uphold the rights of the British, he is equally
- ready to acknowledge the independence of the Turkish Empire. We
- are glad to see that Kemal is anxious to reciprocate, and
- therein he shows himself to be not only a soldier but a
- statesman. For his task is not yet ended; indeed it is only
- beginning. He has saved his country from the Greek; he must now
- save it from the moth and rust of economic decay. In that great
- task he will find Great Britain his best friend. Fethi Bey has
- doubtless made it clear to him how much Europe can contribute to
- the economic reconstruction of Turkey, and a recent statement of
- Mr. Morgenthau should convince him that the United States will
- be a reluctant and difficult lender. In the long run he has to
- choose between free co-operation with Great Britain and an
- enslavement at the mercy of Bolshevist Russia. He seems already
- to have chosen the better course; for the sake of his country,
- and ours, we hope and believe that he will persist in it.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XX
-
- MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA—THE MAN WHO IS MASTER OF HIS FATE
-
-
-MY eye fell on the portrait of a handsome Turkish lady, which was
-hanging over the Pasha’s writing-desk.
-
-“What a lovely face!” I exclaimed.
-
-“My mother,” said the Pasha, with obvious pride.
-
-“Would it be very indiscreet,” said I, “to ask if I might have the great
-pleasure of seeing her?”
-
-“She is very ill. The doctors are with her day and night. Alas, I fear
-she can never recover.”
-
-We afterwards went up the staircase to the invalid’s apartments. To my
-surprise, we found her seated on a wide divan, supported by cushions. It
-was difficult at first to believe that she was so near the end.
-
-“Alas!” said Mustapha Kemal, “her suffering has come through me. She is
-paying back now the tears and anguish she spent for me in exile.” There
-was sorrow in his voice, too heart-broken for many words.
-
-“Now you can take part in his victory,” I said. “How proud you must be
-of your son. His is a wonderful story. I am proud only to have spoken
-with him and seen his work.”
-
-She thanked me with great feeling, and said she believed “God had sent
-her this son to save the Fatherland—but my son is always kind to me.”
-
-Whilst giving me a beautiful silk handkerchief, scented with her
-favourite perfume, she asked whether she had not seen me before, ten
-years ago, in Constantinople.
-
-“She has a marvellous memory,” the Pasha murmured.
-
-In a few days there were to be no more opportunities for any of us to
-see this dear lady!
-
-When, later, in Constantinople, I ventured upon some allusion to the
-great devotion he always evinced to his mother, a Turk said: “That is
-only natural—Oriental, if you will. The man whose hands are steeped in
-blood, whose soul is black with crime, yet bows in respect to his
-mother. You might as well be surprised that the sun shines.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-The story of M. Kemal’s youth and of his brilliant career is, of course,
-well known in Anatolia. He was born in Salonica in 1880, and there are
-legends that many who saw the boy, “fair as the corn,” at his games,
-would say: “Look well at that little fellow. He will one day be the
-saviour of his country.”
-
-St. Jeanne d’Arc’s “Life,” you remember, begins with a description of
-the countryside on the night of her birth—“all the animals seemed
-strangely excited. There was a chorus of approval from the chickens, the
-geese, and the pigs.” “Very possibly,” as a friend once commented on
-this passage, “it all happened again on the night each of us was born,
-but no one noticed it.”
-
-So I will speak only of facts. A year ago, how few had even heard his
-name! How often the Unknown Personality has appeared, just when hope
-seemed dead, to save his country!
-
-M. Kemal’s father died when he was quite a child, though already
-attending the school of Chemsi Effendi. Then, for a few years, his
-mother took him to stay with an uncle in the country, and life became
-one glorious game in the sunny fields, shooting at rooks, stealing
-Nature’s secrets, and flourishing on all the delights of being naughty
-with no one to interfere.
-
-Although his mother seems to have felt, however, that young minds cannot
-safely be left long undisciplined, and, therefore, brought him back to
-school at Salonica, the experiment did not prove a success. Like other
-unusual boys, he was always in hot water and, in the end, was allowed to
-come home and play at soldiers.
-
-It was Edison’s unsympathetic schoolmistress who told _his_ mother:
-“This boy’s brain is addled, we can do nothing with him.” He had given
-one of his companions a seidlitz powder to find out whether the gas
-would lift up his patient into the air! Mrs. Edison was wise enough to
-take the boy’s education into her own hands, proving herself “the
-loveliest and most wonderful teacher on God’s earth,” as he afterwards
-declared.
-
-As the Pasha’s mother did not approve of soldiering, the boy simply took
-himself off to a military college, passed the examinations with
-distinction, and then proudly confronted her with all his certificates!
-He was both hard-working and intelligent, devoted to French and
-mathematics.
-
-But even as a schoolboy his country’s suffering must have eaten into his
-ardent imagination. I was told that he would spend hours of recreation
-in making speeches and organising a committee, to protest against the
-tyranny of Abdul Hamid. Already he felt that an army was not enough to
-save his country, and persuaded some of his schoolfellows to study
-politics, sowing the seed of all he has since given to the world.
-
-From the beginning he determined, above all, to make himself master of
-every detail concerning the French Revolution; to understand, by
-understanding “the people,” why it happened and how it happened, what
-mistakes were made, the real ideals that inspired its passion of
-sacrifice, and the permanent gains it brought to France and to mankind.
-
-Long after all his companions were fast asleep, the young Mustapha dived
-into every possible book he could lay hands on, to clear up this
-fascinating subject. Next morning he would hold forth to all and sundry
-upon his discoveries, and finally issued a paper with exemplary
-regularity, which was widely circulated in manuscript.
-
-Meanwhile military studies had not been neglected; He was promoted Staff
-Captain, and—through under-hand channels—“recommended” to the notice of
-Abdul Hamid, who promptly exiled him to Syria.
-
-In Damascus, Beyrout, and Jaffa, his more revolutionary plans matured.
-At last the Constitution was proclaimed, and he was able to join his
-mother in Salonica!—not yet, however, for the quiet of a restored home
-life.
-
-At the time when the troops marched to deliver Constantinople from the
-reactionaries, he was appointed Chief of Staff to Mahmoud Chefket Pasha.
-During the Tripolitain War he was first at Syrenaique, and afterwards at
-Benghazi.
-
-When the Great War broke out, he was military attaché at Sofia, but was
-immediately despatched to the command of a Division in the Dardanelles,
-and, when this had been formed and organised, marched to Gallipoli. It
-was he who defeated the English forces, not only in Gallipoli, but at
-Anafarta.
-
-After we had been driven out of the Dardanelles, he went to the Caucasus
-in command of the 15th Army Corps, and recovered Bitlis and Mouche from
-the Russians. For a time he led the 6th Army Corps, under the German
-General Falkenhayn; but nothing could reconcile him to his chief’s
-methods and the reckless loss of life they involved. He therefore
-resigned and went back to Constantinople.
-
-After accompanying the present Khalif on a visit to Hindenberg and
-Ludendorff, he tells me that, when he thus first clearly saw into the
-real issue of the war; he also saw, even more clearly, the need for
-making his own plans in Turkey.
-
-He was in Syria when the Armistice was signed; and returning with high
-hopes to Constantinople, sank broken-hearted before the treachery of
-Mudros! But not for long.
-
-Never the man to nurse despair, he quickly rose again to his country’s
-call. Offered the post of Inspector of the East (that is, High
-Functionary of the Eastern Villayets), he accepted at once, and hurried
-into Anatolia to prepare for resistance.
-
-From the moment he stepped out at Samsoun, _the movement began_.
-
-What shall we say of the “Man at the Helm—the Hero and the Genius?” Were
-his “Destinies,” indeed, “written on the tablets of heaven”; or may he
-not rather claim:
-
- “I am Master of my Fate
- I am Captain of my Soul”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Every detail of the work had to be built up, as it were, stone by stone,
-entirely afresh—an army to be found anywhere and everywhere from
-nothing. Yet it was trained and organised to become, what Colonel Mougin
-tells me, is “the best-disciplined and best-officered army in the
-world.”
-
-Perhaps the Battle of the Sakharia, lasting fifteen days without
-interruption, may be quoted as the Great Victory. It was certainly one
-of the battles of this century. When one of the majors asked for
-instructions about “the line provided for retreat,” he was told: “There
-will be no retreat. Advance, or die in your trenches!”
-
-On the anniversary of the Battle of the In-Enus, Ismet Pasha told me a
-little about his victory, and what it meant. What victory _must_ mean
-when you have nothing with which to conquer.
-
-Already the military experts have written pages about the advance and
-the victory. One day, we hope, “The Pasha” will give us his own version.
-
-How, again, shall we tell the endurance of the people, suffering through
-long years in silence and alone? To us who could but look on them,
-pitying and admiring from a distance, it seemed as if someone _must_ get
-through somehow to offer the hand of friendship and give, at least,
-heartfelt sympathy. I tried, but it could not be done. Even now, I
-cannot say all it has cost me to reach Angora!
-
-Mustapha Kemal must put on record “The Birth of a Nation”; and from
-Halidé Hanoum we want the thousand and one pictures of the agony of
-simple folk—desolate village homes, women who weep _and_ work, the
-little ones crying, “What is it, mother?”; all that war means to men,
-all that men can endure for liberty and the right.
-
-“What does it matter,” she has written, “though the world call us
-pariah? We will die with honour. What does it matter if food be denied
-us by all our neighbours? Our own soil will keep us alive, sheltered in
-sackcloth!”
-
-At Lausanne the patriot-passion is taunted for its arrogance. It is
-forgotten that self-made nations, like men, if made with honour, have
-certain rights and duties, which the most illustrious and ancient
-lineage cannot bestow. Moreover, we carry with ease what has come down
-to us through the centuries; what we have suffered and fought for, we
-grasp, crying maybe somewhat loudly: “Hands off!” To be in Turkey, and
-to learn of the heroism of her people, is to understand her moderation.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I was naturally keenly interested in the Pasha’s views on women; I have
-been still more interested to hear that, since I was at Angora, he has
-put his theories into practice.
-
-I have never spoken in England or the United States without having to
-answer the most absurd questions on life in a harem. This time, in
-London, the old nonsense was trotted out, and my replies either invented
-or distorted.
-
-I was interviewed during our own Suffrage agitation, and expressed my
-conviction that “women _must_ either have full liberty to earn their
-livelihoods in any profession, _or_ be sheltered and protected as
-Turkish women are sheltered and protected.” Next morning a large poster
-appeared with the legend, _under my portrait_, “English writer urges
-polygamy!”
-
-The paper inserted my prompt denial, but, of course, that never was read
-by thousands who had swallowed the poster. A Glasgow paper, indeed, was
-considerate enough to remark that, “knowing my people were
-Presbyterians, the kindest interpretation was—insanity!”
-
-American pressmen were particularly furious with me for asserting that
-polygamy does not exist in Turkey, and that no Turkish women would put
-up with the European system of “establishments.” When they persisted
-that “Turks had more than one wife,” I asked, “why many men, who lacked
-the means or courage to ever marry, yet supposed the men of the East
-could each have four?”
-
-In my judgment, “Progress for Women” has _begun_ on far sounder lines in
-Turkey than elsewhere. The occasion has come to help them, and I believe
-they are ready to meet it. There is to-day so much to be done for their
-country that few, surely, will hesitate to come forward and stand beside
-the men in the great work. Temptations to rivalry or competition
-scarcely exist.
-
-Ten years ago, that eloquent and graceful speaker, Hamdoullah Soubhi,
-was urging the women to freedom, bidding them cast off their veils and
-help to govern the country. To-day it is Mustapha Kemal himself who, in
-season and out of season, is calling on them to break for ever with the
-harem, and learn to be helpmates to their husbands.
-
-I have said and written, over and over again, that women should not, and
-need not, compete with men. That is not the real road to freedom.
-Liberty dwelleth among comrades, and shuns a rival.
-
-“This time next year,” said Mustapha Kemal, “woman must be free. She
-must uncover her face and mix with men.”
-
-“How will the men like it?” I asked.
-
-“It matters little what they like or dislike. Freedom must come.”
-
-He has no more patience with tradition in men’s dress. “When summer
-comes and our kalpaks are too hot, we shall wear hats with ‘brims,’ to
-protect us from the sun. The time is past for ‘dress’ to reveal the
-‘race’. We should dress for comfort.”
-
-Hamid Bey and other delegates at Lausanne are of the same opinion. They
-say the old conventional way of dressing “stamps the Turk in Europe as a
-member of an inferior race.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Taking my courage in both hands, I ventured to mention the fear his
-friends had expressed to me, of his marrying a princess.
-
-“That will never happen,” he replied. “I have already chosen an educated
-woman of my own people, with character enough to be ‘equal partner’ in
-all my work. There can be no happiness in union for only _half_ one’s
-character and one’s life. But I stand for democracy, and was never
-attracted by rank.”
-
-Everyone now is talking of Mustapha Kemal’s future wife. The ring was
-bought for him at Lausanne by the delegates, who were as excited about
-the business as any school-children. His neighbours, sweet little Mme.
-Ruchène Echref and her talented husband are beside themselves with
-delighted anticipation of having so charming a _châtelaine_ at
-Tchan-Kaya.
-
-Mme. Ruchène told me that the Pasha was staying with his future
-father-in-law during the Moudania Conference, and that Latifée Hanoum
-proved herself most helpful over all his despatches, as she speaks and
-writes excellent English and French.
-
-The wife to be could have no better sponsor than Mme. Echref! She and
-her husband, like Adnan Bey and Halidé Hanoum, gave up everything to
-follow the Pasha. They would not, however, allow me ever to speak of
-their sacrifices, or tell the tale of their many tragic sufferings in
-all parts of Turkey. Now, indeed, their dear little two-roomed cabin, so
-tastefully furnished with its beautiful pictures, may well stand for
-“love in a cottage.” She does a great deal of Red Crescent work among
-the women who are still so active in helping the refugees of Anatolia.
-
-One only wishes that the other social reforms, splendidly started in
-Constantinople, had not been so long interrupted. But like education,
-and all other real progress, they cannot survive long wars. What
-criminal waste that means for mankind!
-
-I have talked with many Turkish brides, received many confidences, and
-the whole question of marriage in Turkey has always interested me
-immensely.
-
-The first Turkish bride I ever met, long years ago, had never seen her
-husband before marriage, and detested him from the first. “There is
-nothing the matter with him,” she admitted, “_except_ that I don’t like
-him.” Ultimately she managed to escape, married a man of her own choice,
-and was twenty times more unhappy.
-
-Another bride told me that, as a great favour, she was allowed to see
-her future husband, and has regretted it ever since. “The dreadful
-imprudence seems to have robbed life of all its romance!”
-
-Yet one more confession! “I peeped through the lattice-window to look at
-him as he walked past. Quite an uninteresting little man, but he was ‘my
-fate’ and I might have ‘been given’ something worse.” But, at her
-wedding, I found a tall and handsome bridegroom. “What does this mean?”
-I asked. “What has happened?” And she answered quite calmly: “I must
-have looked out at the wrong man.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Tewfik Rushdi Bey declares that it is “easy divorce” in Turkey which
-makes their marriages so happy _and_ lasting. I gladly pass on the
-paradox to all English advocates for “marriage reform”; only bidding
-them remember that Turkish husbands accept big risks at the start. They
-never hesitate about trusting their mothers to “pick a winner in life’s
-handicap”; and, since young Western people, one and all, prefer their
-own way to their parents’, all the “wisdom of the East” may leave them
-cold.
-
- * * * * *
-
-European bridegrooms must always experience a sense of being “outsiders”
-at their own weddings; but at least we expect them to be there! In
-Turkey, the signatures of bride and bridegroom are not affixed to the
-contract in each other’s presence, and often not even on the same day.
-It is scarcely necessary to add that the guests belong to the bride’s
-party, and are entertained at _her_ house. To us it certainly is strange
-to hear the solemn questions addressed to the bride by the Imam that
-pledge her life to an “absentee” partner, whom she has never set eyes
-on. I can still remember a beautiful wedding-dress of white satin
-brocade, embroidered with silver stars, over which sparkled a large
-diadem of diamonds. All brides, too, wear a shower of silver threads
-round the neck, from which they pull out threads to give their friends
-for “good luck.”
-
-“Good luck” at a wedding naturally means a good husband, and from the
-number of threads I have received, there should be at least fifty
-“eligible partners” somewhere in waiting for me.
-
-We, in our turn, wish happiness to the bride on her bridal throne, as we
-pass before her in solemn procession. Last of all comes the feast, for
-women only, after which the happy couple are, at last, “introduced.”
-
-At this charming and strange ceremony I also witnessed a fine example of
-true democracy as practised in the East. Among the guests in their
-elaborate ball-dresses, trimmed with orange blossom, I noticed the Grand
-Vizier’s wife; and then, catching sight of a very differently attired
-group of women, wearing faded and worn tcharchaffs and feradjés, I
-realised that the “bath-women” of the family had come uninvited to the
-feast! And the door of the harem was wide open, that _all_ might enter
-in to see the presents, admire the dresses, and all the other delightful
-feminine intimacies of such an occasion.
-
-As a matter of fact, I was told by Zeyneb, _any_ woman can go to a
-Turkish wedding without having been invited. “_You_, in England, only
-ask your intimate friends, and yet you have to employ detectives to
-watch the presents.”
-
-When my attendant, Cadem Haïr (whose colour led me to call her Miss
-Chocolate) became engaged to a coffee-coloured railway official, she was
-treated like one of the family by the Pasha’s household. Fatma and I
-bought her trousseau, we arranged for her to be photographed, and
-secured a Kara Kheuz (or Punch and Judy show) for the wedding
-festivities.
-
-So many confidences, so many romances and love-stories inside the
-Imperial harem, and outside! They would fill a volume.
-
-I have never met an “old maid” in Turkey, and I doubt whether one could
-be found. I well remember the distress and anxieties of a certain matron
-whose daughter was still unmarried at twenty-eight. The girl had
-resolutely refused all offers, and her poor mother could only suppose
-she had been bewitched. Then one day _he_ appeared, and that story had a
-happy ending.
-
-Whether the reforms Mustapha Kemal is so determined to promote will
-substantially diminish the number of early marriages, one cannot, of
-course, foresee. At present, fortunately, the most brilliant, practical,
-and advanced Turkish women have found _their own_ sphere, and do not
-enter into open competition with men. If they are tempted to follow our
-Western feminists, to steal, not only men’s prestige, but their bread
-and butter, domestic chaos and anarchy may spread to the East.
-
-For the moment, one does not expect advance beyond “The Pasha’s” own
-striking example. He has not only chosen his own bride, but dispensed
-with the Imam—a parallel to the first Englishman who dared to marry in a
-registry office!
-
-I always said this man would scatter many _coupés d’état_, once peace
-was signed; but he has not waited for the signature!
-
-The originality of his gifts to the bride recalls the Prophet of Islam.
-Mahomet gave his daughter a Koran, a prayer-carpet, and a coffee-mill;
-Mustapha Kemal has given his wife-to-be General Trécoupis’ revolver and
-an Arab horse! She is an excellent rider, sitting astride, with the veil
-only confining her hair.
-
-I much regret that I was never able to find an opportunity of meeting
-this lady, partly because she was educated at Chislehurst, almost next
-door to my own school—Rochester.
-
-Inevitably the Pasha’s liberal attitude towards marriage has been
-criticised, and described as “in direct opposition to the principles of
-Islam.” He, however, will not admit the charge.
-
-It is true that, at the very door of Europe, women have been content to
-live through the centuries in a comfortable material security, that
-means being cut out of all the realities of life, and all the serious
-joys or sorrows of existence. It is not unnatural that isolation should
-have kept them down so long.
-
-But the harem was _not_ invented by the Turks, and has nothing in common
-with the nomad existence of the Great Preacher of the Deserts. Polygamy
-and the harem were first introduced when the Turks entered Byzantium as
-conquerors. They served, in those troublous times, as the best means
-available for the protection of women, and proved a fine school of
-instruction for Georgian Circassian slaves.
-
-It is false to say that Eastern women have blamed their religion for the
-evils, so many now recognise, of seclusion. The most ignorant are quite
-familiar with the great names of women who have been the glory of Islam.
-Mahomet’s own daughter, the “Lady of Paradise,” spoke to large audiences
-of dusky-skinned Arabs, her face unveiled. Neither did Zeyneb, the
-famous and beautiful professor at the University of Bagdad, wear the
-veil. Khadidja sang in public, her own beautiful songs, still known and
-admired all over the East. Rhadyah, one of the first great travellers
-among these lands, was also an eloquent lecturer, applauded by the most
-learned men of Islam.
-
-Therefore are not the women themselves to blame for their prolonged
-isolation? or was it the régime of Abdul Hamed?
-
-Mustapha Kemal has not only offered his wife the privileges Mahomet
-accorded to his daughter, but he has swept from the path of Islam the
-retrograde heresies that Byzantium grafted on to the Faith.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXI
-
- A TURKISH CABINET—THE THREE BEST-KNOWN MINISTERS—A CABINET OF YOUNG MEN
-
-
-UNLIKE the European type to which we are accustomed, the Cabinet of the
-Assembly is almost exclusively composed of very young men, possessed,
-however, of the strong determination to serve their country.
-
-Mustapha Kemal Pasha has great faith in youth, and his oldest minister
-is probably no more than forty-two. “Youth,” he said, “makes mistakes
-that can be corrected; age and experience make the mistakes of routine.”
-Fethi Bey, who is the chief’s right hand, also believes in youth, and
-was himself a minister at thirty-two.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- RAUF BEY—PRIME MINISTER.
- EX-NAVAL OFFICER.
- He speaks perfect English and knows England better than any other
- Turk.
- p. 192
-]
-
-Here, again, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet are independent, the one
-of the other. One may fall, while the other remains. I am inclined to
-think, on closer examination, that the Ministers are seldom entrusted
-with the initiative and responsibility which _our_ Ministers, in theory
-at least, enjoy; although for them all criticism and supervision comes,
-as it were, from below. They might, perhaps, be best described as Heads
-of Departments, whose every action is open to all eyes in the Assembly,
-submitted to the keenest scrutiny, and freely discussed. Sometimes they
-seem able to keep their position after heated discussions and
-interpolations, but, on the other hand, they may fall in consequence of
-some detail which, with us, would pass unnoticed—such as the nomination
-of an unsatisfactory functionary. They are all, certainly, very able
-men; with extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, and devotion. Although not
-constituted as a formal Cabinet, they meet to consider the most
-important questions that will come before the Assembly. Mustapha Kemal
-Pasha is entitled to preside at these meetings whenever he desires to be
-present; but, as a rule, the Chair is taken by Rauf Bey, Prime Minister
-without a Portfolio. They are not appointed by the President or the
-Prime Minister, but _elected_ by the whole Assembly.
-
-I have discussed this system with many of our European statesmen, who,
-one and all—including Lord Curzon—do not consider that it could
-permanently work well or be successfully applied to any stable,
-important State.
-
-The Turks, however, maintain that a Minister should only be elected to
-watch, as it were, the special interests and concerns of his Department,
-and that the _People_ themselves should be _responsible_, through their
-representatives in Parliament, for _all_ legislation. The Assembly
-controls both law-making and administration.
-
-For them, of course, we of the West cannot decide, or, perhaps, judge.
-We have scarcely of late years earned the right to criticise!
-
-Rauf Bey is a man of about forty, a gentleman as we understand the word,
-who has travelled among the best intellects of Europe, and had the
-courage and energy to adapt many ideals thus acquired to the needs of
-his own country. His brilliance and his devotion are universally
-acknowledged.
-
-Formerly a Naval officer, he distinguished himself in all the wars of
-the last twenty-five years; and his command of the _Hamidieh_ in the
-Balkan War, against the whole of the Greek Fleet, is not yet forgotten.
-As Marine Minister in Izzet Pasha’s Cabinet he accompanied General
-Townshend and Admiral Calthorpe to Mudros, and signed the Armistice with
-the Allies. In the Chamber of Deputies at Constantinople he did not
-hesitate to avow his allegiance to Mustapha Kemal, and was consequently
-one of the first to be arrested by the English and sent to Malta.
-Handsome, intelligent, a hard worker, subtle and liberal-minded, he very
-soon came to the front. He was the first Vice-President of the Assembly,
-and became Prime Minister last May. During the absence of Ismet Pasha at
-Lausanne, he also acted as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
-
-I heard him several times during my stay in Angora, and his fearless
-speeches were not only a political event, but always caused something of
-a sensation outside the capital.
-
-He has never disguised his love for England, nor what he owes to her
-education. The disillusion after Mudros and at Malta was hard to bear.
-He had not only to mourn for a shattered idol, but to suffer abuse from
-his fellow-countrymen for a trust of which he had been so proud.
-
-He is, however, far too intelligent to quarrel with a whole nation for
-the errors of its Government. “The future depends on England,” he said;
-“we can do nothing to improve relations until peace is signed; but there
-will be abundant opportunities in the future, and, if England is
-willing, she can come to us then.”
-
-“In six months,” I replied, “we shall be as great friends as ever we
-were.”
-
-“That, again, depends entirely upon you.”
-
-I asked him whether large concessions had been made to France in return
-for her political support.
-
-“As the first to understand the Nationalist movement,” he replied, “we
-owe her a great moral debt; which I have myself acknowledged and called
-on the world to witness. But for concessions, the field is open to all.
-We shall, naturally, accept the most advantageous offer.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Rauf Bey has strong theories about education; and has determined that it
-shall be made to develop the new Ideal. He closed a school at Adalia
-because the children had been taught that Smyrna is Greek and the
-Eastern villayets are Armenian. “Every Turk should learn that Smyrna has
-never been Greek; an alien minority, protected by foreign powers, has
-been the cause of all our troubles.”
-
-It is, obviously, of the first importance that Turkish children should
-be inspired, from the beginning, with loyalty to the Fatherland by
-knowing the fine story of its growth. “We need schools, and good foreign
-schools,” said Rauf Bey, “but until they will work under our supervision
-and control we show no favour to any offender, French, American or
-Italian—we close all.”
-
-I hear that in the American College at Broussa a Turkish woman has been
-appointed to teach geography and history, a concession one hopes will
-soon be generally adopted.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Rauf Bey had told me, on board the _Agamemnon_, what had been said to
-Admiral Calthorpe when the Armistice was signed: “We are here to end the
-terrible bloodshed of so many years. We accept these terms because we
-know that the great English nation and the Allies will keep their
-words.” Then, to his own officers: “Is it not true, gentlemen, England
-always keeps her word?” and they all answered, “Yes.”
-
-But we know what happened!
-
- * * * * *
-
-So much has been written about his unfortunate reception in London in
-1922, that Fethi Bey, the Minister of the Interior, is well known to us.
-Seeing that everyone is given a courteous hearing in Turkish Ministries,
-one feels this unnecessary discourtesy the more. And Fethi Bey, like
-Mustapha Kemal Pasha and Rauf Bey, was an ardent admirer of England,
-cured for ever by the war of any affection for Germany.
-
-As an Army officer, for two years military attaché in Paris, secretary
-to the Committee of Union and Progress in Sofia, and Minister of the
-Interior in Izzet Pasha’s Cabinet, Fethi Bey has had a varied and useful
-career. During his stay in Sofia, Mustapha Kemal was his military
-attaché, and they were both staff captains at Salonika. It was as a
-prisoner in Malta that he learnt the fluent English he had so little
-occasion to speak in London.
-
-
-
-
-
-FETHI BEY, MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF NEW TURKEY.
-
-No picture of Angora could be complete without a photo of Fethi Bey. As
-this has not arrived in time, we leave his place empty, as one leaves
-the place of the absent friend at the festive board—unfilled.
-
-
-
-
-He is very observant and far-seeing, undemonstrative, and, despite his
-charming smile, bitingly sarcastic; not, perhaps, quite so daring as
-Rauf Bey, but more level-headed. In a country devastated from end to
-end, and lacking in every necessity, he has shown marvellous skill as an
-organiser. Very early each morning he leaves his simple villa at
-Tchan-Kaya for the tiny primitive office in which he “handles” a
-constant stream of callers, busy about every variety of concerns, with
-an almost American speed. After a hasty lunch he goes to the Assembly,
-and finally rides home, often through many inches of snow, in which no
-car or carriage could make its way.
-
-The last of the “three great men” of the Assembly, Ismet Pasha, is well
-known and respected in Europe for his titanic duel with Lord Curzon.
-
-Though now only thirty-eight, it was he who created, out of nothing, the
-fine army which chased the Greeks out of Asia Minor. Victor at the two
-In Eunus, it was he who won back all the enemy-occupied territory as far
-as the Mediterranean. As victor also at Moudania, it was he who, with a
-dignified courtesy that astonished the whole Conference, defended the
-“Nationalist” interests at Lausanne.
-
-Of the other personalities in the Cabinet one could write much. To
-understand, and sum up, the strength and importance of the Assembly, one
-must meet and know them all.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXII
-
- TURKISH CABINET—THE LESS-KNOWN MINISTERS OF THE SOVEREIGN STATE
-
-
-IN judging the members of the Cabinet one must realise that some of them
-do not speak any European languages, and know little, or nothing, of
-Western ways. In some cases, for example that of Hassan Fehmi Bey, the
-Minister of Finance, this is due no doubt to their humble origin. They
-tell me, however, he “knows the requirements of New Turkey.”
-
-The Minister of Education, Sefa Bey, represents Adana and is somewhat
-the same type of man, reserved and timid to exaggeration.
-
- * * * * *
-
-There are many Deputies in the Assembly of wider knowledge and better
-understanding outside their own country who would seem, at least to us,
-more suitable men for these important Ministries. But we cannot expect
-to understand all the influences which determine the election of a
-Turkish Cabinet; only hoping that, as the years pass and the Assembly
-becomes concerned with wider issues, it may be led by men, assuredly no
-less loyal to their own nation, who yet desire rather to understand our
-civilisation, to live in closer contact with Europe, than merely to turn
-away from us as the object of their eternal hate.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The host who has so graciously welcomed me to his home in Angora is
-Feszi Bey, Minister of Public Works. He learnt something of Europe, and
-a little of the French language, when exiled to Malta. I have already
-recorded evidence of his kindness and generosity, which is certainly not
-confined to the horses he shelters with so much care in preference to
-any thought of damage his carriage must suffer by exposure. Simple in
-tastes and manner, he yet gives one the impression of great power and
-activity; while the remarkable agricultural schemes inaugurated on his
-vast estates have been carried out with prudence and success.
-
-Kiazim Pasha, the Minister of National Defence, is a young man on fire
-with energy. He was in command of an army and corps at Sakharia and
-largely responsible for the supplies and the organisations which led the
-army of Ismet Pasha to victory. Like many impulsive natures, he is
-subject to frequent attacks of pessimism, from which I have striven to
-rouse him by the assurance that we _will not have_ war.
-
-The Minister of Economics, Mahmoud Essad Bey, is, of course, responsible
-for agriculture, commerce, and industry. Having studied these subjects
-in Switzerland, his practical activities are guided by sound theoretical
-knowledge.
-
-Ali Fouad Pasha was the distinguished general who fought against the
-Greeks in September, 1921, and has succeeded M. Kemal as President of
-the group formed to uphold the “Rights of Roumelia and Anatolia.” The
-Assembly itself developed, or grew out of, this little band of patriots,
-who are still its leading spirits, the chief inspirers of its policy. At
-present, the opposition which _does_ exist has very little power or
-influence; a drawback, as we know to our cost, in any Parliament; which,
-however, may very well be of temporary advantage to the Assembly until
-the Turks are really secure from external interference.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I was again impressed, almost startled, by the change that is in
-progress in the conditions of life in Turkey, as I looked down upon the
-present Cheik-ul-Islam, called in, “as a mere form,” to depose the
-Khalif, with no more ceremony than one directs the dentist to extract a
-tooth.
-
-In the old days I well remember the odour of incense and sandalwood in
-the sanctuary of Abdul Hamid’s Cheik-ul-Islam, as the great man sat
-cross-legged under his enormous pumpkin-hat, amidst the picturesque
-surroundings of historic, ancient, religious ceremony. To him it seemed
-that for a cheik to dethrone a Sultan, as he foresaw must soon be the
-command, would be a solemn and awful thing. I could not imagine _him_
-modestly waiting for orders, as his successor is waiting to-day. How are
-the mighty fallen!
-
- * * * * *
-
-Though propaganda has busied itself already, in the attempt to find
-flaws in the power and popularity of Mustapha Kemal Pasha, his supremacy
-remains unquestioned. So far, when his party says go, the Assembly
-goeth, and when he says come, it cometh.
-
-It is certain, nevertheless, that, as the new order settles in its
-stride, the Government will be confronted with many difficulties of
-which we cannot as yet foresee the precise nature. M. Kemal is at least
-two centuries ahead of some of his own Ministers, four hundred years in
-advance of the peasants, now suddenly, without preparation, made
-citizens of a Republic—a sovereign people. I have seen the peasants in
-their homes—those charming little pictures out of the sixteenth century.
-Without the least knowledge of, or interest in, what _we_ have come to
-call civilisation, these simple folk have been vegetating through the
-centuries, free from the noise of great cities and the anxieties of
-progress. Though always ready to fight and die, as we say “for King and
-Country,” the symbol of their faith and inherited traditions, they had,
-and still have, no idea whatever of any government system, or who makes
-the laws. Naturally sober and religious—not poor, since they had always
-enough bread—these children of the soil have known no ambition to
-improve their quiet and happy lives.
-
- * * * * *
-
-It may be Kemal Pasha could do more with only his big Ministers and no
-Assembly. On the other hand, quicker progress might prove unsettling,
-and the founders of New Turkey need no advice from us. They have chosen
-what seems to them the better way; we can but pray for their success. No
-doubt, as France floundered through revolution, they will be driven to
-face a thousand bitter disappointments and delays. In times that have
-well-nigh submerged the land of the Mother of Parliaments, the Assembly
-must face rocks ahead.
-
-Now that New and Independent Turkey has her chance, she should take it.
-Rome was not built in a day; and when difficulties come, as come they
-must, let none scoff with a cheap “I told you so.” Only leave Turkey to
-the Turks, and, like other nations, they will try and try again, until,
-at last, they succeed.
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIII
-
- THE FOREIGN COLONY IN ANGORA—A GROUP OF FOREIGN PERSONALITIES
-
-
-WE cannot complete our record of “Personalities” in Angora without some
-mention of the foreigners in residence. Whatever has been asserted,
-there are no Germans there.
-
-Quite apart from the Turkish officers’ personal antipathy, the Germans
-have no money for concessions; their educational methods would never
-take root in Anatolia; they have lost the legend of military superiority
-which was the only _raison d’être_ of their influence in the past.
-Before the military genius of the Turks, their great generals have been
-compelled to _baisser pavillon_. Even during the war Turkey saw through
-German bluff, and the taste of army arrogance was amply efficient to
-kill the unnatural alliance for ever. I can definitely assert, by way of
-checking the prominence given to false statements of Teuton influence,
-that _there are no Germans in Angora_.
-
-On the other hand, it is true that a subtle form of propaganda is still
-at work in Germany itself. There a Turk can obtain, by merely showing a
-passport, a document that entitles him to all the “special” terms given
-to “natives” at hotels, theatres, and shops.
-
-I have already described the glories of the Soviet Embassy, and that
-distinguished economist, Camarade Areloff.
-
-The Azerbaijan Ambassador, M. Abiloff, represents the four states of the
-Caucasian Confederation; whose rather commercial policy is not very
-popular.
-
-Sultan Ahmed Khan has been representing Afghanistan in Angora for two
-years. He tells me that any communications with his Government seem
-almost as difficult as with Persia, whose Ambassador has now returned to
-his own country.
-
-The personality of Colonel Mougin has done much for the important
-commercial interests of his country, but he is far too wise to imagine
-that France is the Power on whom M. Kemal ultimately counts to save
-Constantinople from the Russians.
-
-Mr. Imbrie, the American commercial attaché, has been entrusted with the
-double duty of protecting concession-hunters from the States and
-organising the “American Near East Relief Workers in Anatolia,”
-administered in Angora by Mr. Compton and his charming wife, who must
-have stepped out of the frame of a dainty miniature. Mr. Imbrie, by the
-way, lives in a railway _salon_, and when his wife arrives we hope that
-her rugs and cushions and curtains may be as pretty as Mrs. Compton’s.
-
-It is very unfortunate that all relief work has been so wickedly
-hampered by friends of Armenia in the States. Their ridiculously unjust,
-anti-Turkish, propaganda must have been inspired by the American version
-of _Ally Sloper’s Half-Holiday_!
-
-Moreover, Americans never give relief which they cannot themselves
-administer. Maybe the implied affront to Turkish competency is
-unintentional, but Kiazim Kara Békir Pasha (who looks after five hundred
-orphans without a penny from the State, and has established many
-“professional” schools) has a right to resent it. His compatriots are
-often tempted to exclaim, “Keep your dollars,” for American charities
-are always administered with a business manner that scarcely conciliates
-the recipient; and one must wonder, for example, how the Armenian priest
-can provide for his flock of seventy on four hundred liras (3,000
-francs) a month. They do not evangelise with much tact, and Turkey can
-hardly be expected not to sense the Armenian behind the missionary.
-
-Nevertheless, America has done a great deal for education, and one
-sincerely hopes that her colleges will keep out of propaganda. Every
-Turk will acknowledge the supreme value of the institutions that have
-produced brilliant pupils like Halidé Edib Hanoum, and they will know
-very well how much the women of Turkey can gain from them, _not_ to be
-gained from their own system of education. I admire Turkish women very
-much, and have enjoyed their company in their own homes, but I am none
-the less ready to honour the work of their American teachers that has
-already given them so splendid a start towards real progress and
-complete freedom.
-
-One must not forget the Imperial Ottoman Bank, now destined, by decree
-of the Assembly, to become the Bank of Turkey. The fact will, I hope, be
-freely advertised, so that all over Anatolia its origin may not be
-forgotten, whilst its increased power becomes well known, and the people
-may learn to regard it as what the French call a real _Maison du bon
-Dieu_.
-
-Already to-day, even in remote places like Angora, you can “inquire
-within for everything” at its well-organised branches. Whether with or
-without directions from headquarters, the Bank of Angora is always ready
-to supplement one’s stores, and supply extra beds or special
-information, and any traveller in the heart of Asia Minor will know the
-value of such little courtesies! Of course, its financial backing of
-Anglo-French capital forms the surest possible passport for universal
-confidence.
-
-We may hope, too, that its official position in the State may soon have
-the indirect result of diminishing our foolish jealousies of French
-influence. France asks, and deserves, some gratitude for her courage in
-admitting the error of her ways at Sèvres, but she has no ambition to
-undermine British interests.
-
-Turkey needs capital, and American help involves interference from men
-too far away for understanding. Anglo-French capital, the more the
-better, means good terms in the East between us, and real friendship
-towards Turkey, for “where their treasure is, there is the heart also.”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIV
-
- HALIDÉ EDIB HANOUM, AUTHOR AND PATRIOT—A WOMAN DOWERED WITH THE
- ALL-CONQUERING GIFTS OF THE TRULY BRAVE
-
-
-THERE can scarcely be a worse misinterpretation of the Turks to-day than
-the common assumption that they do not value their women. As an example
-to prove this we turn to the charming writer and patriot, Halidé Edib
-Hanoum. Not only well known for her work in England and America, she is
-respected and honoured throughout the length and breadth of her own
-country, trusted with positions of responsibility, consulted and, above
-all, listened to, by those at the helm of affairs.
-
-As one of their brilliant journalists once said in the ante-room of the
-Assembly: “We gave her a place in the army. She would have gone with the
-delegates to Lausanne had her health permitted. She was elected a Member
-of the Assembly, and now we realise the Constitution does not yet admit
-women, we shall remove all such restrictions.”
-
-Strong evidence of eager homage to a brilliant woman emphatically
-expressed! I had met this famous lady in the old days, when we were
-friends with Turkey, and am naturally anxious to renew the acquaintance,
-if only to talk over the terrible happenings that have transformed her,
-alas! into one of the bitterest of England’s enemies. I am sure that,
-like Mustapha Kemal, she will be rejoiced to come back to us when we
-both change.
-
-Her little farmhouse, most charming of rustic homes, stands on a rough
-road, at this time of year inches deep in mud, about an hour’s drive
-from Angora. A clear stream runs by the way, and all around is silent
-and calm, save for the very occasional noise of a passing carriage. In
-summer, with the sun shining on the grazing cows, it would seem an ideal
-spot for this untiring worker.
-
-A voracious reader of the Continental Press, Halidé Hanoum has told me
-of her great amusement at the report that her flight into Anatolia had
-been “promoted by a desire to flee from harems and veils.” It is, of
-course, in Constantinople that the women have so largely cast off the
-old customs, whereas in far-away Anatolia most are still rigorously kept
-in seclusion. “People in Europe simply cannot grasp what our
-civilisation means,” she said; “that is what makes it so difficult for
-us to come to an understanding.”
-
-She and her husband, Dr. Adnan Bey, now Angora High Commissioner in
-Constantinople, would have been imprisoned with the other Nationalists
-three years ago had they not managed to escape to these mountains. Clad
-in the picturesque costumes of the villagers, with clogs on their feet,
-and a few possessions crowded into a bullock-wagon, they made their way
-slowly into Angora, dependent for food and shelter upon the picturesque,
-but uncomfortable, little inns on the way.
-
-Since the victory of the Nationalists, she is free, of course, to seek
-her equally picturesque home in the heart of Stamboul; but, “How I love
-my Angora farmstead!” she cried, as her quaint peasant waiting-woman
-brought in coffee and cigarettes. There was proof, at least, in the
-countless books, papers and souvenirs from England around us that she
-has not forgotten her education in the American College; and, whatever
-her judgment of us to-day, she speaks our language without a fault.
-
-As the eye travels over the delicately-cut features of Halidé Hanoum,
-the expression of sensitiveness stands out as the greatest charm of her
-beauty. Yet the quiet reserved manner cannot hide the force of her mind
-and her compelling personality. Charm, intelligence, great talent and
-courage, are all in her dower. What is it one admires the most? For me,
-certainly, the all-conquering gift of the _truly brave_.
-
-As my father used to say of General Gordon: “In the service of God and
-humanity, he was the bravest of men; and in his sorest need or his
-greatest loneliness, his courage rose all the time. To have known Gordon
-is to say with certainty, ‘God is courage!’”
-
-This fragile and thoroughly feminine little lady was first in the field
-against Abdul Hamid, one of the first to understand Angora, to leave all
-for the Pasha, to work without ceasing for Nationalism and the new
-Turkey. She tells me that a true account of the Greek atrocities, as
-_she_ saw them, will be an important feature of her memoirs, though I
-shall be, personally, more eager to read the story of her own courageous
-achievements.
-
-There is only one of her judgments upon things as they are which I
-regret, and believe to be mistaken. Trained in an American college, and
-honoured as she is all over the States, it is but natural that she
-should blame England for leading America astray on the subject of
-Christian minorities. Here neither nation assuredly can plead not
-guilty; but the exaggeration and the fervour of the false appeal have
-come, I honestly believe, from across the Atlantic, and not to them from
-us.
-
-Halidé’s first literary achievement, for which she was decorated by the
-Sultan, was to translate “The Mother in the Home,” by an American
-pedagogue of the sixties; just the kind of book one would expect an
-intelligent young girl to choose!
-
-I first met Halidé Hanoum just after she had succeeded in ending her
-first marriage. The union was not a happy one—she was then only
-seventeen—but it brought her two fine sons, who are naturally very proud
-of their mother. Education and training among American-taught students
-had made it impossible for her to lead the old harem existence, but she
-was able to give herself up to deep study, absorbing from her husband’s
-extensive library the many original ideas she is now giving to the
-world. My friends have told me, and I can well believe, how much one
-loses of beauty in her exquisite style of writing from ignorance of the
-language. One envies her the rare combination of a first-class Eastern
-and Western culture.
-
-During the reign of Abdul Hamid she was condemned to death, and her
-“Memoirs” will, one day, reveal to us the terrible suffering of those
-years. Now, however, the pendulum has swung back, and she is reaping the
-reward of her courageous work for young Turkey by the high esteem and
-consideration she universally receives. She was frequently consulted by
-the late Talaat Pasha and the late Djémal Pasha, owing to her
-exceptional knowledge of Western institutions. It was at her house, too,
-I met the able and charming editor of the _Tanine_, Hussein Djahid,
-afterwards with us at Lausanne. All Turkey’s great men have visited her,
-and visit her still; and, without doubt, much of the destiny of her
-country has come to birth, if not maturity, in her home.
-
-Under the shadow of renewed war, this citizen in the Great Republic of
-Letters could not refrain from the sad topics of Greek atrocities and
-Lausanne, but soon turned our talk to more congenial thoughts.
-
-She asked after John Masefield, and I told her that he had been a
-stretcher-bearer during the war, and recently I sent him a laurel leaf
-from Rome with an enclosed note: “Coming events cast their shadows
-before!”
-
-I believe in frankly telling an author how much one enjoys his work, and
-have myself often appreciated the pleasures of such spontaneous
-flattery. Was I not myself grateful to receive from Australian mothers
-letters thanking me for “having written the truth about the Turks.”
-Their sons were prisoners in Turkey.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- BROUSSA.
- General view of this charming Asiatic city.
- p. 256
-]
-
-[Illustration:
-
- HALIDÉ HANOUM.
- THE WELL-KNOWN WRITER, PATRIOT, AND FEMINIST LEADER.
- She has ridden all over Anatolia, making official reports for the
- Turkish Government concerning Greek atrocities.
-]
-
-[Illustration:
-
- DR. ADNAN BEY.
- HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR CONSTANTINOPLE.
- Husband of Halidé Hanoum.
- p. 208
-]
-
-Sarojini Naidu, also a friend of Halidé Hanoum, sent me an exquisite
-poem during the world’s despair. As the words went perfectly to the tune
-of “Rose in the Bud,” I have sung them again and again for conquest in
-sorrow, and rejoiced in their magic power. To those yearning for higher
-things, to whom words of faith bring comfort amidst the cold angles of
-life, the little poem may have its message:
-
- Nay, do not weep tho’ life be full of sadness;
- Dawn will not veil her splendour for your grief,
- Nor spring withhold that bright appointed beauty
- From lily’s blossom or Ashaka leaf.
-
- Nay, do not pine tho’ life be full of trouble;
- Time will not pause nor tarry on his way.
- To-day that seems so long, so strange, so bitter,
- Will soon be some forgotten yesterday.
-
- Nay, do not weep—new hopes—new dreams—new faces,
- The unspent joy of all the unborn years,
- Will prove your heart a traitor to its sorrow
- And make your eyes unfaithful to their tears.
- SAROJINI NAIDU.
-
-After the Constitution of 1918 had been proclaimed, “Freedom for Women”
-became one of the burning questions of the day. Here, Halidé Hanoum was
-almost immediately the acknowledged leader, and has ever since been
-urging her sisters, with noble eloquence, to take the position so long
-denied them in the life of the country. With her solid backing from
-Talaat and Djémal, Djavid and H. Djahid, she achieved wonders of
-awakening. In those old days I had myself contributed to some of the
-excellent women’s papers, which were brought out for the discussion of
-educational and social problems, among which I regret to have seen no
-more of that most promising sheet, the _Kadinlar Dunyassi_. At the
-request of the Department of Public Instruction, Halidé Hanoum drew up a
-programme of Education for Women and was herself appointed Chief
-Inspector of Schools.
-
-By the letter of the law at least, Turkish women are in a much better
-position than women have yet secured among us—to the disgrace of Western
-liberty. They have always administered their own property, signed all
-documents relating to their own affairs, have the full privileges of a
-witness in the courts, and are allowed to plead their own cases—we have
-not.
-
-They were, unfortunately, kept back socially during the retrograde
-régime of the ruthless Hamid; but their fine work on the battle-fields
-of the Balkan wars, side by side in the ranks with their men, and their
-able organisation of the Red Crescent Society, carried them forward _a
-hundred years_.
-
-There has been a certain amount of agitation for the abolition of the
-veil, but the tradition withstands reform, though it is now no more than
-a sort of toque, or turban, such as we also frequently wear. However,
-Halidé Hanoum—most advanced of feminists—has never herself abandoned the
-veil, probably seeing in it a Nationalist, if not a religious, symbolic
-significance.
-
-I wish I could reproduce at least some of the finest passages from some
-of her lectures. The noble spirit of her inspiration yet speaks, even to
-those unable to follow her words. No one can marvel that she set her
-hearers on fire to save “all that remained of the Turkish
-Empire—Anatolia.” As she has written, “It is the love of race which
-first made the Turks a mighty people. Whatever may come, rest assured
-our race cannot die. It hath immortal life. Though we stand alone
-against the world, our love of race will give us courage. Till we can
-once more stand proudly beside the nations, we will fear no obstacle and
-shrink from no self-sacrifice!”
-
-She gave to Mustapha Kemal Pasha, before his full powers were proven to
-all, the words found on the stone of an old Turkish Padishah:
-
-“God appointed me ruler, that the name and fame of the Turkish race
-might not be extinguished. I was not appointed to rule over a rich, but
-over a poor, people, scantily supplied with food and clothing. For the
-Turkish race I slept not at night, I rested not by day, I worked for my
-people till death.”
-
-Her work in Syria, interrupted, alas! by the war, has established her
-remarkable powers of organisation; and though she denies that she was
-ever actually in the Cabinet, no one can doubt that she would make a
-splendid Minister of Education. The deputies themselves are so eager for
-her admission to the Assembly, that we may easily soon hear that the
-department has been placed in her able hands.
-
-At Beyrout she converted the big building of the Dames de Nazareth into
-a fine school, where, faithful to her Western training, she gave special
-prominence to Swedish drill, and where, as in the American colleges,
-Moslem and Christian sit side by side. When the English advanced in
-Syria she handed over her schools, and her Armenian and Turkish orphans,
-to the Americans, with the womanly entreaty that they would “care for
-them and, above all, make them good boys and girls.”
-
-The Turkey of her dreams and ambitions stands for peace and territorial
-integrity, for progress in education and equal rights to Moslems and
-Christians. She knows when peace comes that England, with no thoughts of
-intrusion, will yet be only too glad to help. England is generous and
-hospitable. Turkish students, in medicine and other faculties, have long
-been with us (at Bedford College and elsewhere), conquering all
-difficulties of language, climate, and social customs, taking their
-degrees, etc, beside British women. Our schools, our hospitals and clubs
-will always welcome all who wish to come to us: as Halidé Hanoum knew
-well, before I reminded her.
-
-Despite their limited heritage, often from mothers who cannot read or
-write, Turkish women are brilliant students. I well remember trying to
-interest the public in a friend of mine who, after specialising in
-Gynæcology at Dublin, secured a London M.D. But the paper which could
-not find space for this interesting achievement gaily printed long
-columns of “Arabian Nights” nonsense about the strange ways of Turkey
-which belonged, in fact, to the period of the woad-stained ancient
-Britons. If the public really must have cheap romance, they would not
-complain of an approximately correct date!
-
-It is fortunate, indeed, for Turkey that their leading feminist will
-work for progress on sound lines, and is far too wise to see no farther
-for women than a junior partnership with men.
-
-There are, at present, but few feminine stars in the Turkish firmament.
-But all are loyally united in one common cause—to gain their freedom and
-save the Fatherland. It is too soon for us to indulge in prophecy on
-what their final self-organisation may achieve.
-
-Halidé Hanoum, like so many others, is trying to regain the health she
-spent so generously during the war. Attached to the army as a sergeant,
-she followed the troops without a thought of danger and fatigue; and
-since the recent hostilities she has ridden from town to town throughout
-Anatolia, collecting and arranging her report of the Greek destruction
-and atrocities. This report, controlled by experts and neutral
-commissions, was sent to the Lausanne Conference. Halidé Hanoum’s
-expression is sad. “How can I help loving my Anatolian home?” she said.
-“It has cost us such a terrible price in lives and suffering to save our
-land, we naturally would all die now rather than live in slavery again.
-
-“I am horrified to hear,” she went on, “that anyone can still attribute
-the fire in Smyrna to the Turks. Why do they not accuse them, too, of
-burning Asia Minor? Will it always have to be so? Although the Greek
-atrocities committed in our land are too horrible even to talk or write
-about, excuses are always found for the Greeks, while anything done by
-the Turks is grossly, unjustly exaggerated. If one Christian dies, the
-whole Christian world is concerned, as it should be. But, on the other
-hand, when a whole community of Moslems is wiped out, no one cares....
-It is this spirit of injustice that exasperates Moslems. Now, however,
-our recent victory gives us the right to demand equal consideration with
-Europeans, no more, no less.” But, “speaking of Greek atrocities,” she
-continues, “the world has simply _got to know_ what they were during
-this war. Dr. Nansen, of the League of Nations, is busy lecturing on the
-Greeks’ suffering, but what of the Turks’? All the terrible devastation
-to which you can testify, all the number of women and children burnt and
-violated; the world must have these figures to pass judgment on the
-Greeks. This eternal and unjust fault-finding with the Turk not only
-breaks his spirit (remember he is an Asiatic), but incites him to do
-things he never otherwise would think of doing. It is a most dangerous
-policy.”
-
-With regard to the Conference, Halidé Hanoum seems to have lost her
-usual optimism. “Are we right to have faith?” she asked. “We all of us
-welcomed a change in the British Government, and hoped that our
-interests would be impartially discussed at Lausanne, but what is
-happening?”
-
-The two actions which Halidé Hanoum considers _most_ unjust to Turkey
-are the endeavours to exempt Christians from military service and the
-retention of the Greek Patriarch. “After the effort we have made to be
-free, we must have our country to ourselves, and if the Greeks expect
-equal rights with the Moslems, they must fight for those citizen rights.
-As to the Patriarch, imagine asking us to keep a man who had taken
-advantage of his sacred calling to turn his flock against us.... Will
-the Western Powers always interfere? All our history goes to prove that
-Turks and Christians have lived together in perfect harmony. When the
-Powers began to interfere, however, the Christians showed the basest
-ingratitude. They invented the most wicked stories, knowing there was no
-justice for us, and that whatever they said would be believed. Now the
-Powers who turned the Christians against us cannot keep their promises.
-The Christians want to come back to us. But we will have _no more_
-interference.
-
-“If the Conference is only to be an excuse to wear the Turks out, why
-should we wait, only to fight in the end? A policy of slow death is
-intolerable. We do not seek war, though we are ready to fight, because
-we want to build up our country, take care of and educate our people,
-and give them a little of the comfort and happiness they deserve. Rather
-than have an unjust vassal-peace,” she concluded, “let us perish
-altogether.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-The picture of Halidé Hanoum confronts us on all sides throughout
-Anatolia. Among the heroes of the revolutions, the Turks reverence her
-as their Joan of Arc. No history of the Nationalist movement can ever be
-attempted or thought of without a full record of her courageous loyalty
-and untiring patriotism.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I was once asked to suggest the best way of helping forward the cause of
-women in Turkey. I naturally answered that I would give them England’s
-_best_: her social and nursing service, but, above all, her literature.
-M. Henri Taine wrote of us: “The English are a horrible race, but they
-have done all there is to be done in literature.” It has always made me
-ashamed to find so few English books in Turkish schools. Of course, at
-present, our language is not widely known among these people; but, as
-the nations of the world grow closer in thought and faith, one hopes
-that they, too, may share the inspiration and moral uplifting so many
-have found in our best classics.
-
-We should surely endeavour to remove the reproach implied by the words
-of Professor E. J. Browne: “French influence has played too large a
-part, both in the political and literary field, in the evolution of New
-Turkey, and French ideas have too long dominated Turkish reformers.”
-
-The life of Florence Nightingale and her precepts, our science and the
-writings of George Eliot, these few names and ideas may serve to
-indicate the treasure we have for all men. Our literature is a gold
-mine, which I, for one, long to see given its full honour and
-pre-eminence in the education and development of the women of Turkey.
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXV
-
- HOSPITALS—SCHOOLS—EDUCATION AND THE NATIONALIST WRITERS—THE DAYS PASS,
- BUT THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE AND SEEN
-
-
-ONE’S first impression of Angora would lead one to imagine that
-everything could be seen in a very short time; but the days pass, and
-there is still much to be done. I have visited the Governor, and
-congratulated him on the progress of the town’s development, which has
-advanced steadily, even since my arrival. If there were only peace, one
-could soon hope for completion.
-
-My guide, Vely Nedjdat Bey, understands what will interest me most; and
-the efforts of the Red Crescent, disclosed on our round of the
-hospitals, have given me a most agreeable surprise. The sanitation
-leaves much to be desired from our Western standards, but progressive
-Turks have now learnt the importance of such matters, and are determined
-to change their old ways, after the peace. It would be a formidable
-undertaking, at the moment impossible, to carry out the drastic
-alterations that are essential in these primitive buildings, with no
-modern heating apparatus, and so few well-trained professional nurses.
-Under such conditions they have done marvels with serum, and have
-actually kept down cholera, typhus, typhoid, and small-pox with
-extraordinary success. It is only unfortunate that they have adopted the
-French method of typhoid-inoculation right into the breast, which,
-though often effective, is certainly dangerous for women.
-
-The military hospital at Broussa—formerly the Splendid Hotel,
-overlooking a magnificent stretch of landscape—is excellently organised;
-and though asked for criticism by Dr. Nazoum, head of the Army Medical
-Service, I could not think of any improvement to suggest.
-
-We spent a morning at the Lycée for Girls, which was interesting, though
-I could not, of course, follow any of the classes in detail. Here,
-again, one can obtain the most charming views of the town of Angora, and
-I told the headmistress how I longed to carry away their wonderful front
-door. She was, evidently, pleased by the sincerity of my compliment, and
-had no fear lest I should follow the example of the Ambassador at
-Constantinople. His wife had so greatly admired a superb Byzantine
-fountain in our garden, that my host promptly gave orders for it to be
-dug up and sent to the Embassy, where it still remains!
-
-Young as she seemed, the headmistress clearly recognised the
-responsibilities of her position, which were—at once so hampered and so
-increased—in a state of war. At many of the Lycées in Anatolia there was
-a man as headmaster, his wife being the headmistress; during the war the
-men, of course, had all gone! Education, after all, can do nothing if
-there is no Fatherland—no one to educate!
-
-One class was being instructed by a hodja on the meaning of their
-prayers and the general principles of the Faith; and I also heard
-classes in history and geography, literature and hygiene. I was told
-that, in hygiene, the subject that morning was the evils of alcohol as a
-beverage. They were taught, however, in what ways alcohol _can_ be used
-actually to benefit mankind. All honour to those who teach their
-children, from the first, the terrible curse of drink!
-
-The girls recited patriotic poems for my benefit which sounded very
-beautiful to the foreign ear. It is, I suppose, the sequence of even and
-uneven syllables which produce this musical effect. They were taught,
-apparently, in all subjects to stand up and answer questions in a short
-speech: surely an admirable training, likely to ensure their knowing how
-to use the language in writing and speaking with far more correctness,
-elegance, and effect than most of our young people ever attempt.
-
-I peeped into the dormitories, which, like the class-rooms, seemed in
-excellent order. Coffee and tea were laid out for us in the
-recreation-room; and before we left the head-girl expressed their
-pleasure and thanks in what was—evidently—a neat and charming little
-speech.
-
-I felt, however, that, like the headmistress of Broussa College, my
-hostess no doubt regretted that there were now neither Greeks nor
-Armenians at the school. There had been no more difficulty in the
-class-rooms than elsewhere through life, as to maintaining perfect
-harmony between Moslem and Christian. I was told that, though the latter
-were generally supposed to be the cleverer, Turkish girls were, in a
-way, more keen and quick to learn. They had, at any rate, a quite
-friendly desire not to be beaten, and now they miss the valuable
-competition.
-
-In olden days, though women even attained to fame in politics and
-literature, the general standard for education was elementary, and no
-public provision for it had been made.
-
-Primary schools were started about sixty years ago; secondary and
-professional schools soon followed. There are now girls’ schools
-wherever one for boys has been established; in most towns also a Lycée
-for Girls, and Normal Colleges in many counties of Asia Minor. There is
-a Training College at Constantinople, from which the senior students
-also attend lectures at the Women’s University, which shares
-laboratories and lectures—in science and medicine—with the University
-for men. I suspect, sometimes, Mustapha Kemal Pasha may introduce
-co-education throughout!
-
- * * * * *
-
-So much interesting literature has been produced by the Nationalist
-movement, that one must hope Professor E. G. Browne may, one day, pursue
-his splendid defence of Turkey by giving us extensive extracts from
-these writers in English. The greatest of all our living scholars in
-Turkish, Persian, and Arabic, he has devoted his whole life to the
-fascinating subject; and Prince Samad Khan has told me that he lectures
-in Persian without the trace of an accent.
-
-Graciously writing a Preface to my “Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem,” he
-said that as “a friend and admirer of the Turks, as well as a student of
-their language and literature, it is always a satisfaction to me to find
-a fresh opportunity of testifying to my belief in the virtues of this
-much-maligned and ill-used race.”
-
-Recent events, however, seem to have paralysed his enthusiasm, bringing
-depression that killed his zeal for the task he now felt it would be of
-no avail to pursue.
-
-The Nationalist victory, let us hope, will encourage him to resume work
-with a revived, and ever greater, enthusiasm. I had intended, indeed, to
-ask him for a summary of the “Nationalist Literary Revival,” by way of a
-chapter in this book. But there was not time to presume so far on the
-kindness he has never refused to show.
-
-I have, therefore, reproduced, to the best of my ability, a few notes
-put together for me by that distinguished Professor, Hussein Raghib Bey,
-formerly Director of the Angora Press, and now Charge d’Affaires at the
-Paris Embassy. He is an exceptionally well-informed critic in the
-education, literature and politics of his own country, which travel also
-enables him to compare with the educational systems of Europe. He told
-me that, while he admired the thoroughness of German methods, he could
-not tolerate their unjust administration of corporal punishment, which,
-in his judgment, vitiated the whole system. Turkish schools have all
-adopted French methods; and, myself a proud pupil of the École Normale
-Supérieure de Sèvres, I do not believe there is any finer instruction in
-the world. But in the fullest sense of real and complete education, the
-best work is being done in England. The ideal would seem to be a
-combination of the two.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Hussein Raghib took me right back to the “Divans,” a collection, or
-portfolio, of more or less national poems, celebrating the virtues of
-God and the Prophet. Love-poetry does not begin before Fouzouli, in the
-reign of Suliman the Magnificent. Any ghazals (_i.e._, love songs) that
-I have heard sung here do not seem to express our conception of love.
-The music sounds more tender and mournful than passionate, and the song
-itself is often addressed to the Unknown, to Love in the Abstract, and
-not to the individual Beloved. Again and again I caught the word “pity,”
-suggesting ideas and moods we should not expect to find.
-
-After the “Divans,” we notice the strong influence of Persian literature
-in Turkey, even the introduction of Persian words—a consequence, no
-doubt, of wars in Persia and Arabia. Moreover, the Koran was then a
-predominating influence in all literature, as well as in science; and
-Arabic was the language of religion.
-
-It was Selim, to whom the King of Egypt handed over the Holy Relics—the
-standard, the coat, and the wooden sculptured shoes—with the solemn
-injunction, “They are yours—to hold; for you are qualified to be
-Khalife.” From that day and for ever, any Khalife who shall desert his
-guardianship of the Relics is, by that sin, self-deposed. And Great
-Britain, the largest Moslem Power in the whole world, revealed her
-ignorance, or her indifference, by calling Wahid-Eddin, “The Khalife,”
-long after his escape to Malta!
-
- * * * * *
-
-We see, then, that in the days of Sultan Mahmoud (that is, in our
-eighteenth century), the Turkish language was largely composed of Arabic
-and Persian, through the influence of religion. Then, precisely as our
-people in the old days could not read or speak the scholar’s Latin of
-our great literature, the people of Turkey could not understand their
-own writers.
-
-It was about 1339 (in our nineteenth century) that the cultured and
-intelligent Schinassi Effendi was sent to France. As other scholars and
-men of letters began to study Western culture in England, in her turn,
-Turkey was following European progress, towards desertion of any
-scholastic influences and academic style. Windows, that looked
-Westwards, were opening at last, to religion and literature alike.
-
-Schinassi Effendi was inspired by a fine, broad-minded enthusiasm. He
-secured introductions to Lamartine and other great French writers; and,
-when he returned to Constantinople, immediately set to work upon a
-complete revolution of style and outlook in Turkish literature. With an
-ideal of most admirable and direct simplicity, he succeeded in modelling
-the language upon the best French, clear and logical way of
-construction.
-
-Perhaps the most distinguished of his pupils were Namik Kemal Bey and
-Adbul Hak-Hamid; but there were many who helped to extend, and
-establish, his literary revolution. They did not, of course, cut away
-the whole traditional influence of the Arabs and the Persians; but, with
-orderly methods that were Western, produced almost a new Turkish
-language (which their own people could read and appreciate) that was
-perfectly adapted for the artistic and imaginative expression of modern
-thought and contemporary life. The European style and intellect, in its
-purely native setting, was, naturally, most apparent in their fiction.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Namik Kemal Bey was among those who died in exile for their ideals,
-leaving behind him some most touching pages in honour of the English
-character and constitution. When Zeyneb came to England she read some of
-his work to me, just at the time when some of our Liberal statesmen, to
-their eternal shame, had begun to declare their admiration for the
-Russia of the Czars. We arranged open-air meetings outside Sloane Square
-Station and at a big Opera House—to protest against the British M.P.’s
-visit to Russia. Zeyneb’s comment was simple: “What would our great
-Kemal say?” Constitutional England allied to Czarist Russia!
-
- * * * * *
-
-The acknowledged leader of the New literature was Abdul Hak-Hamid, for
-some time a member of the Turkish Embassy in London. Schinassi and Kemal
-stood half-way between the past and this great modern writer,
-representing, also, patriotism in literature, as it dominated prose, at
-the declaration of the Constitution.
-
-At this time, of course, “patriotism” meant “the Revolution of 1908,” a
-united attack on the tyranny of Abdul Hamid, who had persecuted Turks,
-Greeks, and Armenians alike.
-
-Once the Constitution had been proclaimed, however, the Armenians turned
-to Russia for help to establish their own independence; the Greeks
-sought to revive an “Empire” from Athens.
-
-The Turks, who had never hesitated to appoint a Greek or an Armenian
-among their Viziers and Foreign Ministers, who always sent Christian
-Ambassadors to England, and who had chosen the Armenian, Gabriel Effendi
-Nouradunghian, for their Minister of Foreign Affairs, were now driven to
-concentrate their betrayed enthusiasm upon building up a Turkish nation
-_of their own_—for themselves alone.
-
-Their scholars, therefore, devoted themselves to scientific research;
-social institutions were founded; they studied philosophy, national
-economy, and sociology; they prepared their own ethnography, history,
-and geography, and the reformed Turkish language.
-
-They had, as it were, to build up a complete learning; almost a
-universal knowledge; a true world-culture for Eastern peoples; that, by
-its “National” inspiration, should create for Turkey a spirit and a
-soul.
-
-That great _savant_, Zia Gueuk Alp, one of the Malta victims, and
-afterwards Professor of Sociology at Constantinople, has done more for
-the New literature than any other one writer; as Mehmet Emin Bey, who
-lives at Adalia, is their leading poet. They have others, of course, who
-produced fine work; among whom Yahia Kemal would probably prove the
-outstanding genius, had he the energy to maintain his highest gifts. The
-pangs of a Nation’s Birth, out of Sacrifice, have found voice.
-
-There are two women of genius in this group. To Halidé Hanoum we have
-already devoted a chapter, in honour of a wise and passionate
-personality that has impressed itself on the whole history of a
-generation. We in England, I hope, are shortly to have a translation of
-her remarkable “Nouveau Touran.”
-
-Mufidé Hanoum (Mme. Ferid Bey) also approaches, though she has not
-reached, the outstanding genius of Halidé Hanoum. She is a younger
-woman, a less experienced writer, and, maybe, she lacks the inspiration
-that comes from long strain and suffering.
-
-“There are others,” concluded Hussein Raghib, “whom you _ought_ to know,
-though they are not equally great.”
-
-“But I’ve stayed too long already,” I replied, “interrupting your work.”
-
-And busy men, even in the East, must not neglect the State for
-courtesies too prolonged.
-
-Hussein Raghib himself has published a very delightful “Story of
-Nationalism,” dating from the Closing of the Turkish Parliament. “As a
-matter of fact,” he writes, “the _Turc Odjagui_ was the beginning of
-Nationalism.” This was a club founded by Hamdoullah Soubhi Bey as a
-protest against “Union and Progress,” and to place the movement on a
-national, as opposed to a party, basis. Halidé Hanoum and other
-prominent women were admitted; and its three thousand members included
-professional men like officers, lawyers, doctors, professors and
-writers; and men of all nationalities—Greeks and Armenians, Persians and
-Arabs. It was closed by the English, but has recently been re-assembled.
-
-Mustapha Kemal Pasha contributed handsomely to the funds, and Hamdoullah
-Soubhi came from Angora for the re-opening. “As our territory has become
-smaller, our intellectual empire must become wider,” said Hussein
-Raghib. “That is the spirit behind the club.” I had, unfortunately, to
-leave for Lausanne before the opening ceremony.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I have just been to the famous Hadgi Bairam Mosque, and found its chief
-charm, as I expected, in the exquisite colouring of the carpets and
-antique faïences. These glowing scarlets and blues, mauves and
-terra-cottas, surely compensate, in some measure, for all the grey that
-overshadows life. Europe would not seem so sordid if we imported more
-bright colours from the East—for our _East_ Ends! Nothing fascinates me
-so much as the atmosphere of a mosque; the un-selfconsciousness and
-natural reverence of the men at prayers; out of the world, in Allah’s
-home.
-
-Surely faith is the same for all men, making all men equal!
-
-“The gods,” said my guide, “are three—Goodness, Beauty, and Truth.”
-
-“To which I would add Courage,” was my response.
-
-“As you please,” he answered.
-
-He told me that “The Pasha” and the first Deputies all came to visit the
-Mosque before the opening of the Grand National Assembly, joined by
-everyone in Angora—even sceptics—“to lift our hands to Heaven in prayer,
-confident that victory must be ours.”
-
-We went on to the tomb of the Sainted Man, robed in shawl and turban,
-after the picturesque Eastern manner. The guardian of the tomb was
-seated before it on his crossed legs, reading the Koran; and around him
-were many women, weeping over their prayers.... “Is it for peace, or for
-their dead?” I wondered!
-
- * * * * *
-
-That afternoon I determined to try and find out all I could about the
-army from some of my friends at the Assembly.
-
-“You are very indiscreet,” said the officer, whose attention I had
-managed to secure.
-
-“I know that,” was my reply; “it is a little like asking St. Peter for
-just a peep into Heaven. But you _can_ tell me something?”
-
-“What do you wish to know? Our normal military service is for three
-years. We naturally have to adopt conscription for an indefinite period
-in times of war.”
-
-“What was the meaning of the large crowd at the Town Hall to-day?”
-
-“They were enlisting. We cannot let go now. The sovereign rights of the
-people must be maintained.”
-
-“You were beaten to the dust in the Great War,” I suggested.
-
-“We _were_ defeated in Palestine. But most of our troops went to
-Cilicia; we were victorious in the Dardanelles and the Caucasus. Few of
-the Powers were forced to scatter their forces along so many frontiers.
-
-“The English were nowhere near Mosul,” he went on, “and they never
-really broke up our army; they just took possession of Constantinople
-and, through the Greeks, of Smyrna. They taught us the _fait accompli_.
-
-“It was necessary for us, of course, after the rupture with
-Constantinople, to reorganise the whole army. The Pasha was forced to
-call in officers to train companies, even irregulars. Ali Fuad commanded
-in the North; Refet Pasha in the South. At the first battle we had two
-big guns only!
-
-[Illustration:
-
- AGHA AGLOU AHMED BEY.
- DIRECTOR OF THE ANGORA PRESS.
- He sent a charming message to the author of this book complimenting
- her on her courage.
- p. 224
-]
-
-“The work went on day and night: collecting and training men, making or
-repairing arms and munitions, gathering metal—often from railway lines.
-No one thought of rest till all was ready in numbers and construction.
-We had ten thousand men in July, 1920, we are four hundred thousand
-to-day! We obtained four hundred and fifty big guns, and a fleet of
-aeroplanes from the Greeks; a thousand machine-guns, besides clothing,
-tents, horses and mules, from the English.
-
-“Now we have no grounds for fear, though you in England will not attempt
-to realise our Mosul figures: _Turks_, 150,000; _Kurds_, 450,000;
-_Arabs_, 30,000; _Nestorians_, 30,000. The _Kurds_ wish to unite with
-us. The _Nestorians_ will fight, either as independent allies or under
-Turkish officers.”
-
-“Colonel Mougin says that your army is the best officered in the world,”
-I said.
-
-“Our Staff is composed of picked men with great experience and
-knowledge; the officers have been chosen with great care. We are young,
-energetic, well-trained, and, above all, fired with enthusiasm for the
-cause.
-
-“There is no calling more honoured than that of the army. None may marry
-without the consent of his superior officer.”
-
-“Can he marry a Christian?” I asked.
-
-He hesitated a moment, and then replied: “It isn’t done.”
-
-“Ah!” I smiled, “you have stolen our English _credo_.”
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVI
-
- LAST DAYS IN ANGORA: EXCURSIONS, CONVERSATIONS, PICNICS—HAÏDAR BEY’S
- PARTY
-
-
-ANGORA, certainly, carries one back to the centuries before Christ;
-although we now realise that life was by no means without its luxury in
-those bygone days. As the houses of Pompeii were warmed by hot air
-behind the walls, and the baths were not only hygienic but luxurious, it
-would puzzle one to find what now remains in Angora from the comfortable
-period of Augustus. There is also a prehistoric atmosphere about Smyrna,
-or as it was once wittily expressed: “Since its deliverance from Greeks
-and Armenians, it has the charm of Sodom and Gomorrah after the fire.”
-
-But every day I am more at a loss to imagine where the thirty thousand
-inhabitants of Angora are living to-day. I have seen some of them in
-their charmingly improvised houses, made homelike by the marvellous
-carpets of the East; but, as one always goes back to one’s first love, I
-give up the problem, and return to talk with the “élite” at the
-Assembly.
-
-One day I found the Director of the Angora Press, Aga Aglou Ahmed Bey,
-in his tasteful little ante-room, and learnt that he, too, found it hard
-to forgive the recent policy of Great Britain. He repeated, also, the
-note of despair I hear so often: “Whatever we do is wrong.”
-
-“Yet,” he added, “had our movement originated in America, we should have
-had the whole world at our feet. All growing nations have been allowed
-to separate Church and State. We have, indeed, troubles within and
-without, but they have only strengthened the spirit of Nationalism,
-which the Pasha himself could not now destroy.
-
-“Alas, poor Turkey! Abdul Hamid disposed of Turks with amazing
-dexterity: he lost them, killed them, or forgot them; and who cared?
-They were not Christians!
-
-“Look what it cost us to depose the ‘Red’ Sultan, and then we had the
-‘Black’ Sultan. When we got rid of him, Europe was not pleased. See how
-the English are defending him; though one of your charming countrymen
-told me they would not give him ‘house-room’ in your own country.”
-
-I suggested, and Halidé Hanoum agreed, we could not refuse to find a
-safe home for our vassal; although, certainly, his visit to Mecca could
-not be justified by our refusal to go on paying his board in Malta.
-
-Ahmed Bey expressed his enthusiasm for Lord Curzon’s books on the East.
-As a young student, he told me, he had written glowing appreciations of
-this brilliant statesman, in whom all the Moslems had once put their
-trust. From Malta, he wrote to Lord Curzon: “One of your greatest
-admirers, who has often expressed his eulogies in public, is now in
-prison, a prisoner of peace, taken out of his bed....”
-
-The names of Calthorpe and Milne will go down through the history of
-Turkey; but not to the credit of England.
-
-Here is the charming message sent to me by Aga Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director
-of the Press of Angora:—
-
-“I am, indeed, sorry that illness prevents my coming to tell you
-personally what your visit means to us, and the feelings of gratitude
-and respect that you inspire in the hearts of all the Turks by your
-_courage_ and _love of the truth_....”
-
-I was particularly glad to hear that although, like most of his
-compatriots, Ahmed Bey holds that all propaganda is foreign to the
-character of the Turks, he has determined to open a “Bureau of
-Information” as soon as Peace is signed. I cannot doubt that this will
-be a great benefit to all Islam.
-
-“_My_ propaganda,” I told him, “would be inspired by the determination
-to blazon abroad the marvellous kindness of all your race. Few people
-have any idea how hospitable and generous the Turks have been.”
-
-“Dear Mademoiselle,” he replied, “you are right. We have not the
-sky-scrapers of New York; but we have big hearts. Yet we have given you
-so little comfort....”
-
-“You have given me your best, and I appreciate it. Hygiene and luxury
-are not everything; though I have a pet theory of my own as to the
-holding of hands between East and West in the realm of hygiene: ‘First,
-I wash myself _à la West_, or, as you call it, in dirty water; then I
-perfect the ceremony _à la East_, that is, in running water. On the
-other hand, for a bath, I like to start with the Turkish and end with
-the English. You see I am already half-Oriental.’”
-
-Though rather exceptionally sympathetic and broad-minded, I gathered
-from the Director that he, and others, were not quite so enthusiastic
-about the French, as they, certainly, had been quite recently. Much was
-expected of France at Lausanne, and they were disappointed in
-proportion.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The _Athenaeum_ published a strange comment on my last book about
-Turkey, from a writer who claimed to know the East: “When a race becomes
-disciplined and energetic, the number of blonde women becomes greater!”
-I should not myself call many Turkish men I met blonde; but I have a
-certain impression of noticing a number of surprisingly fair men in
-Angora; and, maybe, the energy of the Nationalists is thus evidenced in
-the lighter colouring of their hair. If there be even a grain of truth
-in the theory, it seems a pity that women of all nations should resort
-to peroxide and henna, when a little hard work would have a better, and
-more lasting, effect.
-
- * * * * *
-
-To-day, one feels the Grand National Assembly has achieved success, and
-is permanently established. This sense of security is, no doubt, partly
-derived from remembering what earlier parliaments, with scarcely less
-loyal enthusiasm, attempted, and failed to achieve. I remember my first
-visit to Adbul Hamid’s Parliament, and the big hopes by which we were
-all then inspired. It had been no easy matter to overthrow that hideous
-tyrant, and we have no reason to blame that Government for not realising
-our full expectations. Other governments in other countries have failed
-again and again on their road to ultimate success. On that opening day,
-too, I remember seeing, with pity and respect, a pale and lonely figure,
-seated silent among the general rejoicings, unnoticed and forgotten. It
-was the son of the great Midhat, who had established a still earlier
-parliament. All honour to the pioneers.
-
- * * * * *
-
-On another occasion Djellal Noury Bey, deputy for Gallipoli and editor
-of the Constantinople _Illeri_ (or “Forwards”), gave me some further
-impressions of the “Pasha” and of many interesting Anatolian problems.
-However closely the leaders agree on general principles, it is always
-helpful to compare as many individual points of view as one can obtain.
-Djellal Noury has been to England and the States, and speaks perfect
-English and French. We have mutual friends in London.
-
-I asked whether I might go over the National Pact with him, clause by
-clause; as although, or rather because, I am so keen a friend to
-Nationalism, I want to be _sure_ whether there are any points in their
-scheme, or their aims and attitude, that I _do_ find fault with, or
-should like to criticise.
-
-He seemed only too delighted that anyone should care so much for a full
-discussion of their important work, and put everything before me as
-clearly and thoroughly as I could possibly wish.
-
-But I could find nothing unreasonable in a single clause, if the Turkish
-nation is to achieve _real_ nationality.
-
-As business men, for example, can the foreigners justly wish to maintain
-exemption from taxes? As Djellal Noury explained it: “The European and
-the Turk buy goods, say at five francs. The European pays no taxes and
-can sell for six francs. As the Turk pays a tax, he has to charge seven
-francs, and, being cut out in price, is naturally left with a large
-stock in hand. These are conditions which, obviously, cannot be
-maintained. Capitulations have strangled the commerce of the country and
-its progress.
-
-“It may happen that one Power takes out a Concession for the railways,
-but cannot, or will not, fulfil ifs contract. We have to go without
-railways. We cannot go elsewhere when a Concession has been granted.”
-
-I complimented Djellal Noury upon the excellence of his French. “I used
-to edit a French paper,” he replied, as he looked round the ante-room in
-search of anyone to whom I might especially like to be introduced. For
-my part, my attention had just been caught by one of the hodjas.
-
-“These people do not think as we do,” he said, catching the direction of
-my glance.
-
-“Then you are anti-Islam?”
-
-“Not at all; I am strongly _pro_-Islam. The broad-minded dogmas of our
-religion can meet all modern requirements, moral or spiritual. But the
-Koran is not properly interpreted by the hodjas. The will of the people
-is our religion; service is worship!”
-
-I remember a story of Mahomet I heard in Turkey. “The prophet was one
-day walking with his disciples, and passed a group of workmen on the
-river’s bank who did not stop their task, even to salute him. When his
-disciples inquired whether these men should not be called to order, he
-replied: ‘Work and service are the greatest homage that the faithful can
-pay to their prophet.’”
-
-I had already conceived the idea that Nationalism is a religion. One
-sees the National Pact beside the bedside, as we have our prayer-books.
-Colonel Tewfik has a copy, bound like a small almanac, in his waistcoat
-pocket. The principles of Angora are their “Holy Gospel.” To be a
-Nationalist is to stand for your country’s most vital interests.
-
-We spoke of the Press—Turkish as well as British. The whole Turkish
-Press stands for Nationalism, irrespective of any opposed local opinions
-or interests. With us, the fine independence of other days has
-departed—one hopes not for ever. In the hands of a few party-peers one
-could, perhaps, expect nothing better. Were it not anti-Islam, one would
-name the _Manchester Guardian_ as the most honest newspaper to-day.
-
-Djellal Noury had given up so many afternoons to explaining to me the
-whole policy of Nationalism, that I was grieved to hear of his having
-called to see me one afternoon when a party had been arranged for me by
-the colonel to join one of their shooting expeditions. I wish he could
-have been persuaded to join us.
-
-A special carriage and two of the finest horses in Angora had been
-requisitioned for the occasion; and though the colonel was prevented, at
-the last moment, from being with us, we made up four guns, and every man
-had two rows of cartridges round his waist.
-
-I had visions of our coming Sunday lunch; but, alas! it was bitterly
-cold (in spite of rugs and shawls) on these lovely and picturesque
-roads, white with frost; and when we had waited a whole afternoon for
-the shooters to shoot, someone at last bagged a magpie.
-
-Passing a flock of geese, by which the old woman of a tiny roadside farm
-was standing sentinel, I asked one of the party to hand me a gun with
-which to shoot one of the geese by mistake. I remembered in time,
-however, that the only time I had ever aimed at a rabbit, I killed a
-fox; and I was afraid that by aiming at the goose I should probably
-shoot the lady.
-
-So they toiled on for another hour with no better result, and we began
-to hesitate about facing the colonel and the director of the Ottoman
-Bank, where we had all been invited to Sunday lunch. But on the way back
-we were lucky enough to buy a fine, plump hare from two peasant women we
-passed on the road; and the colonel was boldly informed that it had
-fallen to Osman Noury. “Madame Noury must cook him,” cried the colonel,
-with a laugh that struck one as rather suspicious. The colonel supplied
-champagne; Mme. Noury superintended the hare and the pilaw; Boghetti
-brought some fruit; Oeillet was responsible for the cigarettes.
-
-When behold, to the manifest discomfort of Osman Noury, the colonel
-began asking awkward questions about the “where’s and when’s.” “Be
-careful,” I said, “the colonel is going to wire to his Government about
-it.” When the laughter subsided, Osman Noury blushingly explained that
-it had cost him two Turkish pounds! I am sure neither the fact nor the
-confession diminished our enjoyment of the merry feast.
-
-I have been very ill to-day, on the point of slipping out of this world
-altogether. Not realising the danger of close proximity to a mangal, I
-carried the precious warmth into my bedroom, to feast on its exquisite
-purple flames, which I just remember comparing to a sunset. Fortunately,
-my faithful maid was in the room when I lost consciousness, and I was
-carried out of the poisonous air.
-
-The colonel told me afterwards that before they knew whether I should
-recover, he was possessed of a horrible panic that he could never
-persuade his Government I had died by accident.... Everyone will say
-“the Turks poisoned you and the Frenchman let them do it.” Well, I am
-still here, and the papers have lost an excellent opportunity for lying
-copy. M. Louis Steeg declares: “You surely will never die!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-The Pasha has graciously lent me his car for a visit to Halidé Hanoum.
-It is a pretty little machine, lined with blue velvet, which hops and
-bumps and plunges along the roads like a kangaroo, swimming across the
-river for more miles of twisting acrobatics. I have always admired the
-carriage-drivers: before (or rather behind) M. Kemal’s chauffeur I am
-dumb. But, apparently, the cars “don’t mind”!
-
-I was imprudent enough to dismiss my conductor at the nearest point to
-my host’s house, which even he could not reach, and walked on to find
-the servants had all disappeared, no doubt to the Mosque, and the family
-were not at home! Being in Turkey I did not hesitate to step down the
-road and knock at the first door I came to, which was of plain deal,
-with the usual huge lock (quite a foot long) and picturesque knocker. A
-thin-faced woman appeared to welcome me, and, without thinking, I fell
-back on my stock greeting: “Mustapha Kemal Pasha, _Chok Guzel_!”
-Accepting my muddy boots without demur, she smilingly led me into her
-little two-roomed cabin: on one side, the sleeping-room with its bed and
-well-cushioned divan; on the other, her simple kitchen. When she had
-tucked me up on the Divan, and given me coffee and cigarettes, I did my
-best at conversation, and by friendly signs tried to convey my
-gratitude. “England is a big country ... M. Kemal’s victory splendid ...
-cold weather outside,” my eyes and hands said.
-
-If she did not exactly understand what was in my mind, she was polite
-enough to seem thoroughly interested. I sat on till I could hear the
-servants arriving at my host’s house, and with another supply of coffee,
-she smiled me farewell, without the slightest appearance of having
-resented my lengthy intrusion. They are hospitable in Anatolia!
-
- * * * * *
-
-Another person I met with pleasure at the Assembly was Hamdoullah Soubhi
-Bey. He is a distinguished writer and orator of about thirty-five, whose
-white hair offers a striking contrast to the alert youthfulness of his
-face and expression. He has spoken “cultured” French from the cradle;
-as, indeed, so many women of the upper classes know that language far
-better than Turkish. Zeyneb uses French in writing to Halidé Hanoum,
-being, no doubt, unwilling to trust her Turkish to so brilliant a
-writer.
-
-It must have been Hamdoullah Soubhi whom I heard, about ten years ago,
-plead so eloquently for the abolition of the harem. When he showed us
-what polygamy so often _meant_ to the children, few of his large
-audience could keep back their tears. The colonel had introduced him,
-and said that he had been the Minister of Education. “Why did he give up
-the post?” I asked. “Ah, _pourquoi_!” shrugged my friend, “it is a
-delight to talk with him. You, who love French, will indeed enjoy the
-exquisite language in which he clothes his thoughtful opinions. Such men
-are an ornament to any parliament.”
-
-Hamdoullah Soubhi does not seem to feel so leniently towards the Greeks
-as M. Kemal, and is less optimistic about their return. It had been
-supposed, he told me, that the marked differences between the two races
-would balance each other; but it has not proved so, and, in his
-judgment, they would always clash. “Our Anatolians, so long neglected
-and forgotten, are as they were three thousand years ago: honourable,
-firmly resisting all tempest, faithful to the traditions of their race,
-loyal to their chosen leader in the hour of danger.”
-
-I told him it should be a lesson for us in Europe, to find a map of Asia
-Minor in all the humble homes; while my host, the Minister of Public
-Works, always brings _his_ map on to our breakfast table, to familiarise
-me with all the geography of these wide lands. We are now studying
-Diarbékir and Kurdistan, not only the wonderful old towns, but the
-character of their cultured inhabitants. No wonder our Lausanne
-delegates have so affronted Turkey by their lofty allusions to the
-“illiterate” Kurd!
-
-“How can our younger civilisations, however advanced in science and
-commerce, ever have been so self-satisfied as to suppose that we could
-keep down such people for ever?”
-
-“Our forty millions,” answered Hamdoullah Soubhi, “will not be so easily
-suppressed. Remember, our language is spoken beyond the borders of
-China, and our civilisation can be traced all over the world.”
-
-When I afterwards met Hamdoullah Soubhi, in a little restaurant
-adjoining the Assembly buildings, he was accompanied by a brother of the
-late Djémal Pasha. I was glad of the opportunity to tell him that,
-“whatever the political mistakes of their former leader, I felt that the
-Turks had lost a great man.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-The proprietor of this little restaurant is also a professor. He
-determined that, while cooks, and indeed all servants, were almost
-impossible to obtain, the deputies should suffer no inconvenience. Now
-they all either drop in at the professor’s, or ask him to send them a
-snack to one of the rooms of the Assembly. The ready courtesy with which
-he offered to contrive a meal _à l’anglaise_, for my special benefit,
-clearly showed he is always willing to do his best.
-
-H. Soubhi Bey’s tastes are very simple, and he detests show or bluff.
-“We discard superstitions, alike in life and religion,” he said; “only
-the solid foundations of truth can resist the storm. Our National Pact,
-like our faith, is solid, positive, and true.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-On one occasion I met Haïdar Bey, _député_ for Vannes, the colonel’s
-adviser on rugs and carpets, whom he calls “the old brigand.” He told
-me, however, “the fellow was not dangerous;” and I surprised him by
-declaring that I had fallen in love, at the age of eight, with Hadji
-Stavros, Edmund About’s “King of the Mountains,” and, in consequence,
-was perfectly at home with brigands.
-
-HAÏDAR Bey does not carry the chaplet, which so many Orientals are
-always counting, in order to check the temptation to smoke, but I
-noticed he was clenching a piece of wax. “He’s training his muscles,”
-laughed the colonel. “Brigands, you know, have to keep themselves very
-fit!”
-
-He seemed to me, as a matter of fact, to have suffered more, physically,
-from the allied occupation than anyone else I met, except Essad Pasha,
-the celebrated oculist, obviously destined for constant pain to the end
-of his days.
-
-HAÏDAR Bey had sworn he would never again speak to an Englishman on
-account of our officers’ treatment of his mother. I could only assure
-him, with all the earnestness at my command, that the people of England
-abominated every form of personal cruelty; and that one day, when the
-facts were known, we should officially apologise, as I now privately
-expressed my horror and shame.
-
-His response was characteristic of these generous people! He arranged
-for me a really charming little supper-party; making graceful allusions
-to England as she was before the war; and as, since my visit, he had
-decided to think of her ... “I will only remember the occupation as a
-hideous nightmare!”
-
-I could sincerely say I had enjoyed every minute of the evening, from
-the Circassian chicken specially prepared for me, to the Oriental music
-and Abdul Hamid’s own cigarettes.
-
-Our host himself had graciously come for us an hour before the appointed
-time; a prudent gallantry, to ensure the arrival of his guests in the
-crowded quarter described as “near the pump, which is perhaps near the
-Mosque”! with neither street-name nor number to assist the traveller.
-
-Aided by sticks and lanterns, we accordingly prepared to face the
-dangers of the way. It was impossible to hear oneself speak in the
-biting wind; and our host, with his “lantern under thy feet,” as the
-Bible calls it, was fully occupied in guiding us away from big stones
-and wide holes.
-
-We were glad to reach his dimly-lighted room; over-heated, indeed, to
-Western ideas; and sink into the cushioned divans covered with his
-priceless rugs. The _mézé_, or meal of hors d’œuvres, was served the
-moment we arrived, with dainty dishes of fruit, cheese and olives.
-
-The choirmaster of the Christian church had been specially invited to
-bring his band for our benefit. I found that, like so many of the
-Christians, even the priests, he had scarcely any Armenian. Indeed, they
-all wear the fez and speak of “our” country, “our” victories, and “our”
-ghazi Pasha! It was in a Christian church that I once heard the
-following prayer: “May the all powerful God bless our beloved nation
-Turkey, and all the heroic sons and children of this nation to which we
-are so proud to belong. Give grace and health to our commander, Mustapha
-Kemal Pasha the ghazi, and to all the Ministers of the National
-Assembly, and all those who have sacrificed their life and comfort for
-our welfare.” The priest assured me that no one had “asked” him to offer
-up any such prayer, which was the spontaneous expression of his own
-feelings!
-
-All Armenians consider themselves “at home” in Turkey; as the Welsh are
-“at home” in England. About the same proportion know the language, the
-national songs, history and literature, as we find in Wales. The priest
-preaches in Turkish because he desires the congregation to understand
-him; though, if he knows Armenian, part of the Mass is said in that
-language, for the sake of sentiment.
-
-In these days, of course, the races have been provoked to mutual
-jealousies and suspicions. I overheard greetings that certainly
-_sounded_ like the happy reunion of long-parted friends, and were,
-indeed, accompanied by all the outward and visible signs of affection,
-which the dignity of the European must always suppress.
-
-“We have missed you,” cried the affectionate Turk; “life is not what it
-used to be. None of us can take your place.”
-
-And the Armenian replied at once: “It was cruel to turn us against you.
-Those horrible English—that Lloyd George!”
-
-They spoke of the happy days when the Armenians took care of Turkish
-children, whose parents had gone on pilgrimage to Mecca. Now they have
-come back the best of friends; and I believe, as they do, that not even
-the English could ever separate them again.
-
-One of the guests, the Italian director of the Ottoman Bank, was very
-anxious that Colonel Mougin and I should not miss these signs of a
-permanent reconciliation. “You see,” he said, “it is only the Turks
-themselves who can protect ‘minorities.’ It is easy enough for any
-Armenian to get on with them. The supposed antipathies are made in the
-States.”
-
-The Governor-General of the Ottoman Bank, M. Louis Steeg, also begged me
-to do all in my power to stop this useless propaganda. The Armenians are
-begging to be ‘left alone.’”
-
-It is manifest again that Mustapha Kemal includes Christian minorities
-in the “New Turkey” he has determined to save from veils, harems, and
-lattices; the crumbling remains of Byzantium, anti-progressive Hodjas,
-and the Byzantian Patriarch imposed on Constantinople!
-
-Certainly these Christian musicians gave us only Turkish music and
-songs: love songs, military airs, the Moslem ‘Hymn of Independence’
-(known to every child in the land), Anatolian folk-songs, and, most
-interesting and incomprehensible of all, the weird, piping solo that
-accompanies the dancing dervishes, a combination of sacred mystery,
-sentiment and melancholy.
-
-Unfortunately, no European can expect to enter fully into Turkish music
-without a good deal of study.
-
- * * * * *
-
-And yet, deeply as I feel the charm of Eastern landscapes, the glorious
-sunsets or brilliant sunshine revealing white minarets against the black
-cypress, I still hold dearer memories of the old talks with my Turkish
-sister, beside the roseate mangal, as she revealed to me the fascinating
-mysteries of the life of the sons and daughters of her land.
-
-It is the same to-day in the more strenuous and, in some respects, more
-Western atmosphere of the proud National Assembly. Even if I have done
-but little to convey the admiration their splendid resistance demands,
-which I so strongly feel, the effort to understand has brought me the
-greatest pleasure. And whether or not I have earned, or merited, the
-joy, none can take it from me.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVII
-
- ROME, THE ETERNAL CITY—A VISIT TO THE CATHOLICS IN ANGORA
-
-
-THERE is so often compensation for disappointment. Had I been able to
-reach Angora through Constantinople, had I not been held up six weeks by
-strikes on sea, I should have missed the chance of another visit to
-Rome—above all, of having an audience with Pope Pius XI.
-
-His Holiness could not know, for I did not myself then imagine, the
-precious gift he thus entrusted to me for his children in Anatolia. He
-certainly would not feel the time wasted, could I convey to him the
-heartfelt joy and reverence with which they listened for my answers to
-their eager questions. “What is he like, our Holy Father? Is it true
-that he always prays for us?”
-
-No one could fail, indeed, to have been impressed by the deep sincerity
-with which the Pope takes man’s sorrows to heart; the great anxiety that
-overwhelms him, not only for his own flock but for all humanity; and his
-great desire for peace.
-
-Towards Turkey, I believe the Christian world will follow the lead of
-Great Britain; as in their attitude towards the Christian Powers, Islam
-will follow the lead of Turkey. Now that Mustapha Kemal Pasha has raised
-Turkey again to be the true head of Islam, should not our whole policy
-in the East rest on her friendship?
-
-As in politics, so in religion. Dare we listen to the appeal of American
-Nonconformity for a “Holy War” _against_ Islam; dare we follow the
-Anglican into union with the Greek Church _against_ the followers of the
-Prophet? Only the Roman Church has lived in perfect harmony in Turkey?
-The only Christians to praise and honour the Moslem faith!
-
- * * * * *
-
-One must come from an audience in the Vatican with sealed lips.
-
-But when humanity is waiting for understanding and kindness; when, above
-all, the East is asking: “Can we trust the West?” it is impossible to
-remain altogether silent concerning the Holy Father of Rome.
-
-Turkey has been insulted, despised, and deceived by Christendom. Despite
-her utmost tolerance to every faith, she has been betrayed by those to
-whom she was most indulgent. Missionaries she welcomed in Christ’s name,
-as messengers of His love to all men, have used their sacred privileges
-to organise enemy propaganda.
-
-Therefore will I bear witness: there is a father’s heart on Peter’s
-throne; a father anxious for all his children, suffering; and _with no
-crusade to urge against Islam_, also sons of God and brothers of Christ!
-For him there is one “enemy,” and only one: the “Materialism” that is
-poisoning our civilisations; nourishing our pride, our jealousy, and our
-hate; threatening our faith.
-
-Is this “indiscretion”? Yet how is it possible to express one’s personal
-impressions of an audience with the Sovereign Pontif! All the
-literatures of the world have dedicated immortal pages to the Father of
-Christendom. They have paid homage to him, if not as spiritual head, at
-least as a great and picturesque personality; and, above all, a
-personality backed by the traditions of ages.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- BURNT QUARTER IN THE FRENCH PART OF SMYRNA NEAR THE QUAY.
- p. 48
-]
-
-Dumas, in his beautifully written interview with Pope Gregory XVI.,
-describes his terror at the thought of meeting the Pope. To-day such a
-sentiment is no longer possible. Awe and reverence have taken the place
-of terror. Excommunication has lost all the meaning it had in the Middle
-Ages. And yet, deprived as he is of all temporal power, the Pope is
-expected, by virtue of the age of his sacred office, to express himself
-in all moments of crisis. As spiritual head of the Christian Church, he
-is to-day in a difficult position. The Greeks and Armenians, it is true,
-are not for the most part his children. They belong, however, to
-branches of the Christian Church; and no Pope, however much the poor
-misguided peoples are responsible for their own misfortunes, can look
-with indifference on what is happening to them, and may still happen.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- A LUNCHEON PARTY AT THE OTTOMAN BANK, ANGORA.
-
- BOGHETTI.
- (Director of the Ottoman Bank.)
-
- OEILLET.
- (Secretary to Colonel Mougin.)
-
- MISS GRACE ELLISON.
-
- HAÏDAR BEY.
- (Deputé for Vannes.)
-
- COLONEL MOUGIN.
- p. 240
-]
-
-On the other hand, no Pope can forget what the Vatican owes to Turkey.
-In that hospitable land, the Roman Catholic orders, expelled from
-France, sought refuge. Throughout the length and breadth of the country,
-Catholic missions thrive and prosper. Though they rarely, if ever, make
-converts, they give care in sickness; comforts, education, and
-instruction to the Turks. And who is responsible for the cultural French
-language spoken in the Near East, if not the Jesuit Fathers?
-
-This extraordinary religious tolerance on the part of the Turks has
-always been incomprehensible. Disraeli’s protection of the Turk was born
-of his gratitude for the religious tolerance they extended to the Jew.
-Jews, who could escape massacre in Russia, found then, as they find now,
-a comfortable home where they are free to practice their religion and
-make money. What more can they want?
-
-Naturally, then, seeing what the Vatican owes to Turkey, and Turkey to
-the Vatican, the Pope is interested in the personality of M. Kemal
-Pasha, and proved very willing to hear what a Western woman, with
-opportunities in the past of studying Turkish home life, knows of this
-great Nationalist hero.
-
-Anyone who has seen the ceremonies at the Vatican must be impressed by
-their great spectacular beauty. The Church of Rome has given the world
-some of its finest art, literature and music. And at the Vatican itself,
-wherever the eye wanders, there is beauty—beauty of architecture, beauty
-of colouring. On the one side there is the gaudy costume of the Swiss
-Guard, with their scarlet and gold, in striking contrast to the grey
-courtyard and the black dresses or mantillas of the lady visitors; there
-are the frescoes, the statues: and over all a veil of mystery and the
-charm of history.
-
-From the time one’s carriage rumbles over the stones of the great
-unshaded courtyard to the side where the Pope’s apartments are situated,
-one has the sensation of walking over a book of sacred history. It is
-true all Rome is history. The Vatican, however, is the history of the
-Catholic Church from the beginning, and as you go up the marble steps
-you instinctively lower your voice, walking slowly and silently. For
-have not all the greatest figures in the world’s history passed up that
-staircase?
-
-There is everywhere a delightful odour of books; but where are the
-books? Uniformed diplomatists, high officials, generals, cardinals in
-their scarlet splendour, priests in black and scarlet and purple,
-attendants in red damask court breeches, walk noiselessly in and out.
-All the chairs seem so big, and the consoles and vases so huge and so
-valuable, that a portrait of the kindly face of Pope Pius X. is a
-welcome change. Seeing me looking at the peaceful, saintly face, my
-neighbour whispers: “C’était un vrai père.” One notices also a beautiful
-bust of Pope Benedict XV. Why do the photographers never do justice to
-his fine intelligent face?
-
-Monsignor X. has come to fetch me. He, too, is keenly interested in
-Angora. Now I am taken to the Throne Room; the Holy Father comes forward
-to greet me. He stands whilst talking to me, with one hand resting on a
-large piece of antique furniture. Beginning to speak in English, he
-continues in French.
-
-The Pope speaks most modern languages; and, as he receives every day,
-keeps himself in personal touch not only with the best-known Catholics,
-but with all the important personalities who come to Rome. He has
-travelled extensively, is well-read in many languages, and has written
-books of the highest value. As a younger man, Monsignor Ceretti—the
-Paris Papal Nonce—has told us, the Pope used often to read and write the
-whole night through, and he has an inexhaustible fund of most valuable
-information. And what does he not know of Islam? He has studied it in
-all its phases; hence his great tolerance.
-
-Clad in a white cloth soutane, with a wide white cape over his broad
-shoulders, a white cloth sash hanging in wide ends on the left side,
-white buttons and a white calotte and red shoes, the Holy Father stands
-out as a contrast in simplicity to his surroundings. His thick gold
-chain and handsomely chiselled cross, with its large diamonds, are his
-only ornaments besides the pastoral ring.
-
-Of medium height and pale, his powerful face is young for his years, and
-his large wide forehead quite unlined. His features are clear cut; his
-eyes seem small, perhaps because of the thick glass of the spectacles,
-which he frequently adjusts.
-
-One is particularly struck, however, by the power of his features and
-his frank expression. It is a face of much intelligence, but, above all,
-one of the greatest human kindness. This can be seen more from the mouth
-than the eyes.
-
-I told the Pope why I was going to Angora, where, as the people knew me
-and trusted me, I hoped, at any rate, to achieve some good. An
-expression of infinite sadness passed over his face as I continued: “All
-this awful bloodshed, this useless suffering. Surely these things should
-never have come upon us.”
-
-There was, indeed, little his Holiness could say. He knows how useless
-it is now, to question on whose shoulders History will place the
-responsibility for the diplomatic bungling in the Near East.
-
-It should be remembered, however, that he had written to M. Kemal,
-begging him to do all in his power to prevent bloodshed as the army
-advanced. The Pasha’s reply was dignified, wise, and sympathetic: surely
-a key to his fine personality, as all can recognise it to-day.
-
-I said to the Pope: “Mustapha Kemal appears to me a man of great
-understanding, who would be capable of a _beau geste_ towards
-Christianity. His speeches are democratic, full of kindness and
-consideration for his people, revealing a real desire and determination
-to lead them along the road to that prosperity which should be the
-heritage of a people dowered with a soil so fertile in precious
-minerals.... Yet, of course, other men in other countries have made
-great speeches and done nothing!”
-
-In paying tribute to the personality of M. Kemal Pasha, so far as I
-could then judge it, I said that he seemed to me a man of moderation,
-who would always use his great influence to prevent bloodshed. Yet one
-trembles at the thought of the moment when the army goes into
-Constantinople! The slightest friction, through no fault of the great
-general himself, might have appalling results. Yet I have sufficient
-confidence in the Turks to know they would not willingly harm one
-religious order. It could only be by accident ... yet it would be
-terrible, and must not happen....
-
-“Nothing will happen, your Holiness,” I went on, “unless the Greeks
-begin it. In their tragic and hasty exodus from Thrace were they not
-reminded, in terror of what might be, of their own conduct in Asia
-Minor?” Yet the Pope’s face was very anxious. There was great pathos in
-his voice.
-
-In what almost tragic situations a Pope thus often finds himself! The
-spiritual father of both sides; nevertheless neutral, or, if not
-neutral, criticised by both ... always expected to dispense generosity
-and mercy—and receiving none; no wonder the strain of the war killed
-both Benedict XV. and Pius X.
-
-In Angora I told M. Kemal Pasha of the Pope’s great desire for peace.
-What was to be the Pasha’s _beau geste_ towards Christianity. I
-suggested he might, as S. Sophia was a Christian Church, give it back to
-the Pope, as spiritual head of Christendom.
-
-M. Kemal Pasha replied: “Had there been only one branch of the Christian
-Church, although S. Sophia has now become part of our Moslem traditions,
-it might have been possible. As the Christian Church is so much divided,
-it is impossible. We should only excite the Russians, the Greeks, and
-the Anglicans, to come and fight each other on our soil for S. Sophia;
-and the _beau geste_ you suggest for peace would lead to eternal
-conflict and strife. Nevertheless, we are so anxious to do all in our
-power to honour Christianity in the eyes of the world that if, by our
-retaining S. Sophia as a mosque, we are really giving offence to the
-Catholic Church, we would either turn it into a museum, or close it
-forever. None must ever be able to say that we have intentionally
-injured the Christian Church.”
-
-I complimented the Pasha on his fine sentiments toward the Christian
-religion.
-
-“It is natural,” he replied. “I am only carrying on our traditional
-tolerance to all religions. The Roman Catholics and all Christians, as
-well as the Jews, have always had full religious freedom in our country.
-
-As to the _beau geste_, what can I say? You are free to go anywhere you
-like in Anatolia; talk to the Greeks, talk to the Armenians. If there is
-any cause of complaint, we will see that it is removed at once. We want
-the Christians to be happy in our country. We have given them full
-religious liberty, and equal rights with Moslems: can we do more? I feel
-sure that, in spite of all the devastation and atrocities committed by
-the Greeks in our country, in a very short time they will be back
-amongst us: the great friends they were before the Powers interfered.”
-
-Rauf Bey, the Prime Minister, echoed the sentiments of the Pasha. “Tell
-the Pope,” he said, “to rest assured we are doing all in our power to
-make his people happy and contented. Can there be a finer _beau geste_
-than this?”
-
-As the Pasha had suggested, I went everywhere, saw and questioned
-everyone. The Greek prisoners were bitter in their criticism of England,
-who betrayed them and left them unaided to fight the Turkish army.
-Surely the least intelligent of our military attachés would have seen
-the cruelty of such a move.
-
-Contrary to what most people suppose, there is a Christian colony left
-in Angora. It is mostly Armenian, though there are still many Greeks.
-The community nevertheless calls itself, and always gives as its legal
-nationality, “Catholic”; a delicate way of avoiding difficult questions.
-
-Mass is said on Sunday three times, partly in Armenian, which many of
-the Armenians do not understand, and the rest in Turkish. All the
-Armenians wear fezes, and prayers are said for Turkey. The little chapel
-is primitive and picturesque; never, however, has one heard such strange
-_Ave Marias_ or _Glorias_ or _Agnus Deis_ as those sung in their Turkish
-setting.
-
-During my Christmas visit to the head of the Armenian Church at Angora,
-I asked him what message he wished me to give the Pope on his behalf. I
-told him the Pope was anxious about the Christians; and he might tell
-me, in confidence, if he was not happy in Turkey.
-
-For my visit the Armenian orphans had put their home in _festere
-altere_. They had made cakes and sweets to be served with coffee and
-tea.
-
-Then it was that I had the pleasure of speaking to them about the
-wonderful personality of the Pope as I had seen him in Rome; and of
-telling them that, above all, their Father in Christ stood for loyalty
-to their State. The Turks had never hampered their loyalty to their
-Church, and the Pope would never hamper the loyalty and obedience they
-owed to the Sovereign State.
-
-Then the dusky-skinned orphans, boys and girls together, were marched
-before me, each taking my hand, kissing it and raising it to their
-forehead.
-
-As I said afterwards to Colonel Mougin: “I wish it were possible to
-supplement the meagre funds with which Father Babadjanian is maintaining
-this little colony of poor children.”
-
-“Tell the Holy Father,” said Father Babadjanian, “that we are
-_perfectly_ happy with the Turks. They are trying to send us away from
-Angora for economical reasons, but we do not want to go. We have been
-told by the Grand National Assembly that we shall have exactly the same
-rights as the Moslems—no more, no less. What more can we expect or
-desire?
-
-“Tell His Holiness to inform Europe and America,” he concluded, “that it
-is useless to try and protect _disloyal_ Christian minorities here. It
-cannot be done by any Church, or any League of Nations. We know very
-well, and events have proved it, that so long as we remain _loyal_ to
-the Turkish Government, all will be well. All the trouble that has come
-to us has arisen from the disloyalty and political intrigues of the
-Orthodox Armenians and Greeks, and, above all, from outside propaganda.
-So much has been said and written about an “Armenian Home”; let America
-offer Armenians that national home. Let the Powers, since it is they who
-are the cause of all the trouble, only recognise that they must provide
-homes elsewhere for every Christian who wants to go, or else leave us
-alone....
-
-“If you only knew how we tremble before this useless propaganda, how we
-pray to be delivered from our European friends. _Turkey is our home._ We
-have to live with the Turks on friendly terms; and will gladly do so, if
-_only_ this political propaganda can cease.”
-
-Colonel Mougin, who accompanied me on this visit, can vouch for these
-statements, which he considered so important that he communicated them
-to his Government.
-
-I have delivered the message of M. Kemal Pasha and Father Babadjanian to
-the Holy Father. He will receive, also, fuller impressions of my
-interesting trip through Anatolia; and fuller descriptions of this
-country and those people who have made so splendid a fight for freedom
-and independence.
-
-Throughout the length and breadth of Anatolia, prayers for peace have
-been echoed and re-echoed. There must be peace; but not at the expense
-of the sovereign rights of the people.
-
-It is a comfort to the Turks, nevertheless, to know that the head of the
-Catholic Church stretches out the hand of friendship towards them, and
-prays for their peace and prosperity through the brotherhood of Moslems
-and Christians in the East.
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXVIII
-
- THREE DIPLOMATS AT ROME—THE GUARDIANSHIP OF THE HOLY TOMB
-
-
-IN Rome I met three diplomats; as different from each other as night
-from day, as the Pope of Rome from the Khalif of Islam—a false
-comparison often made in New Turkey to-day.
-
-We have described the Pope; the sanctity of his office, the odour of
-piety in which he dwells. The Pope is not of the world; he is above the
-world-elected, not born. The Khalif, like an hereditary king, inherits
-his position as Head of Islam; which means that he owes his position to
-the hazard of fortune, not to personality or virtue.
-
-I have met all the Khalifs from Abdul Hamid to his present descendant,
-who was, when I saw him, the third in succession. He appeared to me a
-kindly, cultured gentleman and a talented artist. My host at that time,
-Prince Youssouff Zeddine, heir to the then Sultan, had frequently
-invited me to the Palace, and always spoke highly of his younger
-brother. The Prince had a touching affection for England, and, with
-Djémal Pasha (then Minister of Marine) for interpreter, would gladly
-listen to endless stories of olden and modern days. Passing from Alfred
-and the cakes; through Drake, Gordon, and Princess Mary; to his
-favourite tale of the Suffragettes chained to the grille at Westminster,
-I sought to inspire this unhappy man with memories of the greatness of
-the England he loved so well.
-
-If, by any chance, I varied a phrase or omitted the slightest detail, he
-would beg Djémal “to respectfully remind Mademoiselle that she is going
-too fast!” It is difficult, indeed, to believe that the man who laughed
-so heartily at the words “Votes for Women,” could have ended his own
-existence. He dared to say to the Turkish Parliament, “On no account
-must we be on the wrong side with England”; and the next day he was
-dead!
-
-Not only in Turkey, but throughout Islam, which includes India, there is
-no institution so sacred as the Khalifate, yet the term is meaningless
-if the Khalif loses Arabia. Next in sanctity to Mecca, in Moslem eyes,
-comes Jerusalem, for all the prophets of that Holy City are sacred to
-Islam, though her prophets have no honour in Judea or among Christians.
-Should we not tremble when Christian Powers attempt to tamper with lands
-of pilgrimage like Hedjaz, and when they trample upon the traditions of
-the Khalifate?
-
- * * * * *
-
-At Rome, Osman Nyzami Pasha represented Constantinople, while
-Djelaleddine Arif Bey was Minister for Angora. The former did not,
-indeed, go into exile with the Nationalists; but his varied experience
-as soldier, statesman, and ambassador has given him a rare knowledge of
-Europe that makes him popular and useful in diplomacy. Alas, now,
-however, his career ends.
-
-Ten years ago in Constantinople he greeted me with, “Dear child, what
-for did you do this dreadful thing,” as I was returning from the Persian
-Mouharrem, the anniversary of the assassination of Hussein, son of the
-Prophet. The Spanish Minister, who was with us, had fainted outright,
-although familiar with bull-fights. His wife, Mme. M., a Swede, had more
-courage than either of us; but I almost fell into the Ambassador’s arms
-as I reached my hotel.
-
-In a ring formed round a centre of blazing torches, white-robed men wail
-and mourn for the holy martyr, slashing their heads with swords. They
-dip their hands in the flowing blood, and sprinkle it all over their
-faces. I was haunted for weeks by the ghastly spectacle, which I shall
-never be able to forget, of those stained robes and faces, amidst the
-wild fanatical shrieks. When, as often happens, a man thus kills himself
-in the fury of exaltation, he is acclaimed a martyr, and his family are
-pensioned for life.
-
-When I asked why such awful ceremonies were permitted, I was reminded of
-Turkey’s “non-interference” with every creed and all the “pieties” of
-all peoples.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At Rome, I lodged in a quiet convent, which closed at 7.30. But the
-Ambassador called at eight and was followed by a succession of Turkish
-friends, until Mihrinour and her husband arrived at 10.30. I apologised
-next morning to the Mother Superior for such unseemly interruptions of
-her ordered life; explaining, in a fifteen minutes’ lecture, how anxious
-a Turk would always feel for the comfort of any friend. “You are
-perfectly right,” she said, “I know them well. I lived eighteen years on
-the shores of the Bosphorus!”
-
-Djelaleddine Arif Bey gave me a right royal welcome to Rome, and allowed
-me to trouble him with all sorts of questions. In Constantinople he had
-been what we call Dean of the Faculty of Law, and one day, on an
-official visit to the Sultan, wearing a frock-coat and patent-leather
-shoes, _he had just time to escape to Angora_, dressed as he was. His
-knowledge of both the Cheriat and European Laws was invaluable to the
-Assembly, and it is a delight to hear from his own lips that Turkey is
-going to establish her _own_ Constitution, not a poor imitation of ours.
-
-“Our justice has been paralysed by capitulations,” he said; and told me
-of an Italian murderer who had found sanctuary in his Consulate, because
-the Kavass would not give him up. “We have been bound and fettered all
-these years, but it cannot go on.”
-
-His admirable organisation of Justice in Angora developed from one
-colleague to twenty-five assistants, for work which occupied three
-hundred men in Constantinople! Yet he very soon established complete
-order, though after the peace he hopes for still greater perfection.
-
-He was interested in the personality of Cardinal Gasparri, whom I had
-met for the first time. I found him a great contrast to Cardinal Merry
-de Val, with whom I had long discussions about Islam ten years ago.
-
-Shrewdest of diplomats, keenest of observers, is there one move of the
-world’s political chess-board he has not penetrated? Seeing, knowing,
-judging everything, could he make a mistake? In a State Church he would
-be a grave danger; but the days of State Churches are almost no more. As
-the Turkish minister remarked: “A Church needs more than anything a
-level-headed diplomatist having no connection with politics.” The
-Cardinal, then, is far too clever a man to undervalue Islam.
-
-He has studied the greatest living authorities, in translations when he
-cannot read the originals, upon all the wonderful books of the East, and
-listens to men learned in the Koran. In theology, as in politics, none
-could catch him napping. One may, perhaps, guess something of his
-opinions by listening carefully to such questions as he may put to you;
-for he tells you nothing and seems to gather up all you know almost
-before you are conscious of having spoken. I _do_ remember, however,
-that he asked me what the Turks proposed to do about the Holy Tomb?
-
-To this I answered that Djelaleddini Arif Bey had said: “There could be
-no decision taken about Palestine without consulting the Turks. This
-astute lawyer had always bidden the Catholic authorities to remember
-that Christ, according to the Koran, is of miraculous birth, is one of
-Islam’s most venerated prophets. For the Moslem to blaspheme the Virgin
-Mary would be a heinous offence. To hand over the guardianship of the
-Holy Tomb to the Israelites is, therefore, a direct insult to Islam.”
-
-Fethi Bey also said: “We have all our work cut out looking after our own
-frontiers, yet we have always faithfully guarded the tomb of Christ, our
-prophet. What can we think, if the Powers now prefer to entrust it to
-the Jews who crucified Him and still deny Him?”
-
-Even as Mecca is to the Moslem, should Calvary be to us. Shall we who
-are called Christians suffer the Tomb we do not guard ourselves, to be
-taken from those who have faith in Christ?
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXIX
-
- EN ROUTE FOR CONSTANTINOPLE—A NIGHT AT BILIDJIK UNDER THE FROST-LADEN
- SKIES
-
-
-ONE does not expect comfort in an unheated railway carriage, with snow a
-foot and a half deep, and the temperature 15° below zero. As we left
-Angora we also noticed that one of the carriage windows was missing, and
-a courteous official kept back the train to insert one from another
-compartment! We were grateful, indeed, for even then the cold was hard
-to bear.
-
-The little engine is now ploughing its way _downhill_ but still slowly,
-since halts are needed to renew its strength for the double task of
-“traction” and sweeping away the snow.
-
-We are well supplied with food for a five-days’ journey, so that over a
-cheerful meal we can almost forget to feel frozen, and soon find we have
-covered the thirty-five hours to Eski-Chéir.
-
-From Eski-Chéir to Kada-Keuy, where the lines have been cut, is a short
-distance; but, mercifully, it is not so cold as in the mountains. From
-there we travel in a yaili (native carriage) which has evidently seen
-better days and, let us hope, better springs. They have been removed
-altogether from one side, and we should have been easier without the
-worn remnants on the other! As there are no seats, one has to be propped
-up by any available rugs or cushions, unless you prefer lying down at
-full length. But the little cart is lined with red-cotton brocade, while
-green curtains, looking-glasses, and tassels complete the “decoration”!
-It must be delightful to saunter along on a summer’s day; and draw your
-curtains for a night in the open; but even the straw, the mattress, and
-many rugs cannot transform the yaili to a _train de luxe_ in winter.
-
-To catch “the express” at Bilidjik we have to drive in two and a half
-hours a distance that requires a much longer time. So, with good horses
-and a fearless driver, we rattle away, up hill and down, over bumps and
-stones. The luggage is thrown out, my thermos is shaken to pieces, and
-we are flung violently against the roof! Bruised and bleeding, we hold
-on in grim silence; since time, too, flies.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- The Yaili, or Native Carriage, with Drawn Curtains.
-]
-
-Even at this pace we cannot escape the oppression of desolation. On
-every side lie smashed engines, burnt railway carriages, and villages in
-cinders. As dusk falls, only a fatalist, in a country of fatalists,
-could venture the rush down sharp descents cut through a precipice of
-800 feet!
-
-Fate, indeed, preserved us, only to prove its irony; for when we reached
-the once prosperous Bilidjik, still beautiful in its ruins, we hear that
-a landslip on the line has made traffic impossible for some days to
-come. In Anatolia, one must be ready to do as the Anatolians; and we are
-faced with the prospect of a night under the frost-laden skies. There is
-not even a chair to be found, though “kindness” quickly contrives a seat
-for me from a pile of logs. Here I can rest awhile; and by brisk walks
-at short intervals probably keep up my circulation until the welcome
-dawn....
-
-Someone, however, suggested that we should beg for shelter in one of the
-luggage-vans already crowded with men and women—naturally, in separate
-compartments. One thought of the poor villagers we had seen huddled
-together in their holes on the mountains; and realised that even the
-floor of a luggage-van may be a “luxury.”
-
-Here turban-headed men are sitting on their prayer-carpets, some sound
-asleep in that uncomfortable attitude, others eating, and others
-praying, but none uttering a word of complaint.
-
-Looking around for a seat amidst the wilderness of food and bed-clothes,
-I suddenly hear a few cheery words in English, to my amazement and
-delight. Here is one of the American Relief Workers, prepared and
-thankful to spend the night among the strange crowd. With the
-resourcefulness of his nation, he is provided with a large hat-box that
-will serve as seat or table, and contains both food and bed-clothes.
-From his “seat,” therefore, he quickly extracts some sandwiches of most
-delicious pea-nut butter, making a cup of tea for me on his “table.”
-
-All eyes are drawn to the neat dispatch of these preparations and the
-marvellous ingenuity of his packing. From that veritable box of Pandora
-came solid alcohol, tins, kettles, goblets and card-board plates. The
-food itself was kept in clean, little linen bags.
-
-It was, indeed, a strange lesson in efficiency and practical hygiene,
-delivered in the wilderness! His unpractical, Eastern neighbour is
-meanwhile struggling with a bit of old newspaper, from which a most
-unappetising collection of honey and eggs and nuts and bread are
-tumbling in dirty confusion, as the broken eggs and printer’s ink
-trickle in a discoloured stream on the floor.
-
-“If only you would send out a good company of missionaries in hygiene,”
-I cried out, in my excitement, “the other gospels would follow as a
-matter of course. The world will be a far better place when America
-comes to the East and preaches the need for exterminating the house-fly
-and other insects with the fine zeal she is now devoting to the
-extermination of the Turk.”
-
-My new friend—I had almost said compatriot—laughs good-naturedly at my
-enthusiasm; and in a few moments, despite my sympathy with Anatolia, I
-am again compelled to recognise that I am, after all, a woman of the
-West.
-
-When someone brought in a blazing mangal and carefully closed every door
-of the crowded luggage-van, the American soon found a polite excuse to
-jump out. Five minutes later I, too, ventured to open the door and call
-out to ask him for a helping hand. Both of us knew it was far better for
-us to die of cold in the fresh air than to choke in those thick charcoal
-fumes. I will hold a light while he digs out a hole, for sleep on the
-bosom of Mother Earth.
-
-But now two charming Turkish boys, the sons of Moueddine Pasha, in our
-party, are telling me that they are terribly distressed at my
-discomfort. It is in vain for me to assure them that no one could blame
-_them_. Somehow, they find the _Commandant de la place_; and, at his
-direction, gallantly tramp back for two and a half hours, to bring me a
-mattress from the Governor’s house which, placed on three standard
-oil-boxes, forms my bed. Meanwhile, the Commandant, who is familiar with
-Europe and speaks fluent German, earnestly begs me to excuse this
-terrible reception. “It is the work of Lloyd George,” he adds, as for
-every disaster in Anatolia the same cause is proclaimed. Ask a peasant
-who killed his sons, and he will reply without hesitation, “Lloyd
-George.” Our late Premier has now become super-bogeyman of the Near East
-for Moslems and Christians alike.
-
-All through the night strains break on my ears of the Anatolian
-folk-songs; the expression of that strangely resigned happiness of a
-long-suffering people which we of the West must half-envy and, at the
-same time, half-despise. Average human nature is only too apt to neglect
-those who never complain; and if others appeal for them, to say—as even
-America has said—“It is too big a problem for us to tackle.”
-
-With so much goodwill around me, the night passed far more quickly than
-even my natural optimism could have foretold. And before stepping into
-the yaili that will carry us on to Broussa, I try to express to the
-kindly peasants a little of the gratitude and admiration in my heart.
-
-“We do not lack anything,” they assure me. “All we want is to save our
-Fatherland. It would be wrong of us to use up the wood and material for
-building houses that may be required in the war.”
-
-Then, for farewell, the old Bible-greeting of “God be with you.”... “And
-bring us peace,” is all I can find voice to reply.
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXX
-
- FROM BILIDJIK TO BROUSSA BY YAILI—AFTER THE DAY’S ROUGHENING EXPERIENCES
- ONE CAN SLEEP WHATEVER THE ACCOMMODATION.
-
-
-OUR adieux to Bilidjik did not delay us long. As there were no trains to
-Constantinople, we had to take the road to Broussa and Moudania, whence
-the boat runs to Constantinople. I now joined the American in one
-carriage, the two Turkish boys following in a second. Although _yaili_
-means “a carriage with springs,” neither of ours justified their name,
-for they had none. An American, however, is nothing if not resourceful,
-and my companion performed wonders with straw, rugs, and boxes.
-
-It was about nine o’clock when we started along the muddy roadway, in
-charge of one of the most happy-go-lucky coachmen it has ever been my
-good fortune to employ. He had ten animals of his own before the war,
-and, now the Greeks have taken them all, he is making a fresh start with
-the best he can hire from others. He _said_ that these were steady and
-sound, but I could not believe we should have known the difference, over
-these ploughed fields on the edge of the mountains, so caked with mud
-that our carriages frequently stuck fast. It was a wearisome business
-enough, the constant alighting to be dug out for fresh starts; but I was
-altogether beyond sharing the American’s alarm lest we should sink for
-ever in a bog! I was far more concerned about the difficulty of getting
-really comfortable, among my disordered rugs and shawls.
-
-As our coachman provides us with many evidences of Greek barbarity from
-the ruins of every village we pass, my companion’s indignation shows
-rapid signs of approach to fever heat. “We’ve not played ‘straight,’” he
-cried, “I am not pro-Greek nor pro-Turk, and, at the moment, I haven’t
-much use for Christians; but I don’t see myself keeping quiet about all
-this. You and I have to get quick and publish a little truth for a
-change.”
-
-I told him that I had been trying in vain to get something done, or at
-least known, about Angora; but that if ever an article of mine included
-a word about Greek atrocities, the editorial scissors promptly got busy,
-and the truth remained untold.
-
-Obviously the American belonged to that fine type, which abounds in
-young countries, who put all their dollars into the acquisition of
-knowledge, and who delight in using the knowledge they have acquired,
-backed by their own wealth, in the service of mankind. His keen
-inquiries about _my_ impressions of the sad people he had come so far to
-understand, were proof enough that no kind of vanity, or pursuit of
-self-glorification, lay behind his insatiable curiosity.
-
-I was much interested to find that he agreed with me in having noticed
-how strongly the “personal” element enters into all one’s relations with
-any Turk. If they do not like one, you might as well stay in England. If
-your personality attracts them, it will make no difference where you
-happen to have been born.
-
-“They are called ignorant and fanatical; but I find that even the most
-illiterate understand enough of our civilisation to make any honest
-Englishwoman heartily ashamed of our ignorance and insularity.”
-
-“Remember,” he said, “how little we Americans really know of you, or you
-of us.”
-
-“I _do_ remember how I shocked one of your compatriots by confessing
-that I had the most shaky idea of the occasion for your ‘Thanksgiving,’
-but he afterwards admitted he had imagined till quite recently, that
-‘Boxing Day’ was the annual event of our national sport!”
-
-There was little to break the monotony of our lonely journey except a
-large number of caravans, and, every now and again, one of those tiny
-little donkeys, used to lead a troop of from nine to fifteen camels!
-
-“Now you see,” said the ‘man from the States,’ “why we sometimes speak
-of a ‘conceited ass!’”
-
-“Only,” I answered, “this little fellow has something to be conceited
-about. He has the right to say ‘look at me,’ as he trots along with the
-double row of turquoise beads round his neck, leading these great big
-chaps behind him. When he chooses to push ahead, they must hurry after
-him; and when he condescends to turn round and ‘look over’ them, for all
-the world as an officer might ‘eye’ his men, you could not discover a
-more striking example of personality in the East. I declare I have
-fallen in love with that charming ass!”
-
-[Illustration:
-
- “He has the right to say, ‘Look at me.’”
-]
-
-“Very well,” he replied with a laugh, “the next time anyone calls me an
-‘ass,’ I shall be proud to accept the compliment.”
-
-“But, seriously,” I replied, “asses are seldom as black as they’re
-painted. After all, to be stubborn is one form of personality. I
-remember staying in a French chateau during the war, where one donkey
-had taken over the duties and responsibilities of the eighteen horses,
-which had been requisitioned by the State. On Sundays, tied up to a tree
-in the churchyard, while the family was inside the church, he always
-waited to hear the Sanctus bell, and then brayed his loudest. He must
-take part in the Mass!”
-
-One rarely sees any driver astride his camel. He may be “considering his
-beast,” but, on the other hand, he may not. For of every variety of
-sickness (of the sea, the home, or love itself) is not camel-sickness
-the worst?
-
-My companion agreed that he had not found the Turks either stubborn or
-unreasonable. “Everyone I met in Anatolia made an honest attempt to
-understand my point of view, even when I endeavoured to explain or at
-least to excuse, English policy.
-
-“Turks are ‘stubborn,’ if you insist on the phrase, about the future of
-their country; but they have given a great deal of thought to the
-subject, and they speak from experience that has been bought at a big
-price. I have never encountered that uncomfortable type of mind we know
-so well among ourselves, and in a more aggressive, if less dangerous,
-form in the States, which nothing will move from its ‘pet’ hatred or
-chosen love, _in spite of_ great culture and general understanding.
-
-“I will not quote President Wilson, because we have an even better
-illustration in the late Lord Bryce. Few men could claim wider culture,
-few have been so universally acknowledged a great statesman, yet the
-Turk to him was no better than a red rag to a bull! And when he said
-that these people were ‘unspeakable,’ the world believed it.
-
-“I once attended a debate on whether ‘the Turks should, or should not,
-be forced to abandon Constantinople.’ A judge from Constantinople had
-been called to open the discussion, who said, among other things, that
-‘this eternal reference to India as an excuse for backing Turkey was
-mere nonsense; _because Lord Bryce had said that India was indifferent
-to Turkey’s fate_!’
-
-“Seyed Hossain, a member of the Khaliphat Delegation, then rose to
-contradict this assertion. He said that he had come all the way from
-India with the Khaliphat Delegation, for the express purpose of
-protesting against the attitude of the Allies towards _his_ Khaliph (the
-Sultan of Turkey).”
-
-“‘My dear Sir,’ answered the judge, ‘I have absolutely full confidence
-in any statement made by Lord Bryce.’
-
-“The poor Indian was staggered for a moment, but soon found courage to
-reply: ‘Has a man like Lord Bryce the _right_ to defy commonsense,
-statistics, and accurate, official information. My presence here is a
-clear proof that my statement is correct.’
-
-“‘Your presence means nothing to me,’ was the ‘polite’ retort, which
-concluded the debate!
-
-“There is, of course, a very stupid kind of loyalty in such an attitude,
-but it tempts one to almost despair of ever hoping to fight against its
-criminal injustice to Turkey.
-
-“It is a heavy responsibility for great men if they give rein to an
-obstinate and unreasonable prejudice. It is so hard to resist those we
-respect.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-“What do you really think about the Americans in Turkey? I am so anxious
-to do my utmost for these poor people, asked my friend.”
-
-“I, who love them, will honestly say I fear that the influence of your
-people is very dangerous. For _one_ who does good, as I am sure you have
-done, there are fifty who only make mischief, even undoing much of what
-you have achieved.”
-
-“The supreme merit of the Nationalist movement comes from the fact that
-Turks are beginning to be _themselves_. All must be well in the end if
-they are content to ‘swallow’ Europe in small doses. Already we have
-with us that dangerous anomaly the European Turk. The big capitals kill
-his sincerity and capture his affections by their vices. His mysterious
-dark eyes (an everyday commonplace in his own country) too often prove
-‘false lights’ leading him on to the rocks. It is a test of character to
-ask the European Turk if he is not ‘longing to get back to Turkey?’ When
-I put the question to Hussein Raghib, he said ‘if I must stay here for
-my country, I will stay, but I am never happy for long so far away from
-Angora and all it means to me.’ Certainly a healthy view!
-
-“It is surely better to let the Turks work out their own salvation, only
-helping when they ask for help; and even then we should be careful to
-give them what they desire and not what _we_ may think best for them. It
-is really cruel to tamper with other people’s ideas, particularly their
-religion, and it does no good in Turkey. The gospel of Islam has made
-them the fine race they will always remain at heart.
-
-“You can do good in practical, material affairs and for the diminution
-of physical suffering. I wish every American would preach the gospel of
-the Rockefeller Institute all over the world: the creed of the open
-window, a crusade against vermin and microbes. That would bring us a
-‘new’ world.
-
-“I would like to see a closer union between the Red Cross and the Red
-Crescent. The Turks have not your organising ability; but they have many
-sound ideas already operating in their hospitals.
-
-“We must be quite sure that our civilisation is perfect before we force
-it on others. It is ‘mine,’ and I owe much to it; but I, for one, can
-see much to criticise.”
-
-“I, too, believe we have no right to offer more than material
-assistance, and such an example as our own efforts, towards the best we
-know, may afford.”
-
-“It is a great deal, if given in the right spirit. My own idea of
-‘service’ is to try and understand the East, to prevent such terrible
-blunders as our ignorance of them have brought about, which may even
-involve us in the horrors of another war.
-
-“Why should we ask Orientals to accept our civilisation and ‘look at
-life’ through our eyes. It is no wiser or juster than asking a woman to
-see nothing except through a man’s eyes; and to work in his way. She
-cannot do that, and has suffered in the attempt. Your work is even a
-great peril. It is only too probable that you will be ‘starting’ them on
-the wrong road, and you must soon leave them to find their own way.
-
-“If I am wrong, at least I speak in all sincerity; and I have studied
-the question for many years. As I see it, our Western civilisations have
-much to learn from the East in pity and humanity.”
-
-“Osman Nyzami Pasha said to me once, in Rome, ‘you must not judge a
-nation by its Government but by the gods it creates for itself in its
-own image.’ The ancient Greeks peopled Olympus with gods of revolting
-immorality; but you in Oxford forget that chapter of the story. The God
-of the North——”
-
-He paused, and I took up the challenge.
-
-“The cold, harsh, and unforgiving Deity; the bogeyman of my childhood,
-always ready with some awful punishment for the least shortcoming.
-
-“Why are our Puritan countries, whose God is love, so unjust to women,
-keeping them down under cruel and illogical laws. It is idle for men to
-say that no laws can diminish the deep respect they accord to women,
-which, in fact, is seldom shown to any of us except their wives,
-certainly not to woman as a woman.
-
-“I certainly hold no brief for ‘irregularity,’ but there is something
-wrong with a conception of God which has produced the immeasurable gulf
-between the married and the unmarried mother. Humanity is not of our
-making; the ‘imperfect’ man has no right to demand ‘perfection’ from all
-women. Has he not made and tolerated _War_ that has overthrown every
-standard of morality, changed all our ‘values,’ shattered every ideal,
-leaving religion nowhere, and two million women without a mate?
-
-“Such is the civilisation that dares to point a finger of scorn at the
-unmarried mother; and, by dismissing her, characterless and unpensioned,
-from every respectable avenue of support, dares to brand a child as
-unwanted, and push the innocent young life into secret and shameful
-surroundings. Those who should help, with all the power of their
-sheltered purity, prefer to keep themselves ‘too respectable for any
-knowledge of these uncomfortable problems,’ since they are good and
-faithful servants of One who said, ‘Let him who is without sin amongst
-you cast the first stone!’
-
-“All maternity is sacred to the Turk, and every child enjoys full legal
-status. The super-cowardice of declaring a child as born of ‘parents
-unknown’ (as you may in France) could never be allowed. If marriage be
-not the high sacrament it is, theoretically, regarded in Europe, the
-life of _every babe_ whom God sends us is held to be a sacred charge. Do
-our missionaries in Turkey really preach the Gospel of Christ?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-“Do you approve, or admire, the resignation of the East, the Turk’s
-ideal of being content with so little?” asked the energetic American.
-
-“We are _both_ wrong. Their resignation too often leaves life stagnant,
-our race for dollars drenches the world in blood.
-
-“Is it not horrible for us to have to confess that all this appalling
-Battle of the Cross against the Crescent, sprang out of greed for oil.
-
-“One cannot realise what the world would be like were all nations
-governed by your and my ideals. Would there ever have been a British
-Empire? We can scarcely justify, on grounds of high morality, the
-conquest of America; and, surely, the States could by such ruling have,
-indeed, become ‘God’s own country.’”
-
- * * * * *
-
-When the road became rather more European, our Turkish boy friends
-sought to relieve the monotony by a furious race between the two yailis,
-and we were tossed about beyond all possibility of further talk. When,
-however, the boys had won the first heat, I begged to be excused from
-trying to secure our revenge, as the carriages did not seem solid enough
-for racing.
-
-Then behold, at the word, one of our wheels flew off! And, though we
-were mercifully taking a saunter “between rounds” at the moment, we had
-to follow our belongings into the mud and do what we could to help the
-wheelwright.
-
-The American, I found, had been teaching himself the language, and
-claims to have read _Nasreddin Hodja_ in the original. Now he hastened
-to improve the occasion by the most voluble congratulations to our
-unmoved drivers. “This wheel evidently knew how to choose the
-‘psychological moment’ for its detachment,” he exclaimed. “On the edge
-of a mountain, we should all have been pitched into the depths; crossing
-a river, our lady passenger, who cannot swim, would have been drowned;
-during the race, we could not have avoided a fatal collision. If it had
-to happen, it could not have happened more wisely!”
-
-The job is finished at last; maybe hastened by such lively chatter; but
-I confess we did not feel really secure. In fact, the prudent suggestion
-that one of us should hold the reins while our driver “kept an eye on”
-the wheel was soon justified by a second flying away of that “offending
-member.” It was this time discovered that something must be found to
-enlarge the circumference of the axle to keep it fixed, and I
-immediately offered my pocket-handkerchief. Our driver, however, would
-not hear of “depriving me” and so I begged the American “not to disturb
-him, but to see how he would contrive.” Though obviously puzzled for a
-few minutes, he soon justified my confidence by cutting off a good
-handful of hair from the horse’s mane, and thus “fixing” the wheel once
-more.
-
-“That’s all very ingenious,” laughed my companion, “but ‘hair’ won’t
-‘wear.’”
-
-“Then he’ll find something just as original,” was my triumphant retort.
-
-Nevertheless it was growing dark, and there were rivers ahead that would
-seem to demand rather better security than we possessed. My anxieties,
-however, were soon scattered to the four winds by the most astonishing
-tirade of unjust contempt for all things English, in which my companion
-now proceeded to indulge. My anger lasted just long enough for us to
-cross the river; for once we were over, the good man explained that he’d
-done it to make me furious, the only way he knew to cure a brave woman’s
-fit of nerves.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At last the welcome smoke, rising from peat cottage-fires, brings the
-comforting knowledge that we have almost reached Enichéir; and we are
-soon happily searching for some sort of a resting place that may call
-itself “an inn.” We are offered the choice of four beds in a room with
-five others already occupied, or an empty, partially wrecked, sleeping
-apartment containing two!—one for me, one for the boys, and the American
-on the floor.
-
-We naturally accept the latter, and immediately get busy about some
-cooking and a wash. After the day’s roughening experiences one can sleep
-whatever the details of the accommodation!
-
-At about 9.30 that evening we are awakened by the police, who, however,
-explain that I am only “wanted” by the Commandant, who has called to
-wish me _bon voyage_, and inquire if there is anything he can do for my
-comfort or to speed me on the way.
-
-“It is not now the Pasha and four wives,” said I, as our visitor soon
-discreetly left us, “but the Englishwoman and three husbands!”
-
-Next morning after a pleasant hour of mutual assistance in heating the
-water and holding a looking-glass for each other, with, as I told them,
-“the most courtly assistants any woman could desire,” the American goes
-out in order to fix that wheel to his own satisfaction and, by
-inference, to mine. We have two more days in the yailis and cannot
-afford to lose time.
-
-Our next halting-place is still more primitive, with its four houses,
-the tiny inn, a large stable, and a poultry yard. Here, however, the
-Mayor is ready to join us, in his long Persian shawl, robe, and turban,
-his documents wrapped in a case of flannel. Like the driver, I notice
-that, as he steps into his seat, he is careful to take off his muddy
-shoes. Indeed, the godly cleanliness of Islam, if it does not quite
-follow our Western traditions, is a very real and honest ideal. The
-body, as the cheik had assured me, is clean if the clothes be dirty; and
-I am beginning to think that those “little visitors” in the hotel beds
-must really be “suffered in kindness.”
-
-I well remember the shock with which one of my friends met the
-suggestion that he might drown some of the kittens who were arriving,
-just then, with most alarming rapidity. He said, “the Koran would not
-permit it!”
-
-Another weary day, amidst so much mud and so many ruins, naturally stirs
-my companion to thoughts of what might be done by a few dollars.
-
-“I do not mind your having any concessions,” I said, “if you will keep
-your hands off the architecture. I was hearing the other day about a
-scheme for building a railway in co-operation with the Turks: one rail
-to be laid by them and the other by the Americans! I should feel far
-more safe in a yaili with _one_ wheel!
-
-It is a delightful pastime to work out big schemes for smashing up
-Europe, Asia, and America; in order to rebuild the world tastefully and
-according to hygiene, like a couple of happy children with their bricks;
-but we have at last reached the conclusion of the whole matter. East is
-East and West is West. If they attempt to “take turns” building
-railways, the trains will certainly “go off the line.”
-
-I have never been able to understand why anyone should be so afraid of
-the Cheriat Laws. With all respect for my present company, I say, what I
-afterwards repeated to Sir William Tyrell, “I would rather trust myself
-in a Turkish court than appeal to American justice.” In the first case,
-you may find yourself in the hands of a kind-hearted judge; the second
-adventure depends entirely on cash. English justice has no equal; but
-our laws for women are themselves unjust, and the best workman can do
-little with poor material. Trials, like marriages in foreign countries,
-should be illegal unless the Consul, or someone equally expert, is
-present to “watch for” his fellow-countryman. What crimes have not we
-committed in the name of Justice through ignorance of foreign customs!
-
-“Those who face the choice of trusting themselves to the Cheriat or
-keeping away from Turkey, may find that these laws are not so terrible
-after all,” answered the American.
-
-Zeyneb once said that the great merit of Moslem “Commandments” was the
-absence of mystery. “The i’s are all carefully dotted. We are not told,
-for instance, that we should give to the poor; we _are_ told the precise
-percentage of income that must be allotted to charity. Though our laws
-come from the great Prophet of Allah they are not ecclesiastical.”
-
-In Moslem countries the Head of the State must be elected by the people;
-he has full executive and legislative power, but he is also personally
-responsible to the nation. We cannot deny that Mustapha Kemal Pasha has
-rigidly adhered to this theory of government in his daily practice.
-
-This is the true Democracy. Born without any advantages of caste or
-family, Fethi Bey laughs at all my allusions to “old ancestors.” The
-attitude does seem peculiar to Western minds, and may often lead to
-confusion between us, but it is not without charm.
-
-“How do these very intelligent, modern Turks attempt to reconcile their
-zeal for liberal reform with their firm loyalty to Islam? How do they
-account for the decline in prestige and power that none can deny has
-been their fate?”
-
-“My friends at the Assembly attribute the temporary fall of Turkey to
-the strong, non-progressive, influence of the hodjas, who have converted
-themselves into a powerful priestly class, as forbidden by the Prophet.
-Others attribute it to ignorance of economics; others to Western
-remoulding of Islam, and foreign oppression; others still, to a
-perpetual state of war.”
-
-“What is the Pasha’s personal opinion?”
-
-“No man,” he says, “can live without complete liberty and full freedom;
-nor can any nation. So long as the interests of my own country permit
-it, I will be the friend of all nations and all humanity; but when any
-nation begins to tamper with our freedom and our independence, as
-Germany did in the war, then we can only resist and fight to the bitter
-end. I sought to discover my people’s will, and I found they were ready
-for any sacrifice to defend their country. I had faith in the sons of
-Turkey, and my faith has justified itself to the utmost.”
-
-“There has, indeed, been no finer movement among the ‘despised and
-rejected’ since the world began.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-“Here comes my friend the sun,” I exclaimed; “a snow-capped Olympus, the
-cypress beneath the azure! Why is our driver using his whip with such
-unusual success, just when we want to linger and admire—— Do you know,
-my friend, should I paint this soil, in all its varied tones from ruby
-to terra-cotta, all men would cry out, ‘that woman always sees her
-Turkey _en coleur de rose_!’”
-
-“I will bear witness,” laughed my friend.
-
-“But, seriously,” I went on, “does it not mean iron; rich veins of iron
-that it would _pay_ someone to produce?”
-
-In this district of lonely marshland, one can at least rejoice in the
-cold for one reason. It has driven away the flies and mosquitoes.
-
-“Why does not your country find the capital and send over our unemployed
-ex-service men to help the Turks drain and cultivate these waste lands?”
-
-When I afterwards spoke of the possibility at Lausanne, I was told that
-“something might be done!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Now we have reached Broussa, and our young Turks hurry forward to
-announce our arrival to the Governor.
-
-It is more trying than ever to lack springs, as we jolt over the loose
-cobbles of these primitive and neglected town streets. But I could
-cheerfully have put up with far greater discomfort to reach, at last,
-the “luxurious” (in comparison) Hotel Brotte, its glowing fire, can
-after can of water, clean sheets, and the blessed chance of changing
-one’s clothes and really _brushing_ one’s hair.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- THE TOMB OF THE SULTAN OSMAN AT BROUSSA.
- p. 272
-]
-
-This is _not_ the Savoy, but, surely, something better!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXI
-
- A FEW DAYS IN BROUSSA—THE TRUE ISLAM ATMOSPHERE
-
-
-THE Governor who, once more, “comes from Malta,” has detailed a police
-officer to look after me during the five-days’ visit unexpectedly
-imposed upon us, since there is no boat leaving before then. My journey
-from Angora to Constantinople will, therefore, occupy ten days instead
-of the regulation two or three.
-
-We start out the first thing in the morning and do not return till dusk.
-I have never visited so many mosques, and their colouring seems even
-more exquisite than I have found it elsewhere.
-
-Naturally, however, we first went to pay our respects to the Governor,
-who promised to give me certain special information next day. His konak,
-however, happened to catch fire soon after we left, and in less than an
-hour it was reduced to cinders. There was, fortunately, little wind,
-though, as we watched the flames from our hotel, one could feel no
-security that it might not spread all over the town and render us, too,
-homeless.
-
-It was, as it happens, a brigand, descending by chance from the
-mountains, who had saved the whole town from destruction when the Greeks
-left it in flames, after demolishing their church and setting fire to
-their houses. Fifteen surrounding villages were, actually, burnt to the
-ground. The French proprietress of the hotel told me the town was not
-ravaged by Ottoman Greeks, but by the Hellenes. Their own Greeks cried
-bitterly at being compelled to leave, but were terrified into flight,
-many of them dying at Moudania or on the road.
-
-I heard an amusing story from my Dutch friend in Smyrna which
-illustrates in what “great respect” the Turkish army has always been
-held by Greeks. One of their officers, reconnoitring on the hillside,
-was seen to run back to his men, shouting: “They are coming! They are
-coming! There are fezes everywhere!” He had caught sight of a field of
-poppies!
-
-Madame herself is “desolated” by the departure of her Greek servants,
-and puts no real reliance on the Jews by whom she has been obliged to
-replace them. Although getting on in years, she is eighty-six, she never
-dare go to bed before any of her guests, lest someone should ring and
-obtain no answer. I enjoyed examining, in her visiting book, the
-signatures and humorous comments of English prisoners, who were with her
-during hostilities.
-
-Everywhere the Jews are stirring themselves, in and out of their
-quarters, eager to take on anything abandoned by the Greeks, as
-shoemakers, plumbers, tradesmen, and labourers of all kinds. Nowhere
-else, I imagine, could one hear them boasting “I am an Israelite.” Our
-guests include many Jews, and they are quickly finding their way more
-than ever into the good graces of the Turks.
-
-I hope they will soon organise the splendid “bathing” one could enjoy at
-Broussa if only some comfortable rest-place were set up for recovery
-from the bracing effects of such strong waters. Surely the Baths of
-Broussa might be promoted into a gold mine!
-
-I wonder if the town is really as old as Angora? In parts it is more
-dilapidated, as one can see from walking about its deserted streets, so
-sorely in need of repair, and glancing up at the broken windows on every
-side. Nevertheless I, personally, delight in the delicate charm of this
-famous Asiatic city, free from a “Levantine” population and the relics
-of Byzantium that rather spoil Constantinople.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The celebrated silk factories are not, of course, so picturesque; and
-the depressing mixture of steam heat, and smell is certainly calculated
-to make one long for the very latest kind of progressive machinery to
-replace such unhealthy “human” labour. Here, again, we find Jews and the
-so-called “Catholics,” have replaced the Greeks; and the proprietors
-(who are so often Jews) only complain that there are not more hands
-available.
-
-This means, of course, not enough competition; and wages have risen from
-thirty to sixty piastres a day. For this reason they miss the Greeks and
-Armenians, although the new men are equally good workers.
-
-“We have also to employ Turkish women,” they say.
-
-“Are they good?”
-
-“No, very bad. They _can_ work, but have never done so, and have no
-experience. Yet we must pay sixty piastres for their unskilled labour.”
-
-“Then you are running the factories at a loss, with these high wages?” I
-asked.
-
-“Oh, no! We ‘make up’ for that by paying the peasants half their old
-price for the raw silk.”
-
-“Do they complain?”
-
-“No. We tell them that times are bad; which they understand, and
-accept.”
-
-It is an excellent example of the ease with which almost anyone can make
-his profit out of the Turk. He is satisfied with so little, and seldom,
-or never, protests. For years Greeks and Armenians have filled their
-pockets at his expense. Now we have driven them out of their homes and
-Jews are quickly filling their place. No wonder they turn on their
-Christian “protectors,” and resent our “interference.” To them money is
-the breath of life, and money is more easily made in Turkey than
-anywhere else in the world.
-
-Whatever prosperity these districts have managed to retain largely
-depends on the silk-making and the tobacco factories. All the Europeans
-are, naturally, against any attempts to abolish capitulations. “They are
-not likely to leave us,” say the Turks, “where else would they be
-granted ‘capitulations’?”
-
-The bazaar at Broussa has lost none of its Eastern charm, but prices
-have gone up by leaps and bounds since I was here ten years ago. They
-will, probably, soon rise still higher when hand-embroidery dies out
-before the machine-made imitations.
-
-The Central Mosque has been rather disfigured by the over-zealous
-multiplication of mural texts; but the beautiful fountain preserves the
-most marked characteristic of all mosques, on which their “appeal” so
-largely depends. It also contains some very fine specimens of the
-curious old clocks, which only show Turkish hours.
-
-In the courtyard there are more fountains and many pigeons, and the
-public letter-writer. Just now he is hard at work for a profitable
-customer who, one might think, surely knew how to conduct his own
-correspondence. From my experience as an amateur, doing my best for the
-_Poilus_, I should never imagine that letter-writing could be an easy
-profession.
-
-How well I remember the poor boy (a particularly serious “case”) who
-asked me to “tell Jeanne” that ... “he was well and happy and enjoying
-himself. But that some friends had written and told him she had not been
-faithful, and ‘he didn’t care.’ All the girls were running after him,
-and the grand ladies, too. He hadn’t any time to think about _her_.”
-
-He afterwards gave me careful instructions about a P.S. “But I do think
-of her sometimes.” In another few minutes it was, “I often think of
-her.” And, finally, “you can tell her that I forgive her, and love her
-as much as ever.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Every corner of Broussa reveals the true “Islam” atmosphere; whether you
-look down on it from the surrounding heights, or wander along its quaint
-streets and alleys. Everywhere you see latticed windows, mosques, and
-dervishes’ Tekké. It stands on a wide stretch of marshland, seemingly
-going on for ever, with its countless rows of skeleton-poplars, that
-stand out in the blue-grey mist like ghostly sentinels.
-
-I decided there could be no better opportunity to indulge in an
-adventure I had often contemplated: climb up the highest of all the
-minarets to reach “the top of the top!” The narrow and winding staircase
-was sadly in need of repair; but at the long last I found myself on the
-tiny balcony from which the muezzin daily summons “the faithful” to
-prayer.
-
-“Do you think I might sing?” I asked. “It would be interesting to know
-how far the voice carries at this height.”
-
-“As you please,” he answered; but as it was clear that he was decidedly
-embarrassed, if not shocked, I contented myself with quietly humming
-_Gloria in Excelsis_. When I told him the words—“On earth peace, to men
-of goodwill,” he answered, reverently, “_Inch Allah_.”
-
-“You see,” I explained, “the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer, I
-call them to peace.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-As, perhaps, I ought to have foreseen, it proved a far more difficult
-business to get _down_ those steps than it had been to climb _up_.
-Somehow the walls seemed closing in upon me, and the mere idea of
-starting upon the descent brought on a fit of unmanageable giddiness. My
-guide promptly offered to carry me, but I did not believe it could be
-done; and, in any case, I should not wish him to make the attempt. When
-I have plucked up courage to trust my own feet, they are constantly
-slipping over the worn stones, and often we find three or four missing
-altogether; still it would not be possible to jump.
-
-“I am only just in front of you,” said my guide, “if you fall, you will
-fall on me.”
-
-I _ought_ to have been thoroughly ashamed of myself, but I could only
-say, “You must let me manage my own way and slide down as best I can.”
-
-I am perfectly comfortable in an aeroplane at an altitude of 10,000
-feet; and to this day I have never been able to understand why that
-minaret made me so giddy.
-
-We visited the tombs of Osman and many of the other Sultans buried in
-Broussa, the ancient capital of Turkey. The idea of the continual
-watching of the tomb, and, indeed, the whole attitude of Islam towards
-death, is full of beauty. One does not wish to believe that the Greeks
-marched up to this Holy Place with drawn swords, cursing the founder of
-the Osman Dynasty.
-
-We also drove to the famous Green Mosque, immortalised by Pierre Loti.
-The actual colour of this fine building is a most wonderful turquoise
-blue; but, like those jewels, it may, indeed, one day grow green with
-age. Here Pierre Loti used to write his books, reclining on the
-magnificent carpets, of which the quality and beauty have defied time
-itself. On one side stands the large door (replacing the altar) of
-exquisitely blended green porcelain and delicate gold lettering; on the
-other, the cool and sparkling fountain. All day long he worked in this
-hallowed atmosphere; where the invisible mouths of the fountain send out
-a gorgeous mass of rainbow-hued spray into the sun’s white rays.
-
-The guardian of the mosque, who used to serve coffee and bring Loti’s
-narghili and arrange the cushions, has been laid to rest near by; and
-now Loti’s long life is drawing to its close. His best work was done in
-the mosque at Broussa, as his countless admirers should not forget—the
-shrine of one of Turkey’s truest friends.
-
-Here, in the East, all may enter God’s House; and it is here that every
-day, all day long, you see (as, indeed, you may in France) men and women
-of every sort and condition, unburdening their hearts of joys or
-sorrows, some carrying a homely parcel, a loaf of bread, or their goods
-to market; others carrying their little children. No doubt, the
-mosque—or the church—offers warmth and shelter; but its quiet solemnity
-must turn our thoughts from all the pettiness of existence, the false
-pride, and the ugly sin. Nor do those who are, as it were, so thoroughly
-“at home” in God’s House, pray with any less earnestness or sincerity.
-
-What a contrast to the cathedral at Geneva I visited with a French
-ex-Ambassadress. We had to send for the caretaker, who _unlocked_ the
-door for us and _locked it up again_ as we left. Yet this was once a
-church; holy men had dedicated their genius to make it beautiful,
-because it was the House of God. It is not God’s House now; only a
-building where men meet and speak. “Have we, indeed, lost faith in
-anything,” said my companion, as the door was closed behind us “which of
-us would God Himself lock out? Are there none left who would pray to
-Him? To what vain and untrusting materialism will mankind yet lower
-drift?”
-
-One morning, unable to hold in the interest awakened by a handsome,
-young Turkish woman with veiled hair, who was sitting near me in the
-hotel, I, at last, ventured to ask her if she would “excuse my staring,”
-but “she so much reminds me” of an old friend, Dr. Nihat Réchad.
-
-“He is my brother,” she replied in excellent English, obviously
-delighted. It appears she had lost touch with him for many years; only
-knowing that he had been in prison and escaped to join Mustapha Kemal.
-Now she hoped he must be coming into his own again.
-
-I was glad to tell her how greatly we appreciated Dr. Réchad in London.
-
-Our acquaintance brought me many new pleasures in Broussa, in addition
-to her own delightful society and her most friendly baby. She introduced
-me to many of the nicest people in the hotel, and arranged for us to
-visit the admirable hospitals of Dr. Nazoum, head of the Army Medical
-Service, who was a friend of her husband’s.
-
-There were two Turkish gentlemen, however (General Kemallidine Pasha and
-Nourredine Pasha), whom I had been warned _not to see_, because they
-were “such bears and hated England”; naturally, having thus had my
-combative curiosity excited, I eagerly sought for introductions to them.
-And I could not admit the justice of their condemnation.
-
-General Kemallidine Pasha is about thirty-five, with an honest, open
-face and merry eyes, that strongly reminded me of my brother; who—though
-not wounded _eighteen times_ like the Pasha—has been so frequently sewn
-up as to present to the world, so I tell him, no more than a figure of
-“threads and patches.” He apologised for offering his left hand,
-obviously pleased when I said, “it did not matter which of a hero’s
-hands one is privileged to shake.” When I said that I was sorry to hear
-he disliked my country, he gave the only explanation I ever obtained
-from a Turk: “It is because I once loved her so well!”
-
-And for that I have only one answer, provided for me by Mr. D——, who was
-in Constantinople all through the war, and is convinced that the English
-were, throughout, entirely misled by Greek and Armenian dragomen. He,
-himself, would never trust these men to translate any newspaper article
-for him. “Their work may be, and frequently is, quite correct, but they
-are clever enough to impart an entirely different _meaning_ from one
-language to the other; for example, with the word “iltehoc,” how can
-that word be translated with all its shades of meaning?
-
-“The most dangerous Englishmen,” he said, “were irresponsible young
-colonels of twenty-five, the familiar “temporary gentlemen,” whose
-sudden access to power and responsibility has, on other occasions, led
-Great Britain into adventures she cannot, afterwards, disown. One must
-regret, but can scarcely in fairness condemn, some of these brave boys
-from the “edge of beyond” in Canada or Australia, who, of course, are
-absolutely ignorant of Moslem customs, and, by training, rather
-aggressively impatient of the slow ways of old England herself.
-
-There were Turks of a very inferior type to be found to help them, as it
-would be dishonest to deny. Those who made themselves _personna grata_
-to the Allies, and enemies to the Nationalists, because they would sink
-to any calumny or blackmail to secure a “job,” or to keep one.
-
-It is, indeed, high testimony to the personality of General Harington
-that, despite all the crimes committed “in his name,” General
-Kemallidine, Ismet Pasha and Nourredine Pasha are unanimous in their
-high tribute.
-
-Our empire is built on confidence in the “Man on the Spot.” It has given
-us our unrivalled position and a reputation for justice and generosity
-none can rival. But, with the wrong men, it may have most disastrous
-results; and, in Turkey, we still want to know _who sent Turkey’s élite
-to Malta_?
-
-Kemallidine Pasha gallantly summed up his acceptance of my
-explanations.... “Now I see the difference between an English lady and
-an English ‘temporary gentleman’!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Dr. Nazoum has taken us to his office and showed us his delightful
-sketches. He also removed some ordinary picture postcards from their
-frame to show us his wife’s picture hidden behind them.... “Twelve years
-of a life that might have been given to one’s family stolen from me for
-the rough and wandering life of war. Only a photograph. That is my
-married life.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-We also visited Nourredine Pasha’s father-in-law, a dervish living in a
-Tekké, and revived all my enthusiasm for their wonderful dancing to the
-weird piping flute; although these dervishes are, I believe,
-“contemplative.”
-
-I was invited, when at the Assembly, by the Grand Tchelebi to visit
-Konia, the chief city of the dancing dervishes, and was much tempted to
-accept. I have never fully _understood_ the “mystic dancing,” derived,
-as I was told, from our Psalmist’s command to “praise the Lord with
-dance and song”; but no one could fail to recognise the fascination of
-the weird rhythm to which the outspread skirts move with a haunting
-grace that is all their own; like gigantic mauve and brown poppies over
-the polished oak floor.
-
- * * * * *
-
-We were unfortunately too late to see much of Nourredine Pasha—the
-General was starting on his Inspection. My guide had been too polite to
-tell me my watch was slow. The General, however, found time to entrust
-me with greetings to General Harington, and to express more hopeful
-confidence in the future relations of our two countries. I am certainly
-glad I did not accept anyone else’s judgment of this kind and
-distinguished man. He is, however, a good ten years older than the other
-generals of the Pasha’s new army whom I have met. I am now quite
-accustomed to statesmen and generals of forty.
-
-I think I must really have seen _everything_ in Broussa, including the
-burnt hamlets of the countryside. I remember a school-house in this
-district, where the master had been paid in corn, and in which four
-generations of women, who gave us sweet goat’s milk, were now all living
-in one room, tastefully arranged with cushions. They had been swept off
-the face of the earth with the village in which they dwelt, by the
-Greeks.
-
-But I must not forget the hospital, full of poor women—victims of the
-Greeks. If there _were_ such sights at the French Front, I mercifully
-escaped seeing them; and here, for the first time, I realised what some
-of my sisters have had to endure since the spirit of war has come over
-us. Greek hatchets had been at work on Mme. Roufy Bey’s patients; and,
-whether in face or hip, back or leg, too many of these terrible wounds
-were festering, because it had been impossible to attend to them in
-time.
-
-I remember the mother who once answered her little girl’s natural
-questions by telling her: “You just grew on my heart.” “How lovely,”
-cried the child, “is that why mothers all carry the babies so near their
-hearts?” “Yes, it is where we keep them.” Here was a poor Turkish mother
-whose little one had been shot as it lay in her arms!
-
-Through this devastated area, and having seen the utter destitution of
-these people, I should have expected to find far greater bitterness
-towards the Greeks. But they are well treated in all the prison-camps,
-and never handled with brutality as they work on the roads. Yet they
-look rough and desperate, showing none of the resignation with which the
-Turk faces captivity, however ragged and tattered. These Greeks even
-seem afraid if a Christian woman speaks to them, although they own that
-their alarm does not come from either a guilty conscience or from terror
-of their enemies, but only reveals the broken spirit of men betrayed and
-alone. I feel, however, that to be always surrounded by the useless and
-horrible devastation you have yourself inflicted, must unnerve the most
-callous of human beings.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At about six o’clock on our last morning, an officer arrives to conduct
-us to the station. The train starts at 7-30, reaching Moudania at nine
-o’clock, where the boat _may_ leave at 9-30, or any time it likes. It is
-a short and uneventful train journey, only relieved by a brisk trade in
-tea at our two stopping-places.
-
-We find a high wind and rough seas at Moudania, and the boat has not yet
-_arrived_! There is plenty of time to drive to a unit of headquarters,
-where the officer’s mother (whom he had “smuggled” through from
-Constantinople) gives me coffee and cigarettes beside a welcome fire. We
-pass the historic house in which Peace was signed; one of the many
-examples in Anatolia of great achievements from small beginnings.
-
-Moudania is, on the whole, more depressing than any of the miserable
-towns I have been over; and the officer is, certainly, to be
-congratulated on having secured the company of his mother.
-
-It was about half-past six in the evening when we were summoned to
-embark; and there was no sign of the “special cabin” that had been
-promised me in this little cockle-shell of a boat, on which passengers,
-nevertheless, are divided according to class. For my part, I chose to
-travel second, as there was far more air; and, as we opened the door,
-the “poultry yard” gave us a hearty welcome! The women had taken their
-chickens and rabbits into their berths; the floor was strewn with corn
-and lettuce-leaves! As I disliked sharing my bed with poultry, I should
-be happier in the cold outside.
-
-However, the first officer graciously gives up his cabin. It is tiny, by
-no means immaculate, and papered with cheerful postcards. But, in the
-place of honour, Queen of Beauty among the ladies of the Levant, hangs
-Gladys Cooper! I have never so much admired that lovely actress as when
-now she seemed smiling down at my mighty efforts to sleep in this
-tiniest of bunks that had been built for someone of half my length and
-width.
-
-The little tub ultimately started at midnight, dancing over the waves to
-Constantinople, where Turkish passports are no protection, and I must
-now learn to depend on my credentials from England.
-
- * * * * *
-
-What is going to happen to me? Very possibly my passport will be taken
-from me, or endorsed with the grim words “not to return to England.”
-
-My mission, indeed, was harmless, if not sanctioned. I have, honestly,
-endeavoured to see that England may be “a little better” understood by
-the Nationalists in Anatolia. But in fighting Prussianism, we have been
-slightly infected by that disease. It has crept into our legislation and
-our administration. In free England, Cæsar reigns. We can say, as the
-Turks say, “We have _Prussia_ to thank for our distress.”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXII
-
- CONSTANTINOPLE NO LONGER THE CAPITAL—THE HEART AND SPIRIT OF TURKEY ARE
- IN ANGORA
-
-
-AS our little cockle-shell reaches the busy quay at Constantinople, the
-veiled women collect their animals and carry them through the Custom
-house. I am the only Britisher, yet the tall, well-built official
-rapidly scans my passport and signs it without moving a muscle, or
-showing the faintest surprise at my arrival by _that boat_, not even
-opening his lips in reply to my good-morning. Is this army etiquette?
-His kind face has been taught not to unbend. It seems a foolish way of
-encouraging foreigners to understand us. “You are not English,” everyone
-declares, “dear lady, you have too much heart to be English.”
-
-“We English have hearts,” is my reply, “but, for some reason, we must
-pretend we have none.”
-
-Someone wearing a fez, perhaps a Moslem, insists on taking me to the
-hotel, though I assure him that I am quite capable of carrying my little
-bag, and a few rugs over my arm. But he has seen Fethi Bey’s letter, and
-nothing, clearly, will prevent him from mounting beside the driver and
-burdening himself with my belongings.
-
-At Tokatlians’ Hotel, however, the Armenian porter handed him the truly
-magnificent tip of two Turkish pounds. He assured me that others pay
-double that sum for the little trip from the boat to the hotel!
-
-I see, at once, that there is a difference between Angora and
-Constantinople. In Anatolia no one would dream of thrusting his services
-upon his country’s friend, or of accepting a two pound tip for so short
-a ride. My Angora host’s servants could not even be induced to accept a
-tip when I left. At Angora there was none of the Levantine haggling over
-the price of a cab. In Constantinople I decided always to leave such
-matters to the porter, who was a kindly man and did his best.
-Nevertheless, I should seriously advise the Nationalists, when they are
-back here, to fix a tariff for luggage and cabs, as the traveller is now
-intolerably imposed on.
-
-There is compensation, of course, in the return to Western comforts, if
-not luxuries; above all, of the hot bath. I have already taken three;
-and they tell me that, if I still don’t feel clean, it is only because
-the water is always brown. One can, further, obtain the services of a
-manicurist, a hairdresser, and a chiropodist, all worthy men; and how I
-enjoy these hot-house sitting-rooms, and sheets like satin on the bed! A
-touch of fever and full permission to stay tired, are quite enough to
-make me perfectly content with my one “weary” hat—until my luggage
-condescends to get _un_-lost.
-
- * * * * *
-
-General Harington invited me to the Harbié (British Headquarters);
-chiefly, no doubt, to hear about the big men I have seen in Angora.
-There are few Englishmen more keenly interested than he in the
-personalities of the Nationalist leaders, particularly, of course, “the
-Pasha.” He speaks affectionately of “that nice, honest, fine soldier,”
-Ismet Pasha; and describes Refet Pasha as “a very clever man, one from
-whom I have never had an unkind or discourteous word. We are the best of
-friends.”
-
-I asked him whether “he was _altogether_ in sympathy with the Turks.”
-
-“You must remember,” he answered, “that I was with General Wilson. No
-one could have had a finer chief; and no man, I dare to say, could have
-followed more closely in his chief’s footsteps than I.”
-
-“Could not our troops be withdrawn, while such an act might still seem
-_le beau geste_?”
-
-“We ought never to have been here,” he replied.
-
-“It hurts my national pride to see you fine men doing police work.”
-
-I told him all I had learned about “the Pasha’s” opinion of the
-situation, and asked him when he intended to retire.
-
-“As soon as I feel really confident that Peace will be ratified.”
-
-“And Lausanne?”
-
-“We shall have storms, but the result must be peace.”
-
-“When?”
-
-“As soon as we dare hope....”
-
-I congratulated him on the rôle he had played at Moudania.
-
-“I am glad,” he said, “to have rendered service to my country.”
-
-“Can you see any motive for this disastrous policy in Constantinople?”
-
-“I can only suppose that, for some reason, Mr. Lloyd George simply
-refused to listen to the advice of everyone who knew Turkey, in favour
-of friends entirely ignorant of the whole subject. I am almost disposed
-to think he did not even consult his own Foreign Minister.”
-
-“Why did you not go to Lausanne?” I asked.
-
-“Well, I was not invited. Lord Curzon and Ismet Pasha appear to
-understand each other; and they have clever experts at the Conference.”
-
-“Do you not feel, however, that a “prejudiced” expert may do even more
-harm than the Premier’s ‘men,’ who knew nothing?”
-
-“If you can prove they are prejudiced, yes.”
-
-“In my view, when the Turks mistrust them, it is enough.”
-
-“That, surely, is not for me to say.”
-
-I much fear it was “mistaken” modesty, which led General Harington to
-think that his presence would “make no difference” at Lausanne.
-
- * * * * *
-
-On the other hand, his praise of Refet Pasha is well-deserved. It would,
-indeed, require an exceedingly smart diplomatist to get over a man no
-one can bluff, for all his courtesy and kindness. The “wonderful little
-general” is always busy, but never _too_ busy to see the friends of his
-country, who all delight in his wit.
-
-“There is nothing he would not dare,” said Colonel Mougin. “I can
-imagine him smoking a cigarette on the edge of Vesuvius! With a mere
-handful of men he held his own against regiments of Allies all along the
-line.”
-
-When I first met Refet Pasha we spoke of Colonel Mougin, with whom he
-had been photographed. I told him that I had been fighting the colonel
-ever since we met.
-
-“Fighting with that charming man?” he exclaimed.
-
-“The charm of friendship is to fight in peace,” I replied, “or _Discuter
-sans disputer_, as the French say.”
-
-He laughed heartily, and then spoke with the deepest respect of General
-Harington.
-
-“You have yourself given me an example,” said I. “‘Love your enemies’,
-as it is written.”
-
-Colonel Mougin used to say that Refet Pasha had the glorious spirit of a
-pioneer, and that his country made good use of the quality. When he had
-cut his way through the wilderness of Anatolia, they sent him to take
-possession of Constantinople, though the Allies were still there! At the
-same time, he was to prepare the way for the axe that was once more to
-chop with severity, speaking metaphorically, of course, in the departure
-of the Sultan. When the Government machine at Constantinople was running
-smoothly, he was sent off to tackle Thrace!
-
-Refet Pasha spoke warmly of Colonel and Mrs. Samson, not forgetting
-their charming little girl.
-
-“He rendered great service to Turkey during the Siege of Adrianople. He
-likes the Turks.”
-
-“Like all British _gentlemen_,” I interposed, to his amusement.
-
-[Illustration:
-
- GENERAL REFET PASHA AND COLONEL MOUGIN IN CONSTANTINOPLE.
- p. 288
-]
-
-“Enemies, or not enemies,” he said, “in spite of all the terrible things
-your compatriots have done, they are fine and intelligent men. I
-ventured to say to them: ‘Perhaps, by bringing every man you can obtain
-from the four corners of the earth, you may crush our forces, but
-_never_ our spirit. And remember, in crushing us you will mutilate
-yourselves for ever!’ General Harington knows that. He perfectly
-understands.”
-
-The General spoke of his twenty-eight years’ service: the terrible
-hardship of these last years, when they had to fight, not only the enemy
-without, but those Turks who had thrown in their lot with the Allies.
-
-“They say,” he went on, “soldiers love war. It is not true. They hate
-it, because they know what it means. Politicians want war and make war;
-we only have to obey.”
-
-He has a very high opinion of the present Khalif, whom I myself met ten
-years ago, in the days of Mahmoud II.
-
-“Everybody has the greatest respect for him,” he went on, “and rightly;
-a fine gentleman and a great artist.”
-
-“How does he like not being a Sultan?”
-
-“He is the Khalif,” he replied. “In his place, however, I might prefer
-the lesser honour and the smaller responsibilities.”
-
-“Do you approve of my going to Lausanne?” I asked.
-
-“You have worked hard, and honestly, at studying the country and striven
-very sincerely to understand my people. It will be well for your
-delegates to be told the truth. Nevertheless, Lord Curzon himself knows
-the subject inside out. He has made up his mind, and knows exactly what
-he intends to do. Above all, he thoroughly understands what effect his
-policy will produce.”
-
-I believe every word. This time the Prime Minister will have nothing to
-say; Lord Curzon has _full powers_. His responsibilities are heavy
-indeed. With the terrible heritage of “ugly debts” incurred in the name
-of England, of which he will personally be held guilty for years to
-come! For him, the _right_ way is not the _easy_ way.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The British officials of Constantinople have been most kind to me; as
-the only Englishwoman who knows the story of Angora, and has been near
-to the “heart” of the Turks; they hope I shall go to Lausanne.
-
-But who will listen? From the beginning of time, has an Englishman ever
-asked a woman for her opinion, or listened to her if she expressed one,
-even after being consulted! Often, of course, a personality like Lady
-Hamilton’s, may exert great influence; but men do not come to us for
-information or advice on policy however much we may know, however deeply
-and clearly we may think. I am still uncertain of how much our women may
-ever be allowed to effect in politics and diplomacy.
-
-I once heard a story from a witty Frenchman, which “hits off” our _men_
-to a miracle! Their stubborn tenacity, which has never _conceded_ an
-inch to women that was not dragged out of them by main force! A
-celebrated French Minister once came to London in hopes of securing a
-certain concession. When he had spent an hour explaining his case, our
-great personages briefly replied: “You might as well have asked us for a
-part of Hyde Park!” He tried again, for another hour, with precisely the
-same result. His reasons, any mutual advantages that might, or might
-not, accrue, were absolutely ignored. They only answered, “You might as
-well have asked us for Hyde Park!”
-
-At Lausanne, unfortunately, there is every reason to fear that the
-English and the Turks are _both_ adopting the method of not listening.
-It works, of course (so far as getting your own way), if _one_ party is
-firmly in possession; but when the claim to control is in dispute, and
-neither can be induced to yield, one _must_ feel that a little
-conciliation might be prudent.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Thinking it most unlikely that I shall have another opportunity of
-talking so freely to any British officials, I have spoken with great
-frankness of what has been in my heart for years, but what I now see can
-never be changed.
-
-Lord Curzon spoke courteously of my self-imposed mission “to serve my
-country abroad,” but England will never entrust such tasks to women, or
-even lend them any _official_ sanction.
-
-This, then, is my swan song of the work which I have proved that a woman
-_can_ do. Before leaving the stage, I may say what I think.
-
-“If you suppose that we are going to let any Tom, Dick or Harry run our
-Embassies, as they do in America, you are very much mistaken.” I was
-once “officially” informed: “We may be accused of being socially
-exclusive, but everyone knows to which Embassy they should appeal when
-anything _has to be done_.”
-
-“That does not touch my complaint,” I answered. “I shall continue to
-resent the fact that _we_ are not allowed the same footing as women in
-other countries. We have at last secured the vote, and, theoretically,
-the right of entry to all professions; but, proud as we are of Lady
-Astor and Mrs. Wintringham, their presence in Parliament has, rather
-unfortunately, produced an impression of far more ‘freedom’ and
-‘equality’ than we have actually achieved. Some are indeed safely on the
-heights, but most women have not yet even planted their feet on the
-lowest rung of the ladder.
-
-“Everyone knows that the Englishman is chivalrous to women, and is their
-surest anchor in distress. He will willingly die for them, but he
-maintains his rooted objection to being asked to help them to live.
-
-“The French Government sent a _woman_ to Angora with the fullest
-official backing in finance and prestige. Their Ambassador provided a
-plan for her journey, and has made public acknowledgment of her service
-to France.”
-
-“We do not require women for this work,” was the dogmatic reply; which
-also, of course, ignored the _principle_ involved in such official
-rigidity.
-
-But with the unfailing courtesy which the best Englishman never denies
-to the women whose “interference” he most resents, “I hope you made our
-position clear to your friends the Turks. Those who serve our Government
-have always done so of their own free-will. _That is why we are served
-so well!_”
-
- * * * * *
-
-I approached this question from another angle at Lausanne. As I have
-already pointed out, and illustrated from experience in an earlier
-chapter, it is most advisable, if not essential, that the Ambassador,
-like other great “Personages,” should employ agents to “try out” the
-petty “first steps” of any change in policy.
-
-I was told by way of reply, that “the first qualification for ‘entering
-diplomacy’ is to be twenty-one!” This, of course, excludes a woman over
-thirty; a fact that may serve for answer to many bitter attacks upon my
-“Disadvantage of Being a Woman.” A man of threescore is seldom
-considered too old for diplomacy; a woman of thirty-five is fourteen
-years beyond the limit.
-
-“What would you do with the old men?” I was asked.
-
-“Teach them golf,” was my prompt retort.
-
- * * * * *
-
-At the Front in a French uniform, speaking French to my own compatriots,
-I was always unwilling to confess my nationality. So long as they
-thought I was French, they forgot the lady, and made a friend of the
-woman! Shedding their “own” uniform, as it were, they “let go” in homage
-and devotion; giving, being, and appealing for _themselves_. But the
-moment it came out that I was English, the open oyster closed down and
-hid its pearl. From these spruce, upright, and tightly-buttoned uniforms
-I could never get through the politeness.
-
-As an interpreter in the Guards once explained it: “When one of your
-Generals asks me to buy him a _Vie Parisienne_, he never forgets to add,
-‘but don’t give it to me in front of my officers.’” It must be the same
-with women. The Englishman will allow a _French_ woman to “have a peep”
-at his soul. To his compatriot he offers his dignity and his
-prestige—which are no better than a bag of bones!
-
-What I have always known, has been brought home more forcibly than ever
-during this trip. In matrimony, at his office, and in the home, the
-Englishman must be master. We can, if we must, accept a _good_ master.
-Who will help us against the _bad_? Do the _Laws_ of England?
-
-It sometimes seems indiscreet for an Englishwoman to visit the British
-Embassies in foreign capitals, but I rarely omit to call on the French;
-and there are, of course, certain advantages, under some circumstances,
-in a twin-nationality. I have been invited to their Christmas lunch by
-General and Madame Pellé.
-
-Mr. Neville Henderson, the British _chargé d’affaires_ at
-Constantinople, though certainly not pro-Turk, does not hesitate to
-criticise the Greeks. An ideal sense of balance for a diplomat.
-
-The Turks like Mr. Henderson; and when I remarked on the apparent
-anomaly that “one can be popular in Turkey without being pro-Turk,” I
-was met by the astounding retort that “he succeeds because he knows how
-to talk”—a strong argument against “silent” diplomacy!
-
-I can only hope that he may long remain at his post. Although he may not
-like to hear his beloved Foreign Office called a “mausoleum,” or the
-burial-ground for twentieth-century ideals. Of him, one can repeat what
-a Cabinet Minister once said of France: that “he is one of the few ready
-to give a criminal, or a genius, _his chance_.” Though not an enthusiast
-for any “Asiatic Revival,” he will accept the inevitable, and cheer the
-winner. May he stay at his post _at least_ till danger is past.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I have just made my first, and I hope my last, stay in Pera. The
-sister-in-law of my little Turkish sister is dying, so I cannot accept
-her hospitality, though she has begged me to come to her.
-
-What a terrible warning one can take from Pera! I had not realised the
-danger of losing oneself in the ambition to be truly cosmopolitan. These
-people belong to all nations and have the souls of none. Their faces
-have only one common feature—the lack of the spirit behind all racial
-types, the entire absence of any ideal. In Anatolia I found two forms of
-inborn honour: the “nationalist” and the “primitive peasant.” In Pera I
-stepped from Tokatlian’s Hotel to the Embassy with the feeling that
-someone is going to stab me in the back.
-
- * * * * *
-
-This is the fourth Christmas I have spent in Turkey. On the first
-occasion the Germans invited me to their Christmas Tree; outside some
-Armenians sang their exquisite native carols; which, like their
-folk-songs, make one wish their characters were equally fine. The
-concert, however, was interrupted by the master-scavengers of
-Constantinople, the innumerable dogs, against whose furious barking the
-Christians at first bravely held on. But the “enemy” trotted away to
-collect his forces from every quarter of the city and, in the end, I won
-a wager for the dogs _versus_ the Christians. Our entertainers went
-home, amidst a never-to-be-forgotten chorus of canine howling.
-
-In Constantinople the dogs certainly had their own nationality. Divided
-against each other by street feuds, the biggest troop coming from the
-“station beat,” where cans of rubbish are emptied from the Orient
-express, they yet _united_ to drive out the “alien” Christians from the
-fatherland of “Dogdom!”
-
-And so it is with the Moslems. If Albania and Syria have left their
-fatherland, it is not wise for a foreigner to utter a word against
-Turkey in their presence.
-
-Mustapha Kemal Pasha will find no difficulty about proving his
-confidence in Nationalism. “If Europe deny us justice, we shall obtain
-justice from Asia The brotherhood of Islam stands solidly for us.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-This Christmas, after a pleasant dinner at the hotel with Mr. D——, I
-asked him to take me to church. “Can you hold on to Faith after what you
-have seen?” he asks.
-
-“I have sometimes nearly lost hold. But when I realise that ‘war’ has
-taken away everything else from us, I just _hang on_, hard.”
-
-So I go to church alone, leaving the hideous jazz-band and the noisy
-dancers; who drink and step out like kangaroos by way of enjoyment!
-
-The eternal beauty of the midnight Mass carries one right away from the
-dreadful tragedy of life, handing us, too, spiritual food for the
-heart’s strengthening. On the way home I was humming the Christmas hymn,
-“Come and Adore Him,” when a clash of discord struck at me from the
-approaching hotel-mob; for _their_ part, humming “_j’en ai marre_” (“I
-am fed up”) the most contagious refrain ever uttered.
-
-I, very unreasonably, poured out my wrath on Mr. D—— next morning. “Is
-it impossible to make them realise what their song _means_? Nero fiddled
-while Rome was burning; they are dancing to the tune of a poor woman’s
-broken heart. Someone will soon find a gay air for “the Song of the
-Shirt,” and men will be hopping and braying to it.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-At last I am, fortunately, able to drive quietly away from Pera. “You
-haven’t changed a bit, you always disliked Pera,” my little Turkish
-sister had said. “I remember that when we used to go to the Ottoman Bank
-to fetch your letters you would have the horses whipped up so as to ride
-to Pera and back as quickly as possible.”
-
-Again I am gazing upon the “Sublime Porte.” It is still “sublime” and
-the sunset has not changed. Yet no longer can it command my love; and
-woman does not reason!
-
-The old buildings are as magnificent as ever; the sun is still sparkling
-on the gold; the picturesque beggars are still there; the blue sky, the
-Bosphorus, and the cypress trees!
-
-Only the heart and spirit of Turkey have gone to Angora. This is no
-longer the Turkey of the Turks; and so I am a stranger here, and there
-are no friendly faces of the Anatolians to give me greeting.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Along the road the same houses are tumbling down, at exactly the same
-stage of decrepitude. “Nothing has changed, my child,” I say, “except my
-heart.”
-
-As we pass the old Tekké, however, I miss the kindly face that used to
-smile on me from behind the green grilled window; and we laugh over the
-curious souvenirs I managed to obtain from that holy man.
-
-I was walking with Colonel Z., ten years ago, the first day I noticed
-him at the window; the big, lovely, dark eyes; the green swathed turban;
-the Persian robe; and on his face the look of the “peace that passeth
-understanding.” He must be the “Sower that went forth to sow,” I said,
-“please take me in to him.”
-
-“But I cannot,” said the colonel; and so, before he realised what I was
-doing, I just walked in myself and told the holy man that “I had come to
-look at his ‘beautiful face.’” After that I paid him many visits,
-sharing his coffee, making signs to the women, and watching his strange
-worship, that had not even any accompaniment of the piping flute.
-
-He told me that no Christian had ever before been admitted into the
-Tekké.
-
-“Do you consider me a heathen?” I asked.
-
-“No, we are all children of God. How can one of His children be a
-heathen?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-“What has become of the old man?” I asked my Turkish sister.
-
-“They ordered his son—you remember that fine lad—to say _Vive la Grèce,
-Vive Venizelos_, and when he refused, they shot him.”
-
-“But what of the old man?”
-
-“It broke his heart. One day he just fell asleep and did not wake
-again.”
-
-The harem door is still open. The little daughter, now thirteen, still
-calls me Tezajim (dear Aunt), and we find seats on the marble veranda to
-wait for the sun to set over the shores of the Marmora.
-
-“How often I think of you,” murmured my little sister, “trying and
-trying, day after day, to paint our sunset.” And when I repeated that to
-the late Sir Alfred East he laughed heartily, saying, “Dear child,
-Turner could not have done it?”
-
- * * * * *
-
-And who has taken the place of my attendant, Miss Chocolate? The slim
-figure of a coal-black negress appears to answer my question, robed in
-brown velvet, with a brown velvet toque. I must call her Miss Ink,
-though her name is Mary.
-
-I lunch with my Turkish sister as often as the poor sick woman can spare
-her, and she is generous. Yet eighteen of her friends are there already.
-This time my friend wears a fur coat and a black veil with lace over it.
-“Fancy calling _that_ a veil, I teased her. Yet I can count the steps
-taken in the progress of Turkish women by our lunches. The first time I
-came to Turkey, you wanted to go up in a lift, and though your father
-said neither ‘yea’ nor ‘nay,’ you did not go. The second time you often
-used the lift. The third time, we lunched at Tokatlian’s restaurant,
-‘for ladies only.’ Now you lunch unveiled (I don’t call _that_ a veil)
-in a _mixed_ restaurant.
-
-“And yet, now you have won the privilege for which you have been waiting
-so many years, you prefer to lunch ‘with the ladies.’ How like a woman!”
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXIII
-
- LAUSANNE PALACE HOTEL—THE HOME OF TURKEY, FRANCE, AND JAPAN—“EVERY
- POSSIBLE PHASE OF COMPLETE INTERNATIONALISM”
-
-
-“PLEASE reserve comfortable room for Englishwoman coming from Angora,”
-so ran the telegram despatched by an American friend of mine, who had
-gallantly determined that I should be well looked after. It was both
-comfortable and warm; and, to complete the welcome, my waking eyes next
-morning are caught by the two flags I have learnt to love so well, the
-Turkish and the French—the “standards” of two brave peoples, with the
-fine spirit that nothing can subdue, who would choose rather to be
-annihilated than to live in servitude.
-
-Then I notice the flag of Japan! “What has Japan to do with it?” I ask
-Ismet Pasha.
-
-“Ah, Miss d’Angora,” he answers with a laugh, “it is fine sport to watch
-the poor little bird as they pluck out his feathers and clip his wings.”
-
-Indeed, Lausanne has been “revolutionised” by this Conference of Peace!
-It is a golden harvest for the hotels, which have not a room unoccupied.
-Every day luncheons, dinners, and banquets! Everywhere representatives
-of the world’s Press! I feel strange, somehow, in a “neutral” country.
-Ever since 1914 I have been living, or travelling, over “seats of war,”
-in lands fighting to defend, or attack, an Ideal.
-
-One can respect any sort of an “opinion” from some point of view; but
-“neutrality” and “anonymity” do not sound to me like attributes in which
-a free and independent people should feel much pride. Yet the
-“neutrality” of Switzerland means the _International Red Cross_ and the
-_League of Nations_; and it has surely earned by its hospitality to the
-world’s statesmen, a right to play _its_ part in the historical peace,
-for which “the God who Forgives” is waiting.
-
-The Orient express is bringing the peoples together; Lord Curzon
-from London, Ismet Pasha from Angora. May their political discussion
-travel under one company to our home of peace! This Hotel of the
-Strange Tongues is fast become a very Tower of Babel, for it reveals
-every possible phase of complete internationalism, from fox-trots
-and cocktails to the folk-songs of Anatolia, sung by the Pasha’s
-Guards when off duty. Here, too, are thronging a host of new
-nationalities—Georgians, Bolsheviks, Syrians, Sons of Palestine, and
-Armenians; each fired by their own ideals, each proud of their
-independence; all sighing for the (political) moon.
-
-For the moment, of course, the Conference has resolved itself into a
-duel between Lord Curzon and Ismet Pasha. Mme. B., indeed, is indignant
-because, she says, “our English representative has so bullied the French
-delegate that he has been obliged to take to his bed,” though one can
-hardly believe that proud and mighty Republic would choose a man whom
-anyone could really bully to bed!
-
-I tried to imagine the Conferences of the future! “We should appoint a
-bear for our delegate,” I said, “send him round to all the other
-delegations in turn, to grunt! When his confrères had all taken to their
-beds, he could dictate his own term.... After the senile sensitiveness
-of M. Barrère, the youthful ‘insolence’ of Riza Nour is most
-refreshing.”
-
-This is the first occasion of big diplomacy in which Turkey has ever
-dared to assert herself. “A free and independent Turkey” is so unheard
-of; one sadly fears it may even now be dismissed as “mere bluff.” Do
-they realise, or will they ever believe, that a vast, well-trained army
-(who _may_ be called fanatics) are _ready_ and _thoroughly prepared_ (by
-military experts) to come out at a word from their great leader, and
-once more save their Fatherland? It is sad to feel that the “Hymn of
-Independence” I heard on all sides at Angora, should sound as much “out
-of harmony” with the tone of the Conference, as “Anatolian” folk-songs
-with a Jazz Band!
-
-America has sent “representatives,” whose chief is called _An Observer_
-and rejoices in the name of _Child_—“The Child Observer” or, as it is
-whispered, “The Boy Scout.” To point the humour of the situation, I
-naturally expected to meet a hoary-headed old gentleman with a long
-white beard, like his predecessor at Rome, Ambassador Robert Underwood
-Johnson. But though I was not aware of it at the time, he is the very
-young man I reduced to silence, by inquiring the way in what he called
-voluble French, who simply led me to the place without comment, rang the
-bell, and went away!
-
-At the Conference one still sees the Powers in turn calling Turkey “to
-order,” when their own arrogance has reduced her delegate to a condition
-of what the Press calls his “more than usual insolence.” Then the “Boy
-Scout” or “Child Observer” would “try a little kindness,” to Ismet
-Pasha. “Don’t you see the whole world is against you,” to which came the
-dignified rejoinder, “We have become accustomed to that.”
-
-As it was in Angora, everyone here talks politics all day. But I am told
-that, while they only enjoyed themselves at Genoa, they do work at
-Lausanne. I quite believe in this “work”; certainly the Turkish
-delegates are hard at it till two or three every morning. But they do
-not forget enjoyment altogether. The younger members from the
-commissions have treated themselves to a _thê dansant_. “It warms your
-feet,” said Hussein Djahid, who takes his dancing very seriously.
-“Surely Turks don’t suffer from cold feet,” I exclaimed, “and I don’t
-believe you really like it, you only dance to show us that you can
-_dance_.”
-
-The Press is luxuriously installed in a miniature palace of its own, at
-the Palace Hotel; a bar, of course, a gramophone, a perfect
-dancing-floor, roulette, and, incidentally, “plenty of room to write.”
-Mr. Ward Price politely regrets that “etiquette” will not permit him to
-ask me for an interview. Why should newspaper etiquette be allowed to
-hamper his “duty” as a good sportsman?
-
-To the one journalist who really counts at Lausanne (though his articles
-were not always printed), I ventured to bring grave charges against the
-Press. “How is it men of talent and education have allowed themselves to
-sink to the level of mere machines, that any ‘big’ proprietor can use to
-manipulate public opinion? The ‘Power of the Press’ is a fraud. You
-never give us the benefit of your knowledge and judgment; whether we
-take a ‘pennyworth of news,’ or let ‘bang go saxpence.’ ‘Alas,’ said
-Shakespeare, ‘to choose love by another’s eyes!’ Is it not a hundred
-times worse ‘to write by another’s ears?’”
-
-You write only what Mr. MacClure deigns to approve; and, though
-doubtless honest and unbiassed, he is not himself really “free.” He
-feeds you daily, like the animals in Regent’s Park, and, after a good
-night, you may digest the food. It would be far more honest to issue an
-“official” Report, without the “false” impression of personal judgments
-formed on the spot, which a “special correspondent” is meant to produce.
-The public is taught to laugh at Ismet’s pleasantries, via Mr. MacClure!
-Now I have heard the Pasha rehearsing, and Lord Curzon preparing his
-“part”; but I still want to witness the duel upon the public platform,
-_for myself_.
-
-Could one ever forget the most dramatic moments of the Second Conference
-at the Hague! Can such incidents be reported unless one has actually
-seen them! I remember Mr. Choate was down one afternoon to speak on
-Disarmament. As he rose, Baron Marshall von Bieberstein deliberately
-closed his ears, and opened a sheet of paper and began to write. Drawing
-himself up to his commanding height, with a stern air of dignity, Mr.
-Joseph Choate began—“I have prepared my speech with great care for the
-express benefit of Baron Marshall. If the _noble_ gentleman is too busy
-to “listen” this afternoon, he would, perhaps, be good enough to make
-another appointment!” Surely the fine picture of this grand American
-calling the “noble” Baron to order upon a question of good breeding is
-one which each correspondent must see, hear, and describe for himself.
-
-It is, no doubt, largely due to the great difficulty of obtaining first
-hand news, that most people are anti-Turk. We were told, for example,
-that Riza Nour was “insolent”; whereas he had patiently listened for
-hours to nonsense about the “National Armenian Home,” _before_ he left
-the Conference room in despair of being permitted to tell the truth.
-
-And, partly no doubt because they may not comment upon anything of real
-importance, the papers are always ready to enlarge upon some trivial
-detail that is calculated to fan the flames of hate, or point the finger
-of scorn, towards any Turk. Someone asserted that the Turkish military
-expert had made a little mistake in preparing a map. He himself did not
-admit that he was wrong; but in any case, no one pretended that the
-matter was in the least important; and it could, ultimately, be
-rectified without the slightest effect on policy. Remember, too, that
-the poor man was working from surveys prepared on different systems, and
-in a language that describes everything for us backwards. It would not
-be remarkable if some slight error _were_ made in transposing the
-details to European measures and methods. Yet the papers all give
-columns exposing the “little mistake,” which, most probably, was never
-made. Vital questions, meanwhile, were almost entirely ignored in the
-Press; and the “insolent” Asiatics are filled with bitter resentment. It
-is idle for Mr. MacClure to say that “they must expect criticism.” What
-they complain of is not “criticism,” but the entire “ignoring” of their
-point of view—a very different thing.
-
-The journalist whom I thus attacked admitted that they deserved all I
-said. “The public,” he added, “_has_ been misled, one might say
-‘cheated.’ I _could_ myself have supplied a good deal of first-class
-information, sufficiently dramatic and interesting to ‘raise
-circulations’; had I refused my signature to the ‘official’ news so
-sparingly doled out for me to put into shape. I can promise you that, on
-me at least, your words have not been wasted.”
-
-Let us hope he may substantiate his pledge. At present the Press is
-neither a critic, a check on intrigue, nor an inspiration. It echoes the
-Governments, good or bad. In Constantinople, for instance, the American
-and English “special correspondents” frankly confessed that they employ
-a few “scouts” to collect copy, and merely “hash up” what comes in from
-these “scavengers” of rumour and gossip.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Propaganda in the Turkish Press is under the direction of Kemal Bey (the
-poet) and Ruchène Echref. Men of such literary distinction, alas, are no
-better fitted for such work than a watchmaker would be to heave coal. In
-Turkey they do not understand how heavy are the hands that can mange
-propaganda: that posts are created for the men who can fill them, and
-men are not made for any post that may happen to be vacant.
-
- * * * * *
-
-It was always a pleasure, _and_ a surprise, to meet Lord Curzon socially
-at Lausanne; and if only his traditional respect for British prestige
-would have allowed him to be “himself” with Ismet Pasha and the Turkish
-delegates, to approach discussions with all the charm and wit that he
-knows so well how to exert, I am convinced that the _practical_ gain to
-both countries would be enormous.
-
-For though in debate his “official” manner is bound to emphasise the
-impression of a determined man, so clearly knowing his own mind that
-argument or even discussion is waste of time; I found him sincerely
-interested in all the personal details of my trip; and his penetrating
-questions were proof enough that he is quite ready to hear all sides,
-and really anxious to understand the country, the people, and their
-point of view, from anyone who knows them, irrespective of what
-“heresies” they may uphold. To me personally, he was not only courteous,
-but respectfully attentive; the only Englishman whose compliments and
-praise _meant_ a real gratitude, a serious acknowledgment of my fifteen
-years’ study and adventure, as “worthy service to my country.”
-
-Ismet Pasha asked me if I had succeeded in making Lord Curzon understand
-the grave importance of their movement.
-
-“I may have helped a little,” I answered, “I believe I have. But he has
-always understood nearly the whole truth. What I fear _you_ and your
-friends must find it almost impossible to understand is the “public
-opinion” in the West, which he cannot ignore.
-
-“Does he know how foolish it is to talk of a “home” for Armenia?”
-
-“He knows it would be as useless as to tie ‘a swarm of bees under a
-donkey’s nose.’ But, though—as you justly say—it is not their business,
-England cannot ignore America and the Powers. It would not bring you
-peace, or justice, to affront them. I do not wonder that you and Riza
-Nour grow impatient with the wasteful methods of traditional diplomacy;
-but that is _our_ way of democracy, to conciliate public opinion by a
-pose of far greater obstinacy and intolerance than we feel, or intend to
-act on.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-We in England, however, should realise that, however wise and sincere
-Lord Curzon’s own sympathy may be, the general attitude—in England and
-the Continent—is still based on our interpretation of the “old” Turkey.
-Our experts, for example, in Constantinople, still approach the
-Nationalists as they were accustomed to order about Abdul Hamid’s Turks.
-They are, naturally and inevitably, “touchy” in Angora, but we shall not
-help matters by any offensive allusions to the “Moslem with his tail up,
-no thank you!”
-
-[Illustration:
-
- LAUSANNE PALACE HOTEL.
- THE HOME OF TURKEY, FRANCE, AND JAPAN.
- p. 304
-]
-
-It would be not only wiser and fairer, but more dignified, to
-congratulate these people on the achievements of the Grand National
-Assembly, which the “Mother of Parliaments” should surely welcome with
-honour and respect.
-
- * * * * *
-
-I found Ismet Pasha often depressed by the immensity of his task;
-harassed, too, lest his own people should not feel that he had done
-enough. “They have sent me, a soldier, to fight a Bismarck, one of your
-greatest statesmen,” he said one day.
-
-I repeated what Lord Curzon had told me, with obvious sincerity, “You
-know, I _like_ the little man.”
-
-“And I respect _him_,” was the prompt reply, as his bright eyes lit up
-with renewed hope and courage.
-
-Another day he was again in despair. “Well, it will just _have_ to be
-war.”
-
-But I would not hear the word. To all the Turks, Riza Nour, Tewfik,
-Hikmet, I say the same. “We are both in the wood. We must walk round and
-round, until we have found a way out.”
-
-It may sound paradoxical, but, while there is absolutely no offence to
-British prestige in the National Pact that is worth shedding one drop of
-human blood to remove, it yet stands for such vital ideals, means so
-much, and has been achieved with such grand courage and self-sacrifice,
-that the Nationalists must uphold and defend it to the bitter end. That
-is the “problem” of Lausanne.
-
-There is, however, no reason why, if foreigners are afraid to trust
-themselves, and the capital, in a Turkey governed by Turks (without
-“protection,” which means “interference”) they should not leave the
-people to find their own way towards commercial and political stability.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Lord Curzon, naturally, _told_ me nothing; but his questions enabled me
-to guess at what he wished and intended to achieve. Perhaps I have
-guessed wrongly.
-
-Is he not anxious to keep Mosul, from fear of Russia. We could buy the
-oil, and the Turks would gladly sell it. Also a promise to Arabs has
-been broken before now; and if our bungling has led Turkey into a
-temporary alliance with Russia, no one knows what will come of the
-German-Jew Soviets. Maybe, we have far more need to protect India from
-them, than to stand on our dignity with “new” Turkey.
-
-The British Empire was founded, and can only survive, on Trust. It is a
-poor policy that dare not act for fear of backing “the wrong horse.” It
-is a criminal policy, when hesitation means war and the loss of millions
-of lives.
-
-Lord Curzon’s association with the Coalition has sadly shaken his high
-repute for “good faith”; and unless he can see his way to come forward
-frankly for a “free and independent” Turkey, the Nationalists will fight
-in their own defence.
-
-There seem to me too many “Commissions” at Lausanne. Closer contact
-between Lord Curzon himself and those able men, Djavid and Hamid Bey, as
-well as Ismet Pasha, would surely not only go far to restore their
-confidence in his good faith, but enormously “speed up” decisions on the
-_essential_ problems that need to be promptly settled.
-
-As I listened to the public speeches of Lord Curzon I was haunted by all
-the fateful memories of the ruin I had seen in Angora. The doubt _would_
-come; does he really realise the supreme necessity to wipe out for ever
-that awful page of history, to _establish_ peace, and to _help_, with
-all the tactful sympathy at his command, the new nation to stand on its
-own feet. Maybe we should even be comforted by hope, if our Government
-would only take us more fully into its confidence. The people of England
-are, after all, deeply concerned. They have faith, they would gladly be
-loyal; but why are they kept in the dark? When I am speaking with the
-Turkish delegates, I sometimes fancy I catch a look on their faces of
-“deep anguish” as we name Lord Curzon, and my heart sinks. How am I to
-convince them, certain as I am he is right, that he is not drifting
-towards the false “sentiment” that has been broadcasted to uphold the
-Greeks?
-
- * * * * *
-
-On the anniversary of the In-Eunus, I dined with Ismet Pasha. When he
-refused dates I told him that, “so long as he kept the ‘dates’ of his
-victories, he needed no others.” “I left Constantinople with nothing,”
-he answered. “I returned the head of the Army.” Turkey gives every man
-his chance.
-
-So far as possible, I am dividing my time between British and Turks; and
-no one can say that either gives more time or “hard labour” to their
-responsibilities, than the other. It is not possible, certainly, for any
-visitor to interrupt Lord Curzon, he seems to be working all the time.
-
- * * * * *
-
-There is one figure we all watch carefully at the Conference. I once
-compared the face of M. Venizelos to an Apostle! Now he hovers round the
-British Delegation like a bird of ill-omen, for some inexplicable reason
-still mesmerising our diplomatists, carrying trouble wherever he goes.
-Djavid Bey laughs to remind me of how proud I had once been to pour out
-tea for them both!
-
- * * * * *
-
-One naturally feels great interest in Melle Stanciof, as the first woman
-diplomatist, and her personality repays study. Tall and thin, with the
-large eyes of the Oriental, she is very able, speaks English without an
-accent, and loves her work. I repeated to her the dogma that to be
-twenty-one is an essential qualification for a diplomat; but she is
-twenty-seven, and only laughed at the idea.
-
-Sir Wm. Tyrell, Permanent Head of the British Foreign Office, with all
-his Irish charm and wit, is as clever as Machievelli. He delights in
-calling himself “Chief of the Underlings”; but men like Mr. Forbes Adam
-and Mr. Harold Nicholson were experienced diplomats when their Turkish
-colleagues were in their cradles; which, as Ismet Pasha sometimes
-complains, “gives them no chance for a fair fight.” But when I dined
-with them as his guests, there was no fighting; and our host, I felt,
-was very well qualified to promote friendly relations, by the cultured
-ease of his hospitality.
-
-To my thinking, British “underlings” are very able men, and not
-pro-Russian as the Turks are disposed to fear. They were all anxious for
-peace, and quite sincerely eager to understand the nationalist point of
-view.
-
- * * * * *
-
-During the conference both M. Poincaré and M. Mussolini visited Lausanne
-and dined with Lord Curzon.
-
-I have had many talks about the Patriarch, whom Mustapha Kemal declares
-must be removed: “He must be got rid of, with the other relics of
-Byzantium!” The problem is especially hard on Turkey, because it arose
-from what ought to have been considered the great strength of the
-nation, though—in this case—it has been exaggerated into weakness, her
-immense tolerance for other people’s religion.
-
-When the Byzantians conquered the Turkish tribes who had emigrated into
-Asia Minor, they compelled the tribesmen to be converted, and join the
-Orthodox Church. The Bible, and all their prayers, were translated into
-Turkish; whence, without design, the Turkish Orthodox Church came into
-being. When, later, under the Seldjoucides and Osmanli, Anatolia passed
-into Moslem hands, no attempt was made to interfere with the Orthodox
-religion of the people.
-
-It was only when the Ottomans ruled in Constantinople and the Sultans
-used their growing power to support the Greek Patriarch, that the
-Anatolians began to see they were being manœuvred into the power of the
-Helenes. During the war, the Patriarch’s intrigues became more daring
-and more obvious; until Papas Eftim Effendi proposed in the Assembly
-that Fanar should be separated from the Orthodox Church, and that the
-Orthodox Church of Anatolia should rule in Thrace and Constantinople.
-
-Yet when Ismet Pasha spoke of the religious “tolerance” of Turkey, Lord
-Curzon replied: “How can you claim to be tolerant. All your past record
-will be destroyed if you dismiss the Patriarch.” And rather than risk
-such a charge against the Nationalists, he gave way.
-
-It seems to me, I confess, that this concession is a grave risk. The
-interference, thus permitted, may prove to be more disastrous than that
-of a few foreign judges against which they so resolutely protest. As Mr.
-Nicholson said he hoped that I had told Lord Curzon how much the Turks
-were giving up.... “I think,” he said, “their tolerance is very fine.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-Ismet Pasha often worked all night with his hench-men, Colonel Tewfik
-and Hikmet Kiamil, a grandson of Kiamil Pasha, who has inherited his
-grandfather’s political talents. They felt that the slightest failure to
-meet the immense demands made on the delegation would stamp them as an
-inferior race, and they determined it should not be.
-
-It was actually after one of their most arduous sittings, up to three
-o’clock in the morning, that I obtained from Ismet Pasha the
-comprehensive exposition of his point of view, that I have put together
-in the following pages.
-
-Ismet Pasha, like Mr. Edison, is deaf; and possibly feels with that
-great inventor that, “though it is uncomfortable when people insist on
-making a spitoon of your ear, for the rest _it is all advantage_.” For
-example, at dinner one can “get on with one’s thinking,” instead of
-listening to the conversation. Ismet Pasha only “hears what he wants to
-hear,” often a great advantage in diplomacy.
-
-As to being content with the “working of the Conference,” he said, “we
-are doing all in our power to make peace, but it is difficult for one
-nation against all the other powers. Willingly or unwillingly, they
-cannot see what our National Pact means to us; and that, as a proud
-people, we cannot accept terms of peace which they would not think of
-offering the Greeks and Bulgars. It is said that the Great Powers must
-conciliate public opinion which hates and distrusts us as ‘barbarians,’
-but we feel certain that the Powers could deal with ‘public opinion’ if
-they so desired, and convince the whole world that we are now working by
-civilised methods to become a free and independent nation. Instead of
-facing the vital question of a ‘right to exist’ as a State, we feel that
-much time has been wasted over details that do not need any discussion.
-It is known, for example, that we are offering, what we have always
-offered, _equal_ rights to Moslems and Christians; yet we are asked to
-establish _in_equality by exempting Christians from military service.
-
-“If ever the Powers consent to accept our point of view, it is
-considered a great concession, and when we point out that our _whole_
-demands have been reduced by us to the lowest minimum, they laugh;
-imagining it is a ‘concession’ to give us back _one room_ in our own
-house.
-
-“For three years, Turkey has given proof that none can dispute of her
-organising capacity, her great vitality, and her deep longing to
-regenerate her country. We came here hoping and believing that the
-plenipotentiaries would bear this in mind. They do not. They beg us to
-‘trust’ them; but they treat us with the same caution, the same
-_dis_trust, as they have always shown towards the old ‘decayed’ Turkey,
-towards which, maybe, there _used to be_ some slight justification. Such
-an attitude cannot produce satisfactory progress.”
-
-“What are the chief obstacles to Peace?”
-
-“Mosul—Finance—Judicial Capitulations—Reparations.
-
-“We are only asking four milliard gold francs for reparations. That is a
-small figure for a country that has been completely devastated, and it
-takes no count of loss of life.
-
-“Mosul was never captured by Great Britain, though they claim the right
-of conquest. Their troops were a long way from Mosul when ours were
-demobilised at the end of the war. They ‘captured’ it by ‘violating the
-terms of the Armistice’; as they did at Constantinople, and as the
-French did in Cilicia.
-
-“The population of Mosul is Kurd and Turkish, with only a small Arab
-minority. It must, therefore, belong to Turkey on all the principles by
-which the Powers have determined the frontiers of Europe. This was
-recognised, indeed, in the Sykes-Picot agreement, which admitted that
-Mosul is _not_ a part of Mesopotamia.
-
-“It was finally handed to England by the French Foreign Office; but M.
-Clemenceau afterwards apologised that he had not previously ‘_known of
-the oil there_.’ The Kurds of Mosul have nothing in common with the
-Arabs; and naturally want to be united with their ‘brothers’ in
-Anatolia. Why are we the only nation to whom the principle of racial
-frontiers has been denied? By what kind of justice does an Arab
-minority, probably smaller than one quarter of the population, give
-England the right to annex Mosul!
-
-“To insist upon our accepting ‘foreign judges,’ is an humiliating insult
-to our Government that is altogether incompatible with National
-Sovereignty. Such interference, and such an affront to the authority of
-the State would be no less injurious to the interests of foreigners in
-Turkey than to our own. It could not fail to provoke continual clashing
-of interests, confusion, and friction between Turkish and foreign
-administration of law, that would be fatal to commercial security _for
-all alike_. Here again the Powers are still ‘building on sand.’
-
-“As to finance, it is a serious difficulty for us; but no question of
-mere money will ever separate us from England.
-
-“I firmly believe that, when once the Powers can get rid of their old
-prejudices, the traditional friendship will revive. England and Turkey,
-surely, need each other; we need England and England needs us, if only
-to pacify those Moslem people whom _England’s injustice to us_ has
-roused to righteous anger against her.
-
-“A strong Anglo-Turkish alliance would mean not only peace in the Near
-East and for Islam; it means peace for the whole world.”
-
-People have asked me “Why did Lausanne fail?”
-
-I answer: “It did _not_ fail. It _would_ have been failure had Ismet
-Pasha signed, at the pistol’s point, a treaty that could not be
-ratified. He knew that the Assembly would never sign the terms offered
-by the Powers; and, as I told Lord Curzon, he had to consult his
-colleagues in Angora. It would hinder peace, not promote it, to sign
-with no security for ratification.”
-
-As Ismet said, “We have purchased our Anatolia with the blood and money
-of her peasants. We can die, but we cannot betray them.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXIV
-
- TURKEY AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS—THE PARLIAMENT OF NATIONS MUST BE TRULY
- IMPARTIAL AND INTERNATIONAL
-
-
-FOR those of us who pinned their faith on the League of Nations, it is a
-matter of the deepest regret that Turkey has lost her trust in the great
-Parliament of All Nations, especially now that it could have played so
-important a part in settling our differences at the Lausanne Conference.
-It is not entirely the Turks’ fault; indeed, considering all things, one
-can scarcely urge them to any other attitude.
-
-To them, at least, the League must seem definitely anti-Islam, and (as
-founder of the Lyceum Club ‘League of Nations Circle,’ of which Lady
-Gladstone is president) I have continually endeavoured to impress upon
-Lord Robert Cecil the danger of allowing such an idea to remain
-uncontradicted, that it may spread more widely and be more firmly held.
-
-Turkey never interfered with British property during the war, and
-British merchants continued their business in Smyrna throughout the
-hostilities. Yet we not only confiscated, but sold enemy property. In
-one case, for example, the business of a man, brought up in England and
-a pronounced Anglophil, was sold to a Greek for a quarter of its value,
-and the money sequestered by the Government. Had the Bey even been a
-traitor he should have been given the full value of his business, and
-then expelled, instead of being driven to exist on money borrowed at an
-exorbitant rate of interest. On the other hand, Ottoman “Christian”
-property was freed from sequestration; a distinction between
-“neighbours,” hardly consistent with the teaching of our faith.
-
-The “pick-pocketing” habit of confiscating enemy property—Turkish,
-German, or Austrian—is surely beneath an Empire with our reputation; and
-the plea from France and Italy’s example does not strike one as a
-dignified defence. As a matter of fact, France emphatically denies ever
-having taken a penny from the Turks.
-
-Is not such flagrant injustice an obvious case for the League’s
-authority to intervene? When visiting the “League of Nations”
-headquarters in Geneva the other day, Sir Eric Drummond asked me why
-Turkey should be so suspicious of the League? I could only refer him to
-the public speeches of our most responsible statesmen. When Mr. Lloyd
-George hurled insults at Islam, it only meant one more item in the big
-bill of Moslem grievances against England; when Lord Balfour and Lord
-Robert Cecil speak in similar strains, Islam listens. While _they_
-refuse justice and mercy, Turkey mistrusts the League.
-
-Because the League stood aside, and left the Greeks in Smyrna, as
-Britain refused discussion with Turkish emissaries, Mustapha Kemal was
-driven to arms, which gave Turkey, indeed, the victory, but spread ruin
-throughout Anatolia.
-
-Should not a careful consideration for the _feelings_ of all nations be
-an outstanding characteristic of the League, which is the expression of
-the world-brotherhood? Yet it suggested that a man, a Mr. Pitt, should
-be allowed to search the harems for enslaved Greeks and Armenians! An
-incomprehensible insult that, if Turkey ever forgives, she cannot
-forget. The Turks are a proud and aristocratic race, with venerable
-traditions, which, if we will not understand, we should, at least,
-respect. To them, home-life is a sealed and sacred book.
-
-Why, again, was the preparation of a full report on “harems” entrusted
-to a Roumanian poetess, rather than to such a woman as Halidé Hanoum, of
-tried experience and world-wide reputation for liberal broadmindedness?
-We have depended, in the past, chiefly on nursery governesses whose
-exaggerations and misconceptions on this subject are invaluable to
-sensational writers. Hence the sordid colouring for Western eyes thrown
-on a system of delicate lights and shades and very complicated nuances.
-
-The Greek and Armenian servants in Turkish harems would be themselves
-the first to resent interference. For they are treated in Moslem homes
-with an equality, consideration, and leniency no Christian mistress
-would dream of permitting. They, often, practically control the
-household, and are, indeed, sometimes given an unwise preference in the
-Pasha’s affections. They hold the purse-strings, direct, advise, and
-administer domestic affairs, as they also, so largely, manage the
-commercial life of the country. In return, naturally, the Turk expects
-absolute loyalty; and woe to those who refuse, or betray, it.
-
-It is true, of course, that backstairs propaganda—from American Relief
-Workers, among others—has been at work to misinform the League; and had
-reliable information been available, those unfortunate mistakes would
-never have been made.
-
-Indeed, the honestly impartial head of its own Press department now
-reports: “We have tested the real value of Greek and Armenian
-propaganda, and sympathise with the Turk in consequence.” Such
-repentance comes rather late in the day, but may even yet produce a
-wiser policy.
-
-It was one of the Fethi Bey’s many humiliating experiences, on his visit
-to London, to see the harem misjudged by an ex-governess, and to read
-the assertion of a lady from Boston that “beautiful Greek girls had to
-disfigure themselves to prevent the Turks from stealing them!”
-Statements that might have been treated with the contempt they deserve,
-had they not been accorded such prominence by the Press.
-
-On the other hand, one must acknowledge that the Turk’s attitude towards
-his detractors is more lofty than practical. Pride forbids him to answer
-accusations, or disseminate the truth; which he, as a fatalist, firmly
-believes “must out”! They will, certainly, never hoist the propagandist
-“on his own petard,” since, to their thinking, the man who accepts money
-to defend a cause is no better than a “political prostitute.” They argue
-that “he who works for me, must believe in me, as a true friend, eager
-to help.” And for the moment, Europe has made them feel that “facts”
-would avail them nothing—“whatever we do is wrong.”
-
-In the East news spreads with accurate rapidity without the assistance
-of newspapers; but the foreigner who needs chapter and verse for every
-statement may be, to some extent, excused for suspecting their obstinate
-reticence about statistics and exact figures. I should, myself, have
-welcomed more information about a story I quite believe, but cannot
-substantiate, that came from an Italian lady at Broussa. She said that
-the Greeks burnt a Turkish prison, _with all the prisoners in it_, and,
-“to her dying day she would never forget their awful screams,” but no
-one will give me the least idea of how many prisoners were slaughtered.
-I called on a Vali whose palace was burned to cinders before I had the
-information. And I could discover no precise details, despite inquiry at
-Angora, Constantinople, and Lausanne!
-
-The Norwegian head of the Minorities Committee, a man given to wise and
-just decisions, has said: “It is no use expecting Asiatics to be
-Europeans. They have as much right to do things in their Asiatic way, as
-we have to act like Europeans. There are standards of right and wrong,
-against which neither may transgress, but for the rest, nothing can be
-done.” He also agreed that to secure protection from a minority, you
-must enforce loyalty to the majority. I told him the head of the
-Armenian community had begged the Pope to see that they “were left to
-the mercy” of the Turks, which _is_ merciful.
-
-The League can really help Christians in Turkey by putting a stop to
-pro-Christian propaganda, for which Armenians in Anatolia will have to
-suffer.
-
-There is so much that the League of one’s dream could do for Turkey, as
-for all the peoples; and we criticise only from hope and desire of some
-hastening in its approach to perfection, and the establishing of its
-supreme authority. As Sir Eric Drummond pointed out, the high-handed and
-retrograde attitude towards Eastern problems would not be possible were
-Turkey represented on the council: as others have seen, that while the
-so-called “enemy” peoples are unrepresented, the League cannot be truly
-either impartial or international.
-
-To secure equal justice for all, it must stand outside, and above,
-divisions of race, creed or prejudice.
-
-Nevertheless, we hope that Turkey will trust the “imperfect” League.
-Maybe, after all, in dealing with Mosul, it would grant the plebiscite
-which Lord Curzon declares is “impossible.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-It is not generally known why Colonel House chose Geneva, in preference
-to Lausanne, as the seat of the League of Nations.... After long and
-careful deliberation, which yet produced only indecision, I am told that
-he asked his valet’s advice.
-
-Joseph replied: “Geneva would be much better for your rheumatism!”
-
-Once installed, however, Colonel House discovered another reason. At
-Geneva, lived Josephine!
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- CHAPTER XXXV
-
- THE FUTURE—ABOVE ALL, A LASTING PEACE
-
-
-WILL the future bring us peace; above all, a lasting peace? Though
-nothing less is worth having, _we cannot have war_.
-
-I saw M. Franklin-Bouillon in Paris and, though not perhaps in agreement
-with all he did in Syria, I maintain that his work in Moudania deserved
-thanks rather than criticism. He knows the Turks well, and affirms that
-he would have made peace at Lausanne. He possibly might have done so,
-but would it have been _lasting_ peace?
-
- * * * * *
-
-On my way back to London we cross the channel in a Handley-Page
-Aeroplane. There is just time to prepare a conclusive answer to all
-questions about the harem; for no matter how eager we are to proceed,
-after six months’ study of the Angora movement, to more important
-impressions, every newspaper correspondent asks about the harem.
-
-Just as for those who, in the States; held me personally responsible for
-our policy in Ireland, I stole from _Life_ a witty answer, compressed
-into this dramatic “tabloid,” that “turned away American wrath”:
-
-“_Pat_: Wouldn’t it be awful if England now gave us all we wanted?”
-
-“_Mike_: Sure, and ’twould be like her to play us the dirty trick.”
-
-In like manner, I prepared two shots to kill “harem” inquiries:—
-
-_One_: “Why has the Turk only one wife, to-day?
-
-“When four wives meant four tillers of the ground, there was ‘sense’ in
-polygamy. It is ‘folly’ now they buy their dresses in Paris.”
-
-_Two_: “Why are you always so early at the Mosque?” a pious man was
-asked.
-
-“As I have two wives, I leave home as soon as possible.”
-
-The result was as I expected.
-
- * * * * *
-
-But what about the peace for which we all wait so anxiously?
-
-What has the future in store for us? We must turn over a new page, and
-find our way with great care, both sides first uttering their _mea
-culpas_, with honest courage to learn the lesson of their mistakes.
-
-Above all, may Lausanne learn the lesson of Versailles.
-
-Which of the Big Four dared face _the real problems_ of Versailles? They
-decided nothing, but, leading us into the pestilent zone of neutrality,
-imposed a “Government by Committees” upon the world, which could not
-work. Nature abhors neutrality, as she abhors a vacuum. And so it is in
-politics.
-
-On the other hand, however, we ask ourselves what nation was as badly
-beaten as Turkey? Yet which of our late enemies has dared such open
-defiance to the Allies? Not, however, in consequence of their victory
-over the Greeks; but because she knows that, however much we may
-pretend, none wants to fight; and no one can win the prize of
-“Constantinople” save by conquest.
-
-We had foolish visions of a new Byzantium, and thought that Greece would
-reward our support by a “place on the Bosphorus.” But had the Powers
-accepted this monstrous idea of a Greek Bosphorus, we should have found
-it necessary to punish the arrogance of our _soi-disant_
-fellow-burglars. The _timeo Danaos_, etc., of ancient Greece has still
-its place in modern politics.
-
-The Allies, however, knew they could not create a “neutral”
-Constantinople, and had intended, before the Bolshevik regime, to
-present the prize to Russia. A “committee” government of France, Italy
-and England would mean English rule; and our blundering had been too
-patent.
-
-There remained no choice. Constantinople had to be given back to Turkey.
-Though she was beaten in the Great War, which she has now forgotten, we
-could not conquer her (single-handed, as we should find ourselves
-to-day); and, therefore, “she has to have her own way.” The endeavour to
-curb New Turkey by “neutral zones” would prove as useless as an attempt
-to check the tides. It is only by an honest peace, carefully thought out
-in every detail and planned for permanent security, that we can regain
-our prestige in the Near East.
-
-Perhaps, however, the greatest lesson we have still to learn from
-Turkey’s victory was spoken in Gœthe’s lines:—
-
-“He who would be just must have consideration for _all_ men.”
-
-Or again, as it is written in the Turkish lines quoted by Professor
-Browne:—
-
- Kam máta gawm un wa ma mátat makárimee pum
- Wa asha gawm un was hum fi ’n—nase amwátu!
-
- Many a people’s virtues survive when themselves are sped,
- And many a people linger, who are counted by man as dead!
-
-Turkey is not dead, but born again out of the ruins of a Great
-Civilisation. May there be peace again between East and West, that shall
-bring peace to a world so greatly needing what it so little deserves!
-
-My final words are of sincere congratulations to New Turkey, of warmest
-thanks to all the friends who gave unending interest to my visit, of
-pious hopes for peace.
-
-At Lausanne, Ismet Pasha always gave the toast of “The British Empire
-and King George,” and I responded with “Turkey and Mustapha Kemal
-Pasha”; then we touched glasses, coupling the names. May “coming events
-cast their shadows before.” _Inch Allah!_ and again, _Inch Allah!_
-
-
- THE END
-
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
- INDEX
-
-
- Abdul Halik Bey, the Vali of Smyrna, 44 _et seq_.
-
- Abdul Hamid, an exception, who reversed Turkish ideals, 91
- his terrible régime, 160, 191
- the ruthless, 210
- clever at “losing” Turks and forgetting them, 227
- vain hopes for his “Parliament,” 229
- his excellent cigarettes, 236
- his Turks used to be ordered about, 304
- reference to, 22-24, 54, 90, 118, 125, 156, 181, 182, 200, 207, 208,
- 249
-
- Abdul Medjid, 153
-
- Abiloff, M., Azerbaijan, Ambassador for Caucasians, 202
-
- Ablutions, a religious rite, described, 83
-
- Acropolis, at Athens, difficulties of its ascent, 40, 41
-
- Adabazar, a Circassian tribe, 153
-
- Adalia, school closed, 194
-
- Adam, Mr. Adam, of British delegates, 307
-
- Adana, 125, 198
-
- Abdul Hak, Hamid, Turkish writer, for the people, 220
- acknowledged leader of the “New” literature, reconstructs learning
- and creates the soul of Turkey, 221
-
- Adnan Bey, Dr., Vice-President of the Assembly, 153, 186
- Angora High Commissioner in Constantinople, husband of Halidé Hanoum,
- 206
-
- Adrianople, the Siege of, 288
-
- Æschylus, 41
-
- Afghanistan, Ambassador, 202, 203
-
- Afioum-Karahissar, where they finally leave train, 88, 102, 110
-
- Aga Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director of Angora Press, repeats that “whatever
- we do is wrong,” 226,
- admits the value of propaganda, 227, 228
- views on the Press, 231
-
- _Agamemnon_, on board the, 195
-
- Ahmet Emine, brilliant journalist, 142
-
- Aidin Railway, antiques found in laying the route, 62, 63
-
- Alascheir, once prosperous, 76, 77
-
- Albania, 294
-
- Albanians, wiped out, 23
- scheme to exclude, 169
-
- Albert Hall, 38
-
- Alcohol, its use and abuse, taught in schools, 216
-
- Alewites, 153
-
- Alfred and the cakes, 249
-
- Algeciras, and its assembly of fallen angels, 178
-
- Ali Fouad Pasha, general, President of “Rights of Roumelia and
- Anatolia,” largely the inspiration of the Assembly, 199
- commanding in the North, 224
-
- America and her churches as advertisers, 78
- anecdotes of her journalistic enterprise, 97, 98
- her two generations of Jews, 118
- approved as a “democracy,” 148
- should spread gospel of Rockefeller Institute against vermin and
- microbes, 264
-
- American, author will _not_ pretend to be, ix
- “nerves” in the war, 26
- author supposed to be American, but objects, 75, 76 _et passim_
- sings “Swannee River,” 53
- the first at Smyrna, his advice, 67
- the second at Smyrna, his advice, 67, 68
- scheme to rebuild Turkey _à la_ “States,” 85
- unwise propaganda for Christians 175
- Nonconformity and the Holy War, 239, 240
- idle talk of a new “home” for Armenians, 247
- their mischievous propaganda, 247
- characteristic, of arrogant obstinacy, 262, 263
- diplomacy not wanted in English Embassies, 291
- Near East relief workers in Anatolia, 203
- who are, unfortunately, too pro-Armenian, 203
-
- American Relief Worker to the rescue, 256 _et seq._
- his marvellous efficiency as a traveller, 256-258, 259 _et seq._
- joins author on journey to Constantinople, 259
- views on Greek barbarity, 259, 260
- recognises “personal” element in all relations with Turks, 260
- eager to know author’s view of American work in Turkey, 263-265
- his idea of service in “understanding,” 264
- linguist and jack-of-all-trades, 267, 268
- rudeness, a tactful cure for women’s nerves, 268
- back-stair influence on the League, 315
-
- Americans, do not know how to drink, 113
- delightful, _in spite_ of their Government, 114
- done fine work in education, 203, 204
- in Turkey, with the best intentions, interfere too much, 263-265
- may have “concessions,” if they keep their hands off architecture,
- 269
-
- Anafarta, 182
-
- Anatolia, Greek atrocities in, 63
- sense of isolation, 72
- great hospitality, 72 _et seq._
- general condition of country, 74 _et seq._
- nowhere to house the poor people, 75
- children and soldiers of, 75
- people comforted by being _seen_, 77
- wonderful recovery of trade, 101
- a typical _han_ (inn), 110
- similarity of devastated towns, 125, 126
- bazaars and curio-merchants reviving their trade, 126
- the carriages and drivers of the country, 135
- people seem to have “walked out of the Bible,” 135
- excellent newspapers, 142, 144, 208
- primitive machinery, 144
- must be in at 5 o’clock sunset, 146
- accepted heavy taxation, 152
- song of her love for Roumelia, 153
- carpets and rugs from, 167
- the native music, 170
- refugees of, 186
- unfortunate influence of American relief workers against Turkey on
- behalf of Armenians, 203, 204
- but they have done fine work in education, 203, 204
- advantages of Anglo-French capital, 204
- retains old customs largely abandoned in Constantinople, 205
- true hospitality in a two-roomed cabin, 232, 233
- character of the people, 234
- everywhere maps of Asia Minor, 234
- their folk-songs, 238, 258
- cared for by Pope, 239
- must not grumble in Anatolia, 256
- need lessons in hygiene, 256-258
- peasants declare they do _not_ lack anything, 258
- a “casual” driver, 259 _et seq._
- strange method of caravan-driving, where one donkey leads a troop of
- camels, 260, 261
- colour of soil suggests rich veins of iron, 271, 272
- peasants accept low prices when told that times are bad, 275
- her folk-songs heard in Lausanne, 299, 300
- when it first became Moslem, 308
- being manœuvred into power of Helenes, 308
- purchased by blood of peasants, 312
- reference to, 46, 64, 112, 115, 125, 138, 166, 175, 180, 182, 199,
- 206, 212, 245, 284, 288, 311
- _See_ “Angora”
-
- Andromache, 41
-
- Anglican scheme for union with Greek Church, 239, 240
-
- Angora, “the little Republic of the Mountains,” ix
- discourtesy to ambassadors from, 27
- no luxuries in, 32
- unknown to British, 72
- misunderstood in Angora, 125
- at last near at hand, 127
- first view of, 131
- somehow disappointing, 132
- atmosphere of brotherhood, 133, 134
- the town described, 134–135
- high rents, 139
- everyone reads the papers, 157, 158
- the real “New Turkey,” 139, 140
- a primitive printing works, 144
- the Hadji Baïram “quarter,” 144
- not many “sights,” except hospitals, schools and gardens, 145, 146
- serious housing problem, 146
- how we exaggerate here, 147
- all men proud of their country, 148
- will Angora or Constantinople be capital of the new State, 149
- Holy Angora, 168
- Treaty signed here with France, 177
- its foreign personalities, 202 _et seq._
- Germans have no influence, 202
- but are conciliating Turks in Germany, 202
- surprising progress, especially in hospitals, 215, 216
- former “Director of its Press,” 218
- present “Director of its Press,” 226
- its famous Mosque of Hadgi Baïram, 223
- carries one back to centuries before Christ, 226
- where do all the people live? 226
- dangers of the bad roads, 232
- a “difficult” house to find—“near the pump,” 236
- the Christian Colony, 245-247
- representative in Rome, 250
- admirable organisation of Justice by Djelaleddine Arif Bey, 251, 252
- no tips, no haggling over prices, 286
- a _woman_ sent out to Angora by French Government, 291
- has taken from Constantinople the heart and spirit of Turkey, 295,
- 296
- naturally touching, 304
- reference to, 30, 55, 58, 66-68, 88, 105, 108, 120, 121, 156, 160,
- 168, 178, 205-207, 228, 239, 242, 244, 273 _et passim_
-
- Antigone, 41
-
- Antoine, who staged some of Pierre Loti’s tales, anecdote of, 18
-
- Arabia, words from the Turkish literature, 59, 219, 250
-
- Arabs, scheme to exclude, 169, 222, 306
- minority in Mosul, 311
-
- Arden, Forest of, 124
-
- Aristotle, 41
-
- Armenian choir regret their old “good times” with Turks, 236-238
- orphans and Father Babadjanian 246, 247
- servants in harems, well treated and contented, 315
-
- Armenians, “under Papal protection,” 52
- attempt of girls to escape, 64, 65
- in America, 78
- hard to realise they are Christians, 134
- in Cilicia, 153
- shawls, 171
- orphans, 211
- turn to Russia, 221
- feel “at home” in Turkey, 237
- want to be left alone, 238
- call Turkey their “home,” 247
- have long filled their pockets out of the Turks, 275
- at Lausanne, 299
- reference to, 222, 238, 241
-
- Armistice, 182
-
- “Army of Occupation,” what it means, 30
-
- Army of Nationalists, described, 224, 225
- increased from 10,000 men to 400,000, with 250 big guns, etc., 224
- detailed statistics and character of Staff, 225
-
- Asia Minor, quite safe, 57
- and Orthodox Church, 308
- map to be seen everywhere in Anatolia, 234
- reference to, 25, 139, 197, 204, 212, 244
-
- Asiatics, not inferiors, 59
-
- Asquith, Mr., and his son, 77
-
- Astor, Lady, effect on other women, of her success in Parliament, 291
-
- Athens, visited, 36 _et seq._
- its churches, 39, 124, 221
-
- _Athenæum_, on blonde Turks, 228
-
- Augustus, his “comfortable” period, 226
-
- Austerlitz, 166
-
- Australian mothers, their gratitude for “the truth” about Turkey, 208,
- 280
-
- Aviation ground, reorganised, 101
- women aviators, 102
-
- Azerbaijan, ambassador, 202
-
-
- Babadjanian, in charge of Armenian orphans, 246, 247
-
- Bagdad, and her woman Professor, 125, 190
-
- Balfour, Lord, unfortunate scorn of Turkey, 314
-
- Balkan War, 24, 193, 210
-
- Barrère, M., 299
-
- Beaconsfield, Lord, 141
-
- Bedford College open to Turkish women medical students, 211
-
- Békir Sami Bey, Ambassador from Angora and the Soviets, 27
-
- Benedict XV., Pope, beautiful bust of, 242
- killed by strain of war, 244
-
- Benghazi, 182
-
- Berlin, 25, 111
-
- Beyrout, 182, 211
-
- Bieberstein, Marshall von, German diplomat at Constantinople, and his
- “human” retriever, 24
-
- Bilidjik, station for “the express,” 88, 255, 259
-
- Bismarck, 305
-
- Bitlis, 182
-
- “Black” Sultan, the, 227
-
- Boghetti, who brought fruit, 232
-
- Bolshevism, compared with Moslem, 90
- has “no” influence in Turkey, 150, 151
- in spite of their magnificent Embassy, 151
- and their genuine friendship, 151
- at Lausanne, 299
-
- Bosphorus, 251
-
- Boston lady, her insulting lies about life in harem, 315
-
- Briand, M., attack on Lloyd George, 50
- his famous Note, 107
- his pleasant compliment, 116
-
- British Museum, 63
- naval officer at Smyrna, 67
- propaganda, 116
-
- Broussa, ancient capital of Turkey, fine hospital at, 215, 216
- headmistress at College of, misses the “Christian” pupils, 217
- and the comfort of its Hotel Brotte, 272
- unexpected visit to, 273 _et seq._
- governor’s house burnt to cinders, 273
- town had been saved by a brigand, 273
- influx of Jews, 274
- splendid bathing, 274
- silk and tobacco factories, 274, 275
- its bazaar, its Mosque, and the letter-writer, 276
- true atmosphere of Islam, 276 _et seq._
- a minaret and the famous Green Mosque, 277-279
- school-house and hospital, 282, 283
- reference to, 163, 258, 259, 316
-
- Browne, Prof. E. G., hope that he will translate some of the Turkish
- books on Nationalism, 217, 218
- his perfect knowledge of language, 218
- his praise of the author, 218
- quoted, 214, 320
-
- Brutus, his wife, 124
-
- Bryce, Lord, his opinion enough to crush all argument, a tale of
- Western arrogance, 262, 263
-
- Bucharest, 62
-
- Bulgarians, now friends again, 175
- more respected than Turks, 129, 310
-
- Burns, Mrs. John, anecdote of her dignity, 133
-
- Byron, Lord, _his_ Greece and his _Maid of Athens_, 41
-
- Byzantine Hippodrome in Constantinople, 27, 308
-
-
- Cadem Haïr, a maid, whose mistress buys her trousseau, 189
-
- Caliphat, the sacred office, 90
-
- Calthorpe, Admiral, and the Armistice 193
- hears tribute to English honour, 195, 227
-
- Calthorpe, 227
-
- Camerad Areloff, Soviet Ambassador in Angora, 152
- no influence over Pasha, 169, 202
-
- Canada, 280
-
- Capitulations, unjudicial, incompatible with national sovereignty,
- would be also injurious to foreigners, 117, 311
- naturally “desired” by foreigners, 275
-
- Caracol, the (or lock-up), of Smyrna, 52
-
- Caravan, in charge of a donkey, 260, 261
-
- Carl Marx, 156, 162
-
- Carlyle on Mahomet, 22
-
- Carpet-factory visited, 100, 101
-
- Catholic, what the word now means in Turkey, 52, 63
- happy in Turkey, 241
-
- Caucasian Confederation, 182, 202, 224
-
- Cecil, Lord Robert; quaint thoughts of him in Anatolia, 105
- impossible scheme to unite Anglicans and Greek Church, 106, 108
- should see that “League” does not appear anti-Islam, 50, 313, 314.
-
- Cemetery, like a field of poppies, 101
-
- Ceretti, Monsignor, Paris Papal Nonce, memories of Pope as a young man,
- 242, 243
-
- Chamber of Deputies, the French, 154
-
- “Chapel of Bones” in Malta, 31
-
- Cheik (once Professor of Arabic at Oxford) joins author in her journey,
- 69 _et seq._
- a delightful travelling companion 71 _et seq._
- his appearance described, 71
- his generous kindness, 80
- his philosophy, 81, 82
- talks on politics, 90, 91
- must educate his sons in Germany, not England, 93
- reference to, 73, 75, 95, 103, 105, 112, 121, 133
-
- Cheik, the; our “troubles” will make history, 80, 81, 102
- talk on religion and the Koran, 106, 107
- an excellent housewife, 110, 111
- claims that Turks are “clean,” 269
- reference to, 73, 75, 95, 103, 105, 112, 121, 133
-
- Cheik-ul-Islam, called in to formally depose Khalif, 199, 200
- compared to Abdul Hamid’s “Cheik,” 200
-
- Chemsi Effendi, schoolmaster in Salonika, 180
-
- Cheriat laws are not run on a “cash basis,” 251, 269, 270
-
- Chester, Mr., of the U.S., and sky-scrapers, 117, 118
-
- Child Observer, the, or Boy Scout, from America, 300
- his “little kindness” to Ismet Pasha, 300
-
- China, 58, 234
-
- Chislehurst, where Kemal Pasha’s future wife was educated, 190
-
- Chivalry, fine, but inconvenient sometimes, 56 _et seq._
-
- Choate, Joseph, stern rebuke of Baron Marshall von Bieberstein, 301,
- 302
-
- Christ in Koran, 22
- venerated by Turks, 92
-
- Christian minorities to be looked after by M. Kemal, 238
- must be loyal, 247
- only Turks can “protect,” 237, 238
-
- Christian prayer for Turkey and the Pasha, 237
-
- Christians claim exemption from military service, 160
- why they have left Anatolia, 175, 176
- happy at school with the Moslems, 211
- to be exempt from military service, 213
- have always lived in harmony with the Turks, 213
-
- Churches, the; their proper function, 108, 109
-
- Cilicia, 120, 153, 224
-
- Circassian tribes, 153
-
- Clapham, 30
-
- Clemenceau, Mons., bigger man than Napoleon, 165, 166
- did not know of oil in Mosul, 311
-
- Committee of Union and Progress, 195, 222
- its mistakes, 173
-
- Compton, Mr., administers relief in Anatolia, 203
-
- “Conceited ass” a leader of camels, 260, 261
-
- Constant, Mons., French Ambassador at Constantinople, 24
-
- Constantine, of Greece, afraid of air-raids, 94, 95
- tale of an “interview” with, 97, 98, 107
-
- Constantinople, its avenue of Pierre Loti, 20
- mass meeting in the Byzantine Hippodrome, 27
- its “dangerous” distractions, 29 _et seq._
- fear of its being handed to Russia, 90
- will not tolerate a “Greek” Patriarch, 107, 108
- the Hippodrome made in Germany, 118
- some impressions of its bazaar, 126
- will it be capital of new State? 149
- Parliament seized by English, 155
- present position and prospects, 176
- reforms interrupted by the war, 187
- the newspaper called _Illeri_, or _Forwards_, 229
- representative in Rome, 250
- ceremony of the Mouharrem, 250, 251
- its relics of Byzantium, 274
- eager for tips, sharp contrast to the Anatolians, 285, 286
- fixed tariff required for tips and cabs, 286
- compensations in luxury, 286
- Armenian concert interrupted by dogs, 294, 295
- street-feuds among dogs, who unite against “alien” Christians, 294,
- 295
- still the sublime but no longer the Turkey of the Turks, which is
- Angora, 295, 296
- the holy man of the Tekka, 296, 297
- how correspondents “hash up” their news, 303
- Ottoman rule in, 308
- cannot be neutral, and so intended for Russia, 319
- government by committee would mean English rule, 320
- must be given back to Turkey, 320
- reference to, 23, 26, 108, 125, 153, 163, 179, 180, 182, 193. 203,
- 206, 220, 224, 239, 244, 252, 259, 263, 273, 284, 288, 307, 309,
- 311
-
- Conversation without words, 138
-
- Cook, Messrs. Thomas, & Co., Egypt, Ltd., 19, 20
-
- Crowday, Dame Rachel, at the League, 112
-
- Cuba, 49
-
- Curzon, Lord, knows the East, 143
- firm, but not insulting, 178
- views on the Assembly, 193
- books on the East, 227
- understands Ismet Pasha, 287
- knows the subject, and his own mind; has full powers, 289
- for him the right way is not the easy way, 290
- compliments the author, 291
- his duel with Ismet Pasha, 197, 299
- preparing his “part,” 301
- a pleasure to meet, 303
- unfortunate severity and stiffness of manner in public, 303
- really interested in Turks and understands them, 303, 304
- might be more himself with Ismet Pasha, 303
- cannot ignore “public opinion” in the West, still based on our
- conception of old Turkey, 304
- said of Ismet Pasha, “I like the little man,” 305
- naturally told nothing, but asked questions, 305
- guesses at his policy, 306
- hampered by association with the Coalition, 306
- pity he cannot deal more directly with Turks, 306
- his public speeches, 306
- refuses to recognise religious tolerance of Turks, 309
- try to force on Turkey what they would not offer to Greeks or
- Bulgars, 310
- could deal with “public opinion” if he really wished to, 310
- always seems to distrust Turks, 310
- reference to, 27, 299, 317
-
- Cyprus, 24
-
- Czar Ferdinand, of Bulgaria, at Marienbad, 129
-
-
- Damascus, 182
-
- Dames de Nazareth, the, at Beyrout, converted to school, 211
-
- Dane at Smyrna, his advice, 67
-
- Dardanelles, the, 182, 224
-
- Daudet, his hero and his goal, 157
-
- Deacoville, 85, 88
-
- de Brock, Admiral, stationed outside Smyrna, 63
-
- de C——, Mrs., widow of Minister in Teheran, 62 _et seq._
- her advice, 68
- account of fire in Smyrna, 73, 74
-
- Democracy may be “perfect” in the East, 162
-
- Dervishes, the “contemplative” and the “dancing”: fascination of their
- rhythms, 281
- their “progressive” representative, 156
-
- Dersim, its aged Deputy, 155, 156
-
- Diab, Deputy for Dersim, ninety years old, 155, 156
-
- Diarbékir, 139, 234
-
- Diogenes, 77
-
- Diplomacy must be taken up when you are twenty-one, not later, 292
-
- Disraeli, grateful protector of Turks, 241
-
- Divans, early Turkish poems, 219
-
- Djavid Bey, 138, 306
-
- Djelaleddine Arif Bey, represents Angora in Rome, 44, 250
- his escape to Angora, 251
- strongly against Capitulations, and his admirable organisation of
- justice, 251, 252
- on Palestine, 252
-
- Djellal Noury Bey, editor of the _Illeri_, and the National Pact,
- 229-231
- used to edit a French paper, 230
-
- Djémal Pasha, former Minister of Marines, as interpreter, 98, 208, 249,
- 250
- the late, 235
-
- Dogs lack the dignity of the East, 98
-
- Drake, 249
-
- Drummond, Sir Eric, asks why Turks suspect the League, 314
- wants Turkey to be on Council of League, 317
-
- “Drunken Englishman, The,” a popular game in Naples, 113
-
- Dublin, degree given to Turkish woman medical student, 211
-
- Dumas, and his interview with Gregory XVI., 240
-
- Durdje, a Circassian tribe, 153
-
- Dutch parson at Smyrna, his advice, 67
-
- Dutchman who ought to write a book, 53
- trusts Turks, 68
- tale of how Greeks respect Turkish army, 274
-
-
- East, Sir Alfred, on painting an Eastern sunset, 297
-
- École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres, school attended by author, 218
-
- Edison, a tale of his youth, 181
- on being deaf, 309
-
- Edward VII. and Pierre Loti, 19
- at Marienbad, 129, 130
-
- Egypt, 59, 116, 148, 168
-
- Eliot, George, her words are part of the treasure England has for
- mankind, 214
-
- Ellison, Grace, her mission for peace, ix, x
- her friendship with Pierre Loti, 17 _et seq._
- early admiration of Gladstone, 22
- first personal impressions of the Revolution, 23
- her “Turkish sister,” 23-25
- at Stamboul, 24
- her “An Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem,” 24
- risks of friendship for Turkey, 25
- invited to Angora, 28
- some of her views on women, 29 _et seq._
- her search for Union Jack, 34 _et seq._
- her “defence” of England, 35, 39, 42
- her impressions of Athens, 36 _et seq._
- on the “modern” Greek financier, 36 _et seq._
- and the Hellenes, 38 _et seq._
- on imperialism for Greece, 40
- on Smyrna, 43 _et seq._
- her first impressions of devastations, 43
- the first “spinster” to enter Turkey, 44
- her battles with the flies, 47, 48
- distrust of financiers who exploit Turkey, 50, 51
- known as “niece” of Lloyd George, 50, 51
- refuses “control” from English chivalry, 54 _et seq._
- could meet bullying better than kindness, 55
- always “trusts” Turks, 56
- entirely unsupported by Government or the Press, 58
- “childhood” beginnings of her keen interest in the East, 58, 59
- nearly blown up among ruins of Smyrna, 61
- actually ready to start for Angora, 66
- farewell gifts and advice, 67-69
- advice and gifts from men of all nations at Smyrna, 67-69
- her “answer” to them all, 69
- her delightful companion, the learned Cheik, 69 _et seq._
- memories of England, 69, 70
- her eventful journey to Angora, 71 _et seq._
- first impressions of Anatolia, 72 _et seq._
- once more called an “American,” but objects, 75, 76
- experience of life in trains, 77 _et seq._
- a night in the open, 80, 81
- not a true Eastern, 82
- a journey on foot, 85 _et seq._
- addresses public meeting at Ouchak, 94 _et seq._
- does not regret discomfort, 94
- reasons for visit to Angora explained, 95
- must not have war, 95
- demands “friendship” between Turkey and Great Britain, 96
- strange ways of her Turkish lady’s-maid, 98
- the terror of travelling in a luggage train, 104 _et seq._
- refuses to stay in train 109, 110
- once more taken for American, 114
- her aims and work, 119
- making her toilette in the train 122, 123
- her “Turkish Woman’s Impressions of Europe,” 124
- disappointed at _first_ impressions of Angora, 132
- visits newspaper office and printing works, 144
- her “guide” in Angora, 144 _et seq._
- what to sketch in Angora, 145
- once more “why” an American, 148
- sort of “father confessor” to beloved new nation, 148
- impressions of Assembly, 148 _et seq._
- talks with Mustapha Kemal, 159 _et seq._
- at the Pasha’s own house, 163 _et seq._
- curiously like M. Kemal, 170
- her interview with M. Kemal, 174 _et seq._
- what it cost her to reach Angora, 183
- views and anecdotes of harem life, 184-191
- views on “women,” 185
- makes friends with Ministers of the Assembly, 192 _et seq._
- hopes they will be ready to learn from Europe, 198
- renews her friendship with Halidé Hanoum, 205 _et seq._
- messages to John Masefield and from Australian mothers, 208
- her own “best way” of helping national Turkey, 214
- still “more to do” in Angora, 215
- visits a Lycée for Girls, 215, 216
- interesting Preface to her “Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem,” by
- Prof. Browne, 218
- proud pupil of École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres, 218
- organised meetings against help to Czarist Russia, 220, 221
- faith the same for all men, 223
- indiscreet questions about the army, 224, 225
- final impressions of Angora, 226 _et seq._
- her ideas of propaganda, 228
- she is half-East, half-West, 228
- prefers hard work to peroxide and henna, 228
- approves the National Pact, 229-231
- enjoys a picnic and a good dinner, 231, 232
- a poor shot, 231
- nearly suffocated by fumes from mangal, 232
- visits a wayside cabin, 232, 233
- studying the map, 234
- talk at a “supper-party” given by an Anglophobian, 235-238
- her Turkish sister again, 238
- impressions of Rome and the Pope, 239 _et seq._
- describes the Pasha to the Pope, 243, 244
- visits Armenian orphans, 246, 247
- on diplomats in Rome, 249 _et seq._
- impressions of several Khalifs, 249, 250
- tale of Alfred and the cakes, _and_ of the Suffragettes to Prince
- Youssouff Zeddine, 249, 250
- sees a celebration of the Mouharrem, 250, 251
- leaves Angora in the snow, 254 _et seq._
- dangerous drives in a yaili, 254 _et seq._, 259 _et seq._
- a night “in the open” saved by American efficiency, 256-258
- tale of mutual ignorance between English and Americans, 260
- “falls in love” with an ass! 260, 261
- thinks, on the whole, Americans do more harm than good in Turkey,
- 263-265
- judge a nation by its “gods” and learn “humanity” from Islam, 265
- attack on Puritanism towards women, whom all Turks honour and
- respect, 265, 266
- Turks too resigned while our dollar-race drenches the world in blood,
- 266
- life in primitive times, 268 _et seq._
- by all means let us play at schemes for rebuilding the world, but
- leave all the “old bits,” 269
- Broussa, and the first chance of brushing one’s hair, 272
- tale of letter-writing for a _Poilu_, 276
- climbing a minaret, 277
- visiting Loti’s Green Mosque, 278, 279
- on board a cockle-shell of a boat, cheered by photograph of Gladys
- Cooper 283, 284
- her “harmless” mission to make England a little better understood,
- 284
- impressions of Constantinople, 285 _et seq._
- too much heart to be English, 285
- her Swan-Song of what she has proved women can do, 291-293
- defence of her “Disadvantages of Being a Woman,” 292
- only trusted at the Front, when men thought she was French, 292, 293
- more at home in French Embassies than English, 293
- four Christmas Days in Turkey, 293-295
- danger of being too cosmopolitan, 294
- holds on to Faith, because War has taken away everything else, 295
- anger with jazz bands, 295
- first woman admitted in Tekké at Constantinople, 296
- at Lausanne, 298 _et seq._
- strange feeling of being in a neutral country, 298
- severe criticism of journalists at Lausanne, 301-303
- helps to make Lord Curzon understand, 304
- haunted at Lausanne by memories of Angora, 306
- tries to divide time between Turks and British, 307
- obtains full explanation of Turkish policy at Lausanne, 309-312
- views on the League of Nations, 313 _et seq._
- could never obtain statistics about Greek atrocities, 316
- hopes for the future, 318 to the end
- over the Channel in an aeroplane, 318
- held responsible in the States for Irish policy, 318
- witty answers that turn away wrath, 318
- congratulations and thanks to New Turkey, 320
-
- England, memories of, 69, 70
-
- English, the; once welcomed, now distrusted, ix
- idle policy in Turkey, 25
- hated by Greeks, 39
- will be soon welcomed again in Turkey, 49, 50
- ignorance of Young Turkey, of Angora, and of the Nationalists, 72
- humour unlike the French, 124
- will now take bribes, 142
- our policy will “come right,” 144
- seized Turkish parliament in Constantinople, 155
- will again be friends with Turks, 174, 178
- generous welcome to Turks in England, 211
- Taine’s judgment of them quoted, 214
- the best real “education,” 218
- stupid ignorance of the Khalif’s supreme duty towards Holy Relics,
- 219
- shameful admiration for Russia of the Czars, 220, 221
- close a “Nationalist” club, 222
- whole “Press” is anti-Islam, 231
- must lead attitude of the world towards Turkey, 239
- why should we interfere? 263 _et seq._
- much to learn from the East in pity and humanity, 265
- cruel Puritanism followed by bloodshed in race for dollars, 265, 266
- their injustice to Turks entirely due to their being misled by Greek
- and Armenian dragomen, 280
- witty story to illustrate our national habit of not listening, 290
- public opinion still based on conception of “old” Turkey, 304
- our Empire founded on trust, 306
- people in vain seek for confidence from the Government, 306
- captured Mosul by violating Armistice, 311
- need friendship of Turks, as Turks need English friendship, 312
- should have been above pick-pocketing habit of confiscating enemy
- property, 314
- can only regain prestige by honest peace, 320
-
- “Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem, An,” by Grace Ellison, 24
- appreciation by Prof. Browne, 218
-
- Envichéir, and its primitive inn, 268
-
- Enver Pasha, evil influence, 25, 92, 98
-
- Erki-Chéir, where General Trécoupis was in captivity, 108
- picturesque café, 117
- flourishing town, 125
- munition-making replaced art, 127
- reference to, 123, 129, 254
-
- Europe, will she ever realise? 147, 148
-
-
- Faith, the same for all men, 223
-
- Falkenhayn, General, whose methods disgusted M. Kemal, 182
-
- Falstaff, 124
-
- Fanar to be separated from Orthodox Church, 308
-
- Fatma, 189
-
- Ferid Bey, Mme.; _see_ “Mufidé Hanoum”
-
- Feszi Bey, Minister of Public Works, 198
- author’s host at Angora, 137 _et seq._
- his unfailing courtesy, 138, 139, 141-143
- appearance and business energy, 139
- alarmed at idea of receiving an Englishwoman, 170
- his private business, 199
- delight in map, 234
-
- Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior and Ambassador from Angora; his
- praise of England, 27, 28
- his “philosophy,” 32, 33
- memories of London, 162
- a Minister at thirty-two, 192
- his life and character, well known in England, Minister of Interior,
- 195-197
- claims Jerusalem for the Turks, who honour Christ, rather than for
- Jews, 252, 253
- laughs at our English pride of family, 270
- humiliated in London by hearing the harem life misrepresented, 315
- reference to, 35, 125, 132, 137, 143, 154, 159, 166, 178, 285
-
- Flies in Athens, 37
- have real “freedom” in Turkey, 47 _et seq._
- the end of, 79
-
- France, why she gave up Cilicia, 120
- the Treaty with, 177
- value of her political support, 194
- not the Power to which Turkey looks for help, 203
- ready to give a criminal, _or_ a genius, his chance, 293
- denies that she has taken a penny from Turks, 314
- reference to, 74
- _See also_ “French”
-
- Frank Street in Smyrna, 62
-
- Franklin-Bouillon, M., advises friendship with England, 121
- says he could have made peace at Lausanne, 318
-
- Freedom of the Straits must be _real_ freedom, 176-178
-
- French influence in the Near East, 20
- unsuspicious, 25, 26
- their interests in Syria, 114, 115
- Revolution studied by M. Kemal, 181
- their influence has played “too large a part” in Turkey, 214
- method of typhoid-inoculation, 215
- losing the enthusiasm of the Turks, 228
- violated Armistice in Cilicia, 311
-
- Frenchman at Smyrna, his advice, 68
-
- Friendship between Turkey and Great Britain essential to both, 96
-
- Fouzouli, earliest writer of love-poetry in Turkish, 219
-
- Front, at the, 96
-
-
- Gabriel Effendi Nouradunghian, an Armenian, chosen by Turks as Minister
- of Foreign Affairs, 221
-
- Ghazal, that is, a love song, 219
-
- Gallipoli, 182
-
- Gasparri Cardinal; his views on Turkey, 148
- his character, 252
-
- Geneva and the League, 112, 317
- cathedral locked, 279
-
- Genoa, 300
-
- George V., the “Moslem” King, 86
-
- Georgian Circassian slaves, 190
-
- Georgians at Lausanne, 299
-
- Gerbervilliers, 95
-
- Gentleman: Turkish ambition to be one, ix, x
-
- Germans have no influence, 202
- but are conciliating Turks in Germany, 24, 202
- education vitiated by punishments, 218
- a trench, 95
- Soviets, 306
-
- Germany began to tamper with Nationalist independence and was thrown
- off, 25, 195, 271
-
- Gladstone, reaction against influence of, 22, 78, 95, 141
- Lady, and the Lyceum Club League Circle, 313
-
- Gladys Cooper, her photograph in a ship’s cabin, Queen of Beauty among
- the ladies of the Levant, 284
-
- Goethe quoted, 143, 320
-
- Gordon, General, author’s father’s praise of, 22, 207, 249
-
- Goschen, Sir Edward, and Edward VII., 129, 130
-
- Grand National Assembly, the parliament of Nationalist Turkey, 135
- description of building and position, 148
- the band in gardens of, 152
- form of proceedings, 153-155
- evidence of democracy, 154
- different personalities, 155 _et seq._
- predominance of military uniforms, 156
- rather “difficult” variety of culture among Deputies, 156, 157
- false reports at Lausanne of its corruption, 157
- is _really_ national, 157
- inspires confidence, 158
- one chamber the ideal form of government, 162
- opposition at present has little weight, 169, 170
- its attitude explained by M. Kemal, 174
- a Cabinet of young men, 192
- its three great men, 192 _et seq._
- Cabinet and Prime Minister independent, 192
- Ministers are Heads of Departments, 192
- real authority rests with the whole Assembly, 192
- Lord Curzon does not think system would work for a stable State, 193
- difference in knowledge and culture between Deputies, 198
- Cabinet and less-known Ministers, 198 _et seq._
- difficulties in the future foreseen, 200
- has achieved permanent success, 228, 229
- the restaurant provided by a professor, 235
- a Western atmosphere, 238
- deserves congratulations from the Mother of Parliaments, 305
- reference to, 146, 247
-
- Grand Tchelebi, progressive representative of Dancing Dervishes, 156
-
- Great Britain breaks her faith with Turkey, 90, 91
- bitterness against, 95
-
- Greater Greece, greater than Greeks can sustain, 21
-
- Greek Patriarch supported by Sultans, 308
-
- Greek Pope, the, 39
-
- Greek, moneylenders, 36 _et seq._
- the business men of Turkey, 49
- atrocities in Smyrna, 26, 60
- to enslave Turks, 27
- hate Lloyd George, 39
- barbarism in Anatolia, 63
- ungrateful conduct of refugees, 63
- anecdote of cruelty, 73, 74
- other examples, 74
- Greeks in America, 78
- devastations worse than the “German,” 79
- burning of trains, 94
- their dream of Empire, 107, 221
- largely victims of Big Powers, 161
- we cannot forget their atrocities, 208
- report of them by Halidé Hanoum, 212, 213
- Church, 245
- further evidence of devastations on return journey, danger of
- American relief worker, 260
- Ottoman Greeks weep when their compatriots burn Broussa, 273
- run away from a field of poppies, which they mistake for Turkish
- soldiers, 274
- have long filled their pockets out of the Turks, 275
- have always misled the English about the Nationalists, 280
- their “victims” in hospital, 282, 283
- more respected by the Powers than the Turks, 310
- servants in Turkish harems, well treated and contented, 315
- statements about, by an Italian lady at Broussa, 316
- foolish vision of a place on the Bosphorus, 319
- reference to, 52, 222, 241, 244
-
- Green Mosque at Broussa made famous by Pierre Loti, 20, 278, 279
-
- Gregory XVI. interviewed by Dumas, 240
-
- Guests, how they should “direct” their hosts in Anatolia, 138
-
- Gunhani, where railway line is cut, 79, 85
- wonderful railway bridge, 88
-
-
- Hadji Baïram, a “quarter” of Angora, 144
- its mosque, 223
-
- Hague, Second Conference, a dramatic moment, 301, 302
-
- HAÏDAR Bey from Vannes, the “old brigand” who buys rugs and carpets for
- Colonel Mougin, 235-238
- sworn never to speak to Englishman, but arranges supper-party for
- author, 236-238
- reference to, 88, 121
-
- Hakki Pasha, Grand Vizier, quoted, 25
-
- Halidé Edib Hanoum, one of the finest women in Turkey, 92
- the Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, 102
- never unveils her hair, 138
- wanted in “Assembly,” 157
- quoted, 184
- character, life, and opinions, 205 _et seq._
- respected everywhere, wanted in the Assembly, 205, 210
- now an enemy to England but ready to love us again, 205
- manner and appearance, 206, 207
- translates from the American, 207
- her work and views on freedom for women, 209 _et seq._
- Chief Inspector of Schools, an organiser of education programme, 209
- retains the “veil” for its “Nationalist” significance, 210
- has prepared report of Greek devastations, 212, 213
- pessimistic about Conference, 213
- peace but _not_ dishonour, 213
- Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, 214
- the greatest woman of the “New” literature, 222
- her remarkable “Nouveau Touran,” 222
- member of the “Turc Odjagui,” 222
- should have been invited to report on harems, 314, 315
- reference to, 153, 184, 186, 204, 227, 232, 233
-
- Hamdoullah Soubhi Bey, eloquent speaker for women, 185
- character and opinions, 233, 234
- eloquent against harem, 233, 234
- not lenient to Greeks, 234
- can trace Turkish civilisation over the world, 234
- simple tastes, and not superstitious, 235
- founder of the “Turc Odjagui,” _q.v._, 222, 223
-
- Hamid Bey, 306
-
- _Hamidieh_, the, in the Balkan War, 193
-
- Hamilton, Lady, _did_ influence politics, 290
-
- Harem, misunderstood, 26
- provides “real” safety, 30
- discussed with M. Kemal, 184-186
- descriptions and anecdotes, his own choice, 187-191
- not invented by Prophet, introduced in conquest of Byzantium, 190
- investigated by the League, 314
- formerly described by nursery governesses, 315
- Christian servants well treated and contented, 315
- a tabloid reply to criticism, 318, 319
-
- Harrington, General; his views on Turkey and Lausanne, 286, 287
- his fine work at Moudania, 287
- praise of Refet Pasha, 287, 288
- and other Turks, 281, 282
- reference to, 25, 120
-
- Hassan Fehmi Bey, Minister of Finance, 198
-
- Hedjaz, sacred city, 250
-
- Helen of Troy, 38
-
- Henderson, Arthur, 156
-
- Henderson, Neville, British Chargé d’Affaires at Constantinople,
- popular in Turkey, though not pro-Turk, 293
-
- Herbert, Colonel Aubrey, authority on Near East, 128
-
- Hikmet Bey, Captain, aide-de-camp to the French colonel, 134, 305
-
- Hindenberg, 182
-
- Hodja, living in oak tree, 77
-
- Hodjas, their reactionary influence, 156
- their powers limited, 161
- responsible for Turkey’s long sleep, 271
- misinterpret Koran, 230
-
- Homer, 41
-
- Horses, agreeable neighbours, 110
-
- Hospitals, greatly advanced in recent years, 215, 216
-
- House, Colonel; why he chose Geneva for seat of the League 317
-
- Hussein Djahid, brilliant journalist, 142, 143
- edits _Tanine_, 208, 209
- dances to warm his feet, 35, 300
-
- Hussein Raghib Bey, Prof., Chargé d’Affaires in Paris; his account of
- Nationalist literary revival, 218-223
- his “Story of Nationalism,” directed against any “party” policy, 222
- a true internationalist, 223
- not happy in Europe, away from Angora, 219, 264
-
- Hygiene needed in Anatolia 256, 257
-
- “Hymn of Independence,” sung by all Moslems, 238
-
-
- Idol that was a fountain, 18
-
- _Illeri_ (or Forwards), a newspaper in Constantinople, 229
-
- Imbrie, American commercial attaché, to protect “concessions” and
- organise relief, 203
- lives in railway salon, 203
-
- Imperial Ottoman Bank now the Bank of Turkey, 204
- a bureau of general information, 204
- the Governor-General of, 238
- Italian director, 237
- reference to, 137, 231, 295
-
- Incivility, does not “pay” in diplomacy, 27
-
- India, 25, 58, 59 90, 116, 263
-
- In-Enus, some impressions of the battle, 183, 197, 307
-
- International Red Cross, 299
-
- _Iron Duke_, H.M.S., outside Smyrna, 63
-
- Islam, word means obedience, the reverse of Bolshevism, 90
-
- Ispahan, roses of, 20
-
- Israel has its place in Islam, 92
-
- Ismet Pasha; his duel with Lord Curzon, 197, 299
- understands Lord Curzon, 287
- public taught to laugh at his pleasantries, 301
- “official” treatment from Lord Curzon, 303
- depressed by fears he has not done enough for Turkey, 305
- dread of war, 305
- a soldier, sent to fight a Bismarck, 305
- does he, or his Turkish confrères, really trust Lord Curzon, 306, 307
- left Constantinople with nothing, returned the head of the Army, 307
- no chance of a fair fight with mature British diplomats, 307, 308
- makes dangerous concession about Greek Patriarch, 309
- works into night, 309
- explains his point of view, 309-312
- advantages of being deaf for diplomacy, 309
- doing his best for peace, but cannot give up the Pact, 309, 310
- all agreements with us are held up as “great concessions,” 310
- we are offered “one room in our own house,” 310
- always met with distrust, 310
- chief obstacles to peace: Mosul, finance, judicial capitulations,
- reparations, 310
- we cannot betray Anatolia, 312
- toast of the British Empire and King George, 320
- reference to, 137, 183, 194, 199, 298-300, 306
-
- Italy, a bad example, 314
-
- Italian, a wise proverb, 29
- guide to Miss Ellison in Athens 36 _et seq._
- his inborn courtesy, 37
- like a Greek Patrician, 40
- sings “La Tosca,” 53
- the first at Smyrna; his advice, 67
- the second at Smyrna; his advice, 67
- the third at Smyrna; his advice, 68
- reference to, 61
-
- Izzet Pasha; his Cabinet, 193, 195
-
-
- Jaffa, 182
-
- “Jane Clegg,” acted by Sybil Thorndike, 28
-
- Japan, 58
-
- Jeanne d’Arc, story from her life, 180 _et seq._
-
- Jerusalem held sacred by Turks, 250
-
- Jews eager to replace Greeks, 161, 274, 275
- beginning to “make their profit” out of simple Turks, 275
-
- Johnson, Robert Underwood, formerly American Ambassador at Rome, 300
-
- Judea, 250
-
- Julius Cæsar, search for humour in, 124
- compared to M. Kemal, 161
-
-
- Kada-Keuey, 254
-
- _Kadinlar Dunyassi_, a paper for women, 209
-
- Kaiser, the, 118
-
- Kara-Kuey, 88
-
- Kara Kheuz, _i.e._, Punch-and-Judy show, at a wedding, 189
-
- Karahissar, centre of opium trade, 112
-
- Kassaba, terrible condition of, 75, 77, 102
-
- Kemallidine Pasha, General, 279
- learns the difference between an English lady and an English
- “temporary gentleman,” 280, 281
-
- Kemal Pasha, Mustapha; the victory of his “rebels,” 27
- when he “lifts his little finger,” 29
- not a “rebel,” 91
- seeks to free Islam from Byzantine heresies, 91
- great importance of his choosing the right type of wife, 92
- takes over house from Constantine, 94, 95
- an American interviewer says he smokes “Players,” 98
- women must take their place in life, 102
- wisdom to prohibit alcohol, 113
- inspired people with almost superstitious confidence, 128
- and “the miracle happened,” 129
- his “dancing” car, 137
- on French Revolution, 153, 181
- great civil organiser, 158
- requires no “guard,” 159
- his true greatness discussed, 159 _et seq._
- inspired by his mother’s suffering, 160
- difficulties with the Churches, 160
- lenient towards Greeks, 161
- hard-working and simple home-life, 161 _et seq._
- compared to Julius Cæsar, 161
- handsome and eloquent, 162, 163
- his home, his mother, his opinions, and his life, 163 _et seq._
- would be at home in any drawing-room, 164
- views on Napoleon, 165, 166
- secure in his people’s admiration, 167
- disapproves of word “Kemalist” for a “national” movement, 167
- not influenced by Bolshevists, 169
- more balanced than some of the Deputies, 169
- personality can dominate Assembly, 170
- might be author’s brother 170
- visit to peasants, 171, 172
- not easy to understand, 172
- an interview with, 174 _et seq._
- the “Assembly” is not one man, 174
- ultimate confidence in England, 174, 178
- hopes that the Conference will bring peace, 175
- sympathy with all Christians, 175, 176
- views of Constantinople and on freedom of the Straits, 176
- must have “national” frontiers, 176
- attitude towards minorities, 176, 177
- must refuse “privileged” on capitulations, 177
- not only soldier, but statesman, 178
- some account of his mother, 179
- facts of his life, 180 _et seq._
- disgusted by brutal methods of General Falkenhayn, 182
- appointed Inspector of the East or High Functionary of the Eastern
- Villayets, 182
- opinions and desire for reform of the harem, 185, 186
- his own choice of a wife, 189-191
- advocate of “sensible” dress for men and women, 185, 186
- wedding-presents to his bride, 189, 190
- educated in Rochester, 190
- will sweep away harem and other Byzantine heresies, 190, 191
- great faith in youth, 192
- his task will get harder as country settles to reconstruction, 200
- two hundred years ahead of some of his own Ministers, 200
- a “tribute” applied from an ancient inscription, 210
- supports the “Turc Odjagui,” 222, 223
- visits the “Mosque,” with other Deputies, 223
- against Byzantian heresies, 238
- concerned for Christian minorities, 238
- correspondence with the Pope, 243, 244
- regrets division between Christian Churches, 244, 245
- maintains that Turks have _always_ practised religious tolerance, 245
- a real democrat in practice, a reformer loyal to Islam; faith in full
- liberty and in his people, 270, 271
- driven to arms by Greek’s entry of Smyrna, 314
- reference to, 30, 45, 46, 66, 74, 93, 100, 108, 115, 117, 119, 120,
- 125, 130, 134, 135, 149, 157, 195, 205, 207, 227, 232, 239, 308
-
- Kerr, Philip, private secretary to Lloyd George, 128
-
- Khadidja, poetess and public singer 190
-
- Khalif, the present, 182
- must guard the relics, 219
- hereditary; the Pope, elected, 249
- impressions of several Khalifs, 249, 250
-
- Khandeke, a Circassian tribe, 153
-
- Kiamil Pasha, Grand Vizier to Abdul Hamid, 23
- and his daughter, 23-25, 238
- his daughter spoken of as my Turkish sister, 120
- visits bazaar, 126
- her sister-in-law at Pera, 294, 295
- teased for growing more advanced but preferring the old ways, 297
-
- Kiazim Pasha, Minister of National Defence; his character, 199
-
- Kipling, Rudyard, his cat, 18
-
- Konia, chief city of Dancing Dervishes, 281
-
- Koran, “an accursed book?” 22,
- its precepts, 91
- written in Persian, 219
- misinterpreted by Hodjas, 230
-
- Krassine M., told of Turkish views on Soviet Government, 27
-
- Kutahia, a dinner-service from, 167
-
- Kurd, population of Mosul, 311
-
- Kurdistan, 234
-
-
- Lady of Paradise, Mahomet’s daughter, 190
-
- Lamartine, 220
-
- Lasz, the, the President’s guard, 163
-
- Latifée Hanoum, the Pasha’s future wife, 186
- educated at Chislehurst, 190
-
- Lausanne, authorities there know nothing of life in Angora, 125
- still talk of Turkey that is dead, 140, 160
- what can Nationalists do there, 147
- told the Assembly was corrupt, 157
- ignorance, 168
- views of the Delegates, 176
- results of Conference, 177, 178
- scorn for patriotism of the Turks, 184
- duel between Lord Curzon and Ismet Pasha, 197
- Halidé Hanoum elected Delegate, but too ill to go, 205
- receives Halidé Hanoum’s report of Greek atrocities, 212
- English Delegates’ foolish scorn of the Kurd, 234
- Conference must produce peace, 287
- both sides adopt the method of not listening, 290
- will they ever listen to a woman? 290
- under the flags of France, Turkey, and Japan, 298
- a gay and busy scene, 298
- hotel a babel from folk-songs of Anatolia to fox-trots and cocktails,
- 299
- a host of “new” nationalities, all sighing for the (political) moon,
- 299
- French Delegate bullied to bed, 299
- first word of a “new” and independent Turkey, 299
- can they ever understand? 299, 300
- always called Turkey to order, 300
- politics all day, 300
- luxury for the Press, 300
- weakness of journalists, 301-303
- more work done than at Genoa, 300
- fight out details and ignore important questions, and the Turkish
- point of view, 302
- wasteful methods of official diplomacy, 304
- the real problem of Lausanne, 305
- too many Commissions, 306
- haunted by memories of Angora, 306
- all watch Venizelos, the bird of ill-omen, 307
- the first woman diplomatist, 307
- British are not so pro-Russian as they have to appear, 308
- talks about the Greek Patriarch, 308, 309
- Conference will not see what National Pact means to Turkey, 309, 310
- everyone meets Turks with distrust, 310
- chief obstacles to peace: Mosul, finance, judicial capitulations,
- reparations, 310
- England and Turkey need each other, 312
- Lausanne has _not_ failed, 312
- may she learn from mistakes of Versailles, 319
- reference to, 159, 174, 186, 208, 223, 228, 272, 313, 317, 318, 320
-
- Law, Mr. Bonar, 141
-
- League of Nations must be impartial and international, 313 _et seq._
- unfortunately appears to be anti-Islam, 313
- by allowing Greeks to enter Smyrna it drove M. Kemal to arms, 314
- should consider the feelings of all nations, 314
- report on harems entrusted to Roumanian poetess, not to Halidé
- Hanoum, 314, 315
- listened to back-stair propaganda of American relief workers, 315
- its own Press department distrusts Greek and Armenian propaganda, but
- sympathises with the Turk, 315
- can only help Christians by putting a stop to pro-Christian
- propaganda, 316
- what a really international League could do for Turkey, 316, 317
- the only way is to put Turkey on Council of League, 317
- reference to, 105, 112, 299
-
- Lebouvier, M., Dutch _pasteur_, reports Greek atrocities, 26
-
- Lenin, theories opposed to the Turkish, 150, 159
-
- Life, a story from, 318
-
- _Literary Digest_ quoted, 76
-
- Lloyd George against Turks, 25
- his “indiscretions” towards Ambassadors for Angora, 27
- what Turkey owes to him, 32
- and “our dear Christian brethren,” 38
- hated by Greeks, 39
- confused with King George, 86
- is he not a democrat? 91
- his puzzling inconsistency, 92
- his policy not the policy of English people, 95
- and _Les Misérables_, 127
- why does this “democrat” hate Turks, 77, 128
- the fallen angel, or modern Nero, 141, 142
- says you must speak to Turks “with guns,” 169
- “that” Lloyd George, 237
- super-bogeyman of the Near East, 257, 258
- badly advised, 287
- his insults to Turkey not taken seriously, 314
- reference to, 78, 101, 108
-
- Loti, Pierre, his dream and interpretation of Turkey, 17 _et seq._
- his stories, 18
- his Melek and Zeyneb, 19
- his “Désenchantés,” 19
- steamer so-called, 17 _et seq._
- sympathy of her captain, 17 _et seq._
- and the Bazaar at Smyrna, 62
- his Green Mosque, 278, 279
-
- Lowther, Sir G., Ambassador at Constantinople, 24
-
- Ludendorff, 182
-
- Luggage-train, a painful journey, 89, 90
-
- Lycée for Girls described, 217
-
-
- MacClure, Mr., tells journalists what to say, 301-303
-
- Mahmoud Bey, smiling aide-de-camp of M. Kemal, 163
-
- Mahmoud Chefket Pasha, 182
-
- Mahmoud Essad Bey, Minister of Economics, studied in Switzerland, 199
-
- Mahmoud II., 289
-
- Mahomet, Prophet of Islam, 22
- and his daughter the “Lady of Paradise,” 190
- a story with a meaning, 230
- _See_ “Prophet of Islam”
-
- Mohammed V., anecdote of, 23
-
- Mallet, Sir Louis, Ambassador at Stamboul, 24
-
- Malta, the home of exiles from Turkey, 29 _et seq._
- as a prison, 31
- Nationalism for (?), 31
- Turks arrested and sent to, 31, 32
- anecdotes of its shopkeepers, 34 _et seq._
- means patriot, 44
- reference to, 36, 132, 144, 148, 155, 157, 193-195, 227, 273
-
- _Manchester Guardian_, unsound on Turkey, 231
-
- Mangal, or charcoal, stove; its dangers and discomforts, 257
-
- Manissa, first halt in Anatolia, 74, 77
-
- Marie, author’s “Catholic” maid in Angora; her ideas about hot bottles,
- 134, 135
-
- Marienbad, tales of Royalty at, 129, 130
-
- Marriage and brides in Turkey, 187-191
-
- Mary, Princess, 249
-
- Masefield, John, memories of, at the Front, 208
-
- Mecca, visited by “Black” Sultan, 227
- _not_ honoured by Christians, 250, 253
-
- Mehmet Emin Bey, of Adalia, leading poet of the Nationalists, 222
-
- Melek, heroine of Pierre Loti, 19, 22 _et seq._
-
- Melle Stanciof, first woman diplomatist, very able, 307
-
- Mentone, 52
-
- Merry de Val, Cardinal, 252
-
- Mesopotamia, 116, 311
-
- Metaxatis, Monseigneur, a Cretan, once Metropolitan of Constantinople,
- as Metelios IV., 108
-
- Metelios IV., _see_ “Metaxatis”
-
- Midhat, whose son was the pioneer parliament-maker, 229
-
- Michelet, his “little Assembly,” 153
-
- Milne, 227
-
- Minaret, ascent of and impressions produced, 277
-
- Minorities can only secure protection by loyalty, 316
-
- Minorities Committee; their Norwegian head says Asiatics will never
- become Europeans, 316
-
- Missionaries and treacherous propaganda, 240
-
- Mihrinour and her husband in Rome, 251
-
- Moudania, the most depressing town in Anatolia, 283
- the historic house in which Peace was signed, 283
- reference to, 259, 273, 318
-
- Monsignor X. conducts author to Vatican, 242
-
- Mont Pegasus, ascent of, 62
-
- Morgenthau, Mr., an American who wants to make an ideal republic _á la_
- Tammany on the Bosphorus, 76
- says States are not disposed to lend, 178
-
- _Morning Post_ quoted on interview with M. Kemal, 177
-
- Moscow plans against India, 178
-
- Mosul, its future, 177
- never captured by British, but handed to them by the French, 310, 311
- population, Kurd and Turkish, 311
- admitted by Sykes-Picot agreement, was not part of Mesopotamia, 311
- reference to, 224, 306, 317
-
- “Mother in the Home, The,” an American tale translated by Halidé
- Hanoum, 207
-
- Mouche, 182
-
- Moudania Conference, 186, 197
-
- Mouedine Pasha, General, who “taught” M. Kemal and Fethi Bey, 125, 130
- his charming sons, 257, 258
- start dangerous race between two yailis, 266, 267
-
- Mougin, Colonel, earlier called the “French colonel”; his gallantry
- (?), 112
- friendship with, 114 _et seq._
- gives an excellent dinner on the train, 116, 117
- his role in Angora, 119
- his car very welcome, 127
- his hospitality in Angora, 132
- his Embassy, once the Station Hotel, 134
- persists in doubt, 147
- praise of Kemal’s army, 183, 225
- represents French interests with skill and tact, 203
- his awkward questions at dinner, 232
- always “informs” his Government, 232
- fears of responsibility for author’s life, 232
- says only Turks can really protect Christian minorities, 237, 238
- high praise of Refet Pasha, 288
- reference to, 121, 123, 126, 131, 133, 234, 246, 247
-
- Mouharrem, Persian ceremonial in memory of the martyr, Hussein, 250,
- 251
-
- Mudros, the Armistice, 31
- treachery of, 182, 193, 194
-
- Mufidé Hanoum (Mme. Ferid Bey) second great woman-writer of “New”
- literature, 222
-
- Mussolini, M., visits Lausanne, 308
-
-
- Naim Bey, courteous hotel-keeper in Smyrna, 46
- his pity for “poor Americans,” 47, 53
- defies “law” for his guests, 48
- guests from all countries, 49, 52, 53
-
- Namik Kemal Bey, Turkish writer for the people, 220
- died in exile for his ideals, 220, 221
-
- Napoleon and M. Kemal, 165
-
- Nasreddin Hodja, Turkish wit, his stories from, 33, 34, 267
-
- National Pact discussed, 219-231
- of capitulations, 230
- a religion, copies in every home, 230, 231
-
- Nationalist appeal for the first time adopted by Moslems, 93
-
- Nationalist Literary Revival, brief history of, 218-223
-
- Nationalist Turkey, ix., 19
- result of Lloyd George’s policy, 32
- misunderstood by British official, 54
- a Nationalist meeting at Ouchak, 95 _et seq._
- the Pact contains nothing unreasonable, 97
- Nationalism, a religion, 125
- fight for freedom single-handed, 154
- what Nationalism means, 161
- compared to Christianity, 168
- National Pact, a new “decalogue,” 167
- natural enthusiasm for new Turkey facing reconstruction, 172, 173
- not the cat’s-paw of Bolshevism, 178
- will not allow herself to be used against British influence in India,
- 178
- the “Constitution” proclaimed, 182
- founders need no advice from us, 201
- does not look to France for help, 203
- the pioneer worker, Halidé Hanoum, 207
- much literature has been already written about, 217, 218
- brief history of Nationalist Literary Revival, 218-223
- “Story of Nationalism,” by Hussein Raghib, how it grew out of the
- _Turc Odjagui_, a club founded to protest against “Union and
- Progress,” 222
- what was a “party” movement made National, 222
- the army described, 224, 225
- grows from 10,000 men to 400,000 men with 450 big guns, etc., 224
- actual statistics and character of staff, 225
- unwisely too proud to use propaganda, 226-228
- discussion of the National Pact, 229-231
-
- Nationalism, a religion, 230, 231
- the “Hymn of Independence,” 238
- will protect “loyal” minorities, 247
- wants peace, not surrender, 247
- her Constitution will _not_ “imitate” from England, 251
- Turks beginning to be _themselves_, 263
- still approached as we used to approach Abdul Hamid’s Turks, 304
- no offence to British prestige in the National Pact, 305
- their policy at Lausanne, 309-312
- cannot be curbed by neutral zones, 320
- must have honest peace, 320
- not dead, but born again, 320
- _See also_ “Turks”, “Turkey,” “Young Turks”,”
-
- Nansen, Dr., always talking of “Greek” suffering, 212, 213
-
- Naval man of the best type, but starched, 64
- his refusal to give up the flag, 65, 66
- off guard, 66
-
- Nazoum, Dr., head of Army Medical Service; his hospitals, 216, 279, 281
-
- Nelson, call to “Duty,” 64
-
- Neutrality, cannot satisfy a country’s pride, 298
- though in Switzerland it has “made history,” 299
-
- New York, 18, 49
- near hell, 19
- and sky-scrapers, 228
-
- Nicholson, Mr. Harold, British Delegate, 307, 309
-
- Nightingale, Florence, part of the treasures England has for mankind,
- 118, 214
-
- Nihat Réchad, Dr., talk with his sister, 279
-
- Nonconformity, foe of the Turks, 78
-
- Noury, Mme., who cooks the dinner, 232
-
- Nourredine Pasha, 279
- his father-in-law, the Dervish, 281
- does _not_ hate England, 282
-
- “Nouveau Touron,” by Halidé Hanoum, 222
-
-
- Oeillet supplies cigarettes, 232
-
- Officer; the Turkish officer detailed to conduct author to Angora, 71
- _et seq._
- his helpfulness, 80, 88
- reference to, 105, 109, 119, 121
-
- Official dignity, its dangers in dealing with Young Turkey, 64, 65
-
- Official ignorance of Nationalist Turks, 54
- care for English women, 54 _et seq._
-
- Old maids, none in Turkey, 189
-
- Oriental landscapes, glorious colours, 145, 223
- music, its peculiar charm, 44, 45, 216, 217
- by a Christian choir, 236-238
-
- Orientals, broad-minded, 19
- the most criminal respect their mothers, 180
- our brothers, 59
-
- Osman, 140, 156
- his tomb, 278
-
- Osman Noury Bey, of the “Ottoman Bank,” 137, 138
-
- Osman Nyzami Pasha represents Constantinople in Rome, 250
- horror expressed at the Persian Mouharrem, 250, 251
- claim for Turkey to be judged by the gods she has created; finer than
- the Olympians or the Puritan Deity, 265
-
- Osmanli, 308
-
- Ottoman “Christian” property freed from sequestration, 313
-
- Ottoman Commission, 25
-
- Ottoman Empire, large slices relinquished, 176
-
- Ottoman Government, the old corrupt, 148
-
- Ottoman Greeks, Greece has no room for, 36
-
- Ottoman Society, 24
-
- Ouchak, hospitality of the governor, 93
- a public meeting at, 94 _et seq._
- reference to, 88, 102
-
- Oxford, on Greece 41
- forgets the immorality of Olympus, 265
- reference to, 71, 77
-
-
- Palestine, 116, 224
-
- Pan-Islam rising to be feared, 93
-
- Papas Eftim Effendi; his proposal about the Orthodox Church, 308
-
- Paris, 18, 157
-
- Parliaments before the Assembly, 229
-
- Parthenon, 63
-
- Patriarch, the Greek; his disloyalty, 108, 160, 161, 213
- discussed at Lausanne, 308, 309
-
- Pellé, General and Madame, invited author to Christmas lunch, 293
-
- Pera always disliked by author; always feels someone is going to stab
- her in the back, 294, 295
- reference to, 23
-
- Pericles, boast for his own epitaph, 39-41
-
- Peroxide and henna, less effective than a little hard work, 228
-
- Persia, 25, 59, 116
-
- Persian Ambassador, now left, 203
-
- Persian literature, its influence on the Turkish, 219
-
- Persians, 222
-
- _Pierre Loti_, the steamer, 34, 60
-
- Pirus, 36-38
-
- Pius X., portrait of, 242
- killed by strain of war, 244
-
- Pius XI., Pope, audience with, 239 _et seq._
- friendship for Anatolia, 239
- a father’s heart on Peter’s throne, 240
- debt to Turkey for tolerance and responsibility towards Christian
- peoples, 241
- interested in personality of the Pasha, 241, 243, 244
- speaks many languages, 242
- his robes and appearance, 243
- his deep yearning for peace, 244, 247
- messages to Christians, and Turks in Anatolia, 247
-
- Plato’s Republic and Bolshevism, 41, 52
-
- Poincaré, M., visits Lausanne, 308
-
- Pompeii, and how its houses were warmed, 226
-
- Pope, elected; the Khalif, hereditary, 249
-
- Power of the Press, a farce, 301
-
- Price, Ward, will not ask for interview, 301
-
- Prince Said Halim, late Grand Vizier, 35
-
- Prophet of Islam, the; his wedding-presents to his bride, 189
-
- Prussianism in England, 284
-
-
- Rauf Bey, Prime Minister without portfolio, 192
- his life, character, and opinions, 193-195
- admired by England, 194, 195
- reforms in education, 194, 195
- says Turkey wants to please Christians, 245
- reference to, 29, 35, 132, 133, 197
-
- Réchad, Dr., on evening-dress, 33
-
- Red Cross should work with Red Crescent, 264
-
- “Red” Sultan, the, 227
-
- Refet Pasha, well-deserved praise from General Harrington, 286-288
- also from Colonel Mougin, 288
- speaks warmly of Colonel and Mrs. Samson, 288
- did much pioneer work, 288
- praise of English, 289
- soldiers do _not_ love war, 289
- praise of the Khalif, 289
- commanding in the south, 224
-
- Regent’s Park, animals in, are fed like journalists, 301
-
- Religion, a living force in the East, 106
-
- Reparations, only asking four milliard gold francs, 310
-
- Revolution, the, 23
-
- Rhadyah, woman traveller and lecturer, 190
-
- Rhodes, 100
-
- Rhondda Valley compared with Angora, 132
-
- Riza Nour, not really insolent, 302
- no wonder he is impatient with wasteful methods of official
- diplomacy, 304
- reference to, 299, 305
-
- Rochefort and Pierre Loti, 18
-
- Rochester, where author went to school, 190
-
- Roget, his “Thesaurus” and a harem, 26
-
- “Rose in the Bud,” tune to which a Turkish poem “goes perfectly,” 208,
- 209
-
- Rosebery, Lord, 165
-
- Roufy Bey, Mme., at the hospital in Broussa, 282
-
- Roumanian poetess sent to report on harems, 314
-
- Roumelia, 153, 164, 199
-
- Ruchène Echref, Mme., and her husband, neighbours of M. Kemal, tell of
- his future wife, 186
-
- Russia must not be sacrificed? 24
- the destitute aristocracy, 30
- reference to, 67, 90, 152, 162, 169, 203, 306
-
- Russian Christians, 245
-
-
- Sakharia, extreme point reached by Greeks, 130
- and Austerlitz, 166
- fifteen days’ Battle of, 183, 199
-
- Salihli, town of four houses, 77
-
- Salonika is _not_ the gate of Christendom, 93, 195
-
- Samsoun, 183
-
- San Remo, 52
-
- Sarojini Naidu, a poem by, quoted in full, 208, 209
-
- Savoy, the, 32
-
- Schinassi Effendi studies culture in France, 220
- re-models Turkish language, 220, 221
-
- Scotch calmness hides feeling, 54
-
- Sea of Marmora, 176
-
- Sefa Bey, Minister of Education, 198
-
- Seldjoucide, 140, 308
-
- Selim, first keeper of the Holy Relics, 219
-
- _Senegal_, H.M.S., blown to pieces by mine, 65
-
- Senegali, 114
-
- Sèvres, Treaty of, and why Turkey signed, 26
- French repentance, 204
- reference to, 128
-
- Seyed Hussein of the Khaliphat Delegation insolently snubbed by
- quotation from Lord Bryce, 262, 263
-
- Shakespeare, his humour, 124
- quoted, 301
-
- Silver threads for good luck, 188
-
- Sloane Square Station, a meeting outside, 220
-
- Smyrna, crime of sending Greeks to, x
- occupied, 26, 31
- impressions of, 43 _et seq._
- its hotels, 46 _et seq._
- no longer the alien’s paradise, 51
- the quay, 54, 63
- among the ruins of, 60 _et seq._
- remains of Frank Street, 62
- details of fire, 62 _et seq._
- anecdote of the Custom House, 64, 65
- last words from, 67-70
- certainly _not_ burnt by Turks, 212
- has charm of Sodom and Gomorrah, 226
- reference to, 86, 88, 102, 115, 121, 123, 132, 139, 153, 194, 224,
- 274, 313
-
- Socrates, 41
-
- Sœur Julie, 95
-
- Sofia, 181, 182, 195
-
- Sophocles, 41
-
- Sons of Palestine at Lausanne, 299
-
- South American, the, one of guests at hotel in Smyrna, 48, 52,
- final advice and effort, 68, 69
-
- Soviet helpful to Turkey, 90
- Embassy and Camerad Areloff, 202
-
- Spaniard at Smyrna; his advice, 67
-
- Spartelli Library in Smyrna, 53
-
- St. Sophia, Church of, cannot be restored to any _one_ sect of
- Christians, 244, 245
-
- Stamboul, 24, 206
-
- Stan-Harding, Mrs., on the “best people” in Russia, 35
-
- Stars and Stripes, not the Union Jack, 34
-
- Steeg, M. Louis, says the author “will never die,” 232
- Governor-General of Ottoman Bank, 238
-
- “Story of Nationalism,” by Hussein Raghib, 222
-
- Suffragettes chained to grille at Westminster, 249, 250
-
- Suliman, the Magnificent, 219
-
- Sultan Ahmed Khan, Ambassador from Afghanistan, difficult relations,
- 202, 203
-
- Sultan Mahmoud, 219
-
- Sunset reveals God’s world in contrast to man’s, 62
-
- Syrenaique, 182
-
- Syria, 114, 115, 182, 211, 294, 318
-
- Syrians at Lausanne, 299
-
- Sykes-Picot agreement on Mesopotamia, 311
-
-
- Tagore, a delight to talk with, 59
-
- Taine, M. Henri, on the English quoted, 214
-
- Talaat Pasha, 208, 209
-
- _Tanine_, newspaper of Angora, 142, 208
-
- Tchan-Kaya, home of M. Kemal, a few miles out of Angora, 163, 186, 197
-
- Tcharhaff, Turkish head-dress, 31
-
- Teheran, 62, 125, 130
-
- Tewfik Rushi Bey says “easy divorce” makes happy marriages, 187
- his copy of the Pact, 230, 231, 305
-
- “Thesaurus,” by Roget, and a harem, 26
-
- Thorndike, Sybil, in “Jane Clegg,” 28
-
- Thrace, her boundaries, 177
- tackled by Rafet Pasha, 288, 309
-
- Timbuctoo, 18
-
- _Times_, the, suppresses reports of Greek atrocities, 26
-
- Timourlin, his mountain-tomb, 140
-
- Timur, his ideas of pleasure, 33
-
- Tokatlian’s Hotel in Constantinople, 285
-
- Tokatlian’s Restaurant, 267
-
- Town-planning unknown in Turkey, 62
-
- Townshend, General, and the Armistice, 193
-
- Tunnel, a journey through, 86
-
- _Turc Odjagui_, a club founded to protest against “Union and Progress,”
- from which sprang Nationalism, 222
-
- Turkey, meaning of word to different peoples, 20
- devotion to England, 23, 24
- the “philosophy” of her people, 33, 34
- few Turks now speak English, 43
- the “dead” Turkey still talked of in Lausanne, 140
- here beginneth the New Turkey democrat of democracies, 140
- English trade unionism not wanted, 157
- birth of New Turkey, 160 _et seq._
- risks of friendship with, 25
- crushed and humiliated at Sèvres, 26
- her real crime is to have kept Constantinople, 31
- gives fair exchange, 36
- no idea of town-planning, 62
- an “enemy” country of dear friends, 70
- strike her and all Islam will rise, 93
- social antipodes of England, 100
- desire to join Opium Convention, 112
- must have national frontiers, 176
- must have her place in future of civilisation, 177
- harem life and tales of weddings, 184-191
- the absentee bridegroom, 188
- no “old maids,” 189
- the famous women of, 190
- use and abuse of foreign schools, 195
- great change in conditions of life, 199, 200
- Europe cannot grasp meaning of Turkish civilisation, 206
- notes on early literature, 219, 220
- abstract character of Turkish love-poetry, 219
- true head of Islam, 239
- can we trust the West? 240
- insulted by Christendom, 240
- her many services to the Vatican, 241
- learnt French culture from Jesuit fathers, 241
- Allah compared with Jehovah, 265
- justice does _not_ depend on cash, 269, 270
- the “Commandments” have no mystery, 270
- real democracy, because Head of State is elected by, and responsible
- to, the people, 270
- non-progressive centuries due to influence of Hodjas, 271
- the Islamic atmosphere of Broussa, 276 _et seq._
- Mosques always open for prayer, in contrast to cathedral at Geneva,
- 278, 279
- her heart and spirit is now in Angora, 295, 296
- her first appearance in “big” diplomacy, 299
- charged with arrogance at Lausanne, 300
- complains that her point of view is ignored, 302
- still treated at Lausanne like old Turkey, 304
- tolerance may be weakness, 308, 309
- has given three years proof of power to organise, 310
- and the League of Nations, 313 _et seq._
- never interfered with British property during the war, but we have
- confiscated her property, 313
- hope for the future, 318-320
- badly beaten but secured victory over Greeks, 319
-
- Turkish courtesy has its inconvenience, 88
- religion contrary to Bolshevism, 90
- food simple, but too fattening, 95, 113
- Anglo-Turkish alliance means peace for the world, 312
- sister, _see_ “Kiamil Pasha”
-
- “Turkish Woman’s Impressions in Europe,” 124
-
- Turks can only be dealt with by complete trust, 56, 66, 69, 72
- always respect women, 57
- anecdote of their tenderness to all animals, 60, 61
- anecdote of rather inconvenient faith in Allah, 61
- anecdote of their proverbial carelessness about official details, 65
- moderation in revenge, 74, 75
- daily prayer, 83
- kindness to enemy people, 84
- their soldiers, 84
- will not take money, 84
- need very little food, 86
- their high code of honour, 86
- further example of their philosophy, 86
- fearless riders, 88
- every man equal before the law, 91
- tolerance of all religions, 92, 175, 176
- danger of our calling them “niggers” or “natives” in Egypt, 92, 93
- no longer trust the West, 92
- tale of a woman patriot, 99
- bought arms from England and other countries, 102
- their almost embarrassing courtesy, 138, 142, 143
- want an Asiatic capital, 149
- their democracy not Socialism, 149, 150
- all desire peace, but cannot accept humiliation, 175
- if they appear arrogant _are_ moderate, 184
- illustrations of democracy at weddings, 188, 189
- important to teach Nationalism to children, 194, 195
- an extreme example of fine hospitality, 103
- fit because they don’t drink, 113
- beginning to lose faith in British honour, 116
- their new sense of confidence as citizens of a Free State, 118, 119
- dislike Germans, 125
- their almost embarrassing courtesy, 138, 139
- always merciful to their beasts, 139, 171
- a brilliant woman medical student, 211
- friendly rivalry with Christians in schools, 217
- system of education too exact a copy of the French, 218
- let us blazon their hospitality, 228
- their energy produces more blonde women, 228
- the only race who can really protect Christian minorities, 237, 238
- always tolerant alike to Catholics and Jews, 241, 245
- honour the Christian prophets and hold Jerusalem a sacred city, 250
- claim that they would guard Jerusalem and the Holy Tomb more
- reverently than the Jews, 252, 253
- their friendship depends on the personal element, 260
- not stubborn or unreasonable, 262
- anecdote of offensive arrogance from a judge towards a Turk, 262, 263
- spoilt by flattery in Europe and a taste of Western luxury, 264
- should keep their religion and their civilisation, 264, 265
- deep respect for maternity, 266
- resignation tends to stagnate, 266
- clean bodies, if dirty clothes and houses, 269
- the Koran will not permit us to drown kittens, 269
- Asia will not deny justice to Turks, 294, 295
- asked to exempt Christians from military service, 310
- offered back “one room in their own house” as a great “concession,”
- 310
- a proud race who cannot forget even what they forgive, 314
- sympathy from Press Department of the League, 315
- foolishly too proud to use propaganda or answer their detractors, 316
- refuse to support their claims by statistics, 316
- will never become European, 316
- hope they will trust the imperfect League, 317
- must have Constantinople, 320
- _See_ “Young Turks”
-
- Turner and Pierre Loti, 20
- could not paint Eastern sunset, 297
-
- Trécroupis, General; his captivity at Eski-Chéir, 108
- surrendered to Turkish lieutenant, 129
- his revolver as a wedding-present, 180
-
- Tripolitain War, 182
-
- Trotsky, theories and ideas opposed to the Turkish, 150
-
- Tyrell, Sir Wm., “Chief of the
- Underlings,” Irish Head of
- British Foreign Office, 307
-
-
- Union Jack sought in vain, 34 _et seq._, 39, 65, 66
- last sight of, 69
-
-
- Vakit, newspaper of Angora, 142
-
- Valetta, in Malta, 31
-
- “Vanity Fair,” 30
-
- Vatican ceremonials and library, 240-242
-
- Vely Nedjdat Bey, author’s guide in Angora, 35, 215
-
- Venizelos, his magic name, 27
- his responsibility, 77
- his character, 107, 108
- bird of ill-omen, 307
- reference to, 39, 40, 42, 95
-
- Versailles, a lesson for Lausanne, 319
- which of the Big Four faced _real_ problems, 319
- their pestilent neutrality and government by committees, 319
-
- Von Bieberstein, Baron Marshall, rebuked by Joseph Choate, 301, 302
-
-
- War means—“and he never returned,” 20
- has not yet come, 55
-
- Waterloo, 30
-
- Wells, H. G., on our love for those we have wronged, 35
-
- Westminster, 21
-
- Whahid Eddin, called the Khalif, 219
-
- Wilson, General, a fine officer, 286
-
- Wilson, President; his ideals derided, 91, 162, 262
-
- Wintringham, Mrs.; effect on other women of her presence in Parliament,
- 291
-
- Women may be protected away from their duty, 29 _et seq._
- and cows, 29
- a great nuisance when they are brave, 54 _et seq._
- at a grave disadvantage as journalists, 58
- their seclusion comes from Byzantium, not from the Koran, 92
- they “count” in the East;
- their progress compared with the same in England, 92, 205
- leave much housework to men, 100
- work in the war, 102
- must remain anonymous, 111
- Turkish women on English ballrooms, 111
- never recognised by Government or by the Press, 115, 116
- not now confined to harem by advanced Turks, 138
- their freedom imperfect in England, 147
- their real freedom desired by the enlightened, 157
- the author and M. Kemal discuss the harem, 184-186
- lectures and friendships and weddings, 187-191
- women’s progress in Turkey started on right lines, 185
- should not compete, but co-operate, with men, 185
- their ways in Turkey, 189
- harem in a Byzantine heresy, 190
- famous Turkish women who spoke or sang in public, 190
- gained much from American colleges, 204
- their freedom a burning question in Turkey, 209
- their legal status, 209, 210
- excellent women’s papers, 209
- carried forward one hundred years by work for the Red Crescent in the
- Balkan Wars, 210
- may probably retain the veil for its Nationalist significance, 210
- brilliant students, 211
- only a few feminine “stars” at present, 211
- visit to a Lycée for Girls, 216, 217
- their schools and the University in Constantinople, 217
- Soubhi, an eloquent opponent of the harem, 233, 234
- manifold injustice at the hands of the Puritans, who dare to scorn
- the unmarried mother, 265, 266
- all Turks respect maternity, 266
- their “unskilled” labour expensive, 275
- never listened to by statesmen, 290
- no place in Embassies, 291
- more respected by French statesmen than English, 291
- their unpaid and unrecognised service is gratefully received, 292
- men more “natural” with Frenchwomen than English, 292, 293
-
-
- Yahia Kemal, a poet who might do even finer work, 222
-
- Yaili, or native carriage, dangerous driving, 254 _et seq._
-
- Yemen, exiles to, 23
-
- _Yeni Gun_, newspaper in Angora 143
-
- Younous Nadi Bey, who “ought to be shot,” editor of _Yeni Gun_, 143
- a visit to his office and printing works, 144
- his varying news of Lausanne, 147
-
- Young Turks not to blame for joining Germany, 25
- do not understand official diplomacy, 64, 65
- tremendous energy of the young nation-makers, 147
- universal admiration for Halidé Hanoum, 208
- hard work in “deposing” Sultans, 227
-
- Youssouf Kemal Bey, Ambassador from Angora, 27
-
- Youssouff Zeddine, Prince, listens to stories of England, 249, 250
- his courage and his suicide, 250
-
-
- Zakaroff, his gold, 42
-
- Zeyneb, (i), beautiful lady-professor at Bagdad, 190
-
- Zeyneb (ii), heroine of Pierre Loti, 19, 22 _et seq._
-
- Zeyneb (iii), says no fear of theft at weddings in Turkey, 188
- views on England and Russia, 220, 221
- modest about using her own language, 233
- on Moslem Commandments, 270
-
- Zia Bey, chief of Police in Smyrna, 46
- his novels and his business methods, 46, 47
-
- Zia Guenk Alp, Professor of Sociology, immense influence on “New”
- literature, 221, 222
-
-
-
-
- PRINTED BY THE ANCHOR PRESS, LTD., TIPTREE, ESSEX, ENGLAND.
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- ● Transcriber’s Notes:
- ○ In the List of Illustrations, the illustration “Burnt Quarter in
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-<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of An Englishwoman in Angora, by Grace Mary Ellison</div>
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-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
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-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: An Englishwoman in Angora</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>With illus., reproduced from the author's own sketches and photographs, and with a cartoon by L. Raven Hill</p>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Grace Mary Ellison</div>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 3, 2021 [eBook #65749]</div>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Turgut Dincer,, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div>
-
-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA ***</div>
-
-<div class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-</div>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c000' />
-</div>
-<div>
- <h1 class='c001'>AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA</h1>
-</div>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c002' />
-</div>
-<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>MISS GRACE ELLISON.<br />The first British woman to visit Angora since the beginning of the Nationalist Movement. She has always stood for Anglo-Turkish friendship.<br /><i>Frontispiece</i></p>
-</div>
-</div>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c002'>
- <div><i><span class='c004'>AN&nbsp;&nbsp;ENGLISHWOMAN</span></i></div>
- <div><i><span class='c004'>IN&nbsp;&nbsp;ANGORA&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;::&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;::</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class='c005'>By</span></i></div>
- <div><i><span class='c005'>GRACE ELLISON&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;::&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;::&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;::</span></i></div>
- <div>════════════════════════════════════════</div>
- <div class='c006'><i>With 34 illustrations, reproduced from the Author’s</i></div>
- <div><i>own sketches and photographs, and with a cartoon by</i></div>
- <div><i>L. Raven Hill</i></div>
- <div class='c006'><span class='c007'><em class='gesperrt'><i>LONDON: HUTCHINSON &amp; CO.</i></em></span></div>
- <div><span class='c007'><em class='gesperrt'><i>PATERNOSTER ROW</i></em></span></div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c002'>
- <div><span class='c008'>TO</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c005'>MY DEAR MOTHER</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>AND TO MY LATE FATHER,</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c005'>CAPT. JOHN ELLISON,</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>IN LOVING MEMORY OF HIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE:</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>HIS EVER COURAGEOUS DEFENCE OF JUSTICE,</span></div>
- <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>HONOUR, AND TRUTH.</span></div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c002' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_ix'>ix</span>
- <h2 class='c009'>FOREWORD</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ANGORA</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>At</span> the time of writing I am the only Englishwoman who
-has been in Angora since the Nationalist movement
-began.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Others, moved by curiosity, have sought permission
-to visit the country under its new <i>régime</i>, but
-Nationalist Turkey has bidden them wait—until she
-is sure that her guests will write, or speak, the <i>truth</i>
-about what they may see, and can be trusted to
-forget the prejudices with which they would almost
-certainly arrive.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For myself, I have three times been welcomed to
-Turkey with open arms <i>on account</i> of my nationality.
-On this occasion I was still welcome, but <i>in spite of</i>
-my nationality—an ugly truth that my mind almost
-refuses to accept.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To compare impressions from these visits one must
-first ask: “How could such a change of attitude come
-to pass?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Formerly Great Britain was <i>the</i> country of all
-countries that “counted” in Turkey. To be a
-“gentleman”—(they used the English word)—was
-the Turks’ highest ambition. British stuffs were
-chosen in preference to French, <i>not</i> because they were
-finer or of greater value, but simply because they were
-<i>British</i>. Our ideals, our policy, and, I must add,
-our governesses, were almost regarded as sacred in
-Turkish eyes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And now I am advised, for greater safety, to travel
-as an American! God forbid! I stand by the old
-flag.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I would smile, could the tears be hidden, when I
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_x'>x</span>recall the police officer who so solemnly enquired if
-<i>I was sure</i> I was not an American.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Perfectly sure,” I replied.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How then,” said he, “has that impossibility—an
-Englishwoman in Angora—become possible?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Your Government,” I answered, “has made it
-possible. As you have no one else here from my
-country, I have given myself this mission.... An
-old friend of the Turks, a woman who loves her own
-country! Can she not do <i>something</i> for that peace
-between us, which is a supreme necessity to both?
-That is why I am here.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I do not forget that Turks were our “enemies”
-in the war. But they came back, beaten to the dust—and
-penitent. Then was the moment for us to have
-made our own terms. In that mood Turkey would
-have accepted—anything, but the <i>one thing</i> we imposed
-on her—the Greeks at Smyrna! That policy
-of sheer folly has transformed the veneration of her
-people into fear and distrust, if not hate.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Unjustly and unreasonably as we have behaved
-towards our old ally, we were not, indeed, alone in
-this mischievous exalting of Greek aggressions. Dare
-we not now own our mistake? We are great enough,
-and strong enough, to be generous, to mend our ways!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To-day, surely, it is the duty of English patriots
-to pour oil on the troubled waters, to explain to Turkey
-what <i>can</i> be explained, and to paint our countrymen,
-at least, less “black” than they have been made to
-seem by our rivals’ pen!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Lausanne Palace Hotel,</p>
-<p class='c014'>Lausanne,</p>
-<p class='c015'><i>January, 1923</i>.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_xi'>xi</span>
- <h2 class='c009'>CONTENTS</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>FOREWORD</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='std-table'>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>&nbsp;</td>
- <td class='c017'><span class='xsmall'>PAGE</span></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>An Englishwoman in Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#Page_ix'>ix</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>List of Illustrations</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#Page_xv'>xv</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER I</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>On Board the <i>Pierre Loti</i>—Turkey’s Debt to Loti’s Magic Pen</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch01'>17</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER II</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Turkey and Tolerance—A Friendship Wasted</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch02'>22</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER III</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Malta: the Name I was to Hear Throughout Anatolia</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch03'>29</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER IV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Athens—“We Have Loved Helen; Must We Divorce Her?”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch04'>36</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER V</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Smyrna: a Picture of Desolation</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch05'>43</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER VI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>British Chivalry!—Brave Women a Nuisance!</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch06'>54</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER VII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Smyrna—God’s Work—The Exquisite Sunset—Man’s Work—War</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch07'>60</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER VIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Emotions and Impressions—“On the Way”—Nowhere to House the Poor People</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch08'>71</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER IX</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>More Impressions-“Sitting Amidst an Army of Supposed Savage Fanatics, Debating the Greatness of God”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch09'>79</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER X</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Journey on Foot—A Country Made by God, untouched by Man</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch10'>85</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_xii'>xii</span>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Public Meeting at Ouchak—Hospitality—A Sacred Rite</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch11'>94</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Luggage Train—The Worst Stage of My Whole Journey</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch12'>104</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Third-Class Compartment—A Frenchman Amongst the Ruins</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch13'>114</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XIV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>In the “Train de Luxe”—The Supreme Good Fellowship of English Laughter—Journeying Towards the Cradle of New Turkey</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch14'>122</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Angora I.—Entering a “Brotherhood”—An Atmosphere of Camaraderie</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch15'>132</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XVI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Angora II.—At the Home of My Kind and Courteous Host</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch16'>141</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XVII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Angora III.—The Marvellous Atmosphere of a Great Birth</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch17'>147</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XVIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Ghazi Mustapha Kemal Pasha—The Greatest Man in Turkey To-day</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch18'>159</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XIX</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>An Interview with the Ghazi Mustapha Kemal Pasha</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch19'>174</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XX</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha—The Man Who is Master of His Fate</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch20'>179</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Turkish Cabinet—The Three Best-Known Ministers—A Cabinet of Young Men</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch21'>192</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Turkish Cabinet—The Less-known Ministers of the Sovereign State</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch22'>198</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Foreign Colony in Angora—A Group of Foreign Personalities</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch23'>202</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_xiii'>xiii</span>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXIV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Halidé Edib Hanoum, Author and Patriot—A Woman Dowered with the All-Conquering Gifts of the Truly Brave</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch24'>205</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Hospitals—Schools—Education and the Nationalist Writers—The Days Pass, but There is Still Much to Be Done and Seen</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch25'>215</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXVI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Last Days in Angora: Excursions, Conversations, Picnics—HAÏDAR Bey’s Party</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch26'>226</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXVII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Rome, the Eternal City—A Visit to the Catholics in Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch27'>239</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXVIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Three Diplomats at Rome—The Guardianship of the Holy Tomb</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch28'>249</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXIX</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'><i>En Route</i> for Constantinople—A Night at Bilidjik Under the Frost-Laden Skies</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch29'>254</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXX</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>From Bilidjik to Broussa by Yaili—After the day’s Roughening Experiences one can Sleep whatever the Accommodation</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch30'>259</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXXI</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Few Days in Broussa—The True Islam Atmosphere</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch31'>273</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXXII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Constantinople No Longer the Capital—The Heart and Spirit of Turkey are in Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch32'>285</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXXIII</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Lausanne Palace Hotel—The Home of Turkey, France, and Japan—“Every Possible Phase of Complete Internationalism”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch33'>298</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXXIV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Turkey and the League of Nations—The Parliament of Nations Must Be Truly Impartial and International</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch34'>313</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>CHAPTER XXXV</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<table class='table0' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Future—Above All, a Lasting Peace</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#ch35'>318</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Index</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#idx'>321</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-</div>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_xv'>xv</span>
- <h2 id='ills' class='c009'>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
-</div>
-<div class='std-table'>
-
-<table class='table1' summary=''>
-<colgroup>
-<col width='86%' />
-<col width='13%' />
-</colgroup>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Miss Grace Ellison</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#frontis'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Burnt Quarter in the French Part of Smyrna near the Quay</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i240'>48</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Lord Curzon: “Turkey for the Turks, indeed!”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#tn01'>64</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>In an Ox Wagon</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i089'>89</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>From a Turk’s Back</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i104'>104</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>H.M. The Kaliph of Islam</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i112'>112</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Battle Royal with my Tangled, Dusty Hair</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i122'>122</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Bottle of Evian—Under the Table</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i123'>123</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>General Moueddine Pasha, Military Instructor of Mustapha Kemal Pasha</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i128'>128</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Market-place at Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i136'>136</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>“The carriages swing from angle to angle”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i137'>137</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Grand National Assembly at Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i144'>144</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>“There is so much to sketch from our front door”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i145'>145</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Ghazi Mustapha Kemal Pasha, President of the Grand National Assembly, Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i160'>160</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>On the wall of Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s study the Sultan Osman looks down on Mustapha Kemal Pasha</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i164'>164</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Ante-room at Tchan-Kaya</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i165'>165</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s Sitting-room</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i168'>168</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha Walking in the Grounds of Tchan-Kaya</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i171'>171</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>General Ismet Pasha, Minister for Foreign Affairs</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i176'>176</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Rauf Bey, Prime Minister</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i192'>192</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Halidé Hanoum, the well-known writer, patriot, and feminist leader</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i208a'>208</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Dr. Adnan Bey, High Commissioner for Constantinople</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i208b'>208</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Agha Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director of the Angora Press</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i224'>224</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>A Luncheon Party at the Ottoman Bank, Angora</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i240a'>240</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Yaili with Drawn Curtains</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i255'>255</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Broussa</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i208'>256</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>“He has the right to say, ‘Look at me’”</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i261'>261</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>The Tomb of the Sultan Osman at Broussa</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i272'>272</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>General Refet Pasha and Colonel Mougin in Constantinople</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i288'>288</a></td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td class='c016'>Lausanne Palace Hotel</td>
- <td class='c017'><a href='#i304'>304</a></td>
- </tr>
-</table>
-
-</div>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c002'>
- <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span><span class='xxlarge'>An Englishwoman in Angora</span></div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='chapter'>
- <h2 id='ch01' class='c009'>CHAPTER I</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ON BOARD THE “PIERRE LOTI”—TURKEY’S DEBT TO LOTI’S MAGIC PEN</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Over</span> a sea as smooth as ice, the sun shining brightly
-most of the way, the Messageries Maritimes steamer
-<i>Pierre Loti</i> is carrying us to Smyrna. Ten years ago,
-to a beaten Turkey (unable, it was supposed, to face
-an enemy for years to come), I had taken the same trip.
-And now, despite the prophets, I am returning to a
-victorious people; doubly victorious, since all the
-odds were against them.</p>
-<p class='c012'>“That is the kind of story I love,” I remarked to
-the sympathetic captain and his daughter, with whom I
-generally lunched as guest in their own cabin. They,
-indeed, were particularly interested in my adventure,
-for they knew the Near East well, and this was to be
-their last visit. Because he had just reached the age
-limit of those who ‘go down to the sea in ships,’ though
-it was only when you caught the word ‘papa’ upon
-his daughter’s lips that anyone would suspect the fact.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So they are blessed who marry young!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It seems strange,” I told him one morning, “to
-be here—on board the <i>Pierre Loti</i>, and surely a presage
-of good luck, since his books have done so much to
-increase and widen my inborn sympathies with the
-East.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Still more strange it proved; since the captain
-himself had named the ship for his admiration of the
-great French writer and in memory of personal friendship
-between them. A rare literary association for
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>a steamer once in the service of the Czars. Wherefore,
-also, I found the master’s works in the ship’s
-library, and could renew acquaintance with many an
-old favourite: “Ramuntcho,” “Matelot,” “Ispahan,”
-“Les Pêcheurs d’Islande” and the “Désenchantées.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The captain told me of his visit to Rochefort, and
-<i>I</i> told <i>him</i> how Antoine went to the same house for
-final instructions upon the staging of “Ramuntcho,”
-which, however, did not prove a success. How, indeed,
-could anyone think of dramatising Pierre Loti, whether
-in prose or verse? He gives us neither psychology
-nor dramatic incident. I can only suppose that
-Antoine permitted them to be produced—to show once
-for all that the thing could not be done; a hard lesson
-for the master!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Among Loti’s collection of priceless treasures,
-rifled from every corner of the East, Antoine sought in
-vain for somewhere to place his hat! Finally, he
-hooked it on to an Eastern idol, and their talk began.
-In a few moments, however, there was a pause, for
-the astonished dramatist caught sight of the offending
-headgear suspended, as he supposed, in mid-air.
-However, a closer look revealed that it was resting
-upon a thin stream of water. The Eastern idol was a
-fountain!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The captain expressed his surprise that I should not
-only be so familiar with Loti’s work, but that I could
-really know anything intimately of his private life,
-“seeing how the Frenchman disliked my own country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My dear sir,” I replied, “if we are to find our
-friends to-day only among those who love England,
-we should be limited indeed. You and your charming
-daughter, <i>par exemple</i>, are you precisely admirers of
-the British Government?...</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“To me, Art is first, and the rest—nowhere! I
-care not whether the genius first saw daylight in Paris,
-in New York, or in Timbuctoo. I have more friends
-out of England than in England. Like Kipling’s
-cat, ‘all places are alike to me.’ I only ask that your
-land be warm; and with all peoples who do not rob
-me I am ready and eager to be good friends. To
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>‘guard the frontiers’ in Art would be to bring back
-the Dark Ages. The most sincere love of one’s own
-country should never teach one to be disdainful of <i>les
-autres</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You are going to Nationalist Turkey,” he replied,
-“you will find yourself right up against Chauvinism
-all the time.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I don’t believe it. Forgive me, I really think
-you exaggerate. And besides—with my strong sympathies
-for the Turks!—I have always found Orientals
-the most broad-minded men.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then I brought back the talk to Pierre Loti. “Why
-do you say that he dislikes England so much?” I
-asked. “He <i>does</i> object to golf near the Pyramids;
-he <i>is</i> a little sarcastic about ‘Messrs. Thos. Cook &amp;
-Co., Egypt, Ltd.,’ forgetting what it means to travel
-without them; he dislikes our Government for its
-pro-Greek policy and its injustice towards the Turks.
-As an Englishwoman I agree. And, like him, too, I
-regard New York as the nearest earthly approach to
-hell! We certainly do not hate America; only its
-noise, its materialism, and its advertising.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I knew Pierre Loti best, perhaps, at his charming
-Basque home in Hendaye—thanks to my friendship
-with his heroines, Melek and Zeyneb. I know, at
-one time, he resented what seemed to him our Edward
-VII.’s ‘interference’ in French affairs. But that
-master of diplomats never gave his advice unasked;
-and, when he was told of the great Frenchman’s
-hostility, Pierre Loti was promptly invited to Windsor,
-and they became the best of friends. Would he were
-with us now, that he might but talk with the Ministers
-of both nations!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“After Windsor, Loti, I’m sure, would have
-spared his sarcasm. ‘There is one thing left now,’ he
-once declared. ‘We must appeal to H.M. Edward VII.
-<i>He</i> only can do what he likes in France!’ The French
-Admiralty had just refused him permission to carry
-away from one of their ships the table on which he
-had written the ‘Désenchantées.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The captain, it seemed, was ready to waive this point.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>“But I do not consider,” he resumed, “that
-Loti’s books are a true picture of Turkey as she is.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They would not, indeed, suit his arch-enemy
-Messrs. Cook,” I replied; “as Turner painted, he
-wrote, for those who have eyes to see. Tell him you
-never saw <i>his</i> Turkey, and he would reply: ‘Don’t
-you wish you could?’...</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Had Loti himself been English, he would, naturally,
-have reached a larger public among us. The warmth
-of his colouring is too often lost in translation. As a
-schoolgirl I learnt by heart the wonderful Preface to
-his “Ispahan”: ‘<i>Qui vent venir avec moi voir les roses
-d’Ispahan</i>,’ and I have dreamt of those roses ever
-since.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The captain then spoke of the avenue at Constantinople
-which bears his name.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“A charming remembrance,” I replied, “but he
-needs no such ‘rosemary.’ Do we realise, I wonder,
-what French influence in the Near East owes to his
-supreme art. In England, except for a small minority,
-the word Turkey only means a vision of fair houris,
-veiled in the mysteries of the past, the great ‘Red’
-Sultan, and massacres in Armenia. To France it
-means Aziadé, the Green Mosque at Brousse, Djénane,
-and the Fantômes d’Orient. Public opinion, to-day,
-can be ‘manufactured’ as easily as butter and cheese;
-but the imaginations once stirred by the magician’s
-pen will not yield so easily to the last Brew of Hate.
-France is not going to lose her dream of the East woven
-from Loti’s pen. A debt of gratitude neither she, nor
-Turkey itself, can ever pay.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To travel by this steamer, bearing the name of a
-writer one loves so well, brings unceasing delight.
-Your menu-card, the life-belts on deck, even the
-towels, all bear a name to fill the mind with memory of
-beautiful things. As my eyes fell on the <i>Pierre Loti’s</i>
-lifeboat, swinging on its davits, I recalled the “Pêcheurs
-d’Islande,” with its tragic close: “and he never
-returned!” All the sorrow, the suffering, and the
-heart-ache; the useless watching, waiting, and longing—this,
-for the women, is War!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Are we, indeed, to begin <i>that</i> all over again? For a
-“Greater Greece” than the Greeks themselves can
-sustain?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If <i>all</i> women who have suffered (and who has not?)
-would march to Westminster to protest, would any
-hear and pause? Can we fight a Press in the service
-of profiteers, bolstering up the Government, blocking
-the public view?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Are we not, after all, mere “pawns” of a Destiny
-that none can avert?</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Pierre Loti’s long and interesting life is now very
-quickly drawing to its close. He has written his last
-words—a defence of his beloved Turks.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>
- <h2 id='ch02' class='c009'>CHAPTER II</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>TURKEY AND TOLERANCE—A FRIENDSHIP WASTED</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>My</span> supreme interest in Turkey among the Moslem
-nations, arose from influences, or instincts, I cannot now
-with any certainty determine. I suspect, however, it
-was in part reaction against the injustice of Gladstone—the
-idol of my father’s youth, until the betrayal of his
-hero Gordon—and in part indignation with those who
-called the Koran an “accursed book.” <i>My</i> religion
-is the universal tolerance I expect for my own, and I
-can feel only the most profound admiration for the
-Great Prophet of Islam, whose fine personality has
-left so benign an influence throughout the East, and for
-his “Bible,” with its noble study of our own Christ.
-Carlyle, you will remember, pays glowing tribute to
-this “Prophet Hero!”</p>
-<p class='c012'>So I devoured every book that I could lay hands on
-about these interesting peoples; fought for introductions
-to anyone who could talk of them, from book-knowledge
-or personal acquaintance; studied medicine—that
-their women might suffer less.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was in 1906 that I first met Pierre Loti’s “disenchanted”
-heroines, Zeyneb and Melek; and we soon
-became the closest friends. The tale of their daring,
-but unpractical, flight had stirred my imagination.
-Their father was one of Abdul Hamid’s Ministers,
-and two or three times during my visit they were almost
-kidnapped by order of the Sultan. On one occasion
-it was, indeed, only a miracle which disclosed the plot
-that was to have carried them off (by motor from Nice
-to Marseilles, thence back by boat to Constantinople)
-to the punishment awaiting them.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>For hours they held me spellbound by their vivid
-descriptions of harem life, particularly the Sultan’s,
-and of the “Terror” under Abdul Hamid. With this
-clever monster at the helm, the Turks suffered a hundred
-times more than the Christians. Whole regiments of
-Albanians ceased to exist; whole companies went off
-to Yemen and were forgotten; Ministers died suddenly,
-and private families disappeared wholesale. Yet they
-must be thrown out of Europe, “bag and baggage,”
-because, in a minor degree, Christian Armenians, too,
-bled under Abdul Hamid!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After the departure of the two Hanoums (Turkish
-ladies), their father died suddenly. And though, when
-in Constantinople, I did my best to see and console
-their widowed mother, she persisted in regarding me
-as one of those <i>giaours</i> who had stolen away her
-daughters! And would listen to no defence or explanation.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was then that I heard much of the coming
-Revolution: when and where “meetings” had taken
-place, who were members of the “secret societies,”
-which of their friends in prison would be liberated.
-In 1908, the Day of Deliverance suddenly came,
-to the astonishment of the whole world, and I, too,
-rejoiced, as though my own country were now set
-free!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was, luckily, again in Constantinople for those
-great days. I saw the hideous tyrant of a few years
-ago driven through the streets of Pera; I was present
-at the opening of Parliament; introduced to the Sultan
-Abdul Hamid and his Grand Vizier Kiamil Pasha.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was the Vizier’s charming daughter who soon
-became my dearest friend, and hostess for two subsequent
-visits. Once she spoke of me to Abdul Hamid’s
-successor, Mohammed V., as her “English sister”
-(her favourite term of endearment), and the Sultan
-replied: “I did not know Kiamil Pasha had any
-English children.” Poor man, he had a Turkish family
-of a score!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was Hamid’s fall that first revealed to me how
-much Turkey loved England, what she was ready to
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>give for British friendship. I had witnessed the
-arrival of our Ambassador, the late Sir G. Lowther,
-and his triumphant entry to Constantinople, when the
-horses were taken out of his carriage and he was drawn
-by Turks to the Embassy. As Abdul Hamid had compromised
-the nation by friendship with Germans, young
-Turkey threw herself at the feet of Great Britain.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Why could we not respond? Alas, our Ambassador
-and his French colleague, M. Constant, would openly
-express their preference for the despotic Abdul Hamid.
-And what was said, no doubt with no serious thought
-of offence, reached the ears of the young Turks and
-stung their pride: “People who visit Constantinople
-may be divided into two classes: those who like dirt
-and squalor” (of whom I was one), “and those who
-do not!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was inevitable that the Germans should make
-<i>their</i> profit from <i>our</i> discourtesy and blind contempt.
-We ought, from the first, to have known that she would
-send, as indeed she did, one of her finest diplomats to
-Constantinople. Marshall von Bieberstein, and his
-“retriever,” Dr. W—— of the <i>Frankfurter Zeitung</i>
-lost no opportunity of conciliating the young
-Turks, to what end we might, surely, have foreseen!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After the Balkan war, I paid a visit to vanquished
-Turkey; this time as a guest of my “Turkish sister” in
-Stamboul, whose father had been, meanwhile, banished
-to Cyprus, where he died. Under the circumstances I
-could not (for fear of further compromising my friends
-with the Government) see much of our Ambassador,
-Sir Louis Mallet, though I met him twice, and found
-him a charming man.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To all my appeals, at the Embassy and elsewhere,
-for British friendship and help to put Turkey on her
-feet again, I met the same foolish, “parrot” reply:
-“We cannot sacrifice Russia!” Nevertheless, when I
-returned to London, and published “An Englishwoman
-in a Turkish Harem” (the diary record of private friendships,
-widely circulated in the East), we, the friends
-of Turkey, determined to defy the Government, and
-formed an Ottoman Society for that purpose.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>When the war broke out I had just reached Berlin,
-once more <i>en route</i> for Turkey, Asia Minor, and afterwards
-Persia and India.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is obvious that the world-tragedy had even a
-sharper sting for those of us who were bidden to hate
-our life-long “best friends” among the enemy peoples.
-Often enough, moreover, the individual “foe” (as
-was the case with my Turkish “sister”) could not
-throw off the heart’s allegiance to England merely
-because “it was war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Can we, indeed, honestly blame the young Turks?
-In the first place, they did not choose their own path.
-One man, Enver Pasha, joined Germany <i>against</i> the
-wishes of a whole nation. As <i>one</i> man, Mr. Lloyd George,
-would once have drawn the most constitutional of
-all peoples to fight the Turks, had not General Harington,
-luckily for them and us, disobeyed his command!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Besides, we did <i>nothing</i> to preserve our friendship
-with Turkey. Years of indifference, and most impolitic
-scoffings at real reforming enthusiasm, were
-followed, at the eleventh hour, by total neglect of any
-conciliating diplomacy, which could even then have
-kept Turkey out of the war, and shortened it by two
-years.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For instance, on the outbreak of war with Germany,
-“without notice, without the most banal of the forms
-of courtesy, on the very day when the Turkish flag
-should have been hoisted over the ships handed over
-to the Ottoman Commission, which had come to England
-to take charge of them, the dreadnoughts were
-seized by Great Britain and no offer was made by the
-British Government to refund, at least, the price of the
-two ships....” So wrote the late Grand Vizier Hakki
-Pasha; and one could mention many other, similar,
-senseless pin-pricks, which may inflame such people
-almost more than insults of greater import.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>During the war my friendship for Turkey proved a
-serious handicap in hospital work. Anyone jealous
-of what privileges were by chance accorded to me would
-hand over a few choice tit-bits—that grew in passing—to
-the secret police. The French, unless in a fit of
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>really inevitable war-depression, paid scant heed to
-such reports. The Americans, however, easily took
-alarm. One, I remember, actually spoke to me about
-the matter with a terror only equalled, in my experience,
-by that of the Cabinet Minister’s brother who
-once asked me: “How I could do anything so foolish
-as to live in a harem?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a poor compliment to one of Turkey’s greatest
-statesmen, and to my hostess, his distinguished
-daughter.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But when I found that Roget’s “Thesaurus” gives
-as synonym for a harem, “a house of ill fame,” I
-understood!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkey, however, was crushed, defeated and, at
-Sèvres, humiliated. Were we not courting disaster
-by such unjust terms? If we remove the foot holding
-them down—but ever so slightly—will they rebound
-and strike?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I cannot understand,” I said to one of their
-delegates, “how a Turk could be found to sign such a
-Treaty.” For always, with all their faults, I had
-known them proud.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Had we not signed,” he answered, “the Greeks
-would have entered Constantinople, and God knows
-when we could have driven them out. What does it
-matter, the Treaty will not be ratified.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To keep out the Greeks, to save bloodshed! Maybe
-he was right.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“At least, we are set free from Germany,” they
-said; and there is little we could not have asked then
-for such security.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They would have allowed Great Britain any privileges,
-any concessions, all sovereign rights, if only we
-had not permitted the occupation of Smyrna! When
-the Dutch <i>pasteur</i>, M. Lebouvier, sent the <i>Times</i> a
-full description of all the hideous bloodshed, the
-saturnalian orgies, and the riot with which the Greeks
-celebrated their triumphal entry, it was <i>suppressed</i>—and
-Englishmen do not know!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Consternation, despair, and anger were the order
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>of the day. Those hitherto most apologetic for the
-part played by Turkey in the war, were now ready to
-glory in what they had done. A million and a half
-Turks enslaved by 300,000 “servant” Greeks! Can
-such things be?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Constantinople a mass meeting of 250,000
-people was held at the Byzantine Hippodrome,
-flags and banners were draped in black, women sobbed
-as at a funeral. They were <i>mourning</i>, indeed, for the
-city they were afterwards accused of having burned!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>By what deplorable influence were we thus moved
-to attempt what would practically have meant the
-extermination of Turkey? The magic name of Venizelos
-is not enough! Again and again, the friends
-of Turkey have asked why? But we do not know
-whether British action was deliberate or the result of
-an incredibly big blunder!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>M. Kemal Pasha’s great victory changed the face
-of affairs. Few in England had seemed to care what
-happened to this band of “rebels”; only a month
-before his victory, even our Intelligence Officers thought
-he would easily be beaten by the Greeks. Few had
-even heard of his three and a half years exile in the
-mountains!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Meanwhile, at home, we paid little heed, and scant
-courtesy, to the three Ambassadors from Angora, who
-came to negotiate peace. Békir Sami Bey’s confidential
-conversations with the ex-Prime Minister about the
-Soviet Government were handed on to M. Krassine.
-Youssouf Kemal Bey, indeed, obtained a hearing, but
-nothing was done. Fethi Bey (the Minister of the
-Interior, sent as a last resource) was told, and that was
-true, that Lord Curzon was seriously ill, but that no
-one “counted” in England except Mr. Lloyd George.
-Naturally, he asked the Premier for an audience, which
-was “promised,” but never given!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>Incivility does not pay.</i> It is too expensive a
-luxury for the greatest of nations. This level-headed
-Turk, accepting such treatment with all the dignity of
-his race, found many <i>other</i> things to praise in this
-country. “The English,” he said, “understand only
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span><i>one</i> form of propaganda—the sword!” But of our
-institutions, our Parliament, our clubs, and the marvellous
-acting of Miss Sybil Thorndike in “Jane Clegg,”
-he said much, and nothing but praise, in Angora!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As a woman who has received the greatest kindness
-and courtesy from the Turks, my resentment, on behalf
-of Fethi Bey, was expressed with unmeasured indignation.
-His mission was <i>not</i> taken seriously; the Government
-dared to show him the cold shoulder!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For his part, most graciously he suggested that I
-should come over to Angora myself, to the cradle of
-the Nationalist movement, and see the hero of the
-Nationalists.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But for his ever-ready assistance it would have
-been useless to have made the attempt. When, in
-Angora, he renewed his apologies for all the discomfort
-I had endured, but I told him the journey itself had
-been a privilege, for it enabled me to see with my own
-eyes what his people had been driven to endure.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>No, I could never have forgiven myself if, in a
-moment of weakness, I had been discouraged by the
-chivalry of the British officials and allowed them to
-persuade me to stay at home.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>
- <h2 id='ch03' class='c009'>CHAPTER III</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>MALTA: THE NAME I WAS TO HEAR THROUGHOUT ANATOLIA</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Our</span> first stopping-place was Malta, the name I was
-destined to hear from one end of Anatolia to the
-other.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Was it not of Malta that Angora was born; and
-since “the trouble” in the East, Malta has been
-turned into a universal dumping-ground for officers’
-wives and refugees. Whenever M. Kemal Pasha lifts
-his little finger, or Rauf Bey opens his mouth, the women
-and children are bundled off to Malta. They return,
-indeed, on any excuse, at the first opportunity (as
-why should they not?), until a panic-stricken Government
-again sends them to exile. One lady with us
-had done the trip in this way four times!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Constantinople, without our women, makes one
-wonder if it were so wise as it appears, thus to play
-for safety! After all, cannot the Englishwoman
-endure what the Russian, Greek and Armenian are
-left to put up with? If the husband is in danger,
-should not his wife be with him? “We want to
-‘protect’ our women,” I had been told, and there is
-no finer ideal than chivalry. But, after Constantinople,
-I would suggest that we women also “want to
-protect our men!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Softening, perhaps, the frankness for which my
-“French” education has been so often held responsible,
-I would only say: “There are alluring distractions!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And in marriage I pin my faith upon the Italian
-proverb: “Keep to the women and cows of your own
-country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>The utter destitution of so many members of the
-old Russian aristocracy, has not deprived its women of
-their temperamental charm. It has provided them
-with an occasion (genuine enough, God knows) for
-tears no British youth can resist, unmoved as he will
-remain under the fiercest shell-fire.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet one Englishman told me his Russian wife had
-taken every penny he possessed, and vanished—he knew
-not where. Another “fears it is only a matter of time.
-His ‘noble’ wife cannot be expected to put up with
-Clapham, and when something better turns up, he will
-be discarded.” One married “a sweet, soft voice” out
-of sheer loneliness; and another, foolish and rich,
-clothed in priceless ermine the lady he met “at a
-bar!” There is no need to dwell on other, less
-honourable, “consequences” of such “casual”
-meetings.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At every corner in Constantinople the “bar”
-invites the busy and the brave to cocktails or a
-whisky, an example we have given the “despised”
-Turk, who had the wisdom to make Angora “dry.”
-Here, too, is the best of chances for pro-Greek propaganda,
-as our men meet no “Turkish” women, who
-are “really” safe in the bosom of their families. One
-is tempted, almost, to hope that for them the day of
-“freedom” may be postponed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Facing this ugly side of what an “Army of Occupation”
-must always entail, does the Englishwoman
-who absolutely refused to “leave” need to stand on
-her defence? “Vanity Fair,” moreover, may serve to
-remind us that there were English women near Waterloo;
-and do our present generation require such careful
-wrapping in cotton-wool, while they are, nevertheless,
-too often left unprotected in the drab, hum-drum life
-of a modern “business” world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is remarkable, again, to reflect that every Turk
-one meets, who really “counts for something” in
-Angora, is a “Malta” man. If M. Kemal Pasha
-believed in decorations, surely a special medal would
-have been devised for those who had “visited”
-Malta.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>As a prison, it is agreeable enough, though the
-climate strikes one as enervating. The sun shines,
-even brightly, for the greater part of the year, and
-sunshine softens the captive’s lot! Had I never
-visited the island I should have soon learnt to know
-“the sights,” for in so many homes of Angora, Maltese
-picture postcards are displayed, almost like holy
-relics: Valetta, the “Chapel of Bones” (a barbaric
-idea), the Mahommedan cemetery, the cathedral, and
-the landing-stage. Everywhere, too, are the fair
-ladies of Malta, whose head-dresses closely resemble
-the Turkish tcharchaff.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Angelus had sounded as I first entered the
-cathedral, to find myself amidst long rows of black-veiled
-women, reverently kneeling on the cold inlaid-marble
-floor, their heads bent in prayer, their fingers
-counting the beads as they recited their rosaries.
-The native type is dark-skinned, almost Mongolian,
-but they all speak English. For are they not British
-subjects, paid in British money, and entitled to our
-protection? There was talk, indeed, of extending
-the cover of “Nationalism” to them also; but,
-personally, I still felt everywhere, and all the time, that
-calming atmosphere of order, happiness, and prosperity
-that is brought by the British flag.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How is it, then, that we have so consistently failed
-to quiet the Turkish storms? Of course, every one
-of the “powers” has been involved, each playing for
-its own hand, striving to end or prolong the war in
-its own interests.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is well known that the Turk himself has above
-all committed one crime—he has kept Constantinople!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Bent on a policy of peace (!) we undertook to disarm
-Turkey; but the mission despatched to Anatolia
-for this purpose could, or would, not accomplish its
-task. Then in May, 1919, despite the Mudros Armistice,
-we allowed the Greeks to occupy Smyrna! In March
-of the following year, came the English <i>coup d’état</i>!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The highest personalities—generals, important
-officials, anyone suspected of sympathy with the
-Nationalists—were arrested, placed in the hold of a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>man-of-war, for internment at Malta. All were taken
-on mere suspicion, thrust into prison without trial!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet the <i>naïveté</i> of the whole proceeding is almost
-<i>more</i> puzzling than its high-handed injustice! These
-dangerous men (!), supposed to be plotting against
-Great Britain, are all huddled together, and left to
-their own devices, for two years—and then released!
-Were we afraid? Did we repent? Will Government
-never <i>pursue</i> one policy to its logical conclusion?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could but “wonder about” these things as I
-knelt in prayer. Clouds of incense have filled the
-cathedral, the Blessed Sacrament is safely returned
-to the tabernacle, the huge candles are extinguished,
-and the veiled ladies are reverently leaving the dimly-lighted
-church. Cannot faith bring peace?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There must be peace.” I, who have faith in
-the spoken word, will declare it, everywhere and all
-the time, and will count him traitor who utters a
-word to the contrary. But I will tell them in Angora
-that “I am sorry for” Malta!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior, carries his comfortable
-Turkish philosophy to the last extreme.
-Whatever happens, he will say that “It might have
-been worse.” In Malta, he acknowledged that he
-would have preferred greater comfort, but, then,
-“he <i>might</i> have been much more uncomfortable!”
-In any case, he seized upon the chance to learn English,
-and learnt it remarkably well. It is best, he believes,
-to understand an enemy; and, to that end, you must
-learn his language. Of Mr. Lloyd George, he declared
-that “Turkey owes him a debt of gratitude we can
-never repay.... But for the occupation of Smyrna,
-and the Malta <i>coup d’état</i>, there would have been no
-Nationalists. But for your Prime Minister we might
-all of us have been vassals. Indeed, we owe him a
-great deal.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I asked him what to expect in Angora, he
-warned me that “I must not look for the luxuries of
-the Savoy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>“Well, I can leave our jazz bands without one
-pang,” I replied.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But you may find worse things in Angora than
-Jazz bands.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Men like Fethi Bey, ready to meet all emergencies
-without complaint, make the right material to face the
-problem of Reconstruction, in a country ruined from
-end to end; and what a comfort it is to meet a man
-without a grievance!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I attempted to sympathise with him for
-having to ride, because no motor could take these
-snow-blocked roads, he declared that “exercise would
-do him good.” When his horse stumbled, “it might
-have been worse.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet, on <i>my</i> account, he apologised again and again
-for the condition of Angora; and I could only compare
-his humorous comparison with the Savoy, to Dr.
-Réchad’s strange attempt at consolation: “You
-certainly won’t need any evening dresses.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is, no doubt, the gift for always making the best
-of a bad bargain, that works for peace in the Turkish
-home. Your husband is not perfect, but “he might
-be worse”; the food is bad, but there might not be
-any; if the rooms are not clean, “we have known dirtier.”
-It is an “accommodating” point of view!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is a story by Nasreddin Hodja, the great
-Turkish wit, which happily illustrates this racial
-characteristic. The Anatolian lived in constant terror
-of a vociferous wife, though no doubt he often reflected
-that there were worse women in the world. One day,
-however, someone told him that she had fallen into
-the river, and was being carried away by the tide.
-“Don’t worry,” said he, with a stoic’s calm, “she
-will go against it. She always does.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On another occasion, this man of wit had carried a
-basket of figs to the lame Timur, on an official visit
-of respect. Timur amused himself by throwing the
-fruit in the Hodja’s face; but at each blow he cried out:
-“Allah is Great.” When asked why he so often praised
-God, he answered: “My wife wanted me to bring
-you apples.” Since Timur was privileged, if it pleased
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>him, to strike the guest, he “thanked God” that he
-had chosen <i>the smaller</i> and lighter fruit.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As for my own mission in Malta, I had really come
-to buy a British flag!, as Messrs. Cook’s manager at
-Naples had supplied “everything” but just that.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For years I have never travelled without a Union
-Jack. The idea of undertaking so long and dangerous
-a journey without it, filled me with strange foreboding.
-Everywhere on the Front I had my “flag.” In a state
-of coma at the military hospital, the nuns were in great
-distress because I had expressed a wish to be buried in
-the flag, which, being under my pillow, was nowhere to
-be found! Naturally, in Paris I had foreseen my need.
-But the registered trunk, booked to Rome, had fallen
-on evil days, and there will be no luck for the “thief,”
-who is probably polishing his boots with my sacred relic!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At first, I seemed unable to escape the lace-makers
-of Malta; and when, following the direction of a naval
-officer, I found myself at last in a real “Harrod’s
-Store,” my luck, also, was still out. At the Army and
-Navy, the managing director declared they had “no
-sale for Union Jacks.”... Each man possessed his
-own. He dared not sell me the firm’s flag, for an order
-to hoist it might be given at any moment; and, if he
-failed to obey, he would very likely be driven out of
-the island!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As a last resource, I drove to a man said to have
-“flags for hire.” By this time I was too frenzied
-with disappointment to conceal my eagerness, and
-they promised me one for £7! Luckily enough, excitement
-prompted me to unfurl my treasure then and
-there, to find myself gazing, in mute astonishment,
-upon the Stars and Stripes! “Isn’t it the same thing?”
-cried the impostor, as I flung myself out of the shop.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But time and tide wait for no woman, and I must
-silence my superstitions, to join the <i>Pierre Loti</i> once
-more. Taking a last look on the fortifications of
-Malta, my thoughts turned to the imprisoned Turks,
-and my heart was filled with shame.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One day, perhaps, the Turks may hold Malta
-sacred, for assuredly the cream of her people were
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>gathered there. One might almost have thought that
-such men as Prince Said Halim (late Grand Vizier),
-Rauf Bey, Fethi Bey, Hussein Djahid, and my admirable
-Angora guide,) Vely-Nedjdat, had been carefully
-selected to keep each other company.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mrs. Stan-Harding once said of her eight and a half
-months in a Soviet prison: “At least I had this
-advantage, I met the best people in Russia.” As her
-hearers seemed puzzled by such a statement, she
-added, “They were all, naturally, in prison!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I must tell them, in Angora, that England, at least,
-has always honestly tried to put right her own wrong-doings,
-and one day (may it be soon!) she will “redeem”
-herself to them also.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mr. H. G. Wells somewhere describes the strange,
-great love we often feel for those we have deeply
-wronged—the wife, the friend, the enemy. May it
-not, at the long last, be so “after the war?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Who knows if, indeed, this be not the dark hour
-before the dawn, of our nation’s friendships—with those
-we have been led to hate?</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>
- <h2 id='ch04' class='c009'>CHAPTER IV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ATHENS—“WE HAVE LOVED HELEN; MUST WE DIVORCE HER?”</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>If</span> only it were always calm, how delightful it would
-be to travel by sea!</p>
-<p class='c012'><span class='sc'>From</span> Malta to Athens, indeed, is not a long run;
-but when every moment you are tossed from side to
-side, at the mercy of all the winds in heaven, most
-things have a disagreeable look. As we approached
-the brown and arid coast of this historic peninsula,
-I thought how unjust it seems to have driven the
-Ottoman Greeks out of fertile Turkey to a fatherland
-that cannot feed them. You cannot obtain blood from
-a stone, nor fruitful crops from an unfertile soil.
-What is Greece to do for these poor people, who
-cannot all turn merchants or moneylenders?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Before landing at Piræus, with my Italian escort,
-I took the precaution to investigate the rate of exchange—250
-drachmas to the £1 sterling.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is strange,” said I, “that we have none of this
-inconvenience in Turkey. There one always gets a
-fair ‘exchange,’ and no worry.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The steamer slows down to anchor, and on all
-sides we are hustled by modern Shylocks. “Two
-hundred and fifty drachmas for a pound,” I asked,
-“how many for five shillings?” And the Greek
-answered: “Fifteen.” “Come and listen to this
-Greek arithmetic,” I called in Italian; but the man
-understood me, and let out a hearty laugh. Though
-I turned from him, without malice, he promptly raised
-his price from fifteen to forty-five (!), and in the end I
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>bought drachmas enough to take us ashore, hoping
-for better terms on land.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I shall never forget that day at Piræus—heat and
-dust, flies and refugees. Could a more terrible combination
-be imagined? All along the quays lay these
-wretched folk, many of them fast asleep, with armies
-of flies crawling over them. If by chance one stumbled
-over a dusky body, which it was not easy to distinguish
-from the soil, a cloud of flies rose to smite
-you in the face—the most fatal of disease-carriers!
-The brown-faced women, dirtier even than the Neopolitans,
-now crowded round us, offering cakes and
-sweets from which they were every moment obliged
-to brush off thick coatings of flies, that once more
-struck one in the face or settled over my shoulders.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My Italian escort had, meanwhile, kindly procured
-a newspaper to act as fan, and now, hurriedly brushing
-away these horrible pests, he took a silk handkerchief
-out of his pocket to cover my neck. “What a
-magnificent husband you will make for someone,” I
-said, smiling with gratitude; and he blushed with
-all the charm of his twenty-one years.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In another moment my eye fell on the hard brown
-faces and big “Jewish” noses of the moneylenders,
-forcing a smile as they call on you to “buy.” They
-have very much the same expression as Southern
-Italians; keeping one eye, it would almost seem, to
-make a pleasant impression on possible purchasers,
-while the other betrays the keen and swift reckoning
-of profits to the uttermost farthing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Seated behind little tables topped with boxes of
-glass, they are eagerly displaying their filthy paper
-money; haggling, arguing, smiling, and cheating you
-in one breath! Surely no type of humanity could
-carry us further from the heroes of our schoolday
-imaginings!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Wearied with fly-dodging, in fact, I had scant
-energy left for a “good bargain,” over this “paper
-filth” for honest English sterling.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Sympathy now prompted me to ask the Italian
-Whether his eyes were not in pain; and, by the power
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>of auto-suggestion, the inquiry caused my own to ache
-as they had never ached before. Before we landed the
-captain had given me a solemn warning on no account
-to rub my eyes, however tormented by the continual
-glare of a bright sun on white houses, or I should be
-certain to “catch an incurable eye-disease and go on
-‘weeping’ to the end of my days.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Never, never speak of disease again,” I had
-answered. “Misfortunes come quickly enough, without
-our going to fetch them.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Fortunately even the flies could not make it a
-<i>long</i> journey from Piræus to Athens; and we could
-glance in passing at the quaint and not unattractive
-bookstalls, now showing large photographs of modern
-“Heroes”—the Greek generals! After all, they had
-done their best. <i>They</i> were no more responsible for
-the mistakes of <i>their</i> Government, than we are for ours.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Taking train for the last part of our route, we were
-packed like sardines among the ugliest possible types
-of human beings one could imagine; but, luckily,
-soon alighted at a station whose magic name should
-thrill the dullest heart.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We were in Athens! But the Italian could only
-exclaim: “What women!” I reminded him that
-they were, after all, descended from Helen of Troy,
-for whose beauty the world in its youth made war.
-Yet it seemed almost a heresy to name that name in
-such surroundings.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If only one could show all men what a tragedy is
-here.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is something I long to do,” I told my companion.
-“I would summon crowds of my countrymen
-and my countrywomen to the Albert Hall and
-borrow the magic tongue of Mr. Lloyd George, to draw
-their tears for our dear Christian brethren at the mercy
-of the brutal Turk! And then a deputation of
-these money-changing Greeks should be brought in
-to stand at the Welshman’s right hand and his left!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How many, even then, would read, mark, and
-digest the grim comment?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But the Italian laughed again and again at the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>picture my words suggested. I could only murmur:
-“What is it, to be twenty-one!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I believe we went into every church in Athens;
-for ever since I left home I have never passed a
-church or a mosque without sparing a moment to
-enter and pray for peace. “It will do no good,” said
-my companion, and I replied: “It will do no harm.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We saw many women also at prayer, kneeling before
-their Ikons—not for victory, but in sad thoughts of
-their own dead, and for help and strength to bear their
-own terrible sorrows.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Once the Greek Pope came up and spoke to us,
-supposing, to my young Italian’s honest confusion,
-that we were man and wife. The spirit moved him to
-denounce, in very broken French, the treachery of
-England; and, whether or no it was from heat and
-fatigue, or from the sight of those broken-hearted
-women, something seemed to burst in my throat and
-bitter tears streamed from my tired eyes. I could
-not tell him <i>I</i> was English. I could not find words
-or strength, such as came to me later in Anatolia, to
-plead a little for England by putting some of the
-blame on M. Venizelos.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>While the Italian discreetly left me—to kneel before
-an Ikon in silent prayer to the Man of Sorrows—I
-could but stand and suffer the attack upon my beloved
-country, choking with tears of humiliation.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Alas, the incident does not stand alone. When
-taking tea in an hotel, I asked my companion to make
-inquiries about the best place to buy a Union Jack,
-and the proprietor seized the opportunity to give us
-<i>his</i> opinion of British honour.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Now I never heard, throughout the whole of Anatolia,
-a single Turk speak of Britain or Mr. Lloyd George
-as these Greeks both spoke. It is a pity that some of
-our pro-Greek politicians were not with me—to learn
-the <i>real</i> value of all they have undertaken for their
-Christian brethren.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In that church, maybe, I was so cruelly overcome
-because the broken-hearted women had stirred in me a
-glowing vision of the great Pericles. “For me,” was
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>his proud boast, “shall no man wear mourning. I
-have not shed one drop of human blood.” Could any
-ruler leave this earth with a nobler record? Could
-any conceive for himself so fine an epitaph?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>Our</i> rulers, and Venizelos, have wasted the precious
-blood of Europe to flatter their personal vanity and
-nurse an idle imperialism for Greece; and when
-everything goes wrong they have only to resign!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had determined to ascend the Acropolis, whatever
-the effort to reach the top, and refused even to be
-discouraged when at the very entrance our driver pulled
-up and informed us that “it was forbidden” to drive
-within.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It did not occur to me to protest; but we had
-scarcely walked twenty yards up the steep ascent when
-a carriage (containing the captain and his daughter) and
-then another carriage (!) drove by. Naturally indignant,
-we returned to ask the man what he meant. To evade
-argument, he disingenuously explained: “It would
-need two horses to get up there, and I have only one.”
-The subterfuge only infuriated me the more, and when
-he had six times sturdily refused to obey orders, I
-simply seized the miserable little being by the shoulders
-and shook him like a rat. Violence proved the only
-way, and we had no more trouble with him!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is horrible, in such hallowed surroundings, to be
-haggling about money; but, of course, we were
-cheated over our change!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Never mind,” said the Italian, “let the creatures
-rob us. Gentlemen cannot fight with grooms.” And
-as I looked at the exquisite profile of this young Venetian
-against the Athenian skies, I could fancy myself
-accompanied by one of the old Patricians, amidst his
-degenerate, money-changing descendants.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Almost in silence we wandered over the ruins of a
-civilisation whence came the highest culture of the
-world. I felt, indeed, as if I had been born too late;
-for what have <i>I</i> in common with the century in which
-I live?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To-day nations are not judged by their lyrics
-that are the measure of their imagination, and without
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>imagination the race must die. Our standards are
-skill in commerce!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Had I the art, whether of pen or brush, to pay fit
-homage to this immortal rock, who would look or
-listen? Could I invent yet one more machine to
-“save time”—for making more money—the world
-would be at my feet.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Where shall <i>we</i> look for a Pericles, who hand our
-laurels to the presiding genius of a “cash and carry”
-<i>store</i>?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is no finer view of Athens than one can gain
-from the Acropolis, as the city lies at its feet, like some
-plain of brown paper dotted with green palms and the
-little white houses drawn in chalk.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Here,” said I, “is the Greece of Oxford—of
-Homer and Plato, of Æschylus and of Sophocles!
-The magnificent traditions of an immortal past.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It was in Oxford of classic memories, that I
-first heard the Tales of Greece, first listened to her great
-scholars telling of Andromache and Antigone in the
-exquisite language of the finest literature in the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Here, too, is the Greece of Byron—of Childe
-Harold, and of the <i>Maid of Athens</i>!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How the voice carries in this clear atmosphere!
-No wonder these ancient people would crowd under
-the blue skies to every play, tragic or comic, that their
-great dramatists could produce.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And now, as the sunset colours—gold, scarlet,
-violet, and purple—are glowing upon the immortal
-rock, over the marble ruins, I marvel at “tiny”
-Athens and her “vast” name.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Alas, for Hellas and modern Greece!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Had her own people been as faithful as Oxford
-to the traditions of ancient Greece, what would have
-been the Eastern Question to-day? And for some,
-no doubt, it is this very honouring of Hellas that has
-been responsible for our fatal pro-Greek enthusiasms.
-If we recognise the superiority of the modern Turk,
-loyalty to Plato, to Aristotle, and to Socrates must
-forbid speech; gratitude to the lyrcis of Hellas must
-tie the tongue. Orators and poets, artists and thinkers
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>cannot forget. Hellas still lives and rules in the
-Republic of Letters and Art.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We understand Oxford; but for those who have
-been on the spot, facts tell another tale and speak
-with another voice. Where, in Greece to-day, are her
-men of intellect or imagination, even her aristocrats
-or her warriors? The millions spent in propaganda
-may serve to prolong the legend, they cannot alter
-facts. To visit, with glowing anticipations, this land
-of our dreams, means the awakening to bitter disillusion.
-Those only are still blind who will not see.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Angora I could but plead for England: “We
-have loved Helen; must we divorce her?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>More than the eloquence of Venizelos, more than
-the gold of Zakaroff, more than any pity for Christian
-martyrs; it is our age-old loyalty to the civilisation
-to which we owe our visions and our ideals—that has
-led us so woefully and so wilfully astray. Is there not,
-after all, some “merit” in British “fair play” to
-a “lost cause?”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>
- <h2 id='ch05' class='c009'>CHAPTER V</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>SMYRNA: A PICTURE OF DESOLATION</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>For</span> Orientals, the sky is no less variable and uncertain
-than the political horizon. In the space of an hour
-the sea, calm as a lake, has been transformed to a
-roaring torrent.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Smyrna in the distance, and we are battling forward
-through one of the worst storms of the season. The
-steamer dances like a cork on the foam, while long
-sheets of rain drench the decks, huge waves washing
-into staterooms soak the carpet, thunder and lightning
-rage overhead; as in the grim battle of life, we can
-but hold on till the clouds pass.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Soon, indeed, are the waters about us again at
-rest, and the town rises to our view. A city burnt to
-the ground? Where are the ruins of which we have
-heard so much? Of a sudden the heavens answer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As the lightning begins to play over the land, the
-“shells” of houses and their hollow interiors stand out
-clear before us—a picture of horror and desolation
-it would be hard to match. As we draw nearer it is
-no longer necessary for us to gaze upon the devastation;
-the blind could catch a strong smell of burning (not
-in itself disagreeable) and, in a few moments, we see
-that even the rains have not entirely quenched the
-clouds of smoke still rising from the tobacco factories.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkey considers herself at war, and red tape still
-prevails. But now one does not find many Turks who
-can speak English, though, strange to relate, there are
-quite a few English here still. We are not issuing
-passports to Turks!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Seeing my Turkish letters (better these than a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>British passport), the passport officer sent his secretary
-with me and my luggage to the Vali’s (<i>i.e.</i>
-governor’s) house. The Angora Ambassador in Rome,
-Djelalledine Arif Bey, had also telegraphed to the
-Vali that I was on my way, and requested that, as some
-acknowledgment of what I had done for Turkey, I
-should be given all possible facilities and a right
-royal welcome! The Vali, without doubt, did all he
-could.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I inquired of the officer what kind of man was the
-Vali, sure that the measure of his enthusiasm or his
-indifference would clearly reveal whether the master
-was liked by his men and thus provide me with a peep
-into the unknown. The man’s eyes positively lit up as
-he replied. It was clear that I should be well received
-by a good man. “He was sent to Malta, you know,”
-concluded the officer, as if that were enough. And,
-though I was English, I understood. I believe that
-the word “Malta” may soon be safely translated
-“patriot.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I suppose it needed some courage to come to Turkey,
-braving the Custom house and passport officers even
-with special “protection”; but I met with no difficulties
-whatever. My companion only seemed puzzled
-by my name being the same as my father’s! A
-Turkish woman, of course, would be, <i>e.g.</i>, Aïché Hanoun,
-wife of Rechid Pasha, or daughter of Zia Pasha.
-But have no foreign women, bearing their father’s
-name, been through the Smyrna customs, or am
-I not only the first British woman to visit Angora, but
-the first British spinster to enter Turkey?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Something of all I owed to the Vali for his “speeding
-up” of the customary formalities was forcibly
-impressed on me when I went back for my Turkish
-papers, to find one of my fellow-passengers, a Frenchman,
-still struggling with his passport and the custom
-duties.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Vali’s konak (or palace) which I had long known
-from pictures, looks on to public gardens where the
-band plays every afternoon a strange mixture of
-Oriental and European music. It was delightful to
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>hear Oriental tunes again, if indeed one can call
-Oriental music <i>a tune</i>. Anything in the major key
-seems out of focus with Turkey, its atmosphere, its
-scenery, and surroundings. The more one hears and
-understands the piercing melancholy of these refrains
-the more one loves them; and I am particularly
-grateful to all those Turks (M. Kemal Pasha included)
-who entertained me with the true native work.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In front of the marble steps of the palace Greek
-flags are used as mats—dishonoured and trampled
-with Turkish mud! Such a symbol of conquest
-struck me as neither generous nor happy; but I soon
-found that it had been adopted without the knowledge
-of the chivalrous Vali, who immediately put a stop to
-the custom.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>His palace is lavishly supplied with fine carpets,
-always the chief item of furniture in the East, while
-there are many chairs and a handsome desk in the
-waiting room.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Welcome to our shores, dear miss,” said the Vali.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And that he might at once disassociate me from
-English policy, I replied: “That is certainly a charming
-welcome from a Malta man.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Malta to me,” said my host, as he took my hand
-like an old friend, “is still incomprehensible. What
-can have happened to England?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I understand it, dear Excellency, no better than
-you can. The more I hear of what has taken place in
-Turkey during the last few years, the more often I
-repeat your own words. What, indeed? To an
-Englishwoman who loves her country, it means great
-sorrow; but this unreasoning hostility towards your
-people must stop. That is why I am going to Angora.
-After my visit, at any rate, the Turks shall see that
-<i>one</i> Englishwoman can stand out against injustice.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Thank you a thousand times, dear miss,” was
-his reply, as the attendant brought in coffee and
-cigarettes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Like all the Nationalist leaders, the Vali is a young
-man. He looks, in fact, about forty, and comes from
-an Albanian family. Of medium height, slight and
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>dark, good-looking despite his glasses, and intelligent;
-he is, above all, an honest and kindly gentleman.
-If all the “fanatics” of Angora are of this description,
-I shall have nothing to fear. Abdul Halik Bey
-is a great admirer of England.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Begging I should not hesitate to ask for anything,
-assuring me that no service possible to render will be
-neglected, he called up the head of the police and three
-of his officers to make my acquaintance. The Vali
-explains that as Smyrna is in ruins, I must go to the
-only existing hotel—a temporary establishment under
-the care of Naim Bey, who had been the proprietor
-of the two best hotels in Smyrna, now burnt to the
-ground. This “temporary establishment” was the
-town residence of the Spartallis and a very fine
-mansion indeed!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I had said <i>au revoir</i> to the Vali, I paid my
-return visit to the chief of the police, Zia Bey—a handsome
-and very energetic young man of about thirty-two,
-who speaks only Turkish.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Again we drank coffee. He pointed to the picture
-of M. Kemal Pasha above his desk, and made a little
-speech about him, which, alas, I could not understand.
-As comment, however, I clapped my hands,
-adding: “M. Kemal Pasha Chok Guzel” (<i>i.e.</i>, very
-beautiful), which evidently pleased him. He could see
-at least that my spirit was willing to pay tribute to his
-national hero although the Turkish words failed me.
-Throughout Anatolia, whenever at a loss for words, I
-adopted this phrase; never once did it fail to convey
-the meaning I intended—congratulations for his
-magnificent victory.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Zia Bey has published some detective novels—from
-his own personal experiences. Like the man himself,
-they seem to have secured wide applause.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He, too, like the Vali, is a stern enemy to delay,
-and often receives several people at once. He will
-listen to all you have to say, while the business of an
-earlier caller is still to be executed. Practical and
-courteous though such a custom may be, it obviously
-has its drawbacks. I wonder what would happen had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>I any advice to ask, or any suggestion to make, on
-what to me at least might seem private and confidential
-matters. Thanks to this system, however, it has been
-my privilege to meet at the Vali’s, or at Zia Bey’s,
-many notables of Smyrna, whom I might not have
-found time or occasion to visit.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One day when drinking my daily coffee with Zia
-Bey, he handed 20,000 Turkish pounds to a French
-merchant. A policeman, he explained, “found this
-in your rifled safe.” The merchant was so astonished
-that he spoke to me about it, adding: “Would they
-have been returned to me in any other land?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Every day, after calling upon the Vali, I used to
-visit Zia Bey. To the Vali, of course, I could speak in
-French, but to Zia Bey I seldom went further than a
-repetition of praise for M. Kemal Pasha. It is not
-words that count when the heart is following the
-dictates of truth.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At the hotel I could only be accommodated by the
-dismissal of another guest. Men were sleeping everywhere—in
-the drawing-room, sitting-rooms, bedrooms,
-three, four, and six in a room, grateful to find anywhere
-to lay their heads. To my lot fell one of the best rooms
-in the house, containing a sofa as well as a bed large
-enough for four. I felt very guilty, but what could
-I do? I was the only woman!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To this improvised hotel everyone in Smyrna comes
-sooner or later, if not for accommodation, at least for
-meals and “light” refreshment. The country, of
-course, is dry, but the guests walk round the laws as
-cleverly as they do in the U.S.A. Americans are, perhaps,
-the chief offenders, and seem always able to bring in
-with them whatever they require. If they are caught
-Naim has to pay the damages! “Poor things,” he
-remarked by way of comment, “they are so far from
-their homes.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Most unfortunately, the Turk’s kindness and consideration
-for his customers is not withheld from the
-flies. The Nationalist motto, “A free and independent
-Turkey,” has certainly been granted them—they
-go wherever they like, do whatever they like.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>They sit in thick layers on the table-cloth, they drown
-themselves in your glasses, you swallow them with
-your food; “and to think,” said a Danish merchant,
-“these creatures have been fattening on corpses!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Whatever their nationality, all my neighbours
-made the most chivalrous endeavours to shield me from
-these pests. I was advised to sacrifice my bread as
-a cover to my glass when not drinking. I always
-refused water, and Naim Bey defied the law to give
-me German wine.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One day, exasperated beyond endurance, I procured
-what the French call a “guillotine,” and successfully
-slaughtered every fly that came within my reach.
-The “Italian” gently inquired whether the corpses
-were not more awful than the living insects.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“At least,” I said, “they cannot bite or carry
-microbes,” and I pursued the slaughter with a zeal
-that astonished even myself. I even aimed at those
-I saw walking over the South American’s arm, and hit
-his nose! Without a smile, he courteously declared
-that he did not mind what I might do to his nose,
-“but you <i>will</i> be careful of my glasses, won’t you?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Can’t you <i>do</i> something?” I asked Naim one
-day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They will go away when it is cold,” he replied
-with the philosophy of the true Turk.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Cure or endure is also <i>my</i> motto,” I told him,
-smiling, “but I never endure before I’ve made a fine
-attempt to cure.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On another occasion, my energies were not rewarded
-with true <i>Christian</i> gratitude or tact. I was busy as
-usual, when an orthodox lady who had given her
-nationality as “Catholic,” and was staying in Smyrna
-by special dispensation of the Turks, said to a Greek
-neighbour: “Look at this lady slaughtering flies, as
-her friends the Turks slaughter Christians.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Madame,” said I, “I have passed this morning
-among the ruins to which your ‘Christians’ have
-reduced this city.” I had yet to see the hideous
-devastation in Anatolia!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There were about two or three hundred business
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>men in the hotel, waiting to learn their fate. They
-divided themselves into three distinct groups, in three
-different mess rooms. <i>First</i>, the silent, water-drinking,
-go-to-bed-at-nine Turks, in the library. <i>Secondly</i>,
-Americans, in the smoking-room, who left their allegiance
-to prohibition on the other side of the Atlantic;
-singing and dancing to the accompaniment of a banjo
-till the small hours of the morning. <i>Thirdly</i>, at a
-long table in the dining-room, sat the rest of us—principally
-business men—Italian, Spanish, Dutch,
-South American, Frenchmen, or Danes. My only
-fellow-countryman informed me that among other
-complications he had come to Smyrna to arrange, he
-has somehow to explain away the disappearance of
-50,000 gallons of pure alcohol, sent from Cuba to
-Smyrna <i>via</i> New York. The officials in New York had
-helped themselves to the precious nectar, and sent the
-cargo on to Smyrna, refilled with water! Such are
-the trials of prohibition!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One and all, these men have but three topics of
-conversation: (1) the senseless policy of Mr. Lloyd
-George in sending the Greeks to Smyrna; (2) the
-criminal desire of the Turks to abolish capitulations;
-(3) the “probabilities” of likely successors to the deported
-Greeks and Armenians in the business world.
-It is assumed that Turkey cannot survive without the
-assistance of some European power. The Turk is a
-producer, not a merchant. The Italians affirm that
-trade would flourish in a happier world if they were
-given the vacancy. The Americans, however, dispute
-this honour, whilst the Dutchman, supported by
-a Dutch clergyman (born of French parents, but a
-British subject, in the service of Holland, speaking all
-three languages without an accent), declares the only
-power that is “going to count” in Turkey is Great
-Britain.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“In spite of her deplorable and ill-advised policy,
-her inexplicable treatment of the Turks, her protection
-of the Greeks (which has made <i>them</i> more arrogant and
-destestable than ever), there is <i>something</i> in the British
-national character which still commands respect and
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>admiration. In six or eight months we shall see England
-back in Turkey, stronger than ever. England is
-<i>not</i> her government.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I believe he is right. There was a more practical
-reason for his convictions than his deep affection for
-his English wife.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Holding no brief for Mr. Lloyd George, I still
-scorn these men of finance as cowards for their unmeasured
-abuse of the Premier.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If you foresaw disaster so plainly,” I asked,
-“why did you not protest?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Every Chamber of Commerce sent a petition to
-Mr. Lloyd George,” was the reply, “which he put
-into his waste-basket.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Naturally. As practical men, is that your idea
-of a <i>protest</i>?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“One of our biggest men, Mr. Patterson, went to
-the Paris Conference on our behalf.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Did he make himself heard? I assure you, if I
-had <i>one</i> hundred pounds invested in this country,
-instead of the hundreds of thousands your Scotsman
-holds, the world would have heard something of <i>my</i>
-visit to Paris!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You saw financial disaster and ruin ahead, yet
-allowed yourselves to be talked into silence by M.
-Venizelos!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Somehow, <i>these</i> men could not excite my pity.
-They were themselves more to blame than Mr. Lloyd
-George. With their huge financial backing, and vast
-interests in Smyrna, it was actually in their power, and
-theirs alone, to have kept out the Greeks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is a quaint result of my sense of justice that,
-in the French Secret Service, I am known as “a niece of
-Mr. Lloyd George.” When the brilliant one-time
-<i>chef de Cabinet</i> of Monsieur Briand published his violent
-attacks on Lord Robert Cecil and our late Premier, he
-also printed my replies. “He did not,” he kindly
-explained, “consider there was a word of truth in
-what I said, but he was unwilling to thwart an Englishwoman!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Shortly after the appearance of my “defence,” the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>correspondent of a big newspaper in Chicago spoke of
-“my uncle,” Mr. Lloyd George. I protested, “not
-because I should not be proud of the relationship,
-but because I happen to have no such claim.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Dear lady,” he replied, “don’t think I shall ever
-want to spoil your little game.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Such a remark did not merit a serious answer, and
-I allowed the matter to slide. I knew very well Mr.
-Lloyd George would never lift a finger to help “his
-niece,” for have I not four times appealed to him in
-vain on matters of the greatest national importance?
-Yet “his niece” will continue to defend him against
-“unjust” attacks, and criticise him also.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Smyrna capitalists also did not love me because
-I wrote: “The day is past when financiers can obtain
-‘concessions’ for 500 Turkish pounds backshish
-and then complain of the Turks for being amenable
-to bribes. The happy day will never return when the
-foreigner lived in Turkey without taxation, with next
-to nothing to pay in rent, was charged one and sixpence
-for a shooting licence, and had full control of money
-and trade.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Turkey is now for the Turks, and the Capitalists
-will have to recognise this or leave.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Never again will Smyrna become the Aliens’ Paradise
-it once was. Would anyone, for example, have
-dared to offer the trams provided for Smyrna to any
-other nation but Turkey? Why were there not
-electric trams, instead of these wretched horse-boxes
-drawn by underfed ponies? And the compartment
-reserved for Turkish women was not even separated
-by a partition, but by a sheet that once perhaps was
-white!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There are men in this town,” I wrote, “who would
-plunge Europe into war, to bring back the dear old
-lazy-going Turk who made so charming a background
-for our novels and plays. They would restore him for
-no higher purpose than to fill their purses at his
-expense.” At least, I said to these merchants: “If
-you cannot ‘love’ my whip, you know, in your heart
-of hearts, that I have spoken the truth. You should
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>have a mighty respect for me, and I ask for nothing
-more.” The South American answered: “Every
-word you say <i>is</i> true, and we <i>all</i> admire you for it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Towards nightfall, however, my mind was occupied
-by certain more personal anxieties. The Italian had
-not yet even come to the hotel, and I could hear nothing
-of him. I began to reproach myself with not having
-attempted to extend the protection of my papers to him,
-although, like the gentleman he is, he had already
-refused my suggestion to that effect.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could only apply, as a last resource, to the Vali’s
-secretary, who at once took me to the Caracol (<i>i.e.</i>, the
-“lock-up”), where we found my friend in company
-with the Frenchman we had already been pitying for
-his struggles with passports. Neither of these young
-men were known in Smyrna; neither of them had
-secured permission from Angora to land; neither of
-them were personally known to their Consuls; neither
-of them were able to speak a word of Turkish. They
-could not explain themselves, and were, therefore, to
-be kept under arrest till further inquiries could be
-made.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“After all, in war-time did we not do worse things
-than this?” I asked the enraged Frenchman, who was
-declaring such treatment would make a <i>casus belli</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When I was serving your country and travelling
-to San Remo with a special letter of recommendation
-from the French Minister of War, I was detained for
-forty-eight hours at Mentone, because they considered
-my ‘Plato’s Republic’ a proof of sympathy with the
-Bolshevists.” I was able, however, with the secretary’s
-willing assistance, to liberate both my fellow-passengers
-without further delay.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Naim Bey gave me many special privileges, no
-doubt as the result of prompting from the same quarter.
-He sent me up breakfast in the mornings, though his
-servants were all “Catholics” (<i>i.e.</i>, Armenians, under
-the Papal protection), and did not know their job.
-I never could understand how he contrived to supply
-me with milk, as the Greeks had killed most of the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>cows; but I was no less heartily grateful for his permission
-to use the Spartelli library, and for the reading-lamp
-which he borrowed for me from an American.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All these acts of kindness, however, were done with
-such an appearance of ease that I even ventured upon
-one more request.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Could I use the piano to accompany my Italian
-friend?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He did not hesitate to banish the six occupants of
-“mattresses” in the drawing-room from their domain
-until we finished “La Tosca” and “Madame Butterfly.”
-Then an American begged me to play the “Swannee
-River,” and nearly broke down before he had even got
-to the chorus.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Did I not tell you,” said the sympathetic Naim,
-“Poor things, they are so far away from home!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I suppose I should not be too severe upon these
-merchants among the ruins of their past glory, and,
-to do them justice, they are accepting defeat like good
-sportsmen. The Dutchman is as merry as a cricket,
-despite his £80,000 “gone west,” his thirty years’ work
-undone for ever, his fine farm burnt to cinders.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I wish he would make a book out of all he has seen
-and done in this land of romance. No one knows it
-better, and, if my own sympathies are apt to be with
-the brigands from whom he has twice suffered capture
-(because they only rob the rich), I have enjoyed few
-men’s tales of adventure more than his. Good and
-strong men are rare enough, and I know this one would
-never forget a friend. If danger threatened, it would
-only reach you over his dead body.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>
- <h2 id='ch06' class='c009'>CHAPTER VI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>BRITISH CHIVALRY!—BRAVE WOMEN A NUISANCE!</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>“Women</span> are so absurdly brave,” said a charming
-British official, “that is why they are such a nuisance.”</p>
-<p class='c012'>He was seated at a small, improvised and over-crowded
-bureau in one of the few remaining houses on
-the Smyrna Quay. He had just sufficient of a Scotch
-accent to make one see that he would stand no nonsense—an
-asset, surely, in his position. Yet the
-obvious and zealous concern for his own countrywoman
-proved that, however carefully the calm exterior of
-the Scot may hide his feelings, his heart beats strong
-and true. He is no less proud, too, of his “women”
-than any citizen of the States!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But this able and active young man, master of any
-emergency at a crisis, could not accept my point of
-view about the Nationalist Turk. That, certainly,
-was not <i>his</i> fault, for who is there to interpret this
-“new” people to him? He only knows that, for the
-first time, Turks have dared to express themselves, and—like
-brave women—are becoming a great nuisance!
-Under the good Hamid, these lazy people were easy
-enough to manage. “Turkey for the Turks!” What
-a monstrous notion! Yet one feels, nay knows, that
-he has plenty of intelligence, will face facts, and learn
-to accept the inevitable.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Meanwhile, I, for my part, am throwing a most
-unwelcome additional weight upon his already over-burdened
-shoulders. He is clearly annoyed at my
-having come so far, and, in his place, who would not
-have felt the same?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But, unfortunately for him, he knows very well
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>that a woman who, despite difficulties well-nigh insurmountable,
-has been able to reach Smyrna without
-a British viza, means to get her way and will not be
-lightly driven back.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If only the man had adopted the bullying and supercilious
-tone that becomes a uniform! One can so easily
-meet the “correct” officialism, counter its attacks,
-stand up to its incivility, and go one’s own way with a
-clear conscience. But it was not to be with my Scotch
-friend.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I admire your courage immensely,” he said with
-a courteous grace, “but, pardon my asking, what is
-the sense of it all?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I want to study ‘the movement’ at Angora, and
-to see the national hero, M. Kemal Pasha.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Is it worth risking your life for that? Forgive
-me, it does seem rather a wicked waste.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Outside his windows, on the calm waters of the
-bay, rode warships of many nations. The bright sun
-looked down, unkindly it almost seemed, upon the ruin
-and desolation around us. The arms of England, France
-and America were all there. Holland, he told me,
-had begged in terror for the protection of a warship.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Terror of what?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Have you not heard, can you not see, we are on
-the brink of war? To-morrow you will be going home
-with the others. Our Government has given orders
-for the immediate evacuation of all our people. Later
-you will receive final instructions, and be told the
-meeting-place. This time it is war. There is no help
-for it. It has to come.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He showed me a flashlight, well hidden in a corner
-of that dilapidated office, which would send out its
-news of “safety” when every Englishman had left
-the town, and he, my friend, had followed them in a
-boat with its oars muffled—if he were able to get away.
-If not, well, he had done his duty!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I remained unmoved. “Do not worry about
-me. I have made all my plans, and shall start to-morrow
-for Angora. I know the risks, and I know,
-too, that all will be well for me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>At first, evidently, his official mind suspected that
-I was playing with his nerves, idly boasting of what
-no one would seriously attempt. When convinced,
-however, that I really meant what I said, he banged his
-fist on the table and just shouted:</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“By Jove, if you belonged to me, you should
-<i>not go</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How I hoped he had lost his temper! But no,
-in another moment he was again all quiet concern,
-courteously persuasive.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But,” said I, “I have reached here against long
-odds. I have come entirely on my own responsibility,
-and at my own expense. The Turks who met me here
-will take care of me, not my family nor my Government.
-Even war will not stop me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And when there is war,” he replied, with a note
-of almost despairing entreaty, “for as there is a God
-above, it will come this time. Think of it! A woman
-absolutely alone among the Turks; not a European to
-help her. Six months, at least, in a concentration
-camp, illness, perhaps torture. God knows what will
-happen to you!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I shall not be put into a concentration camp, for
-there will be no war. I am going to stop it!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was smiling now, which only added to his distress.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My dear young lady,” he cried, “keep your
-courage for some wiser, finer cause. Britain needs
-you.... Seriously, you are not going, are you?—And
-the war!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I shall nurse the British soldiers, or else return——”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You speak of the Turks as if you trusted them.
-Is this wise?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Indeed, yes. I know them. The only way to
-treat a Turk <i>is</i> to trust him. He has never yet let me
-down. Why should he now? Even at this crisis
-you will find there is no other way but trust with the
-Moslem.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Of course he was not convinced.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Charming theories, but dangerous in practice;
-above all, dangerous for you. Go home. You can
-see your friends again when things are more settled.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>Don’t think I don’t admire your pluck; I do. In all
-my experience I never met a woman ready for greater
-risk; but we value you too much to let you go.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a wearisome line of attack. I could so
-much more easily have dealt with violence from a
-would-be dictator. I tried again, hoping to silence a
-busy man.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Please imagine you are an American,” I suggested,
-“and that time is money.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Time is <i>not</i> money when a woman’s life is at
-stake. Forgive me, your courage—which I shall never
-forget—is immense, but you are not a sportsman!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What do you mean?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is not fair to us—Englishmen! What will
-the Turks think of us, allowing it? They will have
-a mighty poor opinion of British chivalry. And we
-do not deserve it! Would they let one of <i>their</i> women
-do such a thing? We, too, protect our women!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was losing ground, at least <i>that</i> appeal hurt; but
-I could not yield.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You need not worry,” I replied, with more unconcern
-than I could really feel at the moment. “I
-will see that they understand. They <i>do</i> know how
-England cares for her women; but they know me,
-what a determined customer I am. They will not
-blame you.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He played his last card, bashfully indeed, but with
-a grim resolve that won my respect.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Dear lady, I have no wish to be personal, but
-you have driven me to it. You are not—ugly enough
-to undertake this journey.... Go and see the
-British Navy you love so much. We will look after
-the Turks, and you too. Come and see them when we
-have finished with them.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I saw that I must not only be firm, but I must
-speak, and speak plainly. “If any harm comes of it,”
-I said, seriously enough, God knows, “it will be my
-own fault. The Turk respects women who respect
-themselves. Ten years ago I went to Asia Minor,
-with a military escort, the only woman; but I was
-absolutely safe all the time, everywhere.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>There was no more to be said. Discomfited, indeed,
-by so much chivalry, I left him, intending, after all, to
-wait and see if war were declared. But, fortunately, I
-had given no promise, for to the Scotchman I knew
-truth and honour were sacred things.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In justice to the official attitude, it should be clearly
-said that no one could be expected to understand what
-I should have given up had I returned to England,
-under orders, with the rest of my compatriots.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What, after all, were the difficulties that I had overcome
-in comparison with my real object—to reach
-Angora? What matter if the family coffers, the purses
-of my friends, and even editorial generosity, were one
-and all closed against me? None should have on their
-conscience that they had sent me to my death!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My contract with the newspaper! It was “deliver
-the goods and your reward shall be handsome.”
-The goods, indeed, are delivered and, in a fashion,
-made public. They have not, however, been acknowledged
-as “woman’s work,” and the reward seems
-still far to seek!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had not supposed that in journalism “the sex”
-must suffer the double loss of justice and credit. The
-articles were certainly not stamped with any plain
-mark of a <i>feminine</i> special correspondent.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Unfortunately, we are not in Turkey! where
-women’s achievements have still the “novelty”
-that can command a fine flourish of trumpets, where
-no cry has been needed of “equal work—equal pay!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Had I foreseen, should I then have returned to
-punish ingratitude? I think not. At such a moment
-I could not forego the most thrilling chapter of the
-story that has held me for so many years; ever since,
-indeed, I used to climb on the knee of the dear being
-whose name I bear, to hear him tell of his journeyings
-to those Eastern lands—Japan and China, India and
-Moslem Turkey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Many curious interpretations have been put upon
-my interest in these peoples. The Turks themselves
-have wondered how it came about.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is because they had been my friends long years
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>before I ever set foot on their now familiar land. Its
-colours, its beauty, its glorious summers and sunsets,
-the fine thought and philosophy of its high-minded,
-sober people, were known to me in the nursery, as
-only a child can live in the imaginations stirred by
-those it loves. They were always brothers to me,
-the Orientals of India and Persia, Egypt, Arabia, and
-Turkey. I would give much, indeed, to secure for
-them the happiness they deserve for what they have
-given to the culture and to the civilisation of the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The stupidity of treating the Asiatic as an “inferior”
-I could never understand. It is no less impolitic than
-unjust. What a delight, in our century of semi-tones
-and of commercialism, to talk with men like Tagore!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>
- <h2 id='ch07' class='c009'>CHAPTER VII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>SMYRNA—GOD’S WORK—THE EXQUISITE SUNSET—MAN’S WORK—WAR</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>I take</span> daily walks in Smyrna, with one of the Vali’s
-officers, chiefly among the ruins. The European part
-of the town (save for a few houses on the quay and a
-few hospitals, schools, and churches) has simply ceased
-to exist. The empty “shells” of what were once fine
-streets are a great danger to passers-by and must all
-be blasted.</p>
-<p class='c012'>When I told my guide that from the deck of the
-<i>Pierre Loti</i> the town showed scarcely a sign of fire, he
-promptly led me—for eight hours—through the most
-horrible <i>débris</i>! Instructed to treat me with great
-respect, he marched steadily ahead with all the gravity
-of a funeral mute. He had been told, moreover, to
-reconstruct, as it were, the whole city for my information,
-and he was obviously determined to overlook no
-detail. He pointed out exactly how the fire had been
-planned, and why it had broken out too soon. Passing
-the Stores, he laid a finger upon the very spots marked
-by grenades that Greeks and Armenians had thrown.
-There was a grim disgust and disdain in his last comment:
-“And all this <i>funniness</i> is supposed to have
-been done <i>by us</i>!”—a strange use of the word funniness.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On another occasion, resting a moment among the
-ruins of what had once been an altar, watching the poor
-Turkish natives as they raked the <i>débris</i> for firewood,
-we were suddenly surrounded by a most dismal procession
-of limping cats and dogs, thin as boards, crying
-with hunger and pain, homeless, maimed, and with
-none to claim them or cherish their shrunken limbs.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>I suggested that we should buy a little ether and send
-them to their long sleep. My companion was shocked
-beyond words.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Poor beasts,” he exclaimed, “have not they as
-much right to be on God’s earth as we? Who are
-we that we should dare to cut short their existence?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally I did what I could to express all the
-sympathy his words aroused; determining, nevertheless,
-in my own mind, that I would beg the Englishman or
-the Italian to accomplish this errand of mercy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At the same time, the incident only further excited
-my deep interest in the strange mentality of a people
-who claim the full rights of existence even for maimed
-cats and dogs, and are yet held guilty by the whole
-world of massacring millions of Christians for mere
-sport.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Later that day I was for the moment extremely
-puzzled by the strange behaviour of all the inhabitants
-within sight, which certainly seemed most <i>un</i>-Turkish.
-“I have known your people for fifteen years,” I said
-(only intending a mild joke), “and this is the first time
-I have ever seen a Turk hurry! What is the matter?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They are going to blast the ruins,” was my
-companion’s calm reply.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To my thinking it was, indeed, time to be off;
-and I hopped away like the others, in and out among
-the charred ruins, at one moment catching my heel,
-at another tearing my skirt and coat. When, panting
-and breathless, we at last reached comparative safety,
-I laughingly asked my guide why he had given me no
-warning. “You could have no idea whether I could
-run like this at the last moment.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“His Excellency told me that you were to be
-treated with the utmost respect,” was the solemn
-reply!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was true that the day before I had been informed
-that it was forbidden to take photographs among the
-ruins, and I at once closed my Kodak. But in the
-evening an apology arrived from the Chief of Police.:—“I
-might photograph, when and where I pleased.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I can only suppose my guide believed that “Allah
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>would guard me” when the blasting began; at least,
-whatever was to be my fate, he was ready to share it!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We have been wandering about the muddy streets
-of the bazaar, immortalised by Pierre Loti. It is
-here, in these little Turkish booths—the tinker’s,
-tailor’s, and shoemaker’s, the meat-man’s, the baker’s,
-and the sweet-seller’s—that the inhabitants of Smyrna
-must do their shopping to-day. How can we think
-of Frank Street and its vast European “emporium,”
-now no more than a smouldering heap of crumbling
-ruins?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Town-planning is as yet unknown in Turkey. Here,
-as elsewhere, the houses seem to be straggling upon the
-hillside, forming an architectural patchwork far more
-picturesque than the most correct symmetry.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We are now to ascend Mont Pegasus, and though I
-hate climbing, the sunset panorama of an Eastern city
-will reward a greater effort than this. To look on the
-fading sunlight in all its glorious magnificence of purple
-and scarlet and mauve, is to know we are in the presence
-of God; and if ever the world needed His guidance,
-it surely must seek Him now.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That,” I murmured, “is how God meant us to
-find His world—a life of sunshine, a death of beauty.
-No fear, no shrinking before what must come to all;
-but His glory reflected about us, as the sun’s beauty is
-reborn for us in the infinite, waiting sea.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Look up, and then turn your eyes down to
-man’s work below our feet—black war, grey ruin and
-desolation!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>An English lady, Mrs. de C——, the widow of a distinguished
-British Minister in Teheran and Bucharest,
-has just given me a more level-headed and <i>fair</i> description
-of the Smyrna fire than I have yet heard from
-any other eye-witness. Her husband was manager of
-the Aidin Railway, and had the luck to unearth a
-unique collection of priceless antiques along the route.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>Tea was served in the entrance hall of their house in
-the European quarter, one of the few still erect, which
-reminded me of the British Museum. One could fancy
-oneself among the treasures of the Parthenon, which
-it has fallen to British hands to preserve.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>She told me she owed her home to the wind’s
-kindness. “We were on the roof all night, watching
-its varying directions, although it did not come our
-way until about 2.30 <span class='fss'>A.M.</span> As the abandoned Greek
-ammunition was all stored behind us, we could no
-longer risk staying in the face of the wind. At the
-same moment a flashlight from H.M.S. <i>Iron Duke</i>
-began to play on the pier, and we realised that Admiral
-de Brock was signalling for us to leave the town.
-Pushing our way through a howling mob of men and
-animals, we at last reached the waiting boat; but no
-sooner were we on board than, to our relief, the wind
-once more veered. There was a chance for one side
-of the Smyrna Quay, on which stood the Aidin station.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In her judgment, the Turks acted throughout with
-the greatest moderation. Everywhere in Anatolia
-I found clear evidence that Greeks had indulged in
-the worst type of barbarianism, amply sufficient to
-justify any slight Turkish excesses that may have
-occurred in Smyrna.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Since her Greek household had all departed, Mrs.
-de C—— was very busy “about many things”—dusting,
-sweeping, and cooking. Nor were her sympathies
-very keen with the Greek refugees, to many of whom
-she had extended hospitality. They had accepted a
-night’s lodging, and then decamped with sheets,
-blankets, pillows, towels, and clothes!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Lunch, however, had been served for her by a
-“Catholic,” who cooked Turkish dishes to perfection.
-“Catholic” is now the last word in “Nationality,”
-covering a multitude of “pasts,” and saving
-the “Christian” from having to answer awkward
-questions.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The “Catholic” who waits on me at the hotel was
-an upholsterer in quite a large way of business. The
-sewing-woman, whom I have occasionally employed
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>for odd jobs, though a Greek, is also “Catholic.” In
-Angora these derelicts are self-styled “Catholic
-Turks.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I have boarded the warship, despite the captain’s
-fear of a woman’s pen. What would he find to say
-about my <i>real</i> intentions? Most of us, happily, can
-look on sailors of all nations, as I do, absolutely without
-prejudice. For here, at least, none can capture
-our laurels, and all the world loves a British sailor.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Amidst the beautiful fittings of his luxurious cabin,
-I was received by the captain with every mark of the
-courtesy that is second nature to the real English
-gentleman. He was a naval man to his finger-tips,
-stamped all over with Nelson’s magic call to “Duty.”
-For his magnificent achievements in the war, his V.C.
-was indeed richly deserved; and yet, I wondered, is
-it the wisest policy to expose this <i>real</i> “personage”
-to the kind of actually trivial irregularities which in a
-town like Smyrna a too formal officialism may so
-easily mistake for grave affronts to our national
-prestige?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>While in Smyrna I saw an example of such real
-dangers—a mere nothing that might suddenly have
-developed into a <i>casus belli</i>, though in this case any
-serious disaster was, luckily, averted.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks had given the sailors from different
-warships special permission to land on the quay without
-the formality of going through the Custom House.
-Unfortunately, certain Armenian girls saw their chance
-to coax the sailormen into helping them to escape. I
-am told that the British were adamant to tales of woe
-that turned Americans, French, and Italians to putty;
-but I will not believe it, for I prefer to think our men
-had their share in defying the law to help women.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turkish authorities, however, were, naturally
-and properly, indignant at the deception, and gave
-orders that in future everyone should land at the
-Custom House. Most unfortunately, the order was
-immediately carried out, without a warning to the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>captain. When that personage came ashore next
-morning, therefore, he found himself confronted by an
-Anatolian peasant, rifle in hand, who actually slipped
-in an extra cartridge under the great man’s eye.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our consul, of course, intervened, and the captain,
-with his sword drawn, was permitted to land, ample
-apologies being tendered in due course by a repentant
-Vali.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>No more was heard of this incident; but with some
-“big” men it would not have been allowed to end there.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I admit that a warning should have reached the
-captain; but Turks are proverbially careless about
-official details. It was just bad luck, too, that some
-petty officer was not the first to land, who could have
-borne the indignity without loss of prestige, and
-“arranged” matters for his chief; but if we must
-appoint our “best” men to such a post, someone
-smaller should be sent in advance to spy out the land.
-Friction is bound to occur between our experienced
-officers, statesmen, or diplomats (above all, if their
-sense of humour is not very keen) and the primitive
-Anatolians of young Turkey. We should, surely,
-have been well advised in this matter to follow the
-French way of employing “middle men” for a time.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I love the casual freedom of Turkish customs, which
-will suffer a train to be kept waiting for my private
-comfort; but the characteristic may be extremely
-trying on another occasion. Every virtue has its
-pet vice!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I visited Turkey after the Balkan war our
-steamer somehow “missed” the mouth of the bay,
-and no one remembered the exact position of the
-mines! As a matter of fact, the <i>Senegal</i> was blown to
-atoms only a few days ahead, and our own escape was
-pure luck. There was considerable alarm on board,
-and I was once more filled with gratitude for my own
-small share of the fatalism of the Turk!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On this occasion, for my own private benefit, I
-could also have wished that our captain had been a
-“smaller” man, or one less scrupulously compact of
-duty. When I admitted that I had really come on
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>board in search of a British flag, no matter how torn
-and tattered, he only looked at me as though I were
-mad.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You don’t seem to know much about the inner
-workings of the navy,” was all he <i>said</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“One does not bother about the ‘inner workings’
-of anything one loves,” I answered.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So with the gravest courtesy he explained to me
-that a new flag could not possibly be obtained until the
-“tattered” one had been handed over to H.Q. Nevertheless
-I believe that a French, Italian, or even an
-American, captain would have contrived some means of
-acceding to my request.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As it happens, I once saw the man off his guard. He
-was playing the host to a beautiful Englishwoman and
-her French husband, his neighbours on their own yacht,
-and no one could have seemed more naturally genial
-and light-hearted, with his really delightful sense of
-humour. Is it <i>necessary</i> for a uniform to conceal all
-traces of humanity? Why could not the world see
-the man’s best side in the officer? The strictest sense
-of “fair play,” combined with great patience, will
-work even better with the Turks when added to a
-generous supply of smiles and wit.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>When the Vali sent word that all was ready for me
-to proceed on my way to Angora, I could not hesitate.
-Whatever my compatriots may have said, and would,
-no doubt, have now repeated with greater emphasis,
-I could not think of having allowed him to take so
-much trouble on my account for nothing!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Above all, particularly towards a Moslem, the last
-thing that any lady could think of doing would be to
-betray the slightest lack of trust. What matter if we
-were on the brink of war? It simply never entered
-my head that I could really come to any harm from
-the Turks!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is of interest, nevertheless, to put on record the
-various, not altogether unreasonable, warnings that
-I received at the hotel in Smyrna from my fellow-guests.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>One and all were quite convinced that I had taken leave
-of my senses. Only a mad woman would think of
-going to Angora at this season and on the brink of
-war!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Spaniard</i> had spent his life in the Near East
-and knew the Turks! “Your own friends,” he said,
-“the Ministers who know you, may show you the
-greatest respect; but you are English and cannot
-speak the language. The <i>people</i> are mere fanatics!”
-However, he gave me a box of insect powder, a bottle
-of iodine, and—most welcome of all to me—a yard of
-flannel to make an abdominal belt!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>One Italian</i> implored me to “come back and enjoy
-the Italian skies.... You will freeze in Angora.”
-He gave me a packet of chocolate and half a bottle of
-cognac.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>A Second Italian</i> could only endeavour to “face
-the fact” that I was determined to have my way. As
-he knew something of where I was going, he brought me
-quinine, asperin, mosquito-cream, and calomel.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Dane</i> was horrified to learn that I had no gold.
-“Gold is essential in war-time. Gold saved my life
-in Russia;” and he handed me in exchange for paper
-fifty gold Turkish pounds, which, however, proved more
-weighty than useful.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Dutch Parson</i> gave me his blessing. Though
-generally optimistic and pro-Turk, he admitted that
-things looked unusually black at the moment, and
-advised me to “wait and see.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>A British Naval Officer</i> would not admit the sarcasm
-of his comment that it was “very interesting” of me
-to “go to Angora!” He considered “the Turks
-the finest race on the face of the earth.... My God,
-they know what I mean!” And, personally, I believe
-they knew very well.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>One American</i> could only repeat that “it was a mad
-idea.... We are not safe even here. There is
-plenty of oil there, certainly, but—heroics <i>is</i> heroics!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>A Second American</i> wanted to know “what they
-were giving me for this stunt,” and guessed “it was a
-pretty high figure.” That I was going on my own
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>responsibility and paying my own way he “simply
-would not believe.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The South American</i> was the first of them all to
-express any confidence that the Turks would be kind.
-What <i>he</i> dreaded for me was the discomfort. “Above
-all,” he said, “avoid the Red Army.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Englishman</i> characteristically pinned his faith on
-the courage of our race. “It has brought you here,”
-said he, “and I believe it will bring you back.... Here
-is my woollen jacket, a tin of milk, and this
-letter to an American friend of mine. Promise me, if
-<i>ever</i> you are in difficulty, you will seek his help.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I afterwards made inquiries about this invaluable
-ally, though I was, fortunately, in no danger. I found
-that, after all, he never reached Angora, though he
-had applied to go there last March!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>A Third Italian</i> told me that he had just found a
-little silver St. Antoine de Padou among the ruins.... “My
-prayers for you will go with it always. After the
-snows of Angora, our Italian sunshine, its songs and
-its laughter, will await you.” Besides the St. Anthony,
-he gave me a book of Italian proverbs, a box of insect-powder,
-cough-drops, and chocolate.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Frenchman</i> only exclaimed: “No Angora for
-me, <i>merci</i>! I am counting the hours until the boat
-arrives to take me away from all this.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Englishwoman</i> (Mrs. de C——) felt proud to
-think of the “feather in a woman’s cap,” that such an
-adventure would surely prove.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>The Dutchman</i> declared that he would trust even
-his own daughter on such a journey, if “the Vali had
-pledged his word for her safe conduct.... I know this
-country inside out—its language, its dangers, its
-possibilities, its virtues and faults.... You may trust
-the Vali.... If war breaks out, they will take you,
-with all possible politeness, to the nearest frontier.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He gave me all kinds of useful information, and
-much-needed boxes of matches and cigarettes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Truly a wonderful budget of advice and a most
-original collection of gifts! Did ever a woman thus
-start such a quest?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>Yet they had made me sad! Some were born here,
-others had lived in the country all their lives, and how
-few of them would trust the Turk, to whom, after all,
-they owed, at least, their material existence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I will show you,” I said, as we were all assembled
-for farewell, “that I am right, and you are <i>all</i> wrong.
-Though my country may turn on Turkey, she will be
-good to me.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>It was nearly seven o’clock next morning before
-the officer came for me. It was so late that our horses
-had to be whipped up to a smart pace over the bumpy
-road to the station. My conductor had been so anxious
-about all arrangements, that he had packed the food
-for our five or seven days’ trip, and entrusted it to a
-chauffeur, who was perverse enough not to wake up
-in time.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This certainly might be regarded as an omen of ill-luck,
-and even as I got into the train, between the
-officer and a cheik (who had been professor of Arabic
-at Oxford), the South American stepped forward to
-ask whether, after all, I had not better return with
-him.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And show the Turks I do not trust them.... Never.
-Besides, this gentleman has lived in Oxford,
-and is therefore almost a compatriot. Tell my friends
-in Smyrna that I am perfectly well and happy, and
-that I am going to have a lovely time.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I saw that both my conductors were greatly pleased
-by my expressions of trust, which they well knew how
-to appreciate.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless, when we had been driving along the
-quay and my eyes had fallen on our own man-of-war
-flying the Union Jack without which, for the first
-time in my life, I was embarking upon my perilous
-way, I was not far from tears.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My thoughts were crowded with all that England
-has ever meant to me, from the quiet corner in the
-churchyard where my father is sleeping, to the little
-face, seldom innocent of jam, that looks up so
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>eagerly to tell his “Auntie” he has been a naughty
-boy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Shall I, indeed, soon find myself in an “enemy”
-country, which surely should be, as I have always
-known it, the land of my England’s dearest friends?</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>
- <h2 id='ch08' class='c009'>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>EMOTIONS AND IMPRESSIONS—“ON THE WAY.”—NOWHERE TO HOUSE THE POOR PEOPLE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>It</span> was, indeed, a kindly Providence that led the
-cheik to accompany us upon this stage of my tour.
-No one could have been more polite and thoughtful,
-more ready to gratify my every wish at great personal
-sacrifice, than the officer from Smyrna. But he had
-not been at Oxford; he could not speak our language
-with the distinguished accent of that University;
-above all, he had not the vast culture of this man of
-God. His information would have been conveyed in
-German, a language I speak with <i>no</i> pleasure.</p>
-<p class='c012'>The cheik has large brown eyes, a dusky skin,
-and a face which, though stamped with suffering, is
-kindness itself. He wore a long grey coat and turban,
-and appeared to me at that moment years older than
-his actual age. Maybe my inborn veneration for
-Oxford professors misled me; and no doubt I was also
-influenced by the obvious respect of the many hoary-headed
-disciples who came to the station to bid their
-“Master” farewell, bending to kiss his hand and
-receive his blessing. Great erudition, again, must
-always add to a man’s appearance of age, and his
-allusions to varied experiences in many a Moslem land
-did certainly suggest the passing of years.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Like myself, however, he was going to Angora for
-the first time, venturing behind the long line of
-bayonets which still separates that troubled land from
-the rest of the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In complete sympathy with my admiration for
-these men who had suffered and been victorious, he was
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>eager to learn a little of the tribulation through which
-they had fought their way to liberty and freedom.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It seems to me,” I began, “that were I the British
-High Commissioner, I should have found some means
-of, at least, paying a visit to Angora. What do our
-legislators yet know about this land under their charge,
-for which they have been made responsible? They
-can have no idea of the people’s aims, their faults and
-their virtues. You might as well take charge of some
-province in heaven of which you only know that it
-exists.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is not a Turk to-day who would not welcome
-you as British High Commissioner,” was the
-gallant reply. “We are, indeed, deeply grateful for
-your trust. You have found the key to unlock Moslem
-hearts—to <i>trust</i> us.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Surely it is with nations as with individuals, the
-man who trusts and is deceived will yet prevail over
-his deceiver, whatever temporary profits that traitor
-may grasp. There can be no final conquest over
-truth. That was my late father’s teaching, and if
-it has sometimes left me an easy prey to liars and
-thieves, it has not killed my faith in human nature or
-hurt my pride. Self-respect will always compel me
-to treat every man as my friend.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As we proceeded on our journey, one felt hourly
-more conscious of the barrier that has been so
-unwisely set up between the Allies and Angora. As
-railway and telegraphic communications had been cut
-off, news was not only delayed, but distorted beyond
-recognition. One only marvels that some grave
-disaster has not arisen from such confused reports,
-apparent contradictions, stern threats, and frequent
-misunderstandings. It would seem as if the Allied
-Commissioners had no desire to keep in touch with this
-“little Republic of the Mountains.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In all my wanderings I have never experienced
-such an overpowering sense of isolation. For me there
-have been no “personal” communications from Europe
-since October. That “English letters are not accepted
-in Anatolia,” that all my friends’ news will be returned
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>to them marked “Service suspended” or “cannot be
-reached,” may explain the facts but does not make
-them easier to bear. When homeless dogs howl and
-whine outside my bedroom window, superstitions will
-intrude—dread of disaster to distant friends.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is, however, another and far more cheering
-side to our experiences on the road. The “stranger
-within the gates” is still a sacred person to these
-peasants, even although from an “enemy” land. There
-was absolutely no sign of hostility all along the line,
-but everywhere the greatest kindness. One and all
-gave me the gracious Eastern welcome, in picturesque
-phrases, commending me to the care of Allah; these
-“fanatics” from whom mere murder was the smallest
-evil I had been told to expect!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though we had started, through no fault of our
-own, without any provision for food, I did not anticipate
-any serious inconvenience on this account. In
-these hospitable countries I knew we had only to name
-our need. The cheik, indeed, had been presented
-with two large baskets of food by his disciples, and
-also carried a picturesque terra-cotta water-pot, which
-he could refill whenever we stopped to alight.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Eat, my children,” said he, “and when all is
-finished, the Lord will provide.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What a feast from the Song of Solomon,” I
-exclaimed, as the contents of his basket were disclosed—pomegranates,
-spices, nuts, helva (i.e., honey
-and nut-cheese), raisins, and bread!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One is grateful for these slow trains that afford such
-ample opportunity for seeing the country, with its
-fig-trees, olives, and palms, and the bright sun bringing
-a climate that recalls the South of France. Yet
-everywhere, long before we reached the actual devastations,
-one felt that despair and sadness were hovering
-over the land. At first, we sought in vain for the reason
-of our impressions. Then suddenly I knew: There
-were no cattle.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Of course, Mrs. de. C—— had told me, they had all
-been brought into Smyrna by the Greeks. Outside her
-house mules were being sold for fourpence or sixpence
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>apiece, and if no purchaser could be found even at that
-figure, the wretched creatures were left mutilated on
-the wayside, their eyes burnt out, their legs broken
-by hatchets!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our first halt was at Manissa, once a flourishing
-town of about ninety thousand inhabitants, standing
-some sixty-five kilometres above sea-level. The
-Governor and all the “notables” were on the platform
-to welcome the travellers, and had arranged
-that the “train should wait,” for us to be shown
-round.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Some kind of most primitive carriage had been
-produced from somewhere, and we were driven through
-more “ruins” to the “temporary” town hall for
-the inevitable coffee and cigarettes. In the best
-English, the governor told us of Greek atrocities and
-the victory of M. Kemal Pasha, introducing us also to
-his whole staff.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I asked whether it would be possible for me to
-obtain precise figures of the devastations, and he
-promised they should be prepared for my use at once.
-When I reminded him of the “waiting” train, he
-merely waived such difficulties aside as a “secondary
-consideration,” begging me “not to mention it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally, I found one ruined town very like another.
-There was, in a sense, little to see beyond “parts of”
-the mosques, badly scorched or half-burnt minarets,
-and, at Manissa, no more than one thousand houses
-standing out of fourteen! Also, the statistics reveal
-a heartrending loss of life!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The women and children, I learnt, had been
-driven into the mosques, which were surrounded by
-machine-guns to ensure against any possibility of
-escape, and <i>then</i> set on fire. As the full realisation
-of such hideous barbarity took hold of my imagination,
-it was as if all my senses were paralysed. That
-cold perspiration which so often precedes a faint,
-seized my limbs. I was powerless either to speak or
-move. How would our twentieth century appear to
-the old cave-dwellers it has pleased us to call savage?
-Mrs. de C—— was right, indeed, to say that the Turks
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>were “moderate.” Such scenes must compel revenge
-and let loose the worst passions of men.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On our return the cheik tactfully endeavoured to
-distract our thoughts by hospitable preparations for
-lunch. However little one felt disposed to eat, he
-could have devised no kinder or more wise expression
-of sympathy and understanding. Unfortunately, we
-had not yet escaped the company of swarming flies,
-which afterwards vanished, however, with startling
-completeness, when the train climbed into colder
-altitudes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our next halt was at Kassaba, where the “notables”
-again paid us a visit, offering <i>both</i> coffee and tea, one
-after the other. When the cheik mentioned the loss
-of our food, <i>and</i> my partiality for fruit, a messenger was
-at once sent into the town for bread and the most
-luscious melons, which reach to the highest possible
-perfection in Anatolia. I have always been grateful
-for Turkish fruit!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Governor told me “he had simply <i>nowhere</i> to
-house the poor people.” He “dare not think” of
-how they could pass the winter! I <i>saw</i> them, sitting
-in holes among the ruins, cooking whatever they had
-been able to scrape together for a meal; the women
-huddled together in the “beds” of fountains which
-were covered with straw and carpets, after the water
-had been drained out. This arrangement permitted
-the slight protection of an awning, only too badly
-needed for their threadbare clothes!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There seems no way of coping with the emergency,
-since they had no tools for even the most primitive
-building. Except for those lucky enough to secure one
-of the few booths in the town, the shopkeepers had to
-set out their stock upon the cobblestones!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I dare not ask how many babies had died of cold.
-Anatolia has been bled white through twelve years of
-war! Whatever the nation’s quarrel, it was from
-hence were taken father, or brother, or son. Yet still,
-beside these shivering women, you see long train-loads
-of more soldiers, cattle-trucks full of human beings,
-called to some new “front.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>How is it these women can, even now, tenderly hush
-“the cry of the children,” and give their men? Theirs
-is a “willing” sacrifice for an ideal, the freedom and
-independence of the Fatherland.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I had been “protected” in advance, I found, by
-the authorities, who had announced by telegram the
-arrival of “an American lady.” It was, perhaps,
-perverse, even ungrateful, but I persisted in contradicting
-the news at every stage. I would far sooner
-take all risks under my own flag than falsely accept
-shelter beneath the “Stars and Stripes.” “I have no
-dislike for America,” I assured those who assumed that
-explanation of my obstinacy, “it simply does not
-happen to be my country, any more than India is
-yours.... I have nothing but good to say of individual
-Americans; the most charming people on the
-face of the earth.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless “I keenly resent the clamour of
-Mr. Morgenthau for ‘an ideal republic of his own
-making on the banks of the Bosphorus, to be backed
-by all that “Tammany” means in the U.S.A.’ I am
-for asking him, then, to start by making an ‘ideal’
-republic on the banks of the Hudson.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>American oil-hunters are always boasting that <i>they</i>
-never declared war on Turkey. “You did not,” I
-have admitted, “but you urged, nay begged and
-almost ordered, us to do it for you.... Your <i>Literary
-Digest</i> printed at least one eloquent appeal to Great
-Britain for a ‘holy’ war against the ‘unspeakable
-Turk’!” And if they resent my protest at being
-called “an American,” I am convinced they would
-have done the same in my place. They, too, have the
-virtue of national pride.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The train was held up once more for a little excursion
-to what had been the prosperous town of
-Alaşehir, a well-wooded district with abundance of
-fresh water. Here out of four thousand eight hundred
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>houses only one hundred remain, and the women and
-children have been simply wiped out! Unfortunately,
-we had not time to visit the Hodja, who had found a
-quite comfortable lodging in the trunk of an oak tree—a
-philosopher and a man of letters. “I cannot live
-in a tub, like Diogenes, because I do not possess a tub;
-but there is nothing wrong with this oak, which
-I suspect will prove even warmer.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Everywhere, at Manissa and Kassaba—even at
-Salihli, with its houses reduced to four!—we were
-invited to stay and “put up for the night!” Here
-were about two hundred inhabitants surviving from
-two thousand five hundred, and from fifteen to twenty
-families sleeping in the mosque. Yet, they would
-“certainly arrange something,” and it needed all my
-tact to refuse any more extended hospitality than tea
-and coffee, served on the roof of one of their four houses,
-from which we could look down upon the skeleton
-town. Apparently, these stricken people found some
-sort of comfort in the mere idea of my having <i>seen</i>
-their suffering, though often enough I could not even
-find <i>words</i> for the sympathy no one could fail to feel.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Once more lunch in the train. Pomegranate seeds
-should be eaten one by one, a slow process, but as the
-cheik says “it passes the hours!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He apologised for the number of times I had been
-reminded of what in Turkey they call “the work of
-the British ex-Premier.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I had to expect that,” I replied, “when I came
-to Anatolia; and it gives me the chance of reminding
-the Turks what part was played by M. Venizelos!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He tactfully turned the conversation to Oxford,
-paying a very high tribute to Mr. Asquith’s brilliant
-son: “A noble character, highly intelligent and broad-minded.
-A victim of war we could ill afford to lose!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Association inevitably led to the question I must
-have been asked a hundred times during my journey,
-“Why does Lloyd George hate us so bitterly? How
-can he admire the Greeks?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>“He knows little of either,” I replied, “nothing, at
-any rate, from personal observation of them in their
-own lands. We have first-class Near-East specialists,
-no doubt; but his chief informants have been nonconformist
-preachers, even more biassed than he.
-Nonconformity is the traditional foe of the Turks.
-Their boasted ‘freedom of thought and conscience’
-does not extend to the Servants of the Prophet,
-and as they once echoed Gladstone, to-day they echo
-Lloyd George.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And in America?” asked the cheik.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Their church is an advertising agency. They
-have transformed ‘dissent’ to a ‘trust.’ Go to the
-States with an idea, and, if it pleases them, they will
-‘put it across’ like any other commodity, as a ‘cute’
-business proposition. With a colony of two million
-Greeks, and, maybe, as many Armenians (whose
-exaggerated and unchecked ‘lamentations’ have full
-Free-Church support), America will never give Turkey
-even a fair hearing. You have read their ‘Press’?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Alas,” he answered, “I fear the East is losing
-its faith in the West.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do not say that,” I answered. “Men like you,
-who have known us at our best, must declare that
-to-day’s madness is but a phase. Tell us these things
-should never have been and shall not continue. Write
-as you <i>can</i> write, and teach the people of Europe to be
-once more themselves.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When East and West shake hands again, there
-will be peace, and peace we <i>must have!</i>”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>
- <h2 id='ch09' class='c009'>CHAPTER IX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>MORE IMPRESSIONS—“SITTING AMIDST AN ARMY OF SUPPOSED SAVAGE FANATICS, DEBATING THE GREATNESS OF GOD”</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>The</span> train is slowly crawling up the heights, the air
-grows colder and colder, we put on wrap after wrap,
-and, all of a sudden, not a fly to be seen!</p>
-<p class='c012'>The scenery, meanwhile, seems more desolate at
-every mile we pass. The horribly systematic destruction
-has overlooked nothing, and every village is in
-ruins. The corn, so carefully hidden in pits, has been
-burned; the water, on which life itself depends,
-has been polluted; the peasants are vainly digging in
-search of the hard-earned paper money, savings which
-they had buried beneath the soil, only to turn up a
-few black cinders! Even the trees have been nearly all
-razed to the ground.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is nothing you can tell me about the “devastated
-areas” in France, for I have visited every inch
-of the ground; but there the people could move on
-to the next villages, and were not imprisoned among the
-ruins. I would not minimise German atrocities, but
-they did not fill the churches with women and children
-before firing them! The wholesale destruction of
-villages and of cattle is not “legitimate warfare,”
-but this butchering of women has put the Greek outside
-the pale of civilisation.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They have left us the sunset,” I could only
-murmur, “this marvellous panorama of which one
-never tires.” The desolation, indeed, lends it a double
-wonder. Why cannot men, too, die in glory?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The railway line has been cut at Gunhani. Here,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>no doubt, the Governor has been instructed not only
-to welcome us with every comfort—tea, coffee, and
-statistics—but to find us beds which do not exist!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We are travelling in the dark, since the sun has
-deserted us. Every now and again the officer flashes
-out his little electric lamp to see that all is well. The
-feelings of my fellow-passengers must be murderous,
-for have I not kept the train waiting all along the line,
-so that we are even later than normal Turkish management
-would have made us? But I can detect no
-black looks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the pitchy darkness, as the train slows down for
-the last time, before its immediate “return” journey,
-ragged figures are seen crowding the station. Their
-turbans are brightly coloured, despite the dirt and rain
-to which they have been exposed; their clothes are
-mere “shreds and patches”; they have fashioned
-themselves picturesque slippers of straw. Like the
-grotesque figures of some stage chorus from no man’s
-land, they dart about us on every side, each man seizing
-upon some one article of luggage. If I express anxiety
-about my possessions, the cheik bids me “fear not.
-God is with us. All is well, and in a short while we
-shall remember this discomfort but as a page of history.”
-It was a lesson against worry I never forgot—the
-secret of Islam’s suffering in silence!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Stumbling over a stony and dangerous roadway,
-we at last reach a tent on the side of the mountains,
-which has been prepared for us by the reserve officers.
-We must sit on the cheik’s trunks and prayer-carpets,
-for the ground is damp and mists enfold us. My chivalrous
-friend insists on wrapping about me his shawl,
-his scarf, finally his long coat. “I do not feel the cold
-as you do,” he declares as I try to protest; but the
-touch of his hand contradicts the kind words.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the distance we could see a few hill-fires and
-the torches of night-wanderers as we enjoyed our
-evening meal. But no sooner had I begun to wonder
-how many hours must pass before our experience
-became history, than, behold, a gust of wind tore up
-the prop of our tent and buried us in confused <i>débris</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>There was nothing for it but to extract ourselves
-and sit <i>upon</i> instead of <i>beneath</i> the shelter that had been
-found for us. The cheik bravely proceeded to delight
-me with all the wisdom of his religious philosophy
-while the officer went in search of help. I have done
-strange things in strange lands, but I wonder what
-would British “authority” say to this? An unarmed,
-but fearless, Englishwoman in the damp, cold mists,
-waiting through the dark night for her “discomfort to
-become history,” amidst an army of supposed savage
-fanatics, and debating the greatness of God! Truly,
-the Unknown bears strange offspring.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Little darts of light, no bigger than glowworms,
-are now everywhere moving up and down the steep
-paths through the black mist.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is not easy for the swiftest of native messengers
-to track the “hidden” official of the mountains. Yet
-they seem to slip over the dark ways like birds, carrying
-their message and returning while you are wondering if
-they have yet started upon the road. Men have been
-despatched, like carrier-pigeons, in all directions, and
-we soon hear that the commandant, two hours away,
-has set out to find us, and we are to walk as far as we
-can to meet him.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Once more the long procession, carrying its shawls
-and cushions, bags and water-pots, is marching in
-hope of a night’s repose. In a little, however, from
-somewhere, “orders” come in to “halt, and prepare
-the lady a bed.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Behold, it is done. Two boxes are found to support a
-wooden plank, <i>beneath</i> which the cheik will find some
-measure of rest for his weary limbs, though he has
-given me his prayer-mat for mattress, his attaché-case
-for a pillow and, against my express command,
-nearly all the wraps in his possession. Under such
-conditions one does not “undress” for the night;
-but rather contrives every possible addition to the
-number of thick woollen garments normally required
-in these climes. The officer has not even a rug to
-protect him from the damp earth, and I find words
-strong enough to resist the loan of his coat.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>Alas! I am not, after all, a true Eastern. My
-philosophy will not bring sleep. Never since the days
-when the awful stream of gassed men were being carried
-into the hospital, have I listened to such a terrible
-chorus of coughs. There is little enough “quiet in
-sleep” on these saturated clay mounds, although I
-no longer hear the Nationalist Anthem and other
-patriotic strains, to the accompaniment of a piping flute,
-which had been rising about me in the evening air.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Probably the cold that seemed almost beyond
-endurance, did not really master me for long, as all
-these numbing horrors were lost in unconsciousness
-before the dawn.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I am awakened at last by the officer who ventures
-to “shake the sleeper,” being seriously alarmed, he
-tells me, by my pale looks. There is a most welcome
-glass of hot tea, and a fire! A mingling of German
-and Turkish assail my ears, while from the distance
-I hear a silver voice calling the “faithful” to prayer.
-Here is a free translation from the cheik, of the
-muezzin’s words: “Get up, you lazy fellows, rise,
-make your ablutions, and praise God for His goodness.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I can only repeat “praise God,” though in face of
-what we have seen even these words seem almost
-mockery.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“God is great,” said the holy man, “but man will
-not understand His greatness. God loves the East,
-whence came thought, philosophy, and faith. The
-Christ we, too, venerate, came from the East. Yet
-the West has given us nought but injustice. You
-who love the East, pray for tolerance and understanding
-between all peoples.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The muezzin has awakened all the soldiers in the
-mountains. One could fancy a scurry of rabbits from
-the hidden tents. They are fetching water for the
-ablutions, and I, too, must wash me—in eau de Cologne.
-The blood flowing into my numbed limbs forces a cry
-I cannot stifle. “That is what happens when a
-woman goes out to war,” I said with a laugh, for the
-officer confessed that I had given him some anxious
-moments.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>Yet another cup of tea outside the now stifling tent,
-over the exquisite violet-tinted fumes of a charcoal
-fire—deadly poison, maybe, but harmless so long as you
-do not <i>know</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The ablutions, a religious rite, are performed here
-in couples—one pouring the water into the other’s
-hands, that he may wash his face three times, carefully
-going over the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. When he,
-in his turn, pours the water for his companion.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik tells me Moslem custom demands the
-body <i>must</i> be clean, though the clothes may not
-be free from dirt. If only the morning “ablutions”
-were part of our Christian creed, what a difference
-they would make to the comfort, <i>par exemple</i>, of
-Naples!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All now lay down their “carpets,” and proceed to
-prayer. To-day, indeed, many must manage with the
-bare earth. What an inspiring picture it is—the
-absolutely unselfconscious absorption of the humble
-and prostrate Turk before his God! There is, surely, a
-sense of shame to the true Christian for some of his own
-brethren in the sight of reverence so natural and so
-devout.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>My enthusiasm, unfortunately, does not extend to
-the steaming dish of most sustaining breakfast-soup,
-compounded of flour and vinegar and egg. One or two
-sips of the tonic are enough a send me to dry bread
-and a glass of tea—about my tenth since dawn!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All around us, though not yet in their uniforms,
-are scattered the future soldiers of the new Citizen
-State, ready and eager, poor fellows, for their fifty
-miles march a day, on coffee and bread, or even on
-bread and water!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>By what right do we ask such things from the
-sons of women? That, cut off from every pleasure,
-all joy in God’s world, they should spend their days in
-war and prayer! They seem happier, somehow,
-than those of us who have travelled and seen the world,
-who must think and judge for ourselves, wondering
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>at last what is Truth or Justice, where are the profits of
-self-sacrifice? Love and joy are, after all, but the
-“negatives” of grief and hate. Abolish the dark
-couple, and you will gain the light.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For the moment, however, the soldiers of to-morrow
-are content. They have never tasted alcohol; miserably
-clad, without proper clothing or shelter, they sit
-about us expressionless and resigned—singing hymns
-of joy that sound far more like a funeral dirge. There
-is no need for thought, since they are ready to die
-for their fatherland, their leader, their faith.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet, though they know I come from an “enemy”
-country, there is no kindness and consideration they
-will not extend to a woman who trusts them. Where is
-the Bolshevism of those who have lifted me over every
-step of mud, and are even now girding their loins to
-carry me onwards for forty miles? Will <i>they</i> massacre,
-who, at my bidding, would lay them down for me to
-walk over were I to make such an idle request?
-Fear belongs to those <i>responsible</i> for England’s injustice.
-They, indeed, among these people, <i>would</i> be torn
-limb from limb and trampled on unto death.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We have no horses or anything on four legs to
-draw the loaded wagonette, that must now carry the
-cheik and myself, in addition to its usual cargo of
-food and varied wrappings. I have, certainly, had
-“smarter” escorts than the men now drawing our
-“equipage,” but never any with kinder hearts.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is no thought here of payment for service.
-Money is firmly refused; and from those who have,
-and seek, absolutely nothing for themselves, such a
-welcome could not fail to touch the most callous of
-human beings. How is it that all Europe declares
-no one can “manage” these simple folk? My own
-receipt for life with the Moslem—of mere courteous
-consideration and unquestioning trust—has been repaid
-with compound interest a thousand times!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>
- <h2 id='ch10' class='c009'>CHAPTER X</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A JOURNEY ON FOOT—A COUNTRY MADE BY GOD, UNTOUCHED BY MAN</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>It</span> is not given to many in this enlightened twentieth
-century to travel in a country as God made it, almost
-untouched by man. Upon the road from Gunhani
-I saw no signs of man’s handiwork, save a few miles of
-Deacoville, a tunnel, and the primitive carts of Anatolia.
-These are made from a few logs nailed together, and
-fastened to two wheels, cut solidly out of a block of
-wood. Their continuous squeak does not seem out of
-keeping with the primitive surroundings, and may be regarded
-as an “accompaniment” to the peasant’s songs.</p>
-<p class='c012'>The story is told of a “benevolent” American
-whose imagination was fired by the project of turning
-this land into a “new America.” He would subject
-the fertile soil to “intensive” cultivation and smother
-it with sky-scrapers. So he persuaded a Turk to come
-over to “God’s own country” (as man has made it)
-and study the United States.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>His guest, however, refused to admire, took passage
-for home at the earliest possible opportunity, and
-informed his friends that, “having now seen man’s
-‘best’ country, he would never again leave God’s.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless, in the Western mind these wide
-stretches of waste land among the beautiful mountains,
-beneath a cloudless sky, cannot fail to rouse a
-longing to break the silence by a “little emptying of
-our crowded towns.” The women and old men <i>are</i>
-digging, sowing, and cultivating, with but slight return
-for their heavy labour; now that the young are all
-“wanted” for defence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>“One day we <i>shall</i> have peace,” said I to our carriers,
-and they murmured “<i>Inch Allah!</i>” Turning my wish
-to prayer, I could only repeat, “We <i>shall</i> have peace.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As often as I can persuade them to rest, I seize the
-chance of telling them about England. When I
-mention our great Moslem King George they naturally
-confuse him with Lloyd George. And, later, “if your
-King loves his Moslem subjects, as you say he does,
-why does he permit his Minister to remain?” I assure
-them that he will not, and their faces brighten as
-they cry: “There will be peace, then.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As we plunge into the tunnel, about a kilometre
-long, our men raise strange howls which echo around
-us with the most weird effect; but we are in darkness
-that can be felt, and anyone coming unwarned in an
-opposite direction, which is <i>downhill</i>, could scarcely
-avoid a crash. As it happens, there is an engineer on
-the line. Our men lift off his wagonette and replace
-it, further down, than ours.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I marvelled that they had sufficient strength for
-the job, living on coffee and bread. Meanwhile, our
-flashlight revealed Turkish ladies walking along the
-tunnel without a glimmer of light to guide them, who
-made their way by a continuous beating of sticks upon
-the wall.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In this strange land, one is not afraid! I think of
-all the alarm my journey excited in Smyrna, and am
-more than ever convinced that I <i>only</i> need an interpreter.
-If I knew the language, I would go alone and
-without fear! Primitive people in Turkey have a
-high code of honour. They would not steal a penny,
-they will not even accept what I offer to pay. Though
-he would tear to pieces an enemy of his country, the
-Turk would stand between me and danger, for he
-knows I am a friend.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At last we are out of the tunnel, stretching our legs
-with relief in the open air. Suddenly a strange sound
-breaks on our ears from the mountains. As we stop to
-listen, we hear someone calling upon us to “Halt!
-You must go no further!” I remember—this day,
-they had told me, there would be “war”! A strange
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>figure seems to be hopping down the mountains, about
-800 metres in height, which proves to be the <i>Commandant
-de la Place</i>. He had arrived at our tent very late
-the night before, and left me a “message of welcome.”
-Is he now bringing the terrible news the war has
-begun? No. Only offering us hospitality.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He had not expected us to start so early, and
-apologised for “calling in his nightgown”—the only
-alternative to letting us pass his “inhospitable doors.”
-I begged that I might take a photograph, and, leaving
-all our belongings upon the wayside, we readily set out
-to climb the mountain, while he shouted the news of
-our approach to hasten the preparations of his wife.
-As a matter of fact, the difficulties of the ascent were
-quite sufficient to give her ample time; and when we
-reached the house at last, the pure, fresh air (that
-struck cold in spite of the brilliant sunshine) inspired
-a hearty welcome to “rest” after so stiff a climb!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The commandant (who is richly bronzed by outdoor
-life in the sun) seemed quite content with his two-roomed
-cabin among the hills, though one could sense
-the tragic experiences he would never obtrude. Three
-of his children had perished from cold and hardship, and
-I caught anxious glances towards the two remaining,
-fine, sturdy-looking little creatures as they were. His
-mother-in-law, busily intent on grinding the corn,
-bore further witness to their hidden struggles.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was immediately given a chair; a mattress was
-found for the cheik, and once more we learned that in
-this country you are expected to have some coffee
-<i>before</i> a glass of tea, and then roasted almonds and
-melon-seeds. I like to think it was the children who
-decorated their little cat’s ears with pink tassels in our
-honour, much to the animal’s annoyance. While the
-pig had been also “decorated,” to <i>his</i> intense delight!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Madame retired immediately on our arrival; but
-when “tea” was finished, I begged that she might
-join us. Though veiled and shy, she came. Then she
-and her husband brought their outes (a Turkish guitar
-played with a feather) and sang to us without any
-restraint.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>We stayed with them so many hours that, at last,
-I began to fear I was expected to make the first move.
-At three o’clock I asked the cheik when we were going
-to continue our journey, and he quickly answered:
-“When you please”—confirming my suspicions.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was now informed that we should probably be
-too late for the one train in the day, and have to face
-a journey of many hours in bullock-wagons, drawn perhaps
-by mules. No one even hinted that I was to blame;
-yet no one would have dreamt of being so rude as to
-tell me that it was <i>my</i> place to break up the party!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The line from Smyrna to Angora had been cut
-at Gunhani, as had the line from Haïdar Pasha at
-Bilidjik and Kara-Keuy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From Gunhani we had to reach Afioun-Karahissar as
-we best could, partly by Deacoville, then by ox-wagon
-and luggage trains to Ouchak and on to Afioun. The
-railway bridge destroyed at Gunhani was a fine example
-of French engineering, which went right over the
-mountains, from eight hundred to a thousand feet
-high. It will take years to rebuild. The Turks do not
-complain, and have cheerfully accepted the terrible
-discomfort to passengers and goods traffic, with their
-usual philosophy. “The destruction of an important
-railway,” as they calmly remark, “is legitimate warfare
-and first-class strategy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We could realise, however, what the disaster really
-<i>meant</i>, as we climbed down, without the help
-of any kind of pathway, from the commandant’s little
-house on the steep hills. Once on the road we took an
-ox-wagon, drawn by mules, for what was still little
-better than a mountain track, to the nearest point of
-the railway that was in order, in the direction of Afioun-Karahissar.
-Unable, like the cheik or any Oriental, to
-sit on my legs, I had to let them hang over the side
-of our wagon.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This scurrying down from the commandant’s house
-was not “a picnic!” Our fearless drivers and their
-marvellously sure-footed beasts, could not prevent our
-being flung from side to side of the springless cart,
-holding on for dear life. Sometimes the officer had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>to spring out and push from behind to save us from
-falling backwards.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The telegraph wires, of course, were also cut;
-but the rapidity with which messengers are able to run
-and leap over these ragged mountain ways enabled them
-to bring news <i>back</i> to us, of the quickest way to find a
-train, in an incredibly short time.</p>
-
-<div id='i089' class='figcenter id003'>
-<img src='images/i089.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p><span class='sc'>In an Ox Wagon.</span><br />“Unable to sit on my legs, I have to let them hang over the side of our wagon.”</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had found it a herculean task to reach, and
-return, from our resting place on the hill-top. The
-bullock-cart seemed to find it scarcely <i>less</i> difficult to
-manipulate the narrow and broken roadway. Yet the
-Turkish soldiers had <i>somehow</i> found means and strength
-to heave their heavy artillery over these awe-inspiring
-passes, from which one slip of the foot meant instant
-death.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There was, naturally, “nothing doing” at the
-station till very late that night, when we should have
-to pass the dark hours in a luggage train. Just before
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>it was due to start, however, the Governor arrived with
-sardines, fruit, and bread, of which we managed to make
-a good dinner “on board,” actually our first meal
-that day, except for the commandant’s almonds.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A chair was found for me in the empty carriage, but
-others had to sit on the floor. We had candles and,
-by some means, word was sent in advance of our
-approach. They tell me it is quite a short journey,
-but I cannot help wishing that we had been able to
-stay in the bullock-carts.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Through that strange night—not so cold, indeed, as
-yesterday—we seemed to crawl on one mile and then
-shunt back two, to an awful accompaniment of clanging
-metal that made it impossible to sleep. I had only
-to close my eyes for a moment and our train was
-certain to be violently thrown back. Really, I thought
-my head would be shaken off my body.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As always, the cheik made heroic efforts to wile
-away the dark hours and distract my mind. There was
-no question I could ask him about Islam in vain. Here
-is the best I can reproduce of that fascinating lesson
-in faith and philosophy delivered in a luggage train
-by night:</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The very word <i>Obedience</i> (<i>i.e.</i> Islam) is contrary to
-all Bolshevist ideas, just as Bolshevism itself is contradicted
-by the Reign of Terror in Russia. Islam teaches
-the ‘preservation of property,’ Bolshevism destroys it.
-Verily, the Turks must have passed through sorrow
-and tribulation before they could ever have felt any
-temptation to ally themselves with the Russia of
-to-day. Yet the Soviet has helped us in our time of
-need, and we owe our fidelity to the alliance.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I spoke of the vast sums paid out by Russia to
-Abdul Hamid to maintain enmity between the Turks
-and Great Britain.... “That you have made friends
-with your hereditary enemy surely means grave peril
-to India.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“So we all feel,” answered the cheik. “But we
-can never forget the shock to the Moslem world of
-the ‘rumour’ that Constantinople (the seat of Caliphat)
-would be handed over to Russia. England had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>gone back on her word and lost our respect for ever.
-Henceforth we could be deceived no longer. We were
-cyphers, mere pawns, on the political chess-board of
-the Powers. The principles of Islam were distorted
-without hesitation to prove that no Christian peoples
-could live unmolested under Turkish rule. How could
-Great Britain be so blind to the unbounded respect she
-had earned from Islam by her fine tolerance of <i>all</i>
-religions in India? Now she has ‘changed all that,’ and
-the war in the Near East was a <i>religious</i> war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I attempted to frame some excuses for the
-pro-Greek attitude of the British Government, he
-reminded me of our “old pride in Moslem allegiance.
-You have more Moslem than Christian subjects....
-Is not your Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George, a democrat?
-Where can he find more perfect democracies
-than in the East, under Moslem rule? It is a ‘new’
-ideal in the West. When President Wilson began to
-preach it, he was derided as a Utopian, because he was
-three centuries ahead of his time! Every Moslem
-has <i>always</i> been equal before the law—the Sultan stands
-<i>with</i> his subjects.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That does not quite ‘explain’ Abdul Hamid,” I
-said.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He was the exception we shall never repeat.
-You cannot argue from exceptions.... It is the
-English who have ceased to value the precepts of Islam.
-The Koran bids us obey those in authority. Rather
-than rebel, we leave the country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And M. Kemal Pasha? Has he not rebelled?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, indeed. He simply defended his country,
-deposed the vassal-traitor-Sultan.... M. Kemal
-Pasha rules direct from the Koran. He will have
-strength to set aside the heresies of the Byzantines
-that have been grafted on to our Government. It is
-nonsense to say that the Koran has been found unfitted
-for the requirements of the twentieth century.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There, I fear, I must plead guilty.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You will see, when you have stayed among us a
-little longer, that it can be honestly interpreted to meet
-man’s present needs.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>“The freedom of women——?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The ‘seclusion’ comes from Byzantium. M.
-Kemal will change that, if only he does not himself
-make a foolish marriage.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How do you mean—foolish?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“A princess. We attribute Enver’s downfall to
-his having married a princess. He then required
-money to maintain his ‘royal’ position; we do
-not inquire from whence it came! If M. Kemal
-Pasha follows his example we shall lose faith in his
-democracy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And a foreigner?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That is almost as bad. The helpmeet of <i>our</i>
-choice for him should be one who would help the
-country to progress along Eastern lines, not Western.
-Rather a peasant than a foreigner or a princess.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I hope he may find one with the intelligence of
-Halidé Hanoum, and with her womanly charm. To me
-she seems wholly delightful. She can advance, and
-remain a woman, as our Anglo-Saxon reformers have
-seldom done.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We shall see; but you must make no mistake.
-You imagine that women ‘do not count’ in the East,
-yet I assure you a foolish marriage for M. Kemal Pasha
-would be a national disaster.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I wish you were not so much against British rule.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I must face facts. You have been doing strange
-things here for the last twenty-three years. We do
-not object to you because you are rulers, but to the
-way in which you now rule. In Islam all the faiths
-co-operate. Israel has its place, and we venerate
-Christ no less than our Prophet. It is the same in
-England itself, yet the very men whom you receive
-in your London drawing-rooms are spoken of in
-Egypt and India as ‘natives.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Neither can I understand that.” I agreed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, <i>you</i> would not; but, if you really want to
-know the truth, we are discouraged and hurt. How
-can your Empire accept your ex-Premier’s pro-Greek
-campaign after his <i>glorious</i> speeches in support of
-democracy?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>“The more I think about it,” said I, “the less I
-understand.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Well, the consequences for us are black. We
-were so long content to pass our days in confidence
-that all was well with British at the helm. Now we
-are watching with anxious eyes; only we pray that
-the ‘to-morrow’ which all good Moslems desire, may
-yet come with M. Kemal Pasha. I have sons, who
-must all be soldiers, since we no longer trust the West.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Will they be educated in England, at Oxford?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, alas! They are in Germany. They must
-learn to put the responsibilities of citizenship before
-sport. They must not associate with men who might
-afterwards settle in Egypt and call them ‘niggers.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>These were bitter truths for my pride in England.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik, by the way, was born in Egypt, and
-regarded as a dangerous Moslem foe! I wonder if that
-can in any sense justify his exile from his native land?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As he tells me: The victory of M. Kemal is the
-direct result of an attempt to express the spirit of
-nationalism, which will not be kept down. For the
-first time Moslems have adopted the Nationalist appeal.
-If that fail, you will be confronted by a Pan-Islam
-uprising. The eyes of all Moslem are on Turkey.
-Strike her, who is Islam’s head, and every limb will
-rise in protest against the blow.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As a man of God,” I protested, “you have no
-right to speak of war. There must <i>not</i> be war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When responsible British Ministers refer to Salonika
-as the Gate of Christendom, we can no longer
-stand aside.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The Governor and all the “notables” of Ouchak
-were on the platform as our luggage train arrived
-“in state.” When they invited us to stay the night,
-I accepted at once, without giving anyone else the
-chance to refuse. After three days and two nights on
-the road, I could not forego the luxury of a wash and
-a change of clothes, or the chance to brush and comb
-out my hair!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>
- <h2 id='ch11' class='c009'>CHAPTER XI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A PUBLIC MEETING AT OUCHAK—HOSPITALITY—A SACRED RITE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>At</span> Ouchak, I frankly declined to spend another night
-in a luggage train. I admired the Turks’ resourcefulness
-in coping with the extremely limited service of
-trains—the women inside a luggage-van and the men
-on the roof. I do not regret the fact that I have
-probably endured even more discomfort than other
-European visitors to Angora, since I have attempted
-and achieved more. But for the moment it seemed
-really essential to pause and rest.</p>
-<p class='c012'>We were told they had only one private train car
-on <i>this</i> side of the break in the line, which had been
-reserved for the Minister of Finance, whom we should
-probably soon meet. Engines were terribly “short,”
-and most of the trains had been burnt by Greeks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Governor drove us to the house of one of the
-wealthiest men in the town, once the headquarters of
-King Constantine. Our host proved to be a mere lad
-of twenty, who was nevertheless directing a large
-carpet factory which had partially escaped destruction,
-with considerable efficiency and skill.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Thanking us with graceful dignity for the honour of
-our visit, he gave immediate direction for our reception
-in his noble guest-chamber. He apologised for the
-bareness of rooms, rifled by Greeks; but, in my judgment,
-the rich and wonderful carpets were furniture
-enough.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As M. Kemal Pasha had taken over the house from
-King Constantine, our host asked me, in joke, whose
-“bed” I would choose! I naturally at once replied
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>M. Kemal’s. “Ah no,” said he, “you must not decide
-without seeing both.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Being always afraid of air-raids, the Greek sovereign
-had taken an underground suite, certainly arranged
-with great taste and every attention to creature
-comfort. Lit and heated by electricity, the arrangements
-closely resembled a German trench. M. Kemal
-Pasha had slept on the first, or top, floor, and as I like
-to think, under my white satin covering, worked with
-irises. It was a proud moment for our host—that <i>I</i>
-should occupy a bed already honoured by M. Kemal!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told him how at Gerbervilliers Sœur Julie once
-let me sleep in a bed previously occupied by Cardinal
-X., and even conferred on me the supreme honour of
-using his Eminence’s sheet! That “last touch,” said
-my host, he, “unfortunately, could not repeat. The
-Pasha’s sheets!—well, they were not <i>here</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We soon sat down with the Governor, the Mayor,
-and other “notables,” to a well-cooked meal of Turkish
-delicacies, supervised by our host himself. My only
-criticism of Turkish dishes is based on their “fattening”
-qualities, and the pleasure in flavours which tempt one
-to over-eat.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>More “notables” appeared for an afternoon reception,
-in strange and picturesque costumes: Deputies,
-hodjas, and judges. How I longed to borrow that
-judge’s saxe-blue silk robe for a dressing-gown;
-but, knowing that he would “give” me anything
-for which I expressed a fancy, my honour sternly
-forbade the request! Everyone had left their shoes
-on the mat, and sat in their stockinged feet. My muddy
-boots were a disgrace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They all talked Nationalism, overjoyed by the recent
-victories and, I cannot deny, bitter against Great
-Britain.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was invited to a big “Nationalist” meeting, to be
-held that night at the Young Men’s Club, and was only
-too glad to have the chance of answering the questions
-I knew they would want to put. It is always wise to
-encourage our critics to air their grievances.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We were conducted up a rickety staircase to a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>large room thick with smoke. The men were all wearing
-kalpaks, and evidently puzzled at first by the “Englishwoman
-in their midst.” Some of them smiled, others
-plainly showed their surprise, and others just stared.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After the cheik had opened the meeting in a very
-few words, our host rose to explain my presence. He
-told them that I had come to Angora entirely on my
-own responsibility, because, though our authorities
-called it “brink of war,” I wanted to convince the
-Turks that we should not <i>have</i> war.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then, with the Governor as my interpreter, I
-begged them “to believe that Mr. Lloyd George’s
-policy was <i>not</i> the policy of the English people. He
-had only followed Gladstone in <i>this</i> matter, and he
-had been led astray by M. Venizelos. No other
-Englishman would make war on Turkey, and we, the
-people, were therefore determined upon his fall.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“<i>Inch Allah</i>,” cried the people.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then I said that “whether our Conservatives or
-Labour men followed Mr. Lloyd George, it would make
-no difference to them. Both parties are all for peace.
-I was not Turkey’s only friend in Great Britain. We
-who knew were all hard at work for peace.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a strange meeting! Did the Governor really
-translate what the men actually said? Some were
-obviously filled with anger, though “<i>saura-saura</i> and
-Mr. Lloyd George” was all I could catch. The Governor
-interpreted, “The speaker does not approve of Mr.
-Lloyd George’s policy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Nor do I,” I replied, which made them all laugh
-heartily.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“In any case,” I concluded, “there is not going to
-be war. It is contrary to all reason, and we have been
-enemies long enough! We are going to be great
-friends now.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I answered a host of questions, which, however,
-the Governor had softened in his interpretation to
-avoid hurting my feelings.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Finally my host invited the audience to express
-their appreciation of the visit from an Englishwoman,
-who had persisted, against such terrible odds, in coming
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>to give them so much “news” from Great Britain;
-and the old wooden roofs echoed to their cheers and
-clapping.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Maybe the British Government would scarcely have
-approved our meeting; but there are many people in
-England who take a different view; and as I told the
-people, “I had been seven years on the French front
-(a real slice out of one’s life) and I knew what war meant.
-I will not believe our men are going to be led to war
-again. However our politicians may talk, whatever
-hysteria may be printed in the Press, we have sound,
-practical reasons for friendship. There is nothing in
-the Nationalist Pact to which Great Britain can
-seriously object; nothing, certainly, to justify the
-shedding of blood on either side.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After the meeting we drove back to our comfortable
-quarters, and talked long into the night over tea
-and cigarettes. Too tired to sleep, I told my host if
-once I dozed off there would be no waking me “this
-side of anytime,” so I “let myself go” upon the glories
-of old England and the fine traditions of our race—a
-subject my present companions were still perfectly
-ready to applaud.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We passed on to America and her big Press. To
-their taste, British journalism is “just dry bones—without
-a breath of life.” They must have something
-picturesque, unrestrained by any considerations
-of taste or possible hurt to the feelings of those
-concerned.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told them of the strange pride with which an
-American dared to boast of an “interview” with
-King Constantine. “His Majesty,” as the reporter
-had written, “without asking me even to sit down,
-drew from his pocket a handsome case and helped himself
-to a cigarette. He naturally did not offer one to me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Constantine was, naturally, infuriated by the
-sarcastic implication, and denied the “interview”
-altogether. The “man from the States” promptly
-started an “action” against him, and withdrew it, once
-he had thus secured far more publicity (which means
-dollars) than all the “interviews” he might have
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>secured with deposed royalties, would ever have brought
-his way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A lady compatriot of his, in the same spirit, once
-claimed to have secured an “interview” with M. Kemal
-Pasha, and wrote that “he smoked Player’s cigarettes.”
-When I told her friend that this was certainly untrue,
-he said: “What matters! It was good copy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was not, however, altogether surprised to learn
-that this “impression” of Constantine was, most
-probably, quite true. All kinds of similar stories were
-in circulation about the dead monarch, but the Turkish
-officers were of opinion that, though as commander-in-chief
-he certainly appeared to live underground, there
-was little he could be expected to achieve with the
-army at his command. To be <i>fearless</i> is a commandant’s
-first duty, and for that quality they were as
-ready to praise the fallen Djémal and Enver as M.
-Kemal Pasha himself. With all his faults and
-mistakes, none could accuse Enver of fear.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My “lady’s maid” on this occasion proved to be
-a picturesque young woman, dressed in very bright
-colours, wearing her hair in two long plaits enclosed
-in a gay scarf. With the pleasant zeal of her race, she
-squandered the whole contents of a beautiful Eastern
-water-jug in “pouring them over my hands,” a process
-which used up all the water long before I felt clean!
-And not even grease and eau-de-Cologne would drive
-off half the effects of these terrible days from my face.
-It was a case for Turkish baths. And Nazafer, my
-little maid, proved so timid and gentle a hairdresser
-that I had to use some English “force” in this direction
-when she had left me for the night.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet words cannot express the delight of this
-welcome change to all the luxuries of civilisation. A
-blazing wood fire, a hot bottle, and the generous supply
-of white satin cushions worked in a lovely iris design
-on my vast, picturesque bed!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If the dogs outside could only accept their grievances
-with the silent dignity of the East! As I peep through
-my lattice windows over the half-ruined city, now bathed
-in the silver light of the new moon, I can only marvel
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>again that we hear scarcely a murmur from these
-suffering people in their terrible distress. What do we
-want with this mutilated country for which they are
-ready to die?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here is the tale of a patriot that outstrips the
-wildest imagination to have conceived. A certain
-woman, so poor that she had but one miserable garment
-to protect her starving babe, catches sight of some
-“munitions” that are lying near her, <i>exposed</i> to the
-cold! She does not hesitate a moment, but lifting her
-poor child’s only covering, carefully wraps it round
-the “instruments of war.” Maybe the good God
-will send me another child,” she whispered; “at all
-costs, my country must be saved!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How dare we attempt to hamper these people’s
-freedom, bought at so dear a price? Surely the future
-is <i>theirs</i> to shape as they will.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When the morning is well advanced, and the sun is
-streaming upon me through scarlet lace curtains, I am
-at last awakened from dreams of burning cities to the
-alarms of war. Downstairs, sad and bewildered faces
-almost convince me that actual hostilities have begun.
-But I am now fully awake, and still refuse to believe.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is absolute nonsense,” I insist on telling them.
-“<i>My</i> country is <i>your</i> friend.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But even the optimism of our host had been shaken
-by the pessimist newspaper reports. They all knew,
-however, that, if it <i>was</i> war, I should stay with them,
-and they would allow me to nurse our own “men.”...
-It was not the “men” who would make war; and
-I gladly repeated their high tributes to the fine soldierly
-qualities of the Turk, in startling contrast to most
-Germans!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Our host himself superintended the preparation of
-my breakfast tray—eggs and butter, honey and jam,
-fruits and cheese.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You have sent me a grocer’s shop,” I exclaimed
-to him later, but he waived aside my gratitude with a
-casual, “Don’t mention it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>I reminded him that he had promised I should see
-“madame” and the baby. “Could not she share our
-meal?” He said she was tired and really preferred
-to rest. Was the excuse diplomatic?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He told me that almost immediately after their
-marriage (about a year and a half ago, when she was
-only seventeen), they had “escaped” to Rhodes,
-and it was only too likely their brief experience of
-home—such as war had left them—would be once more
-cruelly interrupted. She, unfortunately, did not
-speak French, but I could easily read in her large,
-pathetic, dark eyes the excuses she strove to offer for
-what would never have struck me as “inadequate”
-hospitality.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I tried to convey my deep sympathy to her husband.
-“You seem like a couple of dear children,” I said,
-“just eager to make us all happy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Every Turk,” he replied gravely, “must marry
-young. The country needs children.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>M. Kemal Pasha entirely confirmed the curious
-impressions that this household could not fail to produce
-on any visitor from Europe. It almost made one think
-of Turkey as the social Antipodes. In England so
-many women are now doing men’s work, in addition
-to their own. Here we see men working for both
-sexes. I have no doubt the sweet little lady had
-“prepared” everything in advance, but when we
-arrived, she felt it becoming to disappear! It was our
-host, again, whom I had surprised in the midst of his
-ministrations for a most excellent lunch!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The afternoon was spent in driving about the
-pillaged city, visiting our host’s carpet-factory and a
-number of weaving-looms in private houses. It is a
-privilege, indeed, to see all these treasures of beauty
-shaping before one’s eyes. It must, I think, be a great
-relief for the “tired in mind” to “get busy” about
-mechanical work. One’s fingers soon turn into machines,
-weaving the wool in and out of the frame, cutting
-the pile, the whole process of creating those
-wonderful Eastern “floorings” we all admire. The
-making of even “high art” goods must rest the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>nerves, like the “perpetual motion” of my Scotch
-mother’s knitting needles!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the distance the cemetery looked like a large
-field, glaring with poppies and cornflowers that it was
-puzzling to find so late in this cold climate. As we
-approached, however, the picturesque scene proved
-to come from dyed wool left to dry on the tombstones,
-which were, themselves, of a turban-like shape.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the market we were astonished to find how
-quickly trade had recovered, almost to pre-war activity,
-since my last visit. Somehow they have discovered
-tools and wood to patch up booths for the old business.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told my companions I “hoped the people would
-soon be given material to rebuild the whole town, that
-Europe would send money in admiring recognition of
-their ‘already proven’ ability to help themselves.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It seemed almost a “confessional” for me, as
-the officers and municipal authorities, the deputies
-and the hodjas, plied me with question after question,
-because they knew I would tell them all I could, and
-speak the truth!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They brought me photographs—of cities in ruins,
-of mutilated and disfigured human beings!—unfortunately
-too primitive for reproduction, but no less
-invaluable as documentary evidence, almost too ghastly
-for man to “look on and live”!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We drove also to the aviation ground and were shown
-what the officer in charge had contrived to make of
-the cannon left by Greeks. Though everything was
-systematically hacked to pieces, it had been all “put
-together again” by the Turks with astonishing patience
-and perseverance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally proud of his work, and delighted to tell
-us how it had all been managed, the officer, fortunately,
-quite forgot I was English. He was telling us that
-he found a few French 75’s, but that most of the guns
-were howitzers. Suddenly realising the need for
-caution, or rather courtesy, he burst out: “Cannon,
-Lloyd George,” and won from us all the most grateful
-and laughing applause.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was further especially pleased with his outspoken
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>pride in the Turkish women aviators, of whom his own
-wife had been one. All honour to them—from that
-Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, Halidé Hanoum, to every
-woman who had unloaded munitions from the boats
-and “done her bit” in the factories!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He told us how women had watched for ships bringing
-munitions as for angels of deliverance. How they
-toiled at the unloading and bore their burdens with
-uncomplaining zeal. No man must lift a finger for
-work that could possibly be undertaken by women.
-As M. Kemal Pasha says: “The women have <i>done</i>
-their part in saving the country, they must <i>have</i> their
-share in governing it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It has always been supposed that France supplied
-most of these munitions. But the Turks paid <i>us</i>
-£5,000 sterling (at the present rate of exchange) for a
-load of their own munitions that we had “picked
-up,” and they bought arms from the English officers
-in Constantinople. Further supplies, of course, were
-obtained from Frenchmen, Italians, Russians, and,
-incredible as it may seem, from the Greeks themselves.
-Turkey bought arms wherever she could, and set
-herself the grim task of readjustment.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Meanwhile, the Governor had been telegraphing
-for us in all directions all day, for news of a train to
-take us on our way. All the services, of course, were
-disorganised, and the line cut—a message from Smyrna
-to Kassaba might take twelve days! We would not
-worry, or hope!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At about 9.30, we hear of another luggage
-train! It is not a long journey from Ouchak to
-Afioun-Karahissar. We are now well supplied with food
-and candles, a dilapidated deck-chair has been dug out
-for me, and the cheik’s brilliant conversation will
-“make history” of the night.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had managed to have a few words with our host’s
-wife before we left the house. Her husband translating,
-she thanked me again and again for my visit,
-and then, asking me to excuse her going to see an ailing
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>brother, she sailed away with her little babe in her
-arms. As she turned smiling on us from the big
-gateway, I could not resist blowing a kiss to the child-like
-and pathetic figure she made—for all the world like
-a schoolgirl and her doll!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Towards evening, as we were preparing to leave our
-host, I caught sight of a few tears rolling down his
-cheeks. Like an Englishman, he quickly brushed them
-aside, and turned to me with a smile.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What had I said, or done? We had been skating
-on thin ice all the time. I would never deliberately
-hurt anyone’s feelings, but I cannot resist a joke,
-and, in a foreign language, there is danger of misunderstanding.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I found a chance of asking the cheik to tell me
-frankly if I had unwittingly given any offence, for
-which I would be only too eager to tender my sincere
-regret and apology. But he explained: Our host’s
-brother-in-law had died during the night, and, not
-wishing to disturb our entertainment, his wife had
-bravely set out alone to attend the funeral.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So even the most intimate domestic sorrow was not
-permitted to interrupt our enjoyment; the intrusion,
-as it <i>must</i> be felt, of an unknown woman from an
-enemy land!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have never met, even in Turkey, such a fine spirit
-of hospitality. <i>My</i> tears could not be kept back.
-Here was a mere lad heaping coals of fire on my head.
-Again and again the words sternly echoed in my brain:
-“These things should never have been.”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>
- <h2 id='ch12' class='c009'>CHAPTER XII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A LUGGAGE TRAIN—THE WORST STAGE OF MY WHOLE JOURNEY</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>We</span> are an hour late, the rain is pouring in torrents as
-I mount from a Turk’s back to my now familiar “van”;
-the station is full of friends crowding to witness our
-start and say farewell.</p>
-<div id='i104' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i104.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>From a Turk’s Back.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>After no more than an hour of what proved to be
-much the worst stage of my whole journey, I was determined
-against any further dependence upon “goods
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>traffic.” I should infinitely prefer to walk. Our compartment,
-I know, had not been chosen for comfort—there
-was no other to be had. But the roof leaked,
-the doors would not shut, it was impossible to keep
-our candles alight.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At every few kilometres there is a halt. After an
-hour and a half the cheik and the officer are beyond
-words. Wrapped in rugs on the cold, hard floor,
-they are soon fast asleep, and now peacefully snoring.
-I should have thought myself that our continual
-joltings were enough to wake the dead, but my friends,
-fortunately, seem able to sleep on, pitched as they are
-every moment from side to side like long, shapeless
-bundles of woollen stuff. I put my umbrella up and
-donned a mackintosh, while our fellow-traveller, the
-Inspector of Forests, is no more able to sleep than I,
-but does his best to relieve the monotony by smiling at
-me (since we have no common language) whenever a
-candle is blown out and he patiently relights it.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was, perhaps, no more than subdued hysteria
-which suddenly drove me to break the long silence with
-strange sounds of laughter that awakened and clearly
-startled the cheik. After a little, I managed, somehow,
-to explain my unseemly outburst.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The day before leaving Paris I had written to
-Lord Robert Cecil in earnest endeavour to persuade
-that fine enthusiast for the League of Nations that an
-international “Mother of Parliaments” could never
-maintain its authority under suspicion of antagonism
-to Islam. Therefore, I begged him to remove the stigma
-once and for all by going to Angora himself. And now
-the picture had flashed into my mind of Lord Robert,
-having responded to my suggestion, only to find himself
-being rattled about beside me, under an open
-umbrella, on the floor of a crawling luggage train in
-the black darkness of a wet night.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a relief just then for all of us to join in a
-good laugh; but the policy of the League has not been
-helpful to Islam, and, in this matter, its unnecessary mistakes—as
-I have again and again pointed out—will prove
-a serious hamper to its otherwise splendid activities.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>Meanwhile, our merriment is soon checked. Sudden
-shrieks from the engine and an exceptionally generous
-supply of jolts and bangs conjure up to my mind
-awful visions of a collision in the gruesome loneliness
-of the night. The cheik, however, does not share my
-alarm, but calmly answers: “Methinks we do but
-unrail!” To me, however, the prospect suggested
-of ending my days in an Anatolian ditch, without
-even the covering of my Union Jack, offers but poor
-consolation.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Come, wake up,” I almost shouted, “it is too
-terrible! Someone <i>must</i> talk to me about Islam.”
-And when I realised my own selfishness in not leaving
-the poor man to sleep, I could only put forth the plea:
-“I am so interested in your religion.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am flattered indeed,” was the immediate
-response. “Religion in the East is truly a real and
-living force.” At his grave words I saw again that
-long line of weary soldiers among the mountains at
-their prayers.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I shall wound your feelings,” I went on, “if I
-persist in questioning you about the grievances of
-your people, though God knows my curiosity is not
-idle.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is far better to wound my feelings and publish
-the truth than to suffer the slightest risk of your
-misjudging us. You may help to see us righted, for
-Great Britain may have indeed ‘sinned in ignorance.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But my allusion to Lord Robert Cecil had raised
-the problem of Christianity in the East. I had to
-admit that he was accused of working for “union”
-between the Anglican and the Greek Churches. “He
-<i>is</i> a devout, loyal and energetic Anglican, but I refuse
-to believe that he would ever encourage such criminal
-folly.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He is, indeed, too honourable,” replied the cheik.
-“That is only another example of bringing politics
-into religion, which must kill faith.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But does not Islam teach us that politics and
-religion are one?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, indeed; that is a false, Western, interpretation
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>of the Koran. It is our work to-day to set free
-religion from the canker of all statecraft.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could not resist interposing at this point with my
-conviction that no <i>established</i> Church can pursue wisdom;
-while the insecurity of our Free Churches to-day must
-always “put brakes” on their power against the
-Government, and “muzzle” the <i>real</i> freedom of
-thought or truth.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When we got back to Greece, the cheik gave me
-chapter and verse for his conviction that “if the Turks
-should allow the Greek Patriarch to remain in Constantinople,
-their tolerance would have degenerated
-to mere weakness.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It was a golden dream for the Greeks, nearly
-realised; but it is not for us to substantiate it.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They were to drive us back into the depths of
-Asia Minor, to rule over the peoples who had been their
-masters for five centuries, to recapture the great
-‘Bible’ towns for the Cross; to settle on the shores of
-Marmora and Constantinople, that they might drive
-on to Rome!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Their vision, assuredly, did not lack grandeur.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It even seemed for a little that realisation might
-be achieved by zeal and ardour, until King Constantine’s
-return provoked M. Briand’s famous ‘Note’ of
-November, 1920, and put an end to the dream.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here I uttered a word of regret that we had not
-then followed the policy of the French “surely a
-course that might have saved us from all the jealousy
-and suspicion we have so perversely incurred.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik replied indirectly by reminding me that
-M. Venizelos was not to be quite so easily, or immediately,
-defeated: “A great, some say a subtle and
-profound, personality, who had the <i>entrée</i> to all the
-Courts of Europe. He formed in himself a strong link
-between the Greek Colonies and all the Powers, particularly
-England and America. He made British
-friendship the pivot of ‘Greek Expansion.’ He
-was not a man to bow before any discouragement or
-difficulty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now he conceived the idea, attributed to Lord
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>Robert Cecil, of union between the two Churches,
-which at once enlisted the strong support of another
-Cretan, Monseigneur Metaxatis, no longer Metropolitan
-of Athens after King Constantine’s return.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Metaxatis was received with open arms in
-America, where he devised the formation of an ‘American
-Orthodox Church.’ Your Archbishop of Canterbury
-was his next convert, and, thus supported, he was
-able to flout Ottoman protests and to appoint himself
-(or see that he was appointed) a ‘Patriarch’ at Constantinople,
-under the title of Metelios IV.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I scarcely see how any real union could be
-established between the Protestant-Anglican—or is it
-Catholic?—Church and the Greek, if we realise the
-superstitions that Greece has never thrown off. The
-Greeks, whatever their faults, have always been
-faithful to their old, classic religion. The superstitions,
-if not the glories, of Hellas are, one and all,
-upheld to-day.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I said that I thought the hand of Providence could
-be seen in M. Kemal’s victory, which had saved us
-from this preposterous idea.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I learned later, in Angora, of the Patriarch’s
-criminal disloyalty on behalf of the Greeks, I almost
-wondered if Turkish religious tolerance had not been
-carried too far. This wily Churchman actually dared
-to make collections, <i>in Turkey</i>, for the Greek army
-designed for the capture of Constantinople; openly
-preached treason and rebellion. Yet he was sheltered
-behind his sacred office from the captivity of General
-Trécroupis at Eski-Chéir!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What can we say of this Cretan, who thus dared to
-tamper with our national Church? What shall we
-say of his spiritual fathers who approved the plan?
-What can we say for Greece?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Surely the Churches, whatever their creed, should
-uphold honour between all men. If the power a priest
-inevitably exerts over the penitent is once abused for
-political ends, religion becomes no better than treason.
-We look up to those in positions of trust and
-responsibility: priests, lawyers, or doctors. When
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>they betray their trust our sentence is doubly
-severe.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The train now seems to have “put up for the night,”
-but it is shaking like an earthquake; and as the rain
-lashes upon us in torrents, its engine shrieks in unison
-with others in the dark distance. Every moment I
-expected the whole construction to collapse. It was
-the old impression of the “cellars” during an air-raid,
-the horrible suffocation of claustro-mania, or the
-terror of being buried alive.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I must get out.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You cannot. Where will you go?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I shall walk.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You will be blown away or killed on the line.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I cannot help it. I must get out. The train is
-choking me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But it may start off again any moment, and you
-would be left stranded on the line.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The officer, poor man, said nothing. He knew his
-duty. Whatever I might choose to do, he must accompany
-me and share my fate.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The inspector at last jumps out, and the cheik,
-exclaiming, “If you must go, you must,” throws me
-down into the arms of that sturdy and solid being,
-as you might fling a cat out into the rain. Now fully
-exposed to the “four winds of heaven,” the drenching
-storm seemed to be tearing my hair off my head, and
-I was soon ankle-deep in the thick mud; but the air
-was good, and merely to be out of the train banished
-all fear of being crushed to death in the darkness by
-some passing steam monster.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I <i>ought</i> to have braced my nerves with the thought
-that Turkish women have to endure these things;
-but for some reason the train terrified me. As I can
-justly boast, I was terrified by nothing else in this
-country.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Three times they coaxed me back into that choking
-van (as now and again the train shifted along for a few
-miles), and three times I insisted on being tossed into
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>the storm. It was about two o’clock in the morning
-when, to the intense relief of all, we actually arrived
-at our destination.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We disembark for “positively the last” time at
-Afioun-Karahissar, where the deluge adds its gloom to
-the now familiar woefulness of a town in ruins. Yet
-many of the inhabitants are actually sleeping in the
-mud of that awful night.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We are driven some way beyond the town, to the
-one primitive and tumble-down roof that can possibly
-offer us shelter. Like most Eastern hans (<i>i.e.</i>,
-inns), it is built round a courtyard, the living-rooms
-next to the stable; but horses are warm and agreeable
-neighbours. Once at the front, on a particularly cold
-and bitter day, the French, who shrugged their shoulders
-and refused none of my mad requests, politely allowed
-me to travel with the horses!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We climb rickety stairs and cross a wooden veranda
-to examine the rooms—one with three beds, the other
-with two. Alas, the former is too much for even the
-cheik’s philosophy, and he decides for the courtyard.
-Neither of the beds in the double room is clean, certainly,
-but a marked advance on the alternative;
-and, after placing the cheik’s quilt and prayer-mat
-<i>between</i> myself and the “men in possession,” and
-wrapping myself up in two thick rugs, I am glad
-enough to “go to bed in my boots,” with at least the
-prospect of “keeping still” for a few hours. If a
-fire <i>has</i> brought out more “visitors” than were obvious
-at our first inspection, it is still better than traffic
-“by goods.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The officer is compelled literally to “sit up” all
-night, as there is no room for him to stretch his
-limbs.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On such a night I could have wished for a “smaller”
-hole in the floor, and that the “mud” walls had not
-been quite so badly in need of repair; yet the shabby
-and threadbare costume of the “man with our morning
-tea,” was not sordid, but only picturesque.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik, like so many men, is an excellent housewife,
-and when he laid a clean handkerchief upon a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>large volume for tray, our breakfast of bread and
-helva, nuts and fruit, looked quite appetising.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is not the “indolence of the East” that is
-leaving these people in destitution among the ruins.
-One day, what remains standing will have to be pulled
-or burnt down, and a complete rebuilding undertaken.
-But nothing can be done under a threat of war.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At every inn on our return journey the whole of
-the “service” was entrusted to men. This, no doubt,
-largely explains the usual discomfort. Women must
-not remain entirely anonymous.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik told me he hoped the new generation,
-largely educated in Europe, might welcome such
-innovations, but “it would be difficult for the old.
-My wife, for instance, complained at having to ‘receive’
-men visitors in Berlin. She considered it ‘cheap’
-and ‘lowering’ to her prestige.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I can only hope the women of Turkey, when they
-achieve progress, will advance on the right lines—more
-determined on tact than pace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One must, of course, discard conventions at need,
-as I was doing all the time on this journey, but one
-can, at the same time, respect the feelings of others.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could not, for convention, allow my present companions
-to keep up the full Eastern “separation of the
-sexes”; and, as the cheik remarked, London ballrooms
-would be no less offensive to Turkish ladies of
-the old school than the comparatively “close quarters”
-which common humanity forbade us to avoid.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There are often, of course, directly opposed conventions
-in different climates. In the Eastern mosques
-men keep on hats and take off boots; Europeans
-reverse the custom. Eastern women object to “low”
-frocks and “strange” partners “for the dance”;
-and, as one who had joined in them once told me, it is
-better to dance alone; for, if the music suddenly stops,
-a “couple” feel so embarrassed!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We were driven to the station for a train due to leave
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>at 10 in the morning, which actually started about
-5 <span class='fss'>P.M.</span>! We had first attempted to find room in a
-third-class compartment with a French colonel, a
-Turkish officer, and two servants. But Europeans,
-even in Asia Minor, are seldom inclined to be accommodating,
-and my “ally” (!) diplomatically expressed
-his desire to be left alone in his glory. “You will be
-much more comfortable, my dear madam, in a less
-crowded carriage. I fear you could not even find a
-seat among all these officers, and, at least, fifty
-boxes.” We were not slow to take the hint.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>However, there is no sign of being able to leave the
-station for some hours, and the sun is shining for a
-change. Everyone, naturally, prefers the platform;
-and having learnt, it appears, that I am <i>not</i> married to
-either the cheik or the Turkish officer, the colonel
-approaches me with renewed curiosity. When I
-explain that I am English, he simply answers: “You
-mean American?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The one Frenchman and the one Englishwoman
-in Anatolia,” was my retort, “have met by chance at
-a wayside railway station, and you will not even allow
-me to enter your carriage. Are <i>you</i> really French?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I should be delighted and honoured if you will
-come and talk to me,” was the would-be gallant reply,
-“but I have twenty boxes” (he has quickly disposed
-of thirty). “I thought at first you were a lady of
-sixty.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And numbered your boxes to match my years!
-I see; after all, you <i>must</i> be French!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<div id='i112' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i112.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>H.M. THE KALIPH OF ISLAM.<br />A charming gentleman and a distinguished artist.<br />p. 112</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>The cheik told me that Afioun means “opium,”
-and Karahissar is the centre of that trade, completely
-paralysed for the moment. When I had tea with Dame
-Rachel Crowday at the League of Nations in Geneva,
-I heard that Turkey desired to join the Opium Convention,
-a striking instance of public spirit in a country
-that needs all the money it can possibly lay hands on;
-but the moral welfare of her people counts for more
-than “profit” to the State. M. Kemal Pasha, indeed,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>has shown equal wisdom by prohibiting the sale of
-alcohol. In Constantinople it was said, with a truly
-“Western” hauteur: “How can the Turks imagine
-that they will succeed where the United States have
-made such a failure?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Is that a sound argument” I replied, “for giving
-them a chance of becoming what the States were
-<i>before</i> prohibition? Americans do not know ‘how to
-drink’; and I am afraid the Turks also might learn to
-use alcohol, <i>not</i> as a beverage or a pick-me-up, but
-just to get drunk.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The strength and endurance of Turkish children,
-nourished on bread and water, must prove of the
-strongest possible support to prohibition. “And
-remember how quickly the Arab’s wounds were healed
-at the front, while alcohol was so effective an antidote
-for septic-poisoning, because it had never before
-even entered their systems.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Constantinople had proved a sore affront to my
-national pride; but there was an occasion in Naples
-when its humiliation was even more complete.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was passing a crowd of happy children on the quay,
-rolling and tumbling about in some strangely ridiculous
-fashion. Always keenly interested in children’s games
-(and prayers), I went up to them and asked what they
-were doing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a game entitled “The drunken Englishman”!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>
- <h2 id='ch13' class='c009'>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A THIRD-CLASS COMPARTMENT—A FRENCHMAN AMONGST THE RUINS</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>After</span> a few miles of such travelling as had now become
-familiar, I determined that I would change my carriage
-and pay a visit to the French colonel—which proved far
-more lengthy than I had intended.</p>
-<p class='c012'>When I had manipulated the climb, I found plenty
-of room in spite of boxes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What on earth are you doing here?” was his
-first question, to which I gave him a <i>tu quoque</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am looking after the French interests in Syria,”
-he replied, an answer that could not fail to provoke
-a laugh.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That is well worth noting,” I said, “a parallel
-to my journey from London to Edinburgh, <i>via</i> Paris!
-It will make ‘good news’ for the British Foreign
-Office.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And in what way can it concern them?” was
-the stiff reply. “Their own record in these parts is
-not entirely <i>sans reproche</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Don’t forget I am an Englishwoman and not,
-as you insist on saying, an American.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Is it not practically the same? You speak
-one language.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I started up, almost in anger. “Never dare to
-say such a thing again. I might as well ask whether
-you were a Senegali. The language is the same.
-Individual Americans, some parts of their country, I
-consider, are magnificent, but their Government!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Will any Government bear close inspection?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Perhaps not.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>“You regard the States precisely as I should
-expect from an Englishwoman. But, after all, what
-has Great Britain done in Turkey, after ‘letting us
-down’ over ‘reparations’—perfidious Albion!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I may be dense,” I returned (somewhat evasively,
-I admit), “but what exactly is the connection between
-Syria and M. Kemal Pasha?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Everything and nothing,” was the characteristically
-enigmatic reply.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I take that as courteous French for ‘mind your
-business,’ as charming a phrase as your <i>Pourquoi-parceque</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He supposed that “I had been sent to Angora by
-the British Government,” and I promised to send him
-notes on my conversation with “the authorities” at
-Smyrna.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Naturally,” the colonel persisted, “they would
-<i>pretend</i> they had nothing to do with your undertaking;
-but do they not pay your expenses?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I never heard of our Government having <i>paid</i>
-a woman; I never heard of their even consulting a
-woman—except Miss Bell—and, according to Colonel
-Laurence, her great charm is that everyone takes her
-for a man!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel laughed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am absolutely independent; nor shall I send a
-word to the Press unless I want to do so....
-The Government may exile me or send me to prison;
-so may the Turks. But I <i>shall</i> describe <i>what I see as
-I see it</i>; and if anyone can prove me in error, I will
-correct my statements and apologise.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“So few of us have the courage to write either
-articles or books in the spirit of true independence
-that truth demands. We writers should not be at the
-beck and call of newspaper editors. We ought not
-to respect their policy if it offend our conscience or
-the truth. <i>They</i> should follow our lead. Had we only
-had more <i>esprit de corps</i> this terribly false position of
-Great Britain in Anatolia to-day could never have come
-about.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If the articles in which I have told the truth
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>are <i>not</i> published you will know the reason. The
-editor has his opinions, and I refuse to change mine.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What about the British propaganda?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is no British propaganda.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel laughed, loud and long. “No country,”
-he said, “has spent so much on ‘intelligence’ as
-Great Britain. Gold has been poured from her coffers.
-That is why she has been so badly served.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I entirely agree. We <i>have</i> squandered millions
-in the Near East—in Palestine, Mesopotamia, and everywhere
-else. But towards women no Government has
-been so mean. It is our own fault; ‘cheap labour’
-is considered patriotic; and, after all, the Government
-could not find the money to squander unless
-someone was willing to take their pittance.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My dear young lady, the British are rolling in
-money.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“M. Briand told the same tale till I cornered him
-one day, and then he said: ‘Your country is so rich
-that she can even afford to give ‘golden’ hair to her
-women!’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Well,” he replied, “I can but admire you—to
-have undertaken such a journey, at such a time, without
-the backing of your Government or the Press—and
-all for no purpose!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You are frank,” I said with a smile. “Do you
-think I could have accomplished more with the financial
-backing that your women can always command from
-your Government?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I cannot understand your Government.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Neither can I.... That’s why I am here.... Do
-you remember the Bible story of a city offered
-salvation if but <i>one</i> righteous and upright man could
-be found within her gates? So, God willing, may I, as
-<i>one</i> Englishwoman and a friend, preserve for my country
-some last shred of respect and faith in our honour
-among the Moslems of Turkey and India, Egypt, Persia,
-and Palestine.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Courtesy, I suppose, kept him silent, and we were
-soon busy with preparations for dinner. He produced
-a towel for serviette, a piece of newspaper for table-cloth,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>and—luxury of luxuries—a knife, a fork, and a
-mug in which to enjoy some good French wine!
-The menu, too, was a change: <i>foie gras</i> and sardines,
-almonds and figs, apples and jam.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I shall come and dine with you again,” said I,
-lest he should be too shy to invite me.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I found that the colonel and his staff could fully
-sympathise, from their own experience, with my
-anathemas upon luggage traffic. I told him “no
-doubt it was he and his friends who were making those
-awful ‘night noises’ that so alarmed me”; and though,
-of course, he denied it, my story received the tribute
-of a polite and good-natured laugh.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I admire your courage,” he said again.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Reserve your judgment. You will have time
-enough to see later what a combative person I
-can be.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“<i>Nous verrons.</i>”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We reached Eski-Chéir at about nine o’clock, and a
-telegram announced to the colonel that a special
-private car was on its way to meet him.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now,” said he, “I can offer hospitality, not only
-to you, but to your friends as well.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We went to a café for tea, where numbers of Turks,
-wearing kalpaks, were singing patriotic songs. Directly
-they had finished, I clapped my hands, crying: “M.
-Kemal Pasha, <i>Chok Guzel</i>,” and their delight was
-obvious.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Poor fellows,” said the colonel, whom I began to
-find sympathetic, “it needs such a tiny effort; they
-will respond to the least hint of real sympathy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is nothing sordid about this little tumble-down
-café, though its floors are thick with mud and the
-attendants are charmingly shabby. “At least,” I
-said, “this dirt and discomfort is artistic.... What
-artist would dream of painting an American sky-scraper,
-luxurious and comfortable though it be? Yet here
-one could cover the walls of an exhibition from one
-day’s experience. The picturesque water-pots, the
-quaint trays, the artistic tea-glasses and coffee-cups,
-the colouring of the costumes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>“If Mr. Chester of the U.S. has come here to sweep
-away all this he is an enemy of Art.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I love creature comforts—warmth, baths, and
-perfumes, but I sincerely trust no fever of reform
-will ever induce the Turks to spoil their surroundings;
-and, above all, that they will never call in American
-specialists to teach them building achievements.
-By all means let them adopt American hygiene; but
-American architecture, God forbid!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I will pay honour where honour is due. To all
-who have so nobly perpetuated the work of Florence
-Nightingale I bow the knee. But what will American
-innovations do for Turkey?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“In the East End of New York, America’s melting-pot,
-I once saw a picturesque old Jew reading Spinoza
-in the original, as he sat absorbed on the sidewalk.
-His velvet cap was old and shabby, the long grizzly
-beard maybe none too clean; but in the primitive
-robes of his ancient race he looked a true Oriental.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Then appeared his ‘American son’—a ‘Bowery’
-accent, many smart rings, a costly gold watchchain
-across his brightly-coloured waistcoat, spats and
-patents, and a ‘time is money’ expression on his
-alert face. Which of the generations would you
-prefer?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If the Turk ever asks our advice, I sincerely
-hope no ‘counsels from Europe’ will ever replace the
-artistic traditions of the East.... Europeanised
-Turks are not the ‘best’ Turks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You have already, alas, in the Hippodrome at
-Constantinople, that cheap, ‘made in Germany’
-monstrosity of a fountain, which the once-mighty
-Emperor William bequeathed to you as the ‘souvenir’
-of a visit to ‘his brother,’ Abdul Hamid! Why has
-war left it untouched?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>It was a strange comfort to compare the happy
-faces of these men with those one knew under the late
-Sultans. In those days, two or three meeting together
-in a café were always in fear of arrest as “suspects.”
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>I remember what songs broke forth on the Night of the
-Constitution—funereal, indeed, they sounded to our
-thinking, but such <i>are</i> their songs of joy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then they sang for joy, since “freedom” was too
-new a thing for serious contentment; oppression had
-only just been lifted, the sense of security had not
-arrived. Now, in the sure knowledge of freedom from
-the Greeks and from Imperial rule, they sit, calm and
-confident and well satisfied, no longer an Emperor’s
-slaves, but citizens of a Free State. Can one wonder
-that every one of them would die rather than lose one
-inch of the liberty so bravely won?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Please tell them,” I asked the officer, “that I
-have been in Turkey for every crisis of progress in
-recent history, and that none has filled me with such
-proud delight as the victory of M. Kemal Pasha. I
-am here to-day to offer him my congratulations.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel politely remarked that it would have
-been only “prudent” speculation for the British
-Government to have despatched me upon the mission
-I had undertaken for myself.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I thought how well it would be for many of my
-compatriots to do similar work in other lands. It may
-be against all our traditions, but “propaganda” could
-now do much for England. Here, on the brink of
-war, where all men were filled with righteous indignation
-against us, I have at least been able to leave a
-“better impression” of my country in wayside
-cafés and many Turkish homes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet, as official language would express it, I have not
-“licked the boots of the Turks,” and everywhere I
-have been treated with the true courtesy of the chivalrous.
-May the experience not prove to have laid the
-foundation of a new and interesting career for women?
-To explain in all lands, and to all envious or hostile
-peoples, the true greatness of the British Empire, will
-not be work in vain.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Since my return I have been frequently asked to
-explain the rôle of the French colonel in Angora. I
-cannot feel that his presence implied any disloyalty to
-Great Britain. Again and again we have been asked
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>by France to modify our policy in the Near East.
-But as neither threats nor coaxing has availed to save
-us from being the tools of designing Greece, France
-was driven to “make her own arrangements.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I do not say that she abandoned Cilicia simply for
-conscience’ sake, or that she gave back that rich cotton
-district to Turkey from a pure love of justice. But I
-am ready to congratulate her on the wisdom of retiring
-before she was driven out. We must obviously own
-that Angora is not on the direct road back to Syria,
-and that the colonel has lingered some months by
-the way. That, however, is really his own business;
-and I do not forget that I, too, once went to Turkey
-for six weeks and stayed six months! No doubt he
-is no less welcome to M. Kemal Pasha than I was to
-the Grand Vizier’s daughter.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He certainly proved an invaluable source of
-information. As I told him, “he must have telegraphed
-to his Government every time he heard the
-Pasha sneeze”; and, emphatically, he has done
-good work. Honest, upright, and sincere, he can
-“explain many things” to the Turks, and assist them
-with tactful advice. At the worst, he has harmed no
-one, which cannot be said of all diplomatists in
-Constantinople!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I, personally, can respect those with whom I do not
-agree, even those who, on behalf of their own country,
-dislike mine. It would surely have been more prudent
-to <i>follow</i> the French example, by having a representative
-in Angora, than to criticise them. Suspicion leads
-nowhere, and such a man as General Harington “on
-the spot” could have done a great deal to hasten
-peace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>France has no desire, or, at least, no considered
-campaign, to undermine our influence in the East;
-and the colonel, at any rate, was quite aware that,
-whatever the gratitude Turkey may owe and feel to her,
-it is England who will soon (once more) hold the first
-place in Turkey’s affections. The terrible and tragic
-bunglings of these last years will then be forgotten.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They have told me themselves that M. Franklin-Bouillon
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>did all he could to advise them to preserve
-good relations with England.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The car arrived about eleven o’clock, and though
-we were driven to spend the night in the station (a
-junction between HAÏDAR Pasha, Angora and Smyrna);
-though the wind howled over the beating rain, and the
-train shrieked in the distance, the contrast of so much
-comfort (on the luxurious couch of a roomy car) with
-the experience of the previous night, made one feel
-that the discomfort itself had been worth while.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As the colonel, the cheik and the officers in turn
-brought me a glass of tea by way of nightcap, I said
-to each: “How good it is to be here!”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>
- <h2 id='ch14' class='c009'>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>IN THE “TRAIN DE LUXE”—THE SUPREME GOOD FELLOWSHIP OF ENGLISH LAUGHTER—JOURNEYING TOWARDS THE CRADLE OF NEW TURKEY</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>It</span> was well past ten when I woke next morning.
-Though the sun was blazing through the uncurtained
-windows, I had slept undisturbed.</p>
-<div id='i122' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i122.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>A Battle Royal with my Tangled, Dusty Hair.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>There had, of course, been no chance of “undressing
-for the night.” But I had been able to take off my
-boots, and having a whole compartment to myself,
-I was only too glad to take out my wire brush for the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>luxury of a “battle royal” with my tangled and dusty
-hair.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was still only half awake and far too tired to think
-of <i>les convenances</i>, when a smiling crowd of excited
-and gesticulating Turks suddenly appeared on the
-platform. Truth to tell, the six-days-and-five-nights’
-journey seemed like an eternity. I had forgotten
-Smyrna—almost forgotten the war. Were these happy
-children the “enemies” of my country?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A tactful little bird now reminded me that Turks
-are not used to the vision of ladies “at the toilette,”
-and it was, perhaps, a somewhat perverse form of
-gratitude that tempted me to fill my rubber basin
-from my host’s bottle of Evian in order to wash my
-hands “under the table.”</p>
-
-<div id='i123' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i123.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>A Bottle of Evian—Under the Table.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Despite haste and discretion, however, I experienced
-an unusual sense of being dressed and clean, as I
-eventually stepped out into the daylight to make the
-acquaintance of Eski-Chéir.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I found the colonel on the platform talking with
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>animation to a nice-looking Turkish general, who also,
-it appeared, had a saloon, to which we all three soon
-adjourned for coffee and talk. He, too, will scarcely
-believe that I am English.... “I did not think Englishwomen
-could laugh so heartily,” was his excuse for
-scepticism.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My dear sir,” I replied, “I was born laughing,
-and shall keep it up to the bitter end. God has
-given me a few gifts—not many—and that for which
-I give most thanks is a keen sense of humour.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So I trotted out all the experiences of my journey
-one by one, not forgetting the Greek I had to “shake”
-at Athens, and the Frenchman in the “Caracole.”
-Convulsed with laughter, they one and all shouted:
-“She is <i>not</i> English!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This strange impression of our race prevails, I
-know, also in France and America. They forget
-Shakespeare’s Falstaff and the supreme “good fellowship
-of English laughter.” French wit, no doubt,
-reveals the swift play of a keener and more subtle
-intellect; ours is a “midsummer madness” of warm
-hearts in the Forests of Arden.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For my part, when the “literature” mistress
-challenged her class to “hunt for humour” in “Julius
-Cæsar,” I put my finger upon the Stage Direction—“Enter
-Cæsar in his nightgown!” I could not then,
-nor can I now, agree that Brutus’s wife’s distracted
-hurrying away, and then recalling, the page for
-news of his master is anything but tragic pathos.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Few nations, again, will enjoy as we do a joke against
-themselves. When I published a “Turkish Woman’s
-Impressions of Europe,” about ten years ago, in which
-she so happily hit off the weakness of our Western
-civilisations, the Continent was up in arms. It was
-an <i>English</i> critic who gaily expressed his “most sincere
-thanks” for so “thorough a dressing-down.” No
-publisher in the States would take the following book,
-with Americans as “victims,” for fear of his “sensitive”
-and “patriotic” (!) readers.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At a half-ruined restaurant near the station, over
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>the most excellent meal I ever tasted in such miserable
-surroundings, we had a long talk with General Mouedine
-Pasha and his two sons about politics and some
-curious stories they had heard somewhere about
-England. It is natural that these men should not
-be interested in any other subject. The general, he
-told us, had been in and out of prison for the last
-fifteen years—exiled by Abdul Hamid, escaping, and
-caught again. After the Armistice he left Constantinople,
-at great personal risk, to join M. Kemal
-Pasha; was, for a time, Governor of Adana, and is
-now taking up his post as Ambassador at Teheran.
-Most of the leading soldier Nationalists—M. Kemal
-Pasha and Fethi Bey among the rest—seem to have
-been his grateful pupils, and, naturally, he is a proud
-man to-day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If only the authorities at Lausanne had known or
-could imagine anything about life in Angora during
-the last three years! All the best men exiled, persecuted,
-and imprisoned. What wonder that Nationalism
-had grown into a religion!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was indignant at the suggestion that French
-officers, or a British strategist, were “wanted” in
-the Turkish Army. “My pupils,” he said, “are more
-fitted to <i>give</i> instruction than to receive it....</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The buying and selling of munitions, the haggling
-and bargaining introduced in the army—all that ought
-<i>not</i> to be—came from Germany.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was not the <i>only</i> “big man” in Turkey to lose
-faith in their war-ally, or to recognise some compensation
-for their terrible defeat in the freedom from Teuton
-rule that it involved; but they are not, therefore,
-any more kindly disposed to the yoke of “the
-Allies.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Eski-Chéir had been one of the most flourishing
-towns in Anatolia, and was destined from its position
-as a junction between two big railway lines—Angora
-and Baghdad—to become more prosperous year by
-year. Every town, of course, has its own story of
-looting, “violation of women,” and fire; but to the
-spectator all now seem very much alike, and what
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>chiefly impressed one here was the amazing rapidity
-with which it had started to recover.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If the produce be only lifted from the backs of
-patient and sure-footed donkeys on to the Mother Earth,
-it is, after all, extraordinary that there should
-yet be any produce left. Peasants ready to walk
-miles along muddy roads to sell their goods in such small
-quantities for so little profit will scarcely welcome the
-cost of transport by modern methods. For them, time
-is <i>not</i> money, and four weeks’ tramp beside a donkey is
-far cheaper than a few hours by train.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It surprised me to find the curio-merchants already
-again supplied with their tempting wares: mother-o’-pearl
-ikons and other relics, old coffee-mills, coral
-seals, cameos, etc. Trade was fairly brisk, being run
-on the sound basis of quick profits and small returns,
-fair prices and honest dealing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The attractions, of course, come nowhere near those
-of the famous bazaar at Constantinople; but I was
-grateful to find so little haggling over the price. I
-remember two types of merchants at Constantinople.
-One kindly-looking old man with a long white beard
-was sitting cross-legged over his charcoal fire, making
-himself a cup of coffee. When I inquired about a
-fine Persian dressing-gown that took my fancy, he
-simply answered: “Much too dear for you,” and so
-dismissed me. The other always asked for three times
-what he was prepared to accept—a most irritating
-habit. When I visited the bazaar in Turkish dress,
-my Turkish sister, of course a real Turk, asked if
-he really found he <i>could</i> rob people in this way. “I
-never rob Turks,” was the naïve reply, “only the English
-and the Americans.” The temptation to disclose
-my nationality was strong, but in those less liberal
-days it might have meant “trouble” for my friend.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here I soon saw it would be waste of time to visit
-<i>any</i> bazaar after the French colonel. He counts it a
-day wasted if he has not found some treasures, which
-are all sent for him to Paris.... “Poor man,” as
-my friend the innkeeper would have remarked, “he is
-so far from home!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>In Eski-Chéir before the fire, however, art had been
-altogether put away for munitions. The factories
-worked day and night, cannons and lorries in readiness
-all the time. One day we shall learn something at
-least of the ceaseless efforts by which victory was
-snatched out of nothing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We left the town at about ten o’clock in the evening.
-At last we are actually <i>en route</i> for Angora. “I
-cannot even yet quite believe,” said I, “that I am really
-starting, that I shall really arrive.” I heard that
-some American women (more enterprising, or less
-expensive, than their confrères) have reached Ismidt,
-but can get no further.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was, indeed, “hard-going,” and I believe that
-the colonel’s “salon” only just came in time. I was
-told, four years ago, by the eminent Jean Louis
-Faure, that <i>if</i> I survived at all it would be as a permanent
-and complete invalid. Yet I have faced more
-since then than most “strong” people would care to
-attempt.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks, remember, who could not obtain or
-afford a yaili (the native carriage) were driven to
-“walk” the eight hundred miles to Angora in a climate
-that more than doubles the strain on one’s physique.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>As soon as we meet new faces, the questions about
-Lloyd George all begin over again.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told the story of <i>Les Misérables</i>. How the
-ambitious Welsh lad and his uncle, the village cobbler,
-“worked at the French” together in the old days, one
-looking out “what a word meant” in the dictionary,
-the other discovering how to pronounce it. Mr. Lloyd
-George had often declared that the policy of his whole
-career came straight from his first study of that immortal
-classic—“to devote his life to helping the
-‘under dog.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Perhaps he has lost the copy of <i>Les Misérables</i> he
-used always to carry with him, and so missed the road
-to that magnificent goal; so, at least, it seemed to
-my Turkish audience. “That is the man, a democrat
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>who could understand and appreciate our fight for
-freedom; what has driven him to hate us?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could only repeat such “explanation” as I had
-been able to offer before to their compatriots of the
-mountains.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel was kind enough to suggest how much
-I might have saved England had I been here a year
-ago.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is very doubtful,” I answered, “whether I
-could have done much, even then. Our Government
-makes up its own mind without listening to outside
-information. As a matter of fact, Colonel Aubrey
-Herbert, a <i>recognised</i> authority on the Near East, called
-twice at 10, Downing Street, to urge that very scheme
-upon the Premier’s private secretary, Mr. Philip Kerr,
-but they preferred to keep me in England.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But why is your ‘intelligence’ so badly
-managed?” he asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What evidence can you produce for such an
-assumption?” was my retort.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There could surely be no other explanation of
-your leaving the Greeks without support ... unless,
-indeed, they are right who whisper that Mr. Lloyd
-George actually wanted the opposing armies to exterminate
-each other. His conduct, certainly, lent
-colour to the charge.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I refused to be drawn.... “‘Intelligence’ is
-not my province,” I answered, “although I <i>can</i> say
-that the Turks were not served much better in that
-respect.... They won by ‘faith’; what we of the
-West call ‘superstition.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was able to more or less look after the son of an
-eminent Turkish lady writer during his studies in
-Paris, just after the Treaty of Sèvres. His father,
-one of the leading Governors under the last administration,
-had given up all to follow M. Kemal Pasha.
-When I asked the boy whether they had any hope of
-success, he just flashed out: “They <i>must</i> succeed.
-His stars are ‘right.’ He <i>could</i> not fail!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, Turkish diplomats, one and all,
-declared he would fail.</p>
-
-<div id='i128' class='figcenter id001'>
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>
-<img src='images/i128.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>GENERAL MOUEDDINE PASHA.<br /><span class='sc'>Military Instructor of Mustapha Kemal Pasha.<br />Turkish Ambassador at Teheran (Persia).</span><br />p. 128</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>“Must such splendid efforts be thrown away?” I
-sadly answered; “are there <i>no</i> circumstances that
-<i>might</i> arise to justify at least some hope?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My dear lady,” was the courteous and grave
-reply, “we <i>wish</i> him success, as you do; but you
-have too much good sense to believe in fairy tales.
-The Pasha has neither money nor munitions. He
-has the Greeks (well supported by the Allies and the
-Sultan) against him on the north, the Armenians on
-the east, the French on the south. He will put up a
-brave fight and perish in the attempt. The days of
-miracles are past.” But the miracle happened!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>And now, as the train followed the line of the
-victorious army, our young men took out their maps
-and eagerly pointed out to us these, now almost sacred,
-landmarks. Their father, at the same time, explained
-many technical details—why such and such a position
-could not be maintained, where the Greek strategy
-had failed, how General Trécoupis (now thankful, no
-doubt, to be in the Turks’ hands at Eski-Chéir) had
-surrendered to a mere lieutenant.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>By way of return for all this interesting information,
-I told a few simple stories about the Royal Family
-of Great Britain, which I have always found interest
-these people far more than my “grander,” or more
-romantic, reminiscences from the Courts of Europe.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They are never tired of hearing that our Edward
-VII. only required <i>one</i> “gentleman in waiting” at a
-time at Marienbad; whereas the Czar (Ferdinand)
-of Bulgaria was always accompanied by a suite of
-eight or nine. Sir Edward Goschen was instructed to
-dress, like his royal master, in a green Tyrolese hat
-with its little shooting feather. He was sent to sit on
-“the king’s bench” until the crowd had satisfied
-their natural desires for “a good view,” and gone home
-to breakfast. <i>Then</i> Edward VII. himself arrived.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I went on to tell of a Wagner concert, so crowded
-that a certain little American lady of about seventy
-quietly settled into the only empty seat that the King’s
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>attendant just happened to have vacated. She simply
-“refused to believe” the scandalised authorities
-when they told her that she was sitting beside the
-King of England. Edward enjoyed the joke, would
-not allow “his friend,” to be disturbed, and chattered
-merrily to her between the music to the end of the
-programme.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Her countrywomen, in Ascot gowns, driving their
-four-horse carriages up to the golf-course at Marienbad,
-<i>in search of</i> an introduction, did not find His
-Majesty so easy to approach. The most determined
-of them all (up against something that “money” could
-not buy) was driven to use her scissors to cut off a
-few hairs from his dog’s tail. “At least,” she said,
-“if I have no souvenir of the King of England, I have
-a bit of his dog,” and she mounted the hairs in a
-locket and wore it until she died.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You see,” I concluded, “how much these ‘democrats’
-admire a king. Will the fever, I wonder, ever
-take root in the East?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>When we reached the Sakharia, the eyes of the
-general were filled with tears, and it was some time
-before he managed to speak of what <i>had been</i>. It
-seemed, indeed, too good to be true. The Greeks
-had penetrated to Sakharia; and now they were
-driven out of the whole country!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Without our Pasha,” said he, “we should still
-be slaves. To-day, none dare fail in duty to our
-Fatherland!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They were all this man’s pupils, these Nationalist
-leaders. To his fine, upright character they owe an
-example they are proud to acknowledge. His sons
-told me that he was in exile for six years, and they had
-no idea where he was! It was easy to see how they
-admired him and how devoted he was to them; and
-now his work at Teheran will not be easy; such men
-give their whole lives to service!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We have travelled quickly and comfortably over
-this desolate country; the little engine, <i>stoked with
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>wood</i>, is tugging its long burden up the long heights.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Look,” said the colonel, “there is Angora.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That little village perched on a hill?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is not a village,” he corrected, “it is a town.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet somehow I felt this was not what I had
-expected ... “such a tiny speck of a place to bear
-so great a name!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Well, I had my first peep at that which I had come
-so far to see—the cradle of the New Turkey. Soon
-I shall meet the hero of the Nationalists!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>
- <h2 id='ch15' class='c009'>CHAPTER XV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ANGORA I.—ENTERING A “BROTHERHOOD”—AN ATMOSPHERE OF CAMARADERIE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>“Well</span>, what did you expect to see?” asked the
-colonel.</p>
-<p class='c012'>“Really, I don’t know exactly,” said I, “but
-something different.... I suppose I am foolish
-enough to look for some sort of likeness to our Western
-towns.... There is a certain resemblance in parts
-to a town in the Rhondda Valley, except that the Welsh
-mining districts are sordid and this is picturesque.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why not leave it as it is,” said the colonel—“unique
-and impossible to classify? Begin your
-explorations at my house, where you can enjoy another
-glass of warm tea.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This, in fact, was the first house I entered, and the
-last I left, in Angora.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On a crowded platform—for the arrival of a train
-is an event—stood a Chef de Cabinet of the Ministry
-of Foreign Affairs and other officials. The Prime
-Minister embraced his old friend the cheik, and carried
-him off to his simple two-roomed dwelling.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I met Fethi Bey in London, it seemed incredible
-that he should have been treated as an enemy
-and exiled to Malta. Now that I came to know Rauf
-Bey, it was impossible not to feel the same. Away
-in these distant mountains, he speaks the most excellent
-English, without even an accent.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I remember a merchant of Smyrna, who complained
-to me that “these horrible people expect us to learn
-their language, to speak and write it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>“And why not?” I answered. “They learn
-ours.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Oh, that’s quite different. Besides, Turkish is
-much too difficult.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I reminded him of Mrs. John Burns. When her
-husband became a Cabinet Minister, a certain fine
-lady decided to amuse herself by inviting “the man’s
-wife” to tea. Her note ran: “Do excuse my not
-having called on you. It is so far for me to come from
-Mayfair to Battersea.” Mrs. Burns replied: “It is
-exactly the same distance from Battersea to Mayfair.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That is a charming story, but it will not persuade
-me to learn Turkish.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Prime Minister, for some reason wearing a fez
-in place of the picturesque kalpak, brought me
-apologies for Fethi Bey’s absence. “It is Friday, and
-he has not been to the office all day.” We had all
-forgotten that it was the Moslem Sunday.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now we are going to be friends,” I said later to
-Rauf Bey, “we must arrange ‘the same day’ for
-our prayers of thanksgiving for peace.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is you who will have to change,” he replied,
-smiling; “you must learn to go our ways now.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here, indeed, at this far-away little station, one
-seemed to be entering some kindly “brotherhood.”
-Everyone was wringing the colonel’s hand, embracing
-the general and the cheik. I felt, too, that my fellow-passengers
-were telling them about “a new member”
-they wanted to introduce, saying heartily: “She will
-soon know all about the rules of our club.” Everyone
-here plainly “stood for” the same ideals. We are
-talking like friends already, without the formality of
-an introduction. We are all working for a definite and
-well-defined goal. Houses are scarcely needed for hospitality
-in a town with this atmosphere of <i>camaraderie</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I found myself chatting with the Prime Minister as
-though we were old members of the same club. When, a
-few minutes later, I described the unconscious influence
-to the colonel, he only said to his friends: “See how
-quickly she catches the atmosphere of this delightful
-place!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>Here it is sympathy with Turkey in her bid for
-freedom that gives one the <i>entré</i> to the society, as
-in London one gains admission to the club, in my case
-for example, as a writer of books. There is no sense
-of suspicion. You feel you have a right to be here
-all the time. If you were not <i>trusted</i> you would not
-be allowed over the threshold.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Soldiers and refugees, officers and deputies, they are
-all on the platform. Everybody has seen us, everybody
-has greeted us; next morning the kindest little paragraph
-of welcome appears in the newspapers. I have
-completely forgotten the war!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel lives on the first floor of what was in
-the “beginning of days” the Station Hotel. M.
-Kemal Pasha himself lived there for a time, and now
-it is the “French Embassy.” Fortunately, the colonel
-has schooled himself into <i>imagining</i> a house is warm,
-whatever the temperature; and I found him very comfortably
-installed, with plenty of fresh air and a fine
-open view. Within, however, there were, except in
-the bureau, no rugs or carpets on the bare boards.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To secure the luxury of a European wash, I decided
-to spend the night in the station, where the young
-secretary gladly gave up his room to me, making a
-bedroom of the bureau for himself and the colonel’s
-aide-de-camp, Captain Hikmet Bey, after we had all
-enjoyed a very appetising little meal.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The “Catholic” servant, however, was frankly
-annoyed at having to wait on an Englishwoman—“that
-hateful intriguing race that killed my husband!”
-He was killed, as a matter of fact, by the Greeks, but
-we are, not unnaturally, held responsible, and once
-more I realised how little “brotherhood” there exists
-between Christians. I confess it is always with an
-effort that I remember Armenians <i>are</i> Christians. In
-the end, however, Marie decided that I was not really
-English, and we became the best of friends. When I
-left Angora she shed many tears, kissing my hand,
-placing it against her forehead in the picturesque custom
-of her race, and begging me to come back soon.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I handed her my rubber hot-bottle, she
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>apparently supposed I did not care to use the jug which
-already stood on the table, and filled it with <i>cold</i>
-water! When she understood that the water must be
-hot, she brought it back to me to wait and watch what
-I would do with it. The idea of putting it in my bed
-made her laugh heartily; and then she decided to sit
-down and see whatever would happen next!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I was tired, and, with none to interpret, began
-to wonder how I could send her away. My phrase-book,
-as usual, did not provide the clue, so I merely
-pointed to the door, saying <i>kapou</i> (a door), which
-luckily had the desired effect. But she was back again
-as soon as she dared in the morning, to enjoy more
-laughter at the sight of the hot-bottle by my side.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The principal road from the station to “Holy
-Angora” is wide enough for three or four carts to pass.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here are two-horse carriages, their primitive harness
-decorated with turquoise beads, driven by picturesque,
-shabby Arabaje (<i>i.e.</i>, coachmen) in turbans of many
-colours. Also the yaili, so called from their springs,
-and the famous Anatolian log-carriages, drawn by
-bullocks. By the <i>side</i> of the road, sunk in the snow or
-mud, are the heavy carts drawn by buffaloes and driven
-by women, who wear the large, baggy, Anatolian
-trousers, and conceal their hair beneath a scarf. Their
-clothes, poor souls, are so nearly covered with patches
-that some of them seem “all patch.” The men all
-wear kalpaks, and we see the peasants (men and
-women) riding their laden donkeys or trudging along
-beside beasts as patient as themselves. They look as
-though they had walked straight out of the Bible.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The main road passes the Grand National Assembly
-on the way to the few shops. The restaurants make a
-fair show of Turkish delicacies, like your ekmek-kadaïf,
-and kébab. We pass two hans (<i>i.e.</i>, inns) as
-primitive in comfort as appearance, built of mud in
-which large holes can be seen, and full of danger to the
-unwary on their rickety staircases. The “commercials”
-in their yailis, on camels or donkeys,
-however, can find no other or better accommodation.
-There are pictures of Ghazi Pasha all over the town,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>and in one or two bookshops you can also buy his
-principal colleagues, patriotic postcards, and other
-“Nationalist” pictures in gaudy colours.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At quaint little booths in the market-place we find
-a tempting array of fruit, vegetables, and meat, bread
-and cheese, raisins, nuts, and boots!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And, finally, we reach a few dwelling-houses of wood,
-stone, or mud that do not seem to have been built on
-any plan, and now look more irregular than ever
-because of the huge “gap” on the hillside caused, of
-course, by the usual fire!</p>
-
-<div id='i136' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i136.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>The Market-place at Angora.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>The weatherbeaten mud and thatch dwellings are
-whitewashed inside, and have plain wooden doors
-with handsome knockers and quaint, huge locks. They
-are mostly heated by mangals of burning charcoal
-that give out poisonous fumes. However, the wood-stoves
-are not much better, as they quickly produce
-an intense heat and then die down as quickly, besides
-the danger of setting the whole place on fire.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is difficult to find one’s way in Angora, but the
-coachmen are wonderful. They “take” anything in
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>their headlong course, so that one is constantly jolted
-out of one’s seat as the carriages swing from angle
-to angle, up and down the steep slopes. To start from
-the Ottoman Bank on a wet day requires a double dose
-of fatalism.</p>
-
-<div id='i137' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i137.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>“The carriages swing from angle to angle.”</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ismet Pasha was much amused when I told him that
-I always said my prayers before starting out for a
-drive, and uttered some “holy ejaculation” every
-five minutes of the way. Even a handsome car like
-M. Kemal Pasha’s can be seen dancing about like
-Shakespeare’s elf—“over hill, over dale, through bush,
-through briar!” A chauffeur who can pilot you
-through Angora could negotiate any country under
-the sun.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was as well, perhaps, that my host, Feszi Bey,
-had arranged for me to be driven to his house under the
-cover of darkness, when pitfalls were not so obvious.
-He is Minister of Public Works, and was at the moment
-attending the debate on the dethronement of the
-Sultan. As none of his family speak French, Osman
-Noury Bey, of the Ottoman Bank, had been instructed
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>to act as my escort, and we found them all in the
-sitting-room, with its lattice windows at each end,
-round as large a fire as it was safe to have. The heat
-was almost overpowering after our brisk drive in the
-night air.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Osman Noury Bey was obliged to leave me on the
-threshold, as he could not enter the women’s apartments.
-While the <i>harīm</i> and sex-separation are
-not now rigidly enforced by the most educated Turks,
-they have not by any means yet disappeared. I found
-that the whole “woman” question was really on much
-the same footing in Anatolia as in other countries;
-that is, “liberty” varies with education, upbringing,
-and surroundings. In this house the women were
-closely veiled and dependent upon their own sex for
-all their pleasures and companionships. Osman Bey
-himself is thoroughly liberal-minded and would have
-allowed his wife full freedom, provided only her hair
-was covered, but she goes out very little and clearly
-prefers the old ways.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, the wife of Djavid Bey, ex-Minister
-of Finance, goes to private dances; while
-Halidé Hanoum goes everywhere and has mixed freely
-with men for many years. Yet I, a woman, have
-never seen her hair unveiled.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>While we were waiting for my host’s return, I did
-my best to “make conversation” by signs and gestures,
-and was really surprised at my success. You can
-convey far more than one would suppose when you
-seriously endeavour to <i>make</i> your company understand.
-I had my book, too, of “conversations in Turkish,”
-and so managed to remark: “The house is large—the
-fire is warm—I like a warm fire.” Had I depended
-upon the women in Turkey, I might soon have learned
-something of their language.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our host arrives, and he is kindness and courtesy
-itself.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At about half-past nine, his Excellency asked me
-when I would like to dine.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Whenever you are ready,” I replied.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Oh, no,” was the courteous reply, “it is when <i>you</i>
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>are ready. <i>Vous maître maison, moi votre service.</i>”
-Too charming a thought for one to examine the
-accuracy of the language!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was always amused to see me “hunting” in
-the dictionary; and as I could <i>never</i> get used to “beginning
-at the end and reading backwards,” my most
-painstaking researches often produced strange results.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Like most of the Nationalist ministers, Feszi
-Bey is a man of about forty, tall, well-built, dark, with
-large dark eyes. He is one of the richest men in
-Asia Minor, owning about eighteen villages in Diarbékir,
-and is immensely proud of his sons. His house
-in Constantinople was “requisitioned” for English
-officers and left almost in ruins; but he has large
-estates and many houses in his native land. Here, in
-Angora, he was paying what seemed to be a heavy rent
-for somewhere to live, considering the scanty furniture
-and lack of comforts in this house.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The ground-floor was occupied by kitchens and
-another room which the merciful man had given up to
-his horses, leaving his carriage outside in the rain and
-snow. Though not in any way like a stable, the animals
-were clearly well-cared-for here. A very steep wooden
-staircase, certainly <i>not</i> built for ladies’ high heels,
-leads to a central room—almost a “lounge”—which
-opens into four others. It was dimly lit by candles,
-a survival from war-days when petrol was worth its
-weight in gold—literally two hundred francs a litre.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Feszi Bey has been in Angora ever since the movement
-began, and has acquired that striking expression
-of a set, firm resolve which I notice on the faces of all
-his colleagues. I asked him whether he did not “sometimes
-tire of living in this bare and rough Asiatic fortress,
-so far from all means of culture or distraction.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We have our work,” he replied; “too absorbing
-and too important to leave us time for complaint. We
-do not even ‘miss’ our comforts, or need more than
-an hour or two’s sleep. There is so much to plan for
-our new country, the day, and most of the night, are not
-long enough.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here one naturally feels far more in “New Turkey”
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>than at Smyrna; the impression grows on one day by
-day. At Lausanne I tried to make them understand
-that they were still busying themselves over a Turkey
-that is dead.... “You can’t talk to these people as
-you were accustomed to speak under the Sultans,
-they would not understand you.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They only smiled at a woman carried away by her
-emotions. But they were wrong; this is no question
-of sex. The very ramparts, clear-cut in the distance
-like gigantic razor-blades, the very remains of the
-Roman, even the Seldjoucide and Osman, civilisations
-which halted among these hills, will bear witness to the
-birth of a new nation!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As I gaze out over the mountain-tomb of Timourlin
-a voice seems to cut through the chill air: “Here is
-a glory that will not perish. Here, where the civilisations
-of the world’s childhood have flourished;
-here, on the ruins of the great Empire of the Ancients;
-here beginneth a new Turkey, the democrat
-of democracies!”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>
- <h2 id='ch16' class='c009'>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ANGORA II.—AT THE HOME OF MY KIND AND COURTEOUS HOST</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>The</span> next morning we breakfast, “when I am ready,”
-which is 8.30. My host’s face beams with delight,
-and the generous <i>menu</i> could hardly fail to put
-“the guest” in good spirits—toast and boiled eggs
-(my allowance being half a dozen a day), biscuits and
-cheese, olives, and glasses of tea.</p>
-<p class='c012'>In Nationalist houses “reading the papers” and
-discussing foreign telegrams have become almost a
-religious rite. This morning, clearly, there is “good
-news”! The very air we breathe seems lighter,
-faces look less anxious, men are greeting each other in
-hopeful tones! What can it be?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Of course, I am not kept long in suspense—“Mr.
-Lloyd George is a fallen angel!” Well, certainly, I
-shall not go into mourning; but, at the same time, the
-animosity thus so sharply revealed makes one sad
-for one’s own country.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>With their inborn tact, my friends suggest that we
-all go to the Pasha’s to celebrate, <i>not</i> the fall of a “Lost
-Leader,” but the prospect of the Conservatives’
-return to power.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To them, as in England, the change is welcome for
-the long vista of possibilities it opens up. Shall we
-resume the Beaconsfield traditions without Gladstone’s
-sentimentality? Will Mr. Bonar Law find
-means to justify our faith? It is obviously early days
-yet for any assurance in prophecy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet, if the exit of Mr. Lloyd George delighted the
-Continent and the Near East—as if a modern Nero had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>been assassinated—I, for one, could only think with
-sorrow upon the “splendour of opportunity” which
-he has missed and lost. No man, since the world began,
-ever held in his hands such a power for good in England
-and among all nations. He could have raised the
-prestige of Empire to even greater heights and led the
-councils for peace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Almost the contrary has come to pass. To-day,
-certainly, our faith, our good word, our justice, and our
-fair play (without which England is <i>not</i> England) are
-almost everywhere subjected to suspicion and distrust.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When Turks tell me it is as easy “to buy” one of
-our officers as those of other nations, that they have
-done so over and over again in Constantinople, I try
-to say that it cannot be. When my host tells me they
-paid £6,000 sterling for our men’s assistance to charter
-a boat and escape from Malta, I can only admit, in
-silence, that they did—somehow—escape. When I
-learn that at least <i>one</i> correspondent in Constantinople
-is subsidised by the Greeks, I can bear no more.
-Whence have bribery and corruption invaded our
-country against the traditions of centuries? I told
-them I used to feel that “I was sitting on a rock amidst
-howling and roaring seas; now even the rock itself is
-sinking.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To pay honour where honour is due, I compliment
-the Minister on the splendid “foreign” news of both
-his papers—the <i>Tanine</i> and the <i>Vakit</i>. I wish to-day
-that I knew the language and could read the articles by
-Hussein Djahid and Ahmet Emine. Even translated,
-I find them full of sound commonsense and beautifully
-written. If at times they are bitter, there is none
-of that sensationalism which our Press has lately
-borrowed from the States.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My host is due at his office at 9.30, but, though
-he has ventured to glance at his watch, the talk
-continues. At about 10.30, I casually ask: “Are you
-not going to your office to-day?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When you allow it,” was the startling answer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Now, surely, time is of importance at least to a
-responsible Minister? Yet he will cheerfully give up
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>an hour of his sleep (for that is what it will mean) to
-my entertainment, because I have forgotten <i>my</i> duty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do not hesitate,” he went on, “to tell me of
-anyone you would specially like to meet, man or woman.
-It shall be arranged.... Fethi Bey will lunch with
-you to-day. Whom else shall I invite?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I said that I should, one day, like to see Younous
-Nadi Bey, the editor of <i>Yeni Gun</i> and President of
-Commission for Foreign Affairs in the Grand National
-Assembly. “He must be interesting, since our Press
-describe him as a ‘man who ought to be shot’!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I found this gentleman, as I expected, well worth
-going out of one’s way to meet. Without the exquisite
-manners of Hussein Djahid Bey, he is one of those men
-who, having made up his own mind about right and
-wrong, never hesitates to act.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At any rate, until he <i>is</i> shot, he will not allow the
-Government to sleep, nor to trust Europe without
-sufficient guarantees. He graciously wrote in <i>Yeni
-Gun</i> that I had given him some very valuable information
-about our policy. I certainly did my best to
-explain Lord Curzon’s position. Neither he nor Fethi
-Bey, however, could understand how he could stay in
-the new Cabinet. I scarcely expected that they, or
-any foreigner, could realise the full measure of England’s
-folly in putting the whole machinery of government
-into one man’s undisputed control. Like everyone
-else nominally in power, the Foreign Minister
-became a mere cypher.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why did he stand it?” they asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“For the moment, no protests would have had
-any effect. His resignation might easily have brought
-in a far more complete collapse, and, meanwhile, he
-probably felt that the interests of Conservatism were,
-to a large extent, in his hands. Lord Curzon knows
-the East, and he knows what <i>ought</i> to be done. As
-Goethe says: ‘Between the knave and the fool, one
-should always choose the knave.’... <i>Gegen die
-Dumheit, kämpfen die Götte selbst vergebens.</i> (Even
-the gods fight in vain against stupidity.)”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Again and again I try to assure them that our
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>policy in Turkey is going to “come right.” When
-they politely retorted that we “did not seem in any
-great hurry to start turning,” I could only suggest
-that “Empires, like whales, could not quickly change
-their direction.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Younous Nadi Bey is a most interesting talker.
-Like so many of the Nationalists, he “comes from”
-Malta; like them all, he loves his country sincerely,
-and is eager to protect her. Can we expect these men
-to trust the Power that, only three months ago, was
-doing its best to destroy them? For myself, I could
-only hope that we should soon give them sound reason
-to change their opinions.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I afterwards paid a visit to Younous Nadi at the
-offices of the <i>Yeni Gun</i>. After coffee in his primitive
-“editorial sanctum,” I was shown over all the “works.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The illustrations are prepared with a hand machine,
-which reminded me of our school magazine activities;
-but the “results” are, if anything, rather better than
-our own “dailies” achieve.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The operator had built his bed over the solitary
-press, in part, no doubt, to save time, but possibly also
-with the idea of protecting his “treasure.” The
-editor apologised for the lack of all our modern processes
-of production. I was the more inclined to
-compliment him upon his conquest of difficulties.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is surely a <i>tour de force</i> to “get the news” from
-this Anatolian machinery, and there are sixty papers
-in Anatolia!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We were staying in the Hadji Baïram quarter of Angora,
-so called from the mosque and turbé erected in
-memory of that sainted man. My host’s house stands
-on the edge of a hillock, exposed on all sides to the
-rain or wind or snow. No carriage can drive up to
-the doors, and, too often, that last hundred yards’
-walk means being soaked to the skin. Any number of
-stray dogs and cats find shelter in its many doorways,
-howling and whining all through the night.</p>
-
-<div id='i144' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i144.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT ANGORA.<br />p. 141</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>My guide is supposed to call for me at ten o’clock
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>in the morning, but I have often enough rejoiced at
-his indifference to the clock. There is so much to
-sketch from our front door: an unused cemetery,
-with moss-covered stèles (tombstones) lying in picturesque
-confusion; a tumble-down shepherd’s hut;
-a crumbling mosque; mud houses in need of repair; and
-for background, a steep hill crowned by Timourlin’s
-tomb.</p>
-
-<div id='i145' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i145.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>“There is so much to sketch from our front door.”</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>While painting, I have counted just four passers-by—two
-men leading their fruit-laden donkeys, and two
-women taking their asses to drink. No artist can
-resist Oriental landscapes; and genius, I suppose,
-would hardly remember to share my longing for nice
-warm “Western” baths in an atmosphere that
-means “microbes” in summer and in winter all kinds
-of discomfort.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The “sights” for tourists do not delay one many
-days. There are excellent “Red Cross” hospitals,
-a military hospital, an école normale for girls, a military
-school, the Ministries, town gardens, the Armenian
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>Orphanage, the “Embassies,” and the Ottoman Bank.
-One can also enjoy long drives through miles of
-uncultivated land.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>These various “institutions,” particularly the
-educational, are full of interest if one had time to
-thoroughly investigate the whole system, since probably
-no civilisation in the world differs so radically from our
-own.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Explorations, however extensive, must all be over
-before five o’clock. For as the eastern sun sets in its
-glory, we all go home—ministers and deputies to plan
-and work, the rest of the population to talk and wonder
-what the “great folk” are doing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I never understood how all the people managed to
-hide themselves in so few houses. Turks, we all know,
-can perform miracles with mattresses and divans; but
-even their ingenuity can seldom have overcome so
-“tough a problem” as the inhabitants, official and
-civil, of Angora.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There <i>is</i>, admittedly, a housing “problem,” and
-building has not yet begun. As Angora is to be the
-permanent seat of Government, they cannot much
-longer delay the important consideration of providing
-for Foreign Embassies.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have already driven many times past the Assembly
-(which closely resembles one of our county clubs);
-I have seen the admirably-arranged flower-gardens
-and heard the band. To-morrow, for the first time,
-I am to <i>enter</i> the Nationalist Parliament!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>
- <h2 id='ch17' class='c009'>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ANGORA III.—THE MARVELLOUS ATMOSPHERE OF A GREAT BIRTH</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>In</span> all my wanderings, East and West, over Europe and
-America, I have nowhere been so much thrilled by a
-dominating sense of “real effort” as at Angora.
-Against a background of prehistoric civilisations,
-the human bees swarm in and out of their Parliament,
-buzzing away night and day, a <i>free and independent
-Turkey</i>.</p>
-<p class='c012'>What will their “delegation” accomplish at
-Lausanne? Is the war only postponed, or will there
-be peace? “At one moment our spirits rise to the most
-daring hopes; we see ourselves marching into Constantinople.
-At the next, Younous Nadi Bey reports
-‘grave news’ from abroad, and preparations for war
-are resumed.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel persists in “doubt” towards England.
-“Do you know,” said I, “I am astonished at my own
-superiority?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was not convinced, but demanded chapter and
-verse.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We both love Turkey; but I also love your
-country and you dislike mine. Therefore, am I not
-immensely your superior?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>In a sense, no doubt, we exaggerate things away
-here in Angora. If Europe could ever realise what
-“a free and independent Turkey” really means to her
-own people, the miracle would still seem no more
-than one tiny step forward in the interests of the world.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>Yet sometimes I wonder over the words of Cardinal
-Gasparri: “Turkey has not only dictated to England,
-but to France and Italy as well.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And now, here in Angora, I see them coming along
-their one wide road. All mingled without a thought
-of social distinctions; all intent upon the same goal—their
-country’s freedom; all alike proud of the price
-they have paid—officers and deputies, ministers and
-civil servants, soldiers, peasants, and caravan-drivers.
-Are not these, then, the one true democracy of the
-world?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If I resent being called American,” I told my
-friends here, “it certainly is <i>not</i> because I dislike
-democracy. In Western practice, alas, it has been
-like ‘freedom for women’—so imperfectly carried
-out.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>From its original bungalow design, the building of
-the Grand Nationalist Assembly still retains a certain
-resemblance to the club-pavilion. But considerable
-extensions are being put forward as rapidly as a climate
-that only varies from ten to fifteen degrees below
-zero will permit; while its commanding position, and
-the care bestowed upon the entrance and grounds, are
-admirably calculated to uphold the honour and dignity
-of the Nationalist flag overhead.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is a large ante-room on the left as you enter,
-where I generally spent a good part of the day, after
-my first visit to the Assembly, occasionally finding my
-way into the actual Debate. There were always coffee
-and cigarettes in the ante-room; and it was there I
-met practically all the ministers and deputies, who must,
-at last, have grown weary of my endless questions
-on every conceivable aspect of their ideals and their
-activities. “You must accept me,” I said, in half-serious
-apology, “as a self-constituted Father Confessor”
-to the new nation he loves and admires so
-much.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Across the corridor, too, I was allowed sometimes
-to say “good afternoon” over a cup of coffee to “the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>Pasha” (as M. Kemal is here known to all) in his
-Presidential Bureau.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Honestly, I believe the men “understood” all
-my questions, however indiscreet, and did not take
-offence. They seemed so eager for me to meet <i>everyone</i>
-and learn <i>everything</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was, indeed, a very pleasant and most human
-pursuit of knowledge—a continual succession of brilliant
-and zealous men, interpreting themselves and their
-dreams to an eager listener.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Among other matters, I was particularly anxious
-to know whether Constantinople or Angora was to be the
-<i>permanent</i> capital of the new State, and to understand
-all the reasons that would determine their choice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I love every inch of Constantinople. There are
-obvious and important religious-historical associations
-with its mosques and its public buildings; comfort
-and dignity, space and beauty, are, as it were,
-already at hand. Yet, paradoxical as it may seem,
-to me it lacks, and will always lack, the marvellous
-atmosphere of a Great Birth that so impresses one
-in Angora.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks, I found, were unanimous in having a
-similar preference and, naturally, put forward more
-precise and practical reasons for their choice. There
-may be occasion for a <i>temporary</i> sojourn in Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>But</i> they want an “Asiatic” capital; they want
-to govern their own country beyond the reach of
-possible interference from dreadnoughts; they want
-to maintain an intimate continuity of association with
-the cradle of the movement that begot the State.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is, moreover, a primitive and Asiatic charm
-in Angora, which should serve, as it were, to “keep
-them holy” from the materialisms and the intrigues
-of Western commerce-Empires.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here we are all brothers, fellow-labourers in a
-common cause. All have suffered—at Malta, in Egypt,
-or from corrupt Ottoman Imperial Government.
-Could such union and natural intimacy exist elsewhere?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The “Brotherhood” of the East does not mean
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>anything like our various forms of socialism. The
-“democracy” or almost complete ignoring of class
-distinctions, does not destroy, or even modify, the
-inherited respectful submission of illiterate peasants
-to their “superiors” in intellect, authority, or military
-power. Their religion teaches them to obey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It <i>does</i> mean a universal recognition of identity of
-interest; that the “good of all” is every man’s good
-and every man’s responsibility; that all have <i>equal</i>
-rights to know what can be done for them by the State,
-to give their opinions, to express their wishes or their
-complaints, and to be heard with courteous attention.
-You feel that literally the whole nation is being busy
-about its welfare and its hopes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>With us, of course, the submerged proletariat
-could not practise (and would not be <i>allowed</i> to practise)
-such <i>real</i> equality without perpetual self-assertion and
-loud outcries against the “slavery” of the past.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Every Turk, in his degree, has always been content
-with so little. His personal nature is uncomplaining,
-from a combination of fine feeling and what
-in us would mean lack of courage. Herein lies at once
-their great weakness and their great strength.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Even the “new,” <i>soi-disant</i> “arrogant” Turk
-does not complain. He may intend to, he may assure
-us that he will. Western friends, no doubt, are often
-tempted to wish him the master of a little more push
-and noise. Longer intimacy and a more sympathetic
-understanding, however, will cure us of this mistake.
-Were he not so supersensitive all the time, did he
-attempt our rush methods of progress, he would
-soon cease to be himself and lose the fine mystic
-idealism for which no sacrifice has been too great, no
-passion of waiting and working too prolonged.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They will not yet set up a Republic, as we understand
-the word. No nation on earth has less capacity
-or inclination for Bolshevism. There could never be
-any common chord between their faith and the
-principles of Lenin and Trotsky. One hears so much
-of the Red influence behind Nationalist demands
-that it is well to meet these men in their own houses
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>(truly “in labour” for a Nation’s birth) to see and
-know that such accusations are absolutely false.
-Soviet Russia has been a “friend in need” to the
-Turks, and may befriend them again; but—<i>nothing
-more</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The overpowering magnificence of the Bolshevik
-Embassy may be a measure of their designs, but carries
-no proof of achievement. When personages like
-Fethi Bey and Rauf Bey are working in tiny offices
-no better than glorified barns, one does not, of course,
-like to see the Soviets in possession of the only large
-and well-appointed building in the town. There is a
-staff of seventy, including an army of typists. The
-attachés are well supplied with cars, carriages, and
-other Western luxuries, paying their bills with gold
-Russian roubles.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They are allowed to distribute Red literature,
-though no one in Turkey thinks of reading it. When
-the Russians once sent a few Turks to Angora to preach
-Bolshevism, they were promptly shot by the Nationalist
-Government, <i>pour encourager les autres</i>! That was
-the end of Bolshevist propaganda!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I asked one of the deputies what Turkey thought
-she had gained from the Bolshevists. “When any
-foreign representative visits a country as friendless as
-Turkey,” he replied, “and says: ‘We thoroughly
-approve of all your ideas and principles; we want to
-show the world that we believe in the doctrines of
-freedom and independence that you are preaching,’
-should we turn away from the only sympathy we
-received?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Besides, we had many frontiers to defend;
-at least by shaking hands with the Soviet we secured
-<i>one</i> frontier. I know that this simple act of grateful
-friendship has been much discussed and severely
-criticised in Europe. It may have done us great harm;
-but beggars cannot be choosers. Who else stretched
-out a hand of friendship?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And gold and arms?” I inquired. “Forgive
-my indiscretion.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“A very little gold,” he replied, “not a penny more
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>than two million Turkish pounds. We had arms
-from all nations, no more from Russia than from
-Czecho-Slovakia. It will surprise you to know that
-most of them were bought from England and Greece.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But where could you get the money?” I next
-inquired.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“From our Anatolian population. In no other
-country, would the people have accepted such
-heavy taxation upon their lands, their cattle, and their
-corn. No other country has been driven to resist the
-whole world in defence of her very existence. Our
-taxes must have reached 75 per cent. So you see
-that if Europe does not care to help us, we can manage
-for ourselves, and waste no tears over her in difference.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Certain European papers have published a report
-that Camerad Areloff has been admitted to the Cabinet
-Councils of New Turkey. When an Ambassador from
-Angora was asked why her Government did not contradict
-the obvious falsehood, he retorted: “If any paper,
-in any country, announced that your British Ambassador
-was taking part in the Councils of the French
-Cabinet, would your Government protest?” It was
-readily acknowledged that we should consider such a
-statement to be entirely beneath our notice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Of course you would,” said the Turk; “and we
-take precisely the same view.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>When I arrived at the Assembly one afternoon
-the band was playing in the gardens—a strange accompaniment,
-I thought, to the serious business of Parliament.
-I asked one of the deputies whether this
-was a national holiday, or a day of thanksgiving for
-the arrival of the ex-Khalif at Malta? It was lucky
-for me that the rather dangerous little joke only raised
-a smile, while he explained that, as the Imperial Band
-had fled from Constantinople with the Nationalists,
-its loyalty must be acknowledged and its services
-utilised. It did, in fact, play here for a short time
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>every day. Now I remembered that I had heard bands
-also in Smyrna and Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was graciously suggested that I should choose
-something myself for the band to play, and I asked that
-we might have some Turkish music. One of the
-deputies, it appeared, had written an opera; and
-after listening with great pleasure to some selections
-from his work, I was introduced to the composer.
-The opera, naturally written round the cause, is full
-of a pathos that brings tears to the eyes of an
-understanding audience. They also gave me a patriotic
-love song—the reunion of two lovers (Anatolia and
-Roumelia) after long years of separation—which I
-should like to have heard again and brought away with
-me. Its beauty was haunting, though not quite easy
-to follow at a first hearing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For Roumelia, we know, her share in the horrors of
-war is over. Now it is Anatolia who must suffer.
-Trouble was even fomented among the tribes. First,
-the rebellion of the Roums, who were encouraged to
-stand for private independence; then the hostility of
-the Alewites, and the rebellion of Armenians in Cilicia;
-finally a rising of Circassian tribes—Durdje, Khandeke,
-Adabazar. Naturally again, the men to whom Abdul
-Medjid had given the villayet of Sivas, after the horrible
-massacres of 1864, were loyal to the Khalif’s successor
-and furious at any idea of Nationalist interference.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The course of true love between these two nations
-had not run smoothly. No wonder their reunion
-should be celebrated with such appealing remorse!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The President of the Assembly, Mustapha Kemal
-Pasha, was talking to me one day of the French
-Revolution, and compared what he called his own “very
-elegant” beginning with the poor little Assembly in
-which Michelet had to work, with its single table and
-just a couple of chairs!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here, in addition to the large ante-room and M.
-Kemal’s bureau, the Vice-President, Adnan Bey,
-husband of Halidé Edib Hanoum—has his bureau;
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>and the actual Assembly Hall (built for concerts) is a
-fine room, with its Strangers’ and Press Galleries, its
-platform, and Speaker’s desk.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Speaker (in this case the Vice-President)
-appeared to me to be ringing his bell for order all
-the time; but the whole scene recalls the French
-Chamber of Deputies, and here, too, they all talk at
-once and interrupt each other without ceremony.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I mentioned to “the Pasha” how strange it
-seemed to me that a Parliament should be so noisy,
-Fethi Bey explained by describing to his chief the
-dignity of our proceedings at Westminster.<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c018'><sup>[1]</sup></a> He proved,
-once more, to be a keen observer, quick to decide and
-act, though a man of few words. His cold reception
-in London did not diminish his keen interest in
-our civilisation, which appeals to him immensely, and
-which he was always ready to praise. He told me he
-wanted to go back to England, this time incognito,
-and really master all the institutions, activities, and
-policies of the country, in order to explain us to his
-own people.</p>
-
-<div class='fn'>
-
-<div class='footnote' id='f1'>
-<p class='c019'><span class='label'><a href='#r1'>1</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Fortunately he saw us on our best behaviour at Westminster.</p>
-</div>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>I only wish that he could make time for such a
-mission. The interfering propaganda of Europe has
-made Turkish nationalism very touchy. One
-certainly cannot blame them for any suspicion or
-readiness to take offence, nor wonder at the reception
-they might accord to offers of help from even the
-best foreign specialists whom they had not themselves
-elected to invite or consult. The fight for freedom
-has been single-handed, and the price too heavy for
-them to endure a thought of taking the slightest risk.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I noticed one more evidence of Democracy in this
-Hall of Assembly. There is absolutely no formal
-division, either by rank or office, in the seating accommodation.
-The deputies sit anywhere, each at a sort
-of school-desk, and when the President comes in to hear
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>a debate, he simply looks round for the first vacant
-seat.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is, however, a tribune for speeches in front
-of the Speaker’s table, from which I enjoyed much
-fluent and animated oratory. The Turks speak mostly
-without notes and their constant gestures recall the
-French. Others, however, no doubt partly from my
-not knowing the language, produced a similar impression
-to that of prayers in a Jewish synagogue.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Assembly is never closed, each member,
-however, being entitled to three months’ holiday.
-At this time about two hundred were in attendance
-and crowded the hall to overflowing. The total
-membership is three hundred and forty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I am not allowed to forget that it was England who
-really created the Nationalist Assembly—May 16,
-1920, is the historic date—when we took possession of
-the Turkish Parliament in Constantinople, and the
-patriots (a hundred and fifty of the most enlightened
-Turks) were imprisoned at Malta. Then it was that
-Nationalism demanded, and set up, its own Assembly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Men from Malta and the other deputies who escaped
-from Constantinople form two-thirds of the present
-Parliament; the remaining third have been elected
-in the country itself.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Its composition is, indeed, unique, representing
-all sorts and conditions of men, as varied in age, social
-position, and dress as they are in ideas.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As I looked down from the gallery on this strange,
-eager group, my eye was caught by the picturesque
-figure of that “ancient of days,” the Deputy for
-Dersim. Diab is a Kurd, ninety years old, who speaks
-Turkish with difficulty. A tall, erect old man, with a
-long white beard and large piercing blue eyes that need
-no aid from glasses; he wears the tribal head-dress and
-robes, carrying an amber chaplet. Though the only
-deputy who can neither read nor write, he is a great
-personage in his own country, the chief of an important
-tribe. As, however, he has only twice spoken in the
-Assembly, we may suppose that the mountain population
-are generally able to settle their own grievances
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>outside Angora. He tells me that, like most of his
-constituents, he lives almost entirely upon goats’ milk
-and bread, and that, as many of them have reached
-their hundred and twentieth year, he himself is reckoned
-a young man!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Curiously enough, however, it is the Dancing Dervishes
-who have sent up one of the most progressive
-spirits to the Assembly. The “Grand Tchelebi,” too,
-is a picturesque figure in his long brown cylinder felt
-hat and ecclesiastical robes. Descended from an
-even older family than Osman’s, he yet voted with the
-Hodjas for the dethronement of the ex-Khalif.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The hostility of many deputies towards the Hodjas
-is rather puzzling; but the journalist who said, “These
-men cannot think as we think,” may be right. He
-added: “Every big nation except the English has recognised
-the wisdom of separating Church and State.
-Yet when we advocate the same policy we are severely
-censured.” It is also stated that the Hodjas themselves
-cannot keep pace with the most progressive
-among the leaders, and are, therefore, quite willing to
-stand outside the Councils of the State. The Assembly
-no doubt would not suffer any religious element to
-hamper progress or interfere with its newly acquired
-freedom and independence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The predominance of military uniforms will strike
-any Western observer; but one should remember the
-country is still at war. A few still wear the fez;
-but the very great majority have adopted the more
-picturesque kalpak, that varies in colour from grey
-and brown to black, and must be comfortable and warm
-in winter.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There are, naturally, many of the special difficulties
-in this Assembly that are inseparable from all
-beginnings of progress, in a country with no experience
-of self-government. The more illiterate
-deputies, for example, know nothing of Europe, and
-regard everything Western with bitter hostility and
-distrust. On the other hand, I met one day a brilliant
-Socialist munition-worker who, having studied Karl
-Marx and Arthur Henderson, wants to establish a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>precise replica of English trade unionism in Turkey—which
-God forbid!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There are some simple farm labourers, shopkeepers,
-lawyers, doctors who have studied in Paris,
-newspaper editors, University professors, and Valis.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The most enlightened speak practically every
-language in Europe, and are thoroughly well acquainted
-with public life on the Continent. They stand for the
-Freedom of Women, and did their best to make
-Halidé Hanoum a member of the Assembly. They
-would be perfectly at home in our most exclusive
-drawing-rooms; yet they work well, in the Cabinet
-itself, with men absolutely ignorant of any country
-except their own. “Social, or class, differences,” I
-am told, “have no place in any Parliament. They
-are created by Society women outside!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>During the Conference at Lausanne, the papers
-published a scandalous statement that “a deputy
-could purchase a seat in the Assembly for ten gold
-Turkish pounds!” As a matter of fact, all Turkish
-elections are very carefully controlled by inspectors
-and the municipal authorities. No one who knows
-anything of M. Kemal and his colleagues would dream
-of imagining that this form of bribery or purchase
-could be allowed.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Smarting under the policy of Malta (not unlike
-that of Daudet’s hero, who locked his goat in a room
-but forgot to close the window), the Grand “<i>National</i>”
-Assembly lives up to its name, and is, above all, anti-everything
-that could interfere with real freedom. For
-three and a half years of untold hardship and self-sacrifice
-the gospel of Nationalism has schooled the
-people. It is their religion to-day, from the “Pasha”
-himself to the humblest shepherd of the hills.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Angora we read the papers and talk politics
-all day; at night we dream of the National Pact.
-Everyone watches for foreign telegrams; we all
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>attend the Assembly; the statesmen work without
-ceasing through the twenty-four hours. The genius
-of M. Kemal as military chief and civil organiser is
-unequalled.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Why, then, do the nations doubt? Turks to-day
-are fully determined to run their own country;
-they will find the necessary ability and will suffer no
-interference. Europe has so far condemned them
-unheard and refused them a square deal. We must
-change all that and see to it that the East may have
-her chance!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The more closely I have studied the National
-Assembly the greater confidence I feel.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>
- <h2 id='ch18' class='c009'>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA—THE GREATEST MAN IN TURKEY TO-DAY</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Now</span> that I know Angora, I must know also its
-Nationalist hero.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Fethi Bey has invited me this afternoon to meet
-the President at the Assembly. The Lausanne Conference
-is beginning—perhaps he will give me his
-impressions.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From the window of the antechamber I saw the
-Pasha arrive, attended only by one aide-de-camp.
-There is, of course, absolutely no foundation for the
-stories that he is even more strictly guarded than
-Lenin, among a people who trust and love him!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is not necessary to see M. Kemal Pasha to realise
-that he is the greatest man in Turkey to-day, quite
-apart from his actual achievements. He has, indeed,
-accomplished miracles; but it is rather the universal
-attitude of the people by which one measures the man.
-I feel that my host’s regard for me was definitely
-increased when I had had lunch with Mustapha Kemal.
-The servants announce the “Pasha, Pasha”—no need
-for a more precise name.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Should one hold him greater as statesman, soldier,
-or orator? since he is past-master in all three aspects.
-Personally, I am more grateful to him who prevents
-war than to the conqueror. It is as a statesman that I
-met him, and I will therefore first consider his political
-ideals and work.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Great events create great men, and it is but once
-in the life of a nation that situations so grave as that
-which found Mustapha Kemal are ever likely to arise.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>He rose out of the terror of the Hamidian régime, the
-years that followed, and the humiliation of <i>occupied</i>
-Smyrna. It needed, however, the suffering and sorrow
-to which all reformers must serve their apprenticeship
-to mould his character and to bring him where he
-now stands. It was the long-suffering martyrdom one
-saw in the face of his late mother that forced him to
-realise what he must do, and he has never faltered
-from the goal.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Only here, beside them, can one understand all the
-Government has had to do in Angora, and see for oneself
-how the whole flock still look to this one man for
-courage and inspiration. Had <i>he</i> lost faith in the goal
-or in his capacity to reach it, all would have been lost.
-“Freedom for Turkey or death for the Turks” has
-been his motto throughout the years.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I suppose that, however often one may proclaim
-it, they will not believe who have not seen, a new
-Turkey is born into the world. It is, indeed, idle to
-weep over the days that are dead and gone, when the
-Turk counted for nothing in his own land; when the
-foreigner ruled the roost, and ambassadors were
-princes! The new Turk has arrived; the member
-of a new nation. No important demand was made
-at Lausanne by Turkey that any self-respecting people
-could be asked to forgo.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And yet the Powers are still attempting to treat
-with “old” Turkey! We have no longer to maintain
-our officious, if well-meant, interference on behalf
-of disloyal minorities; to insist, <i>par exemple</i>, that
-Christians shall be exempted from military service,
-as America never exempted her negro
-population.</p>
-
-<div id='i160' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i160.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA.<br /><span class='sc'>President of the Grand National Assembly, Angora.</span><br />(Signed portrait presented to the Author).<br />p. 160</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>No wonder, again, M. Kemal has been more than
-tempted to wish (what, for no other reason, he could
-desire) to abolish religion altogether, after the imposition
-upon Constantinople of that arch-intriguer
-the Greek Patriarch! When France and Italy
-recognised the “State” Church for the parasite that
-may, at any moment, suck up its life-blood, they cast
-the Church aside. Confronted at the very outset by
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>a precisely similar danger, Mustapha Kemal at once
-cut off the Khalifat from the Assembly and considerably
-limited the power of the Hodjas, a far more difficult
-operation than French disestablishment. Yet we
-expect him a second time to expose himself to the
-intrigues of a Greek Patriarch!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He is, as a fact, far more leniently inclined towards
-the Greeks and Armenians than any other Turkish
-statesman. He sees even their wanton destruction of
-Anatolia as no more than the outburst of a misguided
-people, the victims of bigger, intriguing Powers. He
-would rather welcome their return to loyalty than
-give their place in commerce to the Jews, from the
-humane conviction that they have no homes outside
-Turkey.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The home life of Mustapha Kemal, literally given
-to his country, involves severe daily self-sacrifice.
-From month to month he allows himself no recreation,
-no change of scene, no intercourse with the world’s
-culture. Among these lonely mountains he cannot
-break the monotony by going to a play or to a concert;
-he does not hunt or follow any kind of sport; and even
-Nature, at least in winter, is scarcely kind.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>His life is one of continual mental and physical
-effort: reading, studying, and planning, seeing
-everyone, for they all want to see “The Pasha” and
-not the second in command. To me he seems like
-a professor, who must be forever explaining to his
-people what their Nationalism really means. Perhaps
-the nearest historical parallel to his abounding
-personality is that of Julius Cæsar; and one is
-tempted to hope that he, too, may find time to
-leave us the “Commentaries.” The world would
-know how to value what the Turks need put on
-record, the thought of this keen and alert mind
-which is able to interpret, if not supplement, the
-Koran for modern conditions and aspirations. They
-have, as it were, many centuries of progress to catch
-up; and, fortunately, he is no blind respecter of
-<i>tyrannical</i> religious or historic traditions that hamper
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>advance to freedom. A commentary of great value
-could be compiled from his thoughtful and stirring
-speeches.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It may be that, as in art the highest form is simplest,
-we shall, after all, see the perfect Democracy in the
-East. The ideals of President Wilson have been discarded
-as impossible; Russia has signally failed
-to carry out the teachings of Karl Marx. Mustapha
-Kemal Pasha, at least, has put <i>his</i> doctrine in practice
-to the acknowledged advantage of a country in the
-“Slough of Despond.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkish statesmen maintain to-day that any form
-of a Second Chamber remains only the unfit survival
-of decadent Monarchies and Empires, that the
-Single Chamber is the most perfect machine for
-Government, avoiding friction and delay.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Time alone can prove!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At my first interview with “The Pasha” he was wearing
-a big astrakhan kalpak, pushed well down over his
-forehead, and smoking cigarette after cigarette.
-Though busy receiving ministers and deputies in the
-Presidential Bureau, he was at the same time waiting,
-as it were, for the right moment to sum up the
-whole situation in one final and decisive reply that
-could not fail to end all discussion. This power to
-drive right through a subject, to find the way out
-and take it, is one of the chief sources of his unique
-authority.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was ready, however, for a sociable cup of coffee,
-and immediately asked for news of England. Fethi
-Bey reminded him of a few scenes from life to which
-I had introduced him in London, including dinner at
-a Ladies’ Club. Most women would admire the
-picturesquely weatherbeaten tint of the Pasha’s
-complexion, though the piercing, almost stern, glance
-of the eye should remind you that you will do well to
-say clearly and quietly what you have to say—and go!
-Though so businesslike and energetic, he has a beautifully
-modulated voice. His French is well-chosen; in
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>Turkish he is an orator. Here, then, are the face and
-the expression of a conqueror, but the voice is the voice
-of a cultured man of the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Next morning Mustapha Kemal sent his car (a
-present from the people of Smyrna) that I might be
-driven to his villa at Tchan-Kaya, almost twenty
-minutes’ ride from Angora. This is the best road in the
-district; the others are just rows of holes and bumps
-on which someone has thrown some cobbles and, incidentally,
-some houses! Though Tchan-Kaya was given
-to him by the people, he has handed over this property
-to the army, and lives there as their guest—surely an
-unusual, but charming, example of brotherly love. I
-wonder whether the Pasha will do the same in the
-house I saw, also presented to him, at Broussa, which an
-historian and architect came over from Constantinople
-to redecorate.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From Tchan-Kaya one obtains an excellent bird’s-eye
-view of Angora; whether at midday or at sunset,
-sprinkled with, or buried in, snow, always picturesque.
-We get a few hours of sunshine every morning until
-quite late in the year; enough to welcome the beautiful
-white minarets, so marked a feature in every Eastern
-scene, whence the muezzin calls the faithful to
-prayer five times a day. Dotted over the hills of
-Tchan-Kaya we see the Pasha’s special guard—the
-Lasz—wearing a uniform our ladies would be
-delighted, I think, to copy in velvet or satin. The
-fashion, however, would only suit those who, like these
-soldiers from Trébizonde, are tall, slight, and well-built.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At the door one gladly accepts the vociferous greeting
-of a fine brown retriever. Then comes the aide-de-camp,
-Mahmoud Bey, always ready with a gay smile
-for his chief’s guests, who leads one straight into the
-house.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The kiosk is large and well-built. In the
-combination of hall and ante-room a white marble
-fountain is always playing. One of the two pianos in
-Angora stands in a corner; these are both, alas,
-more ornamental than useful, made, one could guess,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>somewhere about 55 <span class='fss'>B.C.</span>! A large desk, some fine
-plants, and the usual Turkish or Persian rugs complete
-the furniture. One door leads into the Pasha’s mother’s
-apartments, the other to his own sitting-room.</p>
-
-<div id='i164' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i164.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>On the wall of Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s study the Sultan Osman, first of the House of Osman, looks down on Mustapha Kemal Pasha, who has ended the dynasty.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could scarcely believe that I was speaking to the
-legislator, as my host rose to greet me from his Western
-red-leather sofa. Without his kalpak, his fair
-hair, well brushed back, his close-cropped moustache,
-his well-tailored clothes with the correct crease, would
-surely carry him through a London drawing-room
-without a guess that he was not English, or, at any
-rate, not from the North. Again, his keen sense of
-humour is not common among the Turks, and it was a
-delight to find how heartily he joined in the laugh which
-his delightful stories provoked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I am told that the Pasha’s type and colouring are not
-uncommon in his native Roumelia—as ever, the
-North is fair!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>Noticing some “Napoleon” literature on one of
-the writing-tables, I regretted that “I had not thought
-of bringing a book about the ‘little Corsican,’ instead
-of merely offering my congratulations on a magnificent
-victory.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Please never think of such a thing,” he replied.
-“He interests me as a great general, but——”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I understood your interest amounted almost to
-veneration, or so it is said.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What a strange rumour! I naturally study all the
-great strategists; but to compare the Sakharia with
-Austerlitz is surely no great compliment.”</p>
-
-<div id='i165' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i165.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>The Ante-room at Tchan-Kaya.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though I confess to being considerably startled
-by this emphatic declaration, it reminded me of a
-conversation with Monsieur Clemenceau some years
-before the war.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He told me,” I said, “that he considered Lord
-Rosebery’s enthusiastic admiration of Napoleon had
-been almost a blot on his own political career....
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>‘Where is the greatness of that vain egoist?’ asked
-the outspoken Frenchman. ‘I consider myself a
-hundred times greater, for this simple reason:
-When Napoleon came down he fell for ever. When I,
-or my country, are down, then I am at my greatest
-and best.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though M. Kemal could smile at the Gallic boasting,
-while honouring the boaster, his own criticism was more
-quietly expressed:</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Napoleon put ambition first. He fought for
-himself, <i>not</i> for ‘the Cause’—with the inevitable
-<i>débâcle</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As I listen to Mustapha Kemal, taking advantage
-the while of his gracious invitation to thaw my frozen
-toes and hands at the wood fire, I wonder what a “keen
-soldier” would not have given to be in my place,
-with the chance of hearing a private lecture from one
-of the world’s great generals, a man not more than
-forty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Were you ever in doubt of success?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, never,” he replied. “I saw the whole scheme
-from the first (even when we had no munitions), just
-as it finally worked out. We delayed—to save bloodshed
-and devastation. Fethi Bey went to London as
-a last resource, because we wanted a treaty—in ink,
-not in blood.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Is not that last effort for peace, perhaps, this great
-man’s finest gesture to a war-ridden generation?
-Knowing the glory he could win for himself, in the
-certainty of strength for conquest, he yet made three
-separate attempts to persuade the Powers to enforce
-a peaceful retirement upon the Greeks. Preparation
-is not relaxed; no detail has been forgotten; the
-peasant armies are ready in Anatolia, wondering
-why, since peace lingers, the Great Chief does not
-fight!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One of his generals told me later: “You cannot
-judge “The Pasha” until you have seen him commanding
-his army. No man could be more fearless, more hard
-on himself, or kinder to his men. He simply ignores
-pain, though a rib be driven into his lungs; and when
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>he leads them, the soldiers know all is well. ‘His
-star is good,’ they say, and they have no use for
-generals in the East for whom the stars are known to
-predict ill. His mind works rapidly to clear decisions.
-Above all, he never loses his head, and his judgment is
-sound.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Without this universal, unstinting affection and
-esteem from both officers and men, Mustapha Kemal
-could never have established the Assembly and created
-a new Turkey. When he had thus realised the vision
-of his ardent youth, that never left him through years of
-exile, revolt, and disgrace; when, at any moment now,
-he could declare himself Dictator, he will not steal
-responsibility from the people’s representatives.
-“The Assembly,” he says, “is not one man; I am only
-its President.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He dislikes hearing the word “Kemalist.” “It
-does not carry with it the spirit of the movement,
-which will go on, whether I am dead or alive.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If one speaks to him about his own work, he either
-answers: “I did my duty,” or refers all honour to
-the Assembly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have talked with many of Europe’s great statesmen,
-but found none more modest than he. Yet who
-among them has snatched such triumph from odds
-as opposing?</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The furniture of this little room is, of course, all
-“native.” The dinner-service comes from Kutahia,
-the carpets and rugs are Anatolian. On the walls
-hang jewelled swords and other trophies or souvenirs,
-sent in homage from Moslem rulers to the conqueror
-they all acknowledge. He may endeavour to efface
-himself, to glory in his simplicity and set up a real
-democracy; but the stamp of his personality is
-on the whole Moslem world; he holds in his hand the
-keys of Islam. Nationalism has now acquired a
-deep religious significance; the Pact is a “decalogue”
-none may deny.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A well-known Turkish writer has boldly compared
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>the movement with Christianity; humbly born, bringing
-suffering to all, death and martyrdom to many—for
-an Ideal of the Spirit no human enemy can
-crush.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Who touches Turkey, with Right behind her, will
-set all Islam on fire to put down Might.</p>
-
-<div id='i168' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i168.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s Sitting-room.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Egypt they speak of “Holy Angora,” and,
-wherever future assemblies may meet, she will be always
-sacred. An Egyptian princess, I notice, uses capitals
-when referring to the Ghazi Pasha as “He” or
-“Him.” If only the delegates at Lausanne could have
-managed to peep behind the scenes at Angora!
-If they still considered the Nationalist demands
-unreasonable, they could scarcely have failed to
-pause before the deep-rooted fanaticism they have
-inspired.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The Pasha is nothing if not frank. He has no
-time for bluff, though his pride was stung by the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>idle boasting of our ex-Premier: “You’ve got to
-speak to these people with guns.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>No charge could be more ridiculous or untrue than
-to say that Mustapha Kemal is ever influenced by
-Camerad Areloff. Bolshevism and Nationalism are
-poles apart. Yet the Pasha could scarcely refuse
-invitations to conversation with any credited representative
-from a country like Russia; though no
-words of his are likely to change M. Kemal’s
-invariable habit of using his <i>own</i> judgment and
-making up his <i>own</i> mind.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though he seldom speaks without a practical
-purpose, I was honoured by an intimacy that nearly
-approached that of an old school friend. There were
-changes, however, to rather puzzling reserve, almost
-frigid politeness, in his case probably not caused by any
-reminder of my nationality. He knows not only
-whom, but when, to trust, and I suppose I had unwittingly
-opened some dangerous topic.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>One almost wishes at times that he need not live
-so perpetually in the heat of the fray. Driven,
-perhaps, by greater intelligence or stricter integrity,
-to some unpopular action, he might lose his halo,
-or at least dim its lustre, while the new country
-was still too unstable for any weakening of his guiding
-hand. There are fanatical members of the Assembly
-who, <i>bien entendu</i>, are far more extreme than he,
-whose unchecked counsels might spell disaster. I
-sought, indeed, for the opposition within of which
-we have heard so much, and found only a very small
-group of rather small-minded men, at present with little
-power.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless, foolish measures, that might prove
-a real menace, and were certainly false to true freedom,
-have been put forward and discussed. The schemes
-for excluding Albanians and Arabs from the Assembly,
-and for requiring five years’ residence in one place, hit
-“The Pasha” himself. Telegrams of angry protest came
-in from all quarters, and he soon stopped the mischief.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>Others, however, may prove more difficult. The opposition
-seem to me seeking in Nationalism—“<i>midi à 14
-heures</i>,” as the French say.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At present he is not only adored by those who trust
-him and gave up all to follow him, but respected and
-admired by those recently serving the Sultan, who had
-not the courage to believe that right must triumph
-and truth prevail.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I believe that his personality could always dominate
-the Assembly at Angora, and there is unquestionably
-no possible foundation for the reported rivalry of
-Kiazim Kara Békir. They are the best of friends, each
-conspicuously loyal to the other, and Kiazim Kara
-Békir is far too proud of his leader to want his
-place.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I foresee, however, that even his clearest instructions
-may sometimes be badly interpreted, and thus
-bring blame for what he has not done and never
-intended. There will be difficulties again in certain
-foreign relations, because the most loyal Nationalists,
-for whom justice and gratitude alike demand reward,
-will not all be so well fitted as the existing diplomats
-for the embassies of Europe.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Though no one could have suspected it from his
-manner, I learnt that my Angora host had been seriously
-alarmed at the prospect of receiving an Englishwoman
-into his household. His first impressions,
-however, were unexpectedly in my favour. And the
-ladies agreed: “You are just like our Pasha—fair
-hair and blue eyes. You might be his sister.” It was
-the highest possible compliment, the best possible
-passport.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal found time to be no less hospitable,
-and often treated me to a concert of Anatolian
-songs with the oute (or stringed guitar) accompaniment.
-It was at his house I first tasted the most delicious of
-Turkish confections, “<i>poulet à la Circassienne</i>,” that is
-chicken with nut sauce. It was frequently offered to me
-after that; but, alas, like all things Turkish, even
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>their “light” pastry <i>Bereks</i>, it is as fattening as it is
-appetising.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One afternoon “the Pasha” joined us to pay visits
-to the houses surrounding his kiosk. We made
-a strange party: the Ghazi Pasha and his aide-de-camp,
-the Englishwoman, and a big white ram!
-The magnificent goats of Anatolia follow one about
-and welcome caresses such as we lavish on a pet
-dog. The Armenians weave handsome shawls from
-their silky hair. Angora is also famous for its cats
-and its rabbits.</p>
-
-<div id='i171' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i171.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>Mustapha Kemal Pasha Walking in the Grounds of Tchan-Kaya.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally, the “veiled” tenants stood in too great
-awe of their Pasha to say much, so we first walked on
-to inspect the new family of a favourite dog, then
-visited another happy family of geese and chickens
-and the horses! Like many Orientals, M. Kemal is
-over-merciful to his beasts, who are apt to grow fat and
-lazy from insufficient exercise.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>Mustapha Kemal always says, and means, that
-everyone has a right to come and see him. He
-enjoys talking with peasants, and pays a generous
-tribute to their sterling worth. But in Turkey,
-some mysterious inborn tact prevents the uncultured
-from awkward attempts at intrusion upon his
-superior, however brotherly the hand of friendship
-between them. It is, however, almost impossible
-to compare the two countries, for, despite the Moslem’s
-respect for authority in every shape or form, rank
-and family do <i>not</i> count with him as with us, and the
-feudal habits, of which no so-called democracy can
-cure us, must appear strange indeed to these simple
-folk.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I have been privileged to hear “the Pasha” explaining
-the new Turkey he has created, expressing
-all his ideas, hopes, fears and anxieties; and this,
-at what is perhaps the very summit of his career, when
-his nation has just entered upon her existence of
-freedom and independence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet I hesitate before the attempt to analyse or to
-describe the character and political achievement of
-this man; to convey all the subtlety and the strength
-of his mind. The complexities, and the apparent
-contradictions, of the Oriental are always baffling
-to the West; while, though far superior to vanity, the
-Pasha knows his own value and takes himself, as it
-were, too much for granted, to encourage or assist
-others in the dissection of his character. I can but
-rest on the tolerance all great men extend to our
-judgments, if prompted by sincerity and justice and
-a love of truth. As it is written in the proverbs of old
-Japan: “If your judgments are tempered by the
-dictates of truth, the gods will protect you, even though
-you offer no prayers to them.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We are naturally enthusiastic before a New
-Turkey, built out of nothing. Surely these people are
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>capable of carrying on? If some ask: “Will
-this man lose his head?” we answer: “He has not
-done so under the strongest temptation. Why should
-we fear?... He has not made himself Dictator;
-he has refused wealth and honour; he has abolished
-‘decorations!’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When the work of reconstruction begins in real
-earnest, when the country, so rich in minerals and with
-so fertile a soil, can be developed in peace to the best
-advantage; then I, for one—now I know him—believe
-“The Pasha” will prove to us that he can unite his
-people no less wisely in the building up of their
-fatherland than in saving it from tyranny and
-interference.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Nationalists have had their warning from
-mistakes made by the Committee of Union and
-Progress, against the only real danger one can reasonably
-foresee, that of teaching the people to run before
-they have learnt to walk.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To all who would see the vision realised of an established,
-strong, and well-governed new Turkey, I only
-say: “Take care of your Pasha, for ‘his value is
-above rubies.’”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>
- <h2 id='ch19' class='c009'>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GHAZI MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>The</span> Ghazi M. Kemal Pasha granted me the following
-interview just after the conference at Lausanne had
-assembled.</p>
-<p class='c012'>“To what extent, if any, has the attitude of the
-Grand National Assembly been responsible for setting
-public opinion against the Turks?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Our attitude has never changed. All reports
-of inconsistency are false, and circulated by the clever
-propaganda of our enemies. The Government has to
-render account of itself not only to a Chamber of
-Deputies, but to History; and no responsible or
-self-respecting Ministry could act with such disloyalty
-to its own principles, the very spirit of its being, as the
-Press has accused it of revealing. All these false
-reports come from those Englishmen, some of them
-official, who are working to prolong the war, a crime
-no one can lay on our shoulders. You know of the
-untiring efforts we made for peace, and you know the
-result. In any case, though personally accused, I am
-not responsible. I am only President of the Assembly.
-The Assembly is not one man.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you think that a really <i>sincere entente</i> can
-be established between Turkey and Great Britain?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I do not think, I am <i>certain</i>, that we shall eventually
-return to the old traditional friendship. There are
-no reasons against, and so many in favour of, that
-course. We make no demands beyond respect and
-honour for our independence. We have sent away our
-Sultan to secure greater freedom, and to prevent all
-risk of danger to our independence.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>“Do you think that the Conference will produce
-good results?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Eventually there can be no doubt that, however
-heated and however prolonged the discussions, it will
-bring peace. Unfortunately, we cannot wait for ever:
-The Powers should recognise now, what they must
-ultimately admit, that we could not accept terms
-which would deny us that liberty for which we have
-sacrificed so much and fought with such stern resolve.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“For every reason, we desire peace; a settlement
-that will enable us to get on with the vital work of
-reconstruction. Details must take time, but the
-essential question should have been arranged before
-this.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The papers accuse Angora of arrogance and
-zenophobia,” I reminded him.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The charge is invented for propaganda. Is
-it <i>arrogant</i> to stand out for our just and logical rights ?
-Of ‘zenophobia’ I know nothing! My whole life,
-in every action, is proof that I do <i>not</i> hate Europe. I
-never fought for hate, but to save the truth. The
-same inspiration guides and controls our politics.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I could never myself keep on hating a nation
-for the mistakes of its Government. I fought
-against the Bulgarians, who are my greatest friends
-to-day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And towards the Greeks I feel the same. I am
-confident that we shall soon be great friends, friends
-as we were before the Powers intervened. As they
-were led away by false flatterers, they will be the first
-to see their mistake and repent.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Have you banished the Christians, or are they
-leaving Anatolia in mere panic?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We have taken no steps in this matter, but left
-them absolutely free, to go or stay. They have
-been terrified by propaganda, largely American, directed
-by religious animosities. While they followed the
-Greek army in thousands, and are still flying, many
-others are coming back. To-day you can see two long
-streams of refugees among us, one leaving, the other
-returning. They know that all Christians, whether
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>our own subjects or foreigners, will always enjoy, as
-they <i>have</i> always enjoyed, the full liberties accorded
-them in every civilised country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Are you satisfied with the situation in Constantinople?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We shall keep faith to the promise we made at
-Moudania. Meanwhile it is unnatural to see
-foreign troops in Constantinople, and they should
-be taken away as soon as possible. Their presence
-involves abnormal conditions, which have made it
-necessary for us to administer that villayet from the
-Assembly at Angora—an indignity which should
-not be prolonged.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“While conversations are maintained in Lausanne,
-and since everyone knows we must keep Constantinople,
-the Powers should not insist on the armed
-guarantee.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you congratulate us on having secured a
-Conservative Government?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is early days, surely, to speak! If they will
-help us to friendly relations with England and
-the other Powers, that is all we ask. Your parties
-are not our business. We are, generally speaking,
-against all policies of expansion, because they lead
-nations into the abyss; and, in our judgment, such
-policies are impolitic.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What are your views on the Freedom of the
-Straits?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Like the delegates at Lausanne, we want <i>real</i>
-freedom, not freedom in the hands of one Power.
-We are ready to discuss the problem with all who have
-any interests in that quarter. There can be no freedom
-till Constantinople and the Sea of Marmora are
-secure.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We must have national frontiers; that is, all
-territories peopled by Turks. We accept for boundaries
-or limit the enemy-lines as they were when the
-Armistice was signed. Is that an unreasonable claim
-in return for all we have given up from the old
-Ottoman Empire?</p>
-
-<div id='i176' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i176.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>GENERAL ISMET PASHA.<br /><span class='sc'>Minister for Foreign Affairs.</span><br /><span class='sc'>First Turkish Delegate at the Lausanne Peace Conference.</span><br />p. 176</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Towards ‘minorities’ we stand by the National
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>Pact, confirmed by the recent Treaty with France,
-signed at Angora. We are fully prepared, nay anxious,
-to recognise all such rights as have been given to
-minorities in the different treaties between the
-Powers—since the war. It must, however, be clearly
-understood that foreign control, inconsistent with the
-absolute independence we demand, is <i>impossible</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Nor can we grant any special privileges for Capitulations
-to the subjects of foreign nations who may
-choose to live in Turkey. They are welcome to
-<i>precisely the same rights</i> as our own subjects enjoy,
-but we will never recognise any such privileges to
-foreigners as are unknown, for instance, in France,
-England, or America. Those who would still challenge
-our claim to the complete independence that we are
-determined to secure will have to find means to
-exterminate all Turks now inspired by that ideal.
-But I am confident that such a slaughter would not
-be permitted by the civilised world. Civilisation, on
-the contrary, will soon learn that our Turkey has
-her place in the future. She will help, and not
-hinder, civilisation. Civilisation must, therefore, be
-interested in, and support, her independence.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On December 22nd, the <i>Morning Post</i> printed the
-following leading article about this interview:</p>
-
-<p class='c020'>The interview which Mustapha Kemal Pasha has given our
-Correspondent emphasises the one supreme result so far
-reached at Lausanne, namely, that the new rulers of Turkey are
-willing and indeed anxious to resume friendly relations with this
-country. The compromise which is apparently on the point of
-being reached at Lausanne concerning the Straits and the demilitarised
-zones may not survive the touch of reality and the sharp
-breath of war. But that is no reason why we should deplore or
-despise such a settlement, for it is at least a sign of goodwill, an
-offer on the part of Turkey to come to an agreement with the
-Western Powers, who, by the strange irony of fate, are the real
-friends of Turkey and yet were forced in the Great War to call
-themselves her enemies. The Lausanne Conference has dealt
-with and perhaps settled the Thracian boundaries, the protection
-of minorities, and the guardianship of the Straits, and there remains
-for it now to secure an agreement regarding the capitulations, the
-Patriarchate, and the future of Mosul. But the real importance of
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>Lausanne lies in the fact that the world now realises that Kemalist
-Turkey is not the cat’s-paw of Bolshevist Russia, that the Turkish
-Nationalists did not defeat one invader in order to put themselves
-at the mercy of another, and that the ambitious plan of Moscow
-for using Turkey as a pawn in the great game of destroying British
-dominion in the East is in all probability doomed to failure. It is
-too early yet to say that the Bolshevicks have been outwitted, but
-both in their silences and their speeches there are evidences of
-chagrin. They have found out that Lausanne is not Genoa and
-that, if we may thus describe him, Curzon <i>libre</i> is a very different
-person from Curzon <i>enchaîné</i>. Chicherin had his Rapallo. Perhaps
-it was his final triumph.</p>
-
-<p class='c021'>Kemal, in his interview, said: “I am certain we shall eventually
-return to the traditional friendship between Turkey and Britain.
-I can see no obstacle thereto.” With the fall of the Coalition
-Government, the last obstacle has gone. Lord Curzon has been
-firm with the Turks, but not venomous, frank but not insulting.
-He can afford to leave rude harangues and offensive imprecations
-to the congress of fallen angels now assembling at Algeciras. Indeed,
-all the declarations of the Foreign Secretary go to show that
-he is sincerely anxious to reach a durable and friendly settlement
-with the emissaries of Angora, and that if he is determined to
-uphold the rights of the British, he is equally ready to acknowledge
-the independence of the Turkish Empire. We are glad to see that
-Kemal is anxious to reciprocate, and therein he shows himself to be
-not only a soldier but a statesman. For his task is not yet ended;
-indeed it is only beginning. He has saved his country from the
-Greek; he must now save it from the moth and rust of economic
-decay. In that great task he will find Great Britain his best friend.
-Fethi Bey has doubtless made it clear to him how much Europe
-can contribute to the economic reconstruction of Turkey, and a
-recent statement of Mr. Morgenthau should convince him that the
-United States will be a reluctant and difficult lender. In the long
-run he has to choose between free co-operation with Great Britain
-and an enslavement at the mercy of Bolshevist Russia. He seems
-already to have chosen the better course; for the sake of his country,
-and ours, we hope and believe that he will persist in it.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>
- <h2 id='ch20' class='c009'>CHAPTER XX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>MUSTAPHA KEMAL PASHA—THE MAN WHO IS MASTER OF HIS FATE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>My</span> eye fell on the portrait of a handsome Turkish
-lady, which was hanging over the Pasha’s writing-desk.</p>
-<p class='c012'>“What a lovely face!” I exclaimed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“My mother,” said the Pasha, with obvious pride.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Would it be very indiscreet,” said I, “to ask if
-I might have the great pleasure of seeing her?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“She is very ill. The doctors are with her day and
-night. Alas, I fear she can never recover.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We afterwards went up the staircase to the invalid’s
-apartments. To my surprise, we found her seated on
-a wide divan, supported by cushions. It was difficult
-at first to believe that she was so near the end.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Alas!” said Mustapha Kemal, “her suffering
-has come through me. She is paying back now the tears
-and anguish she spent for me in exile.” There was
-sorrow in his voice, too heart-broken for many words.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now you can take part in his victory,” I said.
-“How proud you must be of your son. His is a
-wonderful story. I am proud only to have spoken with
-him and seen his work.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>She thanked me with great feeling, and said she
-believed “God had sent her this son to save the
-Fatherland—but my son is always kind to me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Whilst giving me a beautiful silk handkerchief,
-scented with her favourite perfume, she asked whether
-she had not seen me before, ten years ago, in Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“She has a marvellous memory,” the Pasha
-murmured.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>In a few days there were to be no more opportunities
-for any of us to see this dear lady!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When, later, in Constantinople, I ventured upon
-some allusion to the great devotion he always evinced
-to his mother, a Turk said: “That is only natural—Oriental,
-if you will. The man whose hands are
-steeped in blood, whose soul is black with crime, yet
-bows in respect to his mother. You might as well
-be surprised that the sun shines.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The story of M. Kemal’s youth and of his brilliant
-career is, of course, well known in Anatolia. He was
-born in Salonica in 1880, and there are legends that
-many who saw the boy, “fair as the corn,” at his games,
-would say: “Look well at that little fellow. He will
-one day be the saviour of his country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>St. Jeanne d’Arc’s “Life,” you remember, begins
-with a description of the countryside on the night of
-her birth—“all the animals seemed strangely excited.
-There was a chorus of approval from the chickens, the
-geese, and the pigs.” “Very possibly,” as a friend
-once commented on this passage, “it all happened
-again on the night each of us was born, but no one
-noticed it.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So I will speak only of facts. A year ago, how
-few had even heard his name! How often the Unknown
-Personality has appeared, just when hope
-seemed dead, to save his country!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>M. Kemal’s father died when he was quite a child,
-though already attending the school of Chemsi Effendi.
-Then, for a few years, his mother took him to stay
-with an uncle in the country, and life became one
-glorious game in the sunny fields, shooting at rooks,
-stealing Nature’s secrets, and flourishing on all the
-delights of being naughty with no one to interfere.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Although his mother seems to have felt, however,
-that young minds cannot safely be left long undisciplined,
-and, therefore, brought him back to school
-at Salonica, the experiment did not prove a success.
-Like other unusual boys, he was always in hot water
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>and, in the end, was allowed to come home and play
-at soldiers.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was Edison’s unsympathetic schoolmistress who
-told <i>his</i> mother: “This boy’s brain is addled, we can
-do nothing with him.” He had given one of his companions
-a seidlitz powder to find out whether the gas
-would lift up his patient into the air! Mrs. Edison
-was wise enough to take the boy’s education into her
-own hands, proving herself “the loveliest and most
-wonderful teacher on God’s earth,” as he afterwards
-declared.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As the Pasha’s mother did not approve of soldiering,
-the boy simply took himself off to a military
-college, passed the examinations with distinction, and
-then proudly confronted her with all his certificates!
-He was both hard-working and intelligent, devoted to
-French and mathematics.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But even as a schoolboy his country’s suffering
-must have eaten into his ardent imagination. I was
-told that he would spend hours of recreation in
-making speeches and organising a committee,
-to protest against the tyranny of Abdul Hamid.
-Already he felt that an army was not enough to save
-his country, and persuaded some of his schoolfellows
-to study politics, sowing the seed of all he has since
-given to the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From the beginning he determined, above all, to
-make himself master of every detail concerning the
-French Revolution; to understand, by understanding
-“the people,” why it happened and how it happened,
-what mistakes were made, the real ideals
-that inspired its passion of sacrifice, and the permanent
-gains it brought to France and to mankind.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Long after all his companions were fast asleep, the
-young Mustapha dived into every possible book he
-could lay hands on, to clear up this fascinating
-subject. Next morning he would hold forth to all
-and sundry upon his discoveries, and finally issued
-a paper with exemplary regularity, which was widely
-circulated in manuscript.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Meanwhile military studies had not been neglected;
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>He was promoted Staff Captain, and—through under-hand
-channels—“recommended” to the notice of
-Abdul Hamid, who promptly exiled him to Syria.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Damascus, Beyrout, and Jaffa, his more
-revolutionary plans matured. At last the Constitution
-was proclaimed, and he was able to join his
-mother in Salonica!—not yet, however, for the quiet
-of a restored home life.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At the time when the troops marched to deliver Constantinople
-from the reactionaries, he was appointed
-Chief of Staff to Mahmoud Chefket Pasha. During the
-Tripolitain War he was first at Syrenaique, and
-afterwards at Benghazi.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When the Great War broke out, he was military
-attaché at Sofia, but was immediately despatched to
-the command of a Division in the Dardanelles, and,
-when this had been formed and organised, marched
-to Gallipoli. It was he who defeated the English
-forces, not only in Gallipoli, but at Anafarta.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After we had been driven out of the Dardanelles,
-he went to the Caucasus in command of the 15th
-Army Corps, and recovered Bitlis and Mouche from
-the Russians. For a time he led the 6th Army Corps,
-under the German General Falkenhayn; but nothing
-could reconcile him to his chief’s methods and the
-reckless loss of life they involved. He therefore
-resigned and went back to Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After accompanying the present Khalif on a visit
-to Hindenberg and Ludendorff, he tells me that, when
-he thus first clearly saw into the real issue of the
-war; he also saw, even more clearly, the need for making
-his own plans in Turkey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was in Syria when the Armistice was signed;
-and returning with high hopes to Constantinople, sank
-broken-hearted before the treachery of Mudros! But
-not for long.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Never the man to nurse despair, he quickly rose
-again to his country’s call. Offered the post of
-Inspector of the East (that is, High Functionary of the
-Eastern Villayets), he accepted at once, and hurried
-into Anatolia to prepare for resistance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>From the moment he stepped out at Samsoun, <i>the
-movement began</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What shall we say of the “Man at the Helm—the
-Hero and the Genius?” Were his “Destinies,”
-indeed, “written on the tablets of heaven”; or may
-he not rather claim:</p>
-
-<div class='lg-container-b c022'>
- <div class='linegroup'>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>“I am Master of my Fate</div>
- <div class='line in1'>I am Captain of my Soul”</div>
- </div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<hr class='c023' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Every detail of the work had to be built up, as it
-were, stone by stone, entirely afresh—an army to be
-found anywhere and everywhere from nothing.
-Yet it was trained and organised to become, what
-Colonel Mougin tells me, is “the best-disciplined and
-best-officered army in the world.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Perhaps the Battle of the Sakharia, lasting fifteen
-days without interruption, may be quoted as the
-Great Victory. It was certainly one of the battles
-of this century. When one of the majors asked for
-instructions about “the line provided for retreat,” he
-was told: “There will be no retreat. Advance, or
-die in your trenches!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the anniversary of the Battle of the In-Enus,
-Ismet Pasha told me a little about his victory, and
-what it meant. What victory <i>must</i> mean when you
-have nothing with which to conquer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Already the military experts have written pages
-about the advance and the victory. One day, we hope,
-“The Pasha” will give us his own version.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How, again, shall we tell the endurance of the
-people, suffering through long years in silence and
-alone? To us who could but look on them, pitying
-and admiring from a distance, it seemed as if someone
-<i>must</i> get through somehow to offer the hand of friendship
-and give, at least, heartfelt sympathy. I tried,
-but it could not be done. Even now, I cannot say
-all it has cost me to reach Angora!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal must put on record “The Birth of
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>a Nation”; and from Halidé Hanoum we want the
-thousand and one pictures of the agony of simple folk—desolate
-village homes, women who weep <i>and</i>
-work, the little ones crying, “What is it, mother?”;
-all that war means to men, all that men can endure
-for liberty and the right.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What does it matter,” she has written, “though
-the world call us pariah? We will die with honour.
-What does it matter if food be denied us by all our
-neighbours? Our own soil will keep us alive,
-sheltered in sackcloth!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Lausanne the patriot-passion is taunted for its
-arrogance. It is forgotten that self-made nations,
-like men, if made with honour, have certain
-rights and duties, which the most illustrious
-and ancient lineage cannot bestow. Moreover, we
-carry with ease what has come down to us through
-the centuries; what we have suffered and fought for,
-we grasp, crying maybe somewhat loudly: “Hands
-off!” To be in Turkey, and to learn of the heroism
-of her people, is to understand her moderation.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I was naturally keenly interested in the Pasha’s
-views on women; I have been still more interested to
-hear that, since I was at Angora, he has put his theories
-into practice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have never spoken in England or the United
-States without having to answer the most absurd
-questions on life in a harem. This time, in London, the
-old nonsense was trotted out, and my replies either
-invented or distorted.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was interviewed during our own Suffrage
-agitation, and expressed my conviction that “women
-<i>must</i> either have full liberty to earn their livelihoods
-in any profession, <i>or</i> be sheltered and protected as
-Turkish women are sheltered and protected.” Next
-morning a large poster appeared with the legend, <i>under
-my portrait</i>, “English writer urges polygamy!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The paper inserted my prompt denial, but, of
-course, that never was read by thousands who had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>swallowed the poster. A Glasgow paper, indeed,
-was considerate enough to remark that, “knowing
-my people were Presbyterians, the kindest interpretation
-was—insanity!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>American pressmen were particularly furious with
-me for asserting that polygamy does not exist in
-Turkey, and that no Turkish women would put up
-with the European system of “establishments.”
-When they persisted that “Turks had more than
-one wife,” I asked, “why many men, who lacked the
-means or courage to ever marry, yet supposed the
-men of the East could each have four?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In my judgment, “Progress for Women” has <i>begun</i>
-on far sounder lines in Turkey than elsewhere. The
-occasion has come to help them, and I believe they
-are ready to meet it. There is to-day so much to be
-done for their country that few, surely, will hesitate
-to come forward and stand beside the men in the great
-work. Temptations to rivalry or competition scarcely
-exist.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ten years ago, that eloquent and graceful speaker,
-Hamdoullah Soubhi, was urging the women to freedom,
-bidding them cast off their veils and help to
-govern the country. To-day it is Mustapha Kemal
-himself who, in season and out of season, is calling
-on them to break for ever with the harem, and learn to
-be helpmates to their husbands.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have said and written, over and over again, that
-women should not, and need not, compete with men.
-That is not the real road to freedom. Liberty
-dwelleth among comrades, and shuns a rival.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“This time next year,” said Mustapha Kemal,
-“woman must be free. She must uncover her face
-and mix with men.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How will the men like it?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It matters little what they like or dislike. Freedom
-must come.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He has no more patience with tradition in
-men’s dress. “When summer comes and our kalpaks
-are too hot, we shall wear hats with ‘brims,’ to
-protect us from the sun. The time is past for
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>‘dress’ to reveal the ‘race’. We should dress for
-comfort.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Hamid Bey and other delegates at Lausanne are of
-the same opinion. They say the old conventional way
-of dressing “stamps the Turk in Europe as a member
-of an inferior race.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Taking my courage in both hands, I ventured to
-mention the fear his friends had expressed to me, of
-his marrying a princess.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That will never happen,” he replied. “I have
-already chosen an educated woman of my own people,
-with character enough to be ‘equal partner’ in all
-my work. There can be no happiness in union for
-only <i>half</i> one’s character and one’s life. But I stand
-for democracy, and was never attracted by rank.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Everyone now is talking of Mustapha Kemal’s
-future wife. The ring was bought for him at
-Lausanne by the delegates, who were as excited about
-the business as any school-children. His neighbours,
-sweet little Mme. Ruchène Echref and her talented
-husband are beside themselves with delighted anticipation
-of having so charming a <i>châtelaine</i> at Tchan-Kaya.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mme. Ruchène told me that the Pasha was staying
-with his future father-in-law during the Moudania
-Conference, and that Latifée Hanoum proved herself
-most helpful over all his despatches, as she speaks
-and writes excellent English and French.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The wife to be could have no better sponsor
-than Mme. Echref! She and her husband, like Adnan
-Bey and Halidé Hanoum, gave up everything to follow
-the Pasha. They would not, however, allow me ever
-to speak of their sacrifices, or tell the tale of their many
-tragic sufferings in all parts of Turkey. Now, indeed,
-their dear little two-roomed cabin, so tastefully furnished
-with its beautiful pictures, may well stand for
-“love in a cottage.” She does a great deal of Red Crescent
-work among the women who are still so active
-in helping the refugees of Anatolia.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>One only wishes that the other social reforms,
-splendidly started in Constantinople, had not been so
-long interrupted. But like education, and all other real
-progress, they cannot survive long wars. What criminal
-waste that means for mankind!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have talked with many Turkish brides, received
-many confidences, and the whole question of marriage
-in Turkey has always interested me immensely.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The first Turkish bride I ever met, long years ago,
-had never seen her husband before marriage, and
-detested him from the first. “There is nothing the
-matter with him,” she admitted, “<i>except</i> that I don’t
-like him.” Ultimately she managed to escape, married
-a man of her own choice, and was twenty times more
-unhappy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Another bride told me that, as a great favour, she
-was allowed to see her future husband, and has regretted
-it ever since. “The dreadful imprudence
-seems to have robbed life of all its romance!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet one more confession! “I peeped through the
-lattice-window to look at him as he walked past.
-Quite an uninteresting little man, but he was ‘my
-fate’ and I might have ‘been given’ something
-worse.” But, at her wedding, I found a tall and
-handsome bridegroom. “What does this mean?”
-I asked. “What has happened?” And she answered
-quite calmly: “I must have looked out at the wrong
-man.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Tewfik Rushdi Bey declares that it is “easy
-divorce” in Turkey which makes their marriages so
-happy <i>and</i> lasting. I gladly pass on the paradox
-to all English advocates for “marriage reform”;
-only bidding them remember that Turkish husbands
-accept big risks at the start. They never hesitate
-about trusting their mothers to “pick a winner in
-life’s handicap”; and, since young Western people,
-one and all, prefer their own way to their parents’,
-all the “wisdom of the East” may leave them cold.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>European bridegrooms must always experience a
-sense of being “outsiders” at their own weddings;
-but at least we expect them to be there! In Turkey,
-the signatures of bride and bridegroom are not affixed
-to the contract in each other’s presence, and often not
-even on the same day. It is scarcely necessary to
-add that the guests belong to the bride’s party, and
-are entertained at <i>her</i> house. To us it certainly is
-strange to hear the solemn questions addressed to the
-bride by the Imam that pledge her life to an “absentee”
-partner, whom she has never set eyes on. I can still
-remember a beautiful wedding-dress of white satin
-brocade, embroidered with silver stars, over which
-sparkled a large diadem of diamonds. All brides, too,
-wear a shower of silver threads round the neck, from
-which they pull out threads to give their friends for
-“good luck.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Good luck” at a wedding naturally means a good
-husband, and from the number of threads I have
-received, there should be at least fifty “eligible partners”
-somewhere in waiting for me.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We, in our turn, wish happiness to the bride on her
-bridal throne, as we pass before her in solemn procession.
-Last of all comes the feast, for women
-only, after which the happy couple are, at last,
-“introduced.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At this charming and strange ceremony I also
-witnessed a fine example of true democracy as practised
-in the East. Among the guests in their elaborate
-ball-dresses, trimmed with orange blossom, I noticed
-the Grand Vizier’s wife; and then, catching sight of a
-very differently attired group of women, wearing faded
-and worn tcharchaffs and feradjés, I realised that
-the “bath-women” of the family had come uninvited
-to the feast! And the door of the harem was wide
-open, that <i>all</i> might enter in to see the presents,
-admire the dresses, and all the other delightful feminine
-intimacies of such an occasion.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As a matter of fact, I was told by Zeyneb, <i>any</i>
-woman can go to a Turkish wedding without having
-been invited. “<i>You</i>, in England, only ask your
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>intimate friends, and yet you have to employ detectives
-to watch the presents.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When my attendant, Cadem Haïr (whose colour
-led me to call her Miss Chocolate) became engaged to
-a coffee-coloured railway official, she was treated like
-one of the family by the Pasha’s household. Fatma
-and I bought her trousseau, we arranged for her to be
-photographed, and secured a Kara Kheuz (or Punch
-and Judy show) for the wedding festivities.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So many confidences, so many romances and love-stories
-inside the Imperial harem, and outside! They
-would fill a volume.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have never met an “old maid” in Turkey, and
-I doubt whether one could be found. I well remember
-the distress and anxieties of a certain matron whose
-daughter was still unmarried at twenty-eight. The
-girl had resolutely refused all offers, and her poor
-mother could only suppose she had been bewitched.
-Then one day <i>he</i> appeared, and that story had a
-happy ending.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Whether the reforms Mustapha Kemal is so determined
-to promote will substantially diminish the
-number of early marriages, one cannot, of course,
-foresee. At present, fortunately, the most brilliant,
-practical, and advanced Turkish women have found
-<i>their own</i> sphere, and do not enter into open competition
-with men. If they are tempted to follow our
-Western feminists, to steal, not only men’s prestige,
-but their bread and butter, domestic chaos and anarchy
-may spread to the East.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For the moment, one does not expect advance
-beyond “The Pasha’s” own striking example. He has
-not only chosen his own bride, but dispensed with the
-Imam—a parallel to the first Englishman who dared to
-marry in a registry office!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I always said this man would scatter many <i>coupés
-d’état</i>, once peace was signed; but he has not waited for
-the signature!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The originality of his gifts to the bride recalls the
-Prophet of Islam. Mahomet gave his daughter a
-Koran, a prayer-carpet, and a coffee-mill; Mustapha
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>Kemal has given his wife-to-be General Trécoupis’
-revolver and an Arab horse! She is an excellent
-rider, sitting astride, with the veil only confining her
-hair.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I much regret that I was never able to find an
-opportunity of meeting this lady, partly because she
-was educated at Chislehurst, almost next door to
-my own school—Rochester.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Inevitably the Pasha’s liberal attitude towards
-marriage has been criticised, and described as
-“in direct opposition to the principles of Islam.” He,
-however, will not admit the charge.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is true that, at the very door of Europe, women
-have been content to live through the centuries in a
-comfortable material security, that means being cut
-out of all the realities of life, and all the serious
-joys or sorrows of existence. It is not unnatural that
-isolation should have kept them down so long.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But the harem was <i>not</i> invented by the Turks, and
-has nothing in common with the nomad existence of
-the Great Preacher of the Deserts. Polygamy and
-the harem were first introduced when the Turks
-entered Byzantium as conquerors. They served, in
-those troublous times, as the best means available
-for the protection of women, and proved a fine school
-of instruction for Georgian Circassian slaves.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is false to say that Eastern women have
-blamed their religion for the evils, so many now recognise,
-of seclusion. The most ignorant are quite
-familiar with the great names of women who have been
-the glory of Islam. Mahomet’s own daughter, the “Lady
-of Paradise,” spoke to large audiences of dusky-skinned
-Arabs, her face unveiled. Neither did Zeyneb, the
-famous and beautiful professor at the University of
-Bagdad, wear the veil. Khadidja sang in public,
-her own beautiful songs, still known and admired all
-over the East. Rhadyah, one of the first great travellers
-among these lands, was also an eloquent lecturer,
-applauded by the most learned men of Islam.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Therefore are not the women themselves to blame
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>for their prolonged isolation? or was it the régime of
-Abdul Hamed?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal has not only offered his wife the
-privileges Mahomet accorded to his daughter, but he
-has swept from the path of Islam the retrograde
-heresies that Byzantium grafted on to the Faith.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>
- <h2 id='ch21' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A TURKISH CABINET—THE THREE BEST-KNOWN MINISTERS—A CABINET OF YOUNG MEN</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Unlike</span> the European type to which we are accustomed,
-the Cabinet of the Assembly is almost exclusively
-composed of very young men, possessed, however, of
-the strong determination to serve their country.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha has great faith in youth,
-and his oldest minister is probably no more than forty-two.
-“Youth,” he said, “makes mistakes that can
-be corrected; age and experience make the mistakes
-of routine.” Fethi Bey, who is the chief’s right hand,
-also believes in youth, and was himself a minister at
-thirty-two.</p>
-
-<div id='i192' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i192.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>RAUF BEY—PRIME MINISTER.<br /><span class='sc'>Ex-Naval Officer.</span><br />He speaks perfect English and knows England better than any other Turk.<br />p. 192</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here, again, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet are
-independent, the one of the other. One may fall, while
-the other remains. I am inclined to think, on closer
-examination, that the Ministers are seldom entrusted
-with the initiative and responsibility which <i>our</i> Ministers,
-in theory at least, enjoy; although for them all criticism
-and supervision comes, as it were, from below.
-They might, perhaps, be best described as Heads of
-Departments, whose every action is open to all eyes
-in the Assembly, submitted to the keenest scrutiny,
-and freely discussed. Sometimes they seem able to
-keep their position after heated discussions and interpolations,
-but, on the other hand, they may fall in
-consequence of some detail which, with us, would pass
-unnoticed—such as the nomination of an unsatisfactory
-functionary. They are all, certainly, very able men;
-with extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, and devotion.
-Although not constituted as a formal Cabinet,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>they meet to consider the most important questions
-that will come before the Assembly. Mustapha
-Kemal Pasha is entitled to preside at these meetings
-whenever he desires to be present; but, as a rule,
-the Chair is taken by Rauf Bey, Prime Minister without
-a Portfolio. They are not appointed by the President
-or the Prime Minister, but <i>elected</i> by the whole Assembly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have discussed this system with many of our
-European statesmen, who, one and all—including Lord
-Curzon—do not consider that it could permanently work
-well or be successfully applied to any stable, important
-State.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks, however, maintain that a Minister should
-only be elected to watch, as it were, the special interests
-and concerns of his Department, and that the
-<i>People</i> themselves should be <i>responsible</i>, through their
-representatives in Parliament, for <i>all</i> legislation. The
-Assembly controls both law-making and administration.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For them, of course, we of the West cannot decide,
-or, perhaps, judge. We have scarcely of late years
-earned the right to criticise!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Rauf Bey is a man of about forty, a gentleman
-as we understand the word, who has travelled among
-the best intellects of Europe, and had the courage and
-energy to adapt many ideals thus acquired to the needs
-of his own country. His brilliance and his devotion
-are universally acknowledged.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Formerly a Naval officer, he distinguished himself
-in all the wars of the last twenty-five years; and his
-command of the <i>Hamidieh</i> in the Balkan War, against
-the whole of the Greek Fleet, is not yet forgotten.
-As Marine Minister in Izzet Pasha’s Cabinet he accompanied
-General Townshend and Admiral Calthorpe to
-Mudros, and signed the Armistice with the Allies.
-In the Chamber of Deputies at Constantinople he did
-not hesitate to avow his allegiance to Mustapha Kemal,
-and was consequently one of the first to be arrested by
-the English and sent to Malta. Handsome, intelligent,
-a hard worker, subtle and liberal-minded, he very
-soon came to the front. He was the first Vice-President
-of the Assembly, and became Prime Minister last
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>May. During the absence of Ismet Pasha at Lausanne,
-he also acted as Minister of Foreign Affairs.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I heard him several times during my stay in Angora,
-and his fearless speeches were not only a political
-event, but always caused something of a sensation outside
-the capital.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He has never disguised his love for England, nor
-what he owes to her education. The disillusion after
-Mudros and at Malta was hard to bear. He had not
-only to mourn for a shattered idol, but to suffer abuse
-from his fellow-countrymen for a trust of which he had
-been so proud.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He is, however, far too intelligent to quarrel with a
-whole nation for the errors of its Government. “The
-future depends on England,” he said; “we can do
-nothing to improve relations until peace is signed;
-but there will be abundant opportunities in the future,
-and, if England is willing, she can come to us then.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“In six months,” I replied, “we shall be as great
-friends as ever we were.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That, again, depends entirely upon you.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I asked him whether large concessions had been made
-to France in return for her political support.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As the first to understand the Nationalist movement,”
-he replied, “we owe her a great moral debt;
-which I have myself acknowledged and called on the
-world to witness. But for concessions, the field is open
-to all. We shall, naturally, accept the most advantageous
-offer.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Rauf Bey has strong theories about education;
-and has determined that it shall be made to develop
-the new Ideal. He closed a school at Adalia because
-the children had been taught that Smyrna is Greek and
-the Eastern villayets are Armenian. “Every Turk
-should learn that Smyrna has never been Greek; an
-alien minority, protected by foreign powers, has been
-the cause of all our troubles.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is, obviously, of the first importance that Turkish
-children should be inspired, from the beginning, with
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>loyalty to the Fatherland by knowing the fine story
-of its growth. “We need schools, and good foreign
-schools,” said Rauf Bey, “but until they will work
-under our supervision and control we show no favour
-to any offender, French, American or Italian—we close
-all.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I hear that in the American College at Broussa a
-Turkish woman has been appointed to teach geography
-and history, a concession one hopes will soon be generally
-adopted.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Rauf Bey had told me, on board the <i>Agamemnon</i>,
-what had been said to Admiral Calthorpe when the Armistice
-was signed: “We are here to end the terrible
-bloodshed of so many years. We accept these terms
-because we know that the great English nation and the
-Allies will keep their words.” Then, to his own
-officers: “Is it not true, gentlemen, England always
-keeps her word?” and they all answered, “Yes.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But we know what happened!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>So much has been written about his unfortunate
-reception in London in 1922, that Fethi Bey, the
-Minister of the Interior, is well known to us. Seeing
-that everyone is given a courteous hearing in Turkish
-Ministries, one feels this unnecessary discourtesy the
-more. And Fethi Bey, like Mustapha Kemal Pasha
-and Rauf Bey, was an ardent admirer of England,
-cured for ever by the war of any affection for Germany.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As an Army officer, for two years military attaché
-in Paris, secretary to the Committee of Union and Progress
-in Sofia, and Minister of the Interior in Izzet
-Pasha’s Cabinet, Fethi Bey has had a varied and useful
-career. During his stay in Sofia, Mustapha Kemal
-was his military attaché, and they were both
-staff captains at Salonika. It was as a prisoner in
-Malta that he learnt the fluent English he had so little
-occasion to speak in London.</p>
-<p class='c024'>&nbsp;</p>
-<div class='box1'>
-
-<p class='c024'><span class='sc'>Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior of New Turkey.</span></p>
-
-<p class='c012'>No picture of Angora could be complete without a photo of Fethi Bey.
-As this has not arrived in time, we leave his place empty, as one leaves the
-place of the absent friend at the festive board—unfilled.</p>
-
-</div>
-<p class='c025'>He is very observant and far-seeing, undemonstrative,
-and, despite his charming smile, bitingly sarcastic;
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>not, perhaps, quite so daring as Rauf Bey, but more
-level-headed. In a country devastated from end to
-end, and lacking in every necessity, he has shown marvellous
-skill as an organiser. Very early each morning
-he leaves his simple villa at Tchan-Kaya for the tiny
-primitive office in which he “handles” a constant
-stream of callers, busy about every variety of concerns,
-with an almost American speed. After a hasty
-lunch he goes to the Assembly, and finally rides home,
-often through many inches of snow, in which no car
-or carriage could make its way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The last of the “three great men” of the Assembly,
-Ismet Pasha, is well known and respected in Europe
-for his titanic duel with Lord Curzon.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though now only thirty-eight, it was he who created,
-out of nothing, the fine army which chased the Greeks
-out of Asia Minor. Victor at the two In Eunus,
-it was he who won back all the enemy-occupied territory
-as far as the Mediterranean. As victor also at Moudania,
-it was he who, with a dignified courtesy that
-astonished the whole Conference, defended the
-“Nationalist” interests at Lausanne.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Of the other personalities in the Cabinet one could
-write much. To understand, and sum up, the strength
-and importance of the Assembly, one must meet and
-know them all.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>
- <h2 id='ch22' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>TURKISH CABINET—THE LESS-KNOWN MINISTERS OF THE SOVEREIGN STATE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>In</span> judging the members of the Cabinet one must realise
-that some of them do not speak any European languages,
-and know little, or nothing, of Western ways. In some
-cases, for example that of Hassan Fehmi Bey, the
-Minister of Finance, this is due no doubt to their
-humble origin. They tell me, however, he “knows
-the requirements of New Turkey.”</p>
-<p class='c012'>The Minister of Education, Sefa Bey, represents
-Adana and is somewhat the same type of man, reserved
-and timid to exaggeration.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>There are many Deputies in the Assembly of wider
-knowledge and better understanding outside their own
-country who would seem, at least to us, more suitable
-men for these important Ministries. But we cannot
-expect to understand all the influences which determine
-the election of a Turkish Cabinet; only hoping that,
-as the years pass and the Assembly becomes concerned
-with wider issues, it may be led by men, assuredly no
-less loyal to their own nation, who yet desire rather to
-understand our civilisation, to live in closer contact
-with Europe, than merely to turn away from us as
-the object of their eternal hate.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The host who has so graciously welcomed me to
-his home in Angora is Feszi Bey, Minister of Public
-Works. He learnt something of Europe, and a little
-of the French language, when exiled to Malta. I have
-already recorded evidence of his kindness and generosity,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>which is certainly not confined to the horses he
-shelters with so much care in preference to any thought
-of damage his carriage must suffer by exposure.
-Simple in tastes and manner, he yet gives one the impression
-of great power and activity; while the remarkable
-agricultural schemes inaugurated on his vast
-estates have been carried out with prudence and success.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Kiazim Pasha, the Minister of National Defence, is
-a young man on fire with energy. He was in command
-of an army and corps at Sakharia and largely responsible
-for the supplies and the organisations which led
-the army of Ismet Pasha to victory. Like many impulsive
-natures, he is subject to frequent attacks of
-pessimism, from which I have striven to rouse him by
-the assurance that we <i>will not have</i> war.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Minister of Economics, Mahmoud Essad Bey,
-is, of course, responsible for agriculture, commerce, and
-industry. Having studied these subjects in Switzerland,
-his practical activities are guided by sound
-theoretical knowledge.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ali Fouad Pasha was the distinguished general who
-fought against the Greeks in September, 1921, and
-has succeeded M. Kemal as President of the group
-formed to uphold the “Rights of Roumelia and Anatolia.”
-The Assembly itself developed, or grew out
-of, this little band of patriots, who are still its leading
-spirits, the chief inspirers of its policy. At present,
-the opposition which <i>does</i> exist has very little
-power or influence; a drawback, as we know to our
-cost, in any Parliament; which, however, may very
-well be of temporary advantage to the Assembly until
-the Turks are really secure from external interference.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I was again impressed, almost startled, by the
-change that is in progress in the conditions of life in
-Turkey, as I looked down upon the present Cheik-ul-Islam,
-called in, “as a mere form,” to depose the
-Khalif, with no more ceremony than one directs the
-dentist to extract a tooth.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the old days I well remember the odour of incense
-and sandalwood in the sanctuary of Abdul
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>Hamid’s Cheik-ul-Islam, as the great man sat cross-legged
-under his enormous pumpkin-hat, amidst the
-picturesque surroundings of historic, ancient, religious
-ceremony. To him it seemed that for a cheik to
-dethrone a Sultan, as he foresaw must soon be the
-command, would be a solemn and awful thing. I
-could not imagine <i>him</i> modestly waiting for orders,
-as his successor is waiting to-day. How are the
-mighty fallen!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Though propaganda has busied itself already,
-in the attempt to find flaws in the power and popularity
-of Mustapha Kemal Pasha, his supremacy remains
-unquestioned. So far, when his party says go,
-the Assembly goeth, and when he says come, it
-cometh.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is certain, nevertheless, that, as the new order
-settles in its stride, the Government will be confronted
-with many difficulties of which we cannot
-as yet foresee the precise nature. M. Kemal is at least
-two centuries ahead of some of his own Ministers, four
-hundred years in advance of the peasants, now
-suddenly, without preparation, made citizens of a
-Republic—a sovereign people. I have seen the
-peasants in their homes—those charming little pictures
-out of the sixteenth century. Without the least knowledge
-of, or interest in, what <i>we</i> have come to call
-civilisation, these simple folk have been vegetating
-through the centuries, free from the noise of great
-cities and the anxieties of progress. Though always
-ready to fight and die, as we say “for King and
-Country,” the symbol of their faith and inherited
-traditions, they had, and still have, no idea whatever
-of any government system, or who makes the laws.
-Naturally sober and religious—not poor, since they
-had always enough bread—these children of the soil
-have known no ambition to improve their quiet
-and happy lives.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>It may be Kemal Pasha could do more with
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>only his big Ministers and no Assembly. On the
-other hand, quicker progress might prove unsettling,
-and the founders of New Turkey need no advice from
-us. They have chosen what seems to them the
-better way; we can but pray for their success.
-No doubt, as France floundered through revolution,
-they will be driven to face a thousand bitter disappointments
-and delays. In times that have well-nigh
-submerged the land of the Mother of Parliaments,
-the Assembly must face rocks ahead.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Now that New and Independent Turkey has her
-chance, she should take it. Rome was not built in
-a day; and when difficulties come, as come they must,
-let none scoff with a cheap “I told you so.” Only
-leave Turkey to the Turks, and, like other nations,
-they will try and try again, until, at last, they succeed.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>
- <h2 id='ch23' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>THE FOREIGN COLONY IN ANGORA—A GROUP OF FOREIGN PERSONALITIES</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>We</span> cannot complete our record of “Personalities”
-in Angora without some mention of the foreigners in
-residence. Whatever has been asserted, there are no
-Germans there.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Quite apart from the Turkish officers’ personal
-antipathy, the Germans have no money for concessions;
-their educational methods would never take
-root in Anatolia; they have lost the legend of military
-superiority which was the only <i>raison d’être</i> of their
-influence in the past. Before the military genius of
-the Turks, their great generals have been compelled
-to <i>baisser pavillon</i>. Even during the war Turkey saw
-through German bluff, and the taste of army
-arrogance was amply efficient to kill the unnatural
-alliance for ever. I can definitely assert, by way of
-checking the prominence given to false statements of
-Teuton influence, that <i>there are no Germans in Angora</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, it is true that a subtle form of
-propaganda is still at work in Germany itself. There
-a Turk can obtain, by merely showing a passport, a
-document that entitles him to all the “special” terms
-given to “natives” at hotels, theatres, and shops.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have already described the glories of the Soviet
-Embassy, and that distinguished economist, Camarade
-Areloff.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Azerbaijan Ambassador, M. Abiloff, represents
-the four states of the Caucasian Confederation;
-whose rather commercial policy is not very popular.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Sultan Ahmed Khan has been representing
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>Afghanistan in Angora for two years. He tells me that
-any communications with his Government seem almost
-as difficult as with Persia, whose Ambassador has now
-returned to his own country.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The personality of Colonel Mougin has done much
-for the important commercial interests of his country,
-but he is far too wise to imagine that France is the
-Power on whom M. Kemal ultimately counts to save
-Constantinople from the Russians.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mr. Imbrie, the American commercial attaché, has
-been entrusted with the double duty of protecting
-concession-hunters from the States and organising
-the “American Near East Relief Workers in Anatolia,”
-administered in Angora by Mr. Compton and his
-charming wife, who must have stepped out of the frame
-of a dainty miniature. Mr. Imbrie, by the way, lives
-in a railway <i>salon</i>, and when his wife arrives we hope
-that her rugs and cushions and curtains may be as
-pretty as Mrs. Compton’s.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is very unfortunate that all relief work
-has been so wickedly hampered by friends of Armenia
-in the States. Their ridiculously unjust, anti-Turkish,
-propaganda must have been inspired by the American
-version of <i>Ally Sloper’s Half-Holiday</i>!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Moreover, Americans never give relief which they
-cannot themselves administer. Maybe the implied
-affront to Turkish competency is unintentional, but
-Kiazim Kara Békir Pasha (who looks after five hundred
-orphans without a penny from the State, and has
-established many “professional” schools) has a right
-to resent it. His compatriots are often tempted to
-exclaim, “Keep your dollars,” for American charities
-are always administered with a business manner
-that scarcely conciliates the recipient; and one must
-wonder, for example, how the Armenian priest can
-provide for his flock of seventy on four hundred liras
-(3,000 francs) a month. They do not evangelise
-with much tact, and Turkey can hardly be expected
-not to sense the Armenian behind the missionary.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless, America has done a great deal for
-education, and one sincerely hopes that her colleges
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>will keep out of propaganda. Every Turk will
-acknowledge the supreme value of the institutions
-that have produced brilliant pupils like Halidé Edib
-Hanoum, and they will know very well how much the
-women of Turkey can gain from them, <i>not</i> to be gained
-from their own system of education. I admire
-Turkish women very much, and have enjoyed their
-company in their own homes, but I am none the less
-ready to honour the work of their American teachers
-that has already given them so splendid a start towards
-real progress and complete freedom.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One must not forget the Imperial Ottoman
-Bank, now destined, by decree of the Assembly, to
-become the Bank of Turkey. The fact will, I hope, be
-freely advertised, so that all over Anatolia its origin may
-not be forgotten, whilst its increased power becomes well
-known, and the people may learn to regard it as what
-the French call a real <i>Maison du bon Dieu</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Already to-day, even in remote places like Angora,
-you can “inquire within for everything” at its
-well-organised branches. Whether with or without
-directions from headquarters, the Bank of Angora is
-always ready to supplement one’s stores, and supply
-extra beds or special information, and any traveller
-in the heart of Asia Minor will know the value of such
-little courtesies! Of course, its financial backing
-of Anglo-French capital forms the surest possible
-passport for universal confidence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We may hope, too, that its official position in the
-State may soon have the indirect result of diminishing
-our foolish jealousies of French influence. France
-asks, and deserves, some gratitude for her courage in
-admitting the error of her ways at Sèvres, but she
-has no ambition to undermine British interests.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkey needs capital, and American help involves
-interference from men too far away for understanding.
-Anglo-French capital, the more the better, means
-good terms in the East between us, and real friendship
-towards Turkey, for “where their treasure is, there
-is the heart also.”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>
- <h2 id='ch24' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>HALIDÉ EDIB HANOUM, AUTHOR AND PATRIOT—A WOMAN DOWERED WITH THE ALL-CONQUERING GIFTS OF THE TRULY BRAVE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>There</span> can scarcely be a worse misinterpretation of
-the Turks to-day than the common assumption that
-they do not value their women. As an example to
-prove this we turn to the charming writer and patriot,
-Halidé Edib Hanoum. Not only well known for her work
-in England and America, she is respected and honoured
-throughout the length and breadth of her own country,
-trusted with positions of responsibility, consulted and,
-above all, listened to, by those at the helm of affairs.</p>
-<p class='c012'>As one of their brilliant journalists once said in the
-ante-room of the Assembly: “We gave her a place
-in the army. She would have gone with the delegates
-to Lausanne had her health permitted. She was
-elected a Member of the Assembly, and now we realise
-the Constitution does not yet admit women, we shall
-remove all such restrictions.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Strong evidence of eager homage to a brilliant
-woman emphatically expressed! I had met this
-famous lady in the old days, when we were friends
-with Turkey, and am naturally anxious to renew the
-acquaintance, if only to talk over the terrible happenings
-that have transformed her, alas! into one of the
-bitterest of England’s enemies. I am sure that, like
-Mustapha Kemal, she will be rejoiced to come back
-to us when we both change.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Her little farmhouse, most charming of rustic homes,
-stands on a rough road, at this time of year inches
-deep in mud, about an hour’s drive from Angora.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>A clear stream runs by the way, and all around is
-silent and calm, save for the very occasional noise of a
-passing carriage. In summer, with the sun shining on
-the grazing cows, it would seem an ideal spot for this
-untiring worker.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A voracious reader of the Continental Press, Halidé
-Hanoum has told me of her great amusement at the
-report that her flight into Anatolia had been “promoted
-by a desire to flee from harems and veils.” It is, of
-course, in Constantinople that the women have so
-largely cast off the old customs, whereas in far-away
-Anatolia most are still rigorously kept in seclusion.
-“People in Europe simply cannot grasp what our
-civilisation means,” she said; “that is what makes it so
-difficult for us to come to an understanding.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>She and her husband, Dr. Adnan Bey, now Angora
-High Commissioner in Constantinople, would have
-been imprisoned with the other Nationalists three
-years ago had they not managed to escape to these
-mountains. Clad in the picturesque costumes of the
-villagers, with clogs on their feet, and a few possessions
-crowded into a bullock-wagon, they made their
-way slowly into Angora, dependent for food and
-shelter upon the picturesque, but uncomfortable,
-little inns on the way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Since the victory of the Nationalists, she is free, of
-course, to seek her equally picturesque home in
-the heart of Stamboul; but, “How I love my Angora
-farmstead!” she cried, as her quaint peasant waiting-woman
-brought in coffee and cigarettes. There was
-proof, at least, in the countless books, papers and
-souvenirs from England around us that she has not
-forgotten her education in the American College;
-and, whatever her judgment of us to-day, she speaks
-our language without a fault.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As the eye travels over the delicately-cut features
-of Halidé Hanoum, the expression of sensitiveness
-stands out as the greatest charm of her beauty. Yet
-the quiet reserved manner cannot hide the force of
-her mind and her compelling personality. Charm,
-intelligence, great talent and courage, are all in her
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>dower. What is it one admires the most? For me,
-certainly, the all-conquering gift of the <i>truly brave</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As my father used to say of General Gordon:
-“In the service of God and humanity, he was the bravest
-of men; and in his sorest need or his greatest loneliness,
-his courage rose all the time. To have known
-Gordon is to say with certainty, ‘God is courage!’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This fragile and thoroughly feminine little lady
-was first in the field against Abdul Hamid, one of
-the first to understand Angora, to leave all for the
-Pasha, to work without ceasing for Nationalism and
-the new Turkey. She tells me that a true account
-of the Greek atrocities, as <i>she</i> saw them, will be
-an important feature of her memoirs, though I
-shall be, personally, more eager to read the story of
-her own courageous achievements.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is only one of her judgments upon things
-as they are which I regret, and believe to be mistaken.
-Trained in an American college, and honoured as
-she is all over the States, it is but natural
-that she should blame England for leading America
-astray on the subject of Christian minorities. Here
-neither nation assuredly can plead not guilty; but the
-exaggeration and the fervour of the false appeal
-have come, I honestly believe, from across the Atlantic,
-and not to them from us.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Halidé’s first literary achievement, for which she
-was decorated by the Sultan, was to translate “The
-Mother in the Home,” by an American pedagogue of
-the sixties; just the kind of book one would expect
-an intelligent young girl to choose!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I first met Halidé Hanoum just after she had succeeded
-in ending her first marriage. The union was
-not a happy one—she was then only seventeen—but
-it brought her two fine sons, who are naturally very
-proud of their mother. Education and training
-among American-taught students had made it impossible
-for her to lead the old harem existence,
-but she was able to give herself up to deep study,
-absorbing from her husband’s extensive library the
-many original ideas she is now giving to the world.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>My friends have told me, and I can well believe, how
-much one loses of beauty in her exquisite style of
-writing from ignorance of the language. One envies
-her the rare combination of a first-class Eastern and
-Western culture.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>During the reign of Abdul Hamid she was condemned
-to death, and her “Memoirs” will, one day,
-reveal to us the terrible suffering of those years. Now,
-however, the pendulum has swung back, and she is
-reaping the reward of her courageous work for young
-Turkey by the high esteem and consideration she
-universally receives. She was frequently consulted by
-the late Talaat Pasha and the late Djémal Pasha, owing
-to her exceptional knowledge of Western institutions.
-It was at her house, too, I met the able and charming
-editor of the <i>Tanine</i>, Hussein Djahid, afterwards with
-us at Lausanne. All Turkey’s great men have visited
-her, and visit her still; and, without doubt, much of
-the destiny of her country has come to birth, if not
-maturity, in her home.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Under the shadow of renewed war, this citizen in
-the Great Republic of Letters could not refrain from
-the sad topics of Greek atrocities and Lausanne,
-but soon turned our talk to more congenial thoughts.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>She asked after John Masefield, and I told her
-that he had been a stretcher-bearer during the war,
-and recently I sent him a laurel leaf from Rome
-with an enclosed note: “Coming events cast their
-shadows before!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I believe in frankly telling an author how much
-one enjoys his work, and have myself often appreciated
-the pleasures of such spontaneous flattery. Was I not
-myself grateful to receive from Australian mothers
-letters thanking me for “having written the truth
-about the Turks.” Their sons were prisoners in
-Turkey.</p>
-
-<div id='i208' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i208.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>BROUSSA.<br />General view of this charming Asiatic city.<br />p. 256</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<div id='i208a' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i208a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>HALIDÉ HANOUM.<br /><span class='sc'>The Well-known Writer, Patriot, and Feminist Leader.</span><br />She has ridden all over Anatolia, making official reports for the Turkish Government concerning Greek atrocities.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<div id='i208b' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i208b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p><span class='sc'>Dr.</span> ADNAN BEY.<br /><span class='sc'>High Commissioner for Constantinople.</span><br />Husband of Halidé Hanoum.<br />p. 208</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Sarojini Naidu, also a friend of Halidé Hanoum,
-sent me an exquisite poem during the world’s despair.
-As the words went perfectly to the tune of “Rose in
-the Bud,” I have sung them again and again for conquest
-in sorrow, and rejoiced in their magic power. To
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>those yearning for higher things, to whom words of
-faith bring comfort amidst the cold angles of life, the
-little poem may have its message:</p>
-
-<div class='lg-container-b c022'>
- <div class='linegroup'>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>Nay, do not weep tho’ life be full of sadness;</div>
- <div class='line'>Dawn will not veil her splendour for your grief,</div>
- <div class='line'>Nor spring withhold that bright appointed beauty</div>
- <div class='line'>From lily’s blossom or Ashaka leaf.</div>
- </div>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>Nay, do not pine tho’ life be full of trouble;</div>
- <div class='line'>Time will not pause nor tarry on his way.</div>
- <div class='line'>To-day that seems so long, so strange, so bitter,</div>
- <div class='line'>Will soon be some forgotten yesterday.</div>
- </div>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>Nay, do not weep—new hopes—new dreams—new faces,</div>
- <div class='line'>The unspent joy of all the unborn years,</div>
- <div class='line'>Will prove your heart a traitor to its sorrow</div>
- <div class='line'>And make your eyes unfaithful to their tears.</div>
- <div class='c026'><span class='sc'>Sarojini Naidu.</span></div>
- </div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c027'>After the Constitution of 1918 had been proclaimed,
-“Freedom for Women” became one of the
-burning questions of the day. Here, Halidé Hanoum
-was almost immediately the acknowledged leader,
-and has ever since been urging her sisters, with noble
-eloquence, to take the position so long denied them
-in the life of the country. With her solid backing
-from Talaat and Djémal, Djavid and H. Djahid, she
-achieved wonders of awakening. In those old days I
-had myself contributed to some of the excellent
-women’s papers, which were brought out for the
-discussion of educational and social problems, among
-which I regret to have seen no more of that most
-promising sheet, the <i>Kadinlar Dunyassi</i>. At the request
-of the Department of Public Instruction, Halidé
-Hanoum drew up a programme of Education for
-Women and was herself appointed Chief Inspector
-of Schools.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>By the letter of the law at least, Turkish women
-are in a much better position than women have yet
-secured among us—to the disgrace of Western liberty.
-They have always administered their own property,
-signed all documents relating to their own affairs,
-have the full privileges of a witness in the courts, and
-are allowed to plead their own cases—we have not.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>They were, unfortunately, kept back socially during
-the retrograde régime of the ruthless Hamid; but their
-fine work on the battle-fields of the Balkan wars,
-side by side in the ranks with their men, and their
-able organisation of the Red Crescent Society, carried
-them forward <i>a hundred years</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There has been a certain amount of agitation for
-the abolition of the veil, but the tradition withstands
-reform, though it is now no more than a sort of toque,
-or turban, such as we also frequently wear. However,
-Halidé Hanoum—most advanced of feminists—has
-never herself abandoned the veil, probably seeing in it
-a Nationalist, if not a religious, symbolic significance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I wish I could reproduce at least some of the finest
-passages from some of her lectures. The noble spirit
-of her inspiration yet speaks, even to those unable
-to follow her words. No one can marvel that she set
-her hearers on fire to save “all that remained of the
-Turkish Empire—Anatolia.” As she has written,
-“It is the love of race which first made the Turks a
-mighty people. Whatever may come, rest assured
-our race cannot die. It hath immortal life. Though
-we stand alone against the world, our love of race
-will give us courage. Till we can once more stand
-proudly beside the nations, we will fear no obstacle and
-shrink from no self-sacrifice!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>She gave to Mustapha Kemal Pasha, before
-his full powers were proven to all, the words found
-on the stone of an old Turkish Padishah:</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“God appointed me ruler, that the name and fame
-of the Turkish race might not be extinguished. I was
-not appointed to rule over a rich, but over a poor,
-people, scantily supplied with food and clothing. For
-the Turkish race I slept not at night, I rested not by
-day, I worked for my people till death.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Her work in Syria, interrupted, alas! by the war,
-has established her remarkable powers of organisation;
-and though she denies that she was ever actually in
-the Cabinet, no one can doubt that she would make a
-splendid Minister of Education. The deputies themselves
-are so eager for her admission to the Assembly,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>that we may easily soon hear that the department
-has been placed in her able hands.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Beyrout she converted the big building of the
-Dames de Nazareth into a fine school, where, faithful
-to her Western training, she gave special prominence
-to Swedish drill, and where, as in the American
-colleges, Moslem and Christian sit side by side. When
-the English advanced in Syria she handed over her
-schools, and her Armenian and Turkish orphans, to
-the Americans, with the womanly entreaty that they
-would “care for them and, above all, make them good
-boys and girls.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turkey of her dreams and ambitions stands
-for peace and territorial integrity, for progress in
-education and equal rights to Moslems and Christians.
-She knows when peace comes that England, with
-no thoughts of intrusion, will yet be only too glad
-to help. England is generous and hospitable. Turkish
-students, in medicine and other faculties, have long
-been with us (at Bedford College and elsewhere),
-conquering all difficulties of language, climate, and
-social customs, taking their degrees, etc, beside British
-women. Our schools, our hospitals and clubs will
-always welcome all who wish to come to us: as Halidé
-Hanoum knew well, before I reminded her.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Despite their limited heritage, often from mothers
-who cannot read or write, Turkish women are brilliant
-students. I well remember trying to interest the
-public in a friend of mine who, after specialising in
-Gynæcology at Dublin, secured a London M.D.
-But the paper which could not find space for this
-interesting achievement gaily printed long columns
-of “Arabian Nights” nonsense about the strange
-ways of Turkey which belonged, in fact, to the period
-of the woad-stained ancient Britons. If the public
-really must have cheap romance, they would not
-complain of an approximately correct date!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is fortunate, indeed, for Turkey that their leading
-feminist will work for progress on sound lines, and is
-far too wise to see no farther for women than a junior
-partnership with men.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>There are, at present, but few feminine stars
-in the Turkish firmament. But all are loyally united
-in one common cause—to gain their freedom and save
-the Fatherland. It is too soon for us to indulge in
-prophecy on what their final self-organisation may
-achieve.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Halidé Hanoum, like so many others, is trying to
-regain the health she spent so generously during the
-war. Attached to the army as a sergeant, she followed
-the troops without a thought of danger and fatigue;
-and since the recent hostilities she has ridden from town
-to town throughout Anatolia, collecting and arranging
-her report of the Greek destruction and atrocities.
-This report, controlled by experts and neutral commissions,
-was sent to the Lausanne Conference. Halidé
-Hanoum’s expression is sad. “How can I help loving
-my Anatolian home?” she said. “It has cost us such a
-terrible price in lives and suffering to save our land,
-we naturally would all die now rather than live in
-slavery again.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am horrified to hear,” she went on, “that anyone
-can still attribute the fire in Smyrna to the Turks.
-Why do they not accuse them, too, of burning Asia
-Minor? Will it always have to be so? Although the
-Greek atrocities committed in our land are too horrible
-even to talk or write about, excuses are always found
-for the Greeks, while anything done by the Turks is
-grossly, unjustly exaggerated. If one Christian dies,
-the whole Christian world is concerned, as it should be.
-But, on the other hand, when a whole community of
-Moslems is wiped out, no one cares.... It is this
-spirit of injustice that exasperates Moslems. Now,
-however, our recent victory gives us the right to demand
-equal consideration with Europeans, no more, no less.”
-But, “speaking of Greek atrocities,” she continues,
-“the world has simply <i>got to know</i> what they were
-during this war. Dr. Nansen, of the League of
-Nations, is busy lecturing on the Greeks’ suffering, but
-what of the Turks’? All the terrible devastation to
-which you can testify, all the number of women and
-children burnt and violated; the world must have
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>these figures to pass judgment on the Greeks. This
-eternal and unjust fault-finding with the Turk not
-only breaks his spirit (remember he is an Asiatic), but
-incites him to do things he never otherwise would
-think of doing. It is a most dangerous policy.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>With regard to the Conference, Halidé Hanoum
-seems to have lost her usual optimism. “Are we right to
-have faith?” she asked. “We all of us welcomed
-a change in the British Government, and hoped that
-our interests would be impartially discussed at
-Lausanne, but what is happening?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The two actions which Halidé Hanoum considers
-<i>most</i> unjust to Turkey are the endeavours to exempt
-Christians from military service and the retention of
-the Greek Patriarch. “After the effort we have made
-to be free, we must have our country to ourselves,
-and if the Greeks expect equal rights with the Moslems,
-they must fight for those citizen rights. As to the
-Patriarch, imagine asking us to keep a man who had
-taken advantage of his sacred calling to turn his
-flock against us.... Will the Western Powers always
-interfere? All our history goes to prove that Turks
-and Christians have lived together in perfect harmony.
-When the Powers began to interfere, however, the
-Christians showed the basest ingratitude. They invented
-the most wicked stories, knowing there was no
-justice for us, and that whatever they said would be
-believed. Now the Powers who turned the Christians
-against us cannot keep their promises. The
-Christians want to come back to us. But we will have
-<i>no more</i> interference.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If the Conference is only to be an excuse to wear
-the Turks out, why should we wait, only to fight in
-the end? A policy of slow death is intolerable. We
-do not seek war, though we are ready to fight,
-because we want to build up our country, take care
-of and educate our people, and give them a little of
-the comfort and happiness they deserve. Rather
-than have an unjust vassal-peace,” she concluded,
-“let us perish altogether.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>The picture of Halidé Hanoum confronts us on
-all sides throughout Anatolia. Among the heroes
-of the revolutions, the Turks reverence her as their
-Joan of Arc. No history of the Nationalist movement
-can ever be attempted or thought of without a full
-record of her courageous loyalty and untiring patriotism.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I was once asked to suggest the best way of helping
-forward the cause of women in Turkey. I naturally
-answered that I would give them England’s <i>best</i>:
-her social and nursing service, but, above all, her
-literature. M. Henri Taine wrote of us: “The
-English are a horrible race, but they have done all
-there is to be done in literature.” It has always
-made me ashamed to find so few English books in
-Turkish schools. Of course, at present, our language
-is not widely known among these people; but, as the
-nations of the world grow closer in thought and faith,
-one hopes that they, too, may share the inspiration
-and moral uplifting so many have found in our best
-classics.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We should surely endeavour to remove the reproach
-implied by the words of Professor E. J. Browne:
-“French influence has played too large a part, both
-in the political and literary field, in the evolution of
-New Turkey, and French ideas have too long dominated
-Turkish reformers.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The life of Florence Nightingale and her precepts,
-our science and the writings of George Eliot, these
-few names and ideas may serve to indicate the treasure
-we have for all men. Our literature is a gold mine,
-which I, for one, long to see given its full honour
-and pre-eminence in the education and development
-of the women of Turkey.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>
- <h2 id='ch25' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>HOSPITALS—SCHOOLS—EDUCATION AND THE NATIONALIST WRITERS—THE DAYS PASS, BUT THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE AND SEEN</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>One’s</span> first impression of Angora would lead one to
-imagine that everything could be seen in a very
-short time; but the days pass, and there is still much
-to be done. I have visited the Governor, and congratulated
-him on the progress of the town’s development,
-which has advanced steadily, even since my
-arrival. If there were only peace, one could soon
-hope for completion.</p>
-<p class='c012'>My guide, Vely Nedjdat Bey, understands what
-will interest me most; and the efforts of the Red
-Crescent, disclosed on our round of the hospitals,
-have given me a most agreeable surprise. The
-sanitation leaves much to be desired from
-our Western standards, but progressive Turks have
-now learnt the importance of such matters, and are
-determined to change their old ways, after the peace.
-It would be a formidable undertaking, at the moment
-impossible, to carry out the drastic alterations that
-are essential in these primitive buildings, with no
-modern heating apparatus, and so few well-trained
-professional nurses. Under such conditions they have
-done marvels with serum, and have actually kept
-down cholera, typhus, typhoid, and small-pox with
-extraordinary success. It is only unfortunate that
-they have adopted the French method of typhoid-inoculation
-right into the breast, which, though often
-effective, is certainly dangerous for women.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The military hospital at Broussa—formerly the
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>Splendid Hotel, overlooking a magnificent stretch of
-landscape—is excellently organised; and though asked
-for criticism by Dr. Nazoum, head of the Army Medical
-Service, I could not think of any improvement to
-suggest.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We spent a morning at the Lycée for Girls, which
-was interesting, though I could not, of course, follow
-any of the classes in detail. Here, again, one can
-obtain the most charming views of the town of Angora,
-and I told the headmistress how I longed to carry
-away their wonderful front door. She was,
-evidently, pleased by the sincerity of my compliment,
-and had no fear lest I should follow the example of
-the Ambassador at Constantinople. His wife had so
-greatly admired a superb Byzantine fountain in our
-garden, that my host promptly gave orders for it to
-be dug up and sent to the Embassy, where it still
-remains!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Young as she seemed, the headmistress clearly
-recognised the responsibilities of her position, which
-were—at once so hampered and so increased—in a
-state of war. At many of the Lycées in Anatolia
-there was a man as headmaster, his wife being the headmistress;
-during the war the men, of course, had all
-gone! Education, after all, can do nothing if there is
-no Fatherland—no one to educate!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One class was being instructed by a hodja on the
-meaning of their prayers and the general principles
-of the Faith; and I also heard classes in history and
-geography, literature and hygiene. I was told that,
-in hygiene, the subject that morning was the evils of
-alcohol as a beverage. They were taught, however,
-in what ways alcohol <i>can</i> be used actually to benefit
-mankind. All honour to those who teach their children,
-from the first, the terrible curse of drink!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The girls recited patriotic poems for my benefit
-which sounded very beautiful to the foreign ear. It is,
-I suppose, the sequence of even and uneven syllables
-which produce this musical effect. They were taught,
-apparently, in all subjects to stand up and answer
-questions in a short speech: surely an admirable
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>training, likely to ensure their knowing how to
-use the language in writing and speaking with far
-more correctness, elegance, and effect than most of
-our young people ever attempt.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I peeped into the dormitories, which, like the class-rooms,
-seemed in excellent order. Coffee and tea
-were laid out for us in the recreation-room; and before
-we left the head-girl expressed their pleasure and
-thanks in what was—evidently—a neat and charming
-little speech.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I felt, however, that, like the headmistress of Broussa
-College, my hostess no doubt regretted that there were
-now neither Greeks nor Armenians at the school.
-There had been no more difficulty in the class-rooms
-than elsewhere through life, as to maintaining perfect
-harmony between Moslem and Christian. I was told
-that, though the latter were generally supposed to
-be the cleverer, Turkish girls were, in a way, more
-keen and quick to learn. They had, at any rate, a
-quite friendly desire not to be beaten, and now
-they miss the valuable competition.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In olden days, though women even attained to
-fame in politics and literature, the general standard
-for education was elementary, and no public provision
-for it had been made.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Primary schools were started about sixty years
-ago; secondary and professional schools soon followed.
-There are now girls’ schools wherever one for boys has
-been established; in most towns also a Lycée for
-Girls, and Normal Colleges in many counties of Asia
-Minor. There is a Training College at Constantinople,
-from which the senior students also attend lectures at
-the Women’s University, which shares laboratories
-and lectures—in science and medicine—with the
-University for men. I suspect, sometimes, Mustapha
-Kemal Pasha may introduce co-education throughout!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>So much interesting literature has been produced by
-the Nationalist movement, that one must hope Professor
-E. G. Browne may, one day, pursue his splendid
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>defence of Turkey by giving us extensive extracts from
-these writers in English. The greatest of all our
-living scholars in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic, he
-has devoted his whole life to the fascinating subject;
-and Prince Samad Khan has told me that he lectures
-in Persian without the trace of an accent.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Graciously writing a Preface to my “Englishwoman
-in a Turkish Harem,” he said that as “a friend and
-admirer of the Turks, as well as a student of their
-language and literature, it is always a satisfaction to
-me to find a fresh opportunity of testifying to my belief
-in the virtues of this much-maligned and ill-used
-race.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Recent events, however, seem to have paralysed his
-enthusiasm, bringing depression that killed his zeal
-for the task he now felt it would be of no avail to
-pursue.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Nationalist victory, let us hope, will encourage
-him to resume work with a revived, and ever greater,
-enthusiasm. I had intended, indeed, to ask him for
-a summary of the “Nationalist Literary Revival,”
-by way of a chapter in this book. But there was not
-time to presume so far on the kindness he has never
-refused to show.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have, therefore, reproduced, to the best of my
-ability, a few notes put together for me by that distinguished
-Professor, Hussein Raghib Bey, formerly
-Director of the Angora Press, and now Charge d’Affaires
-at the Paris Embassy. He is an exceptionally well-informed
-critic in the education, literature and politics
-of his own country, which travel also enables him to
-compare with the educational systems of Europe.
-He told me that, while he admired the thoroughness
-of German methods, he could not tolerate their unjust
-administration of corporal punishment, which, in
-his judgment, vitiated the whole system. Turkish
-schools have all adopted French methods; and,
-myself a proud pupil of the École Normale Supérieure
-de Sèvres, I do not believe there is any finer instruction
-in the world. But in the fullest sense of real and
-complete education, the best work is being done in
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>England. The ideal would seem to be a combination
-of the two.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Hussein Raghib took me right back to the “Divans,”
-a collection, or portfolio, of more or less national
-poems, celebrating the virtues of God and the Prophet.
-Love-poetry does not begin before Fouzouli, in the reign
-of Suliman the Magnificent. Any ghazals (<i>i.e.</i>, love
-songs) that I have heard sung here do not seem to
-express our conception of love. The music sounds
-more tender and mournful than passionate, and the
-song itself is often addressed to the Unknown, to Love
-in the Abstract, and not to the individual Beloved.
-Again and again I caught the word “pity,” suggesting
-ideas and moods we should not expect to find.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>After the “Divans,” we notice the strong influence of
-Persian literature in Turkey, even the introduction
-of Persian words—a consequence, no doubt, of wars
-in Persia and Arabia. Moreover, the Koran was then
-a predominating influence in all literature, as well as in
-science; and Arabic was the language of religion.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was Selim, to whom the King of Egypt handed
-over the Holy Relics—the standard, the coat, and
-the wooden sculptured shoes—with the solemn injunction,
-“They are yours—to hold; for you are qualified
-to be Khalife.” From that day and for ever, any
-Khalife who shall desert his guardianship of the Relics
-is, by that sin, self-deposed. And Great Britain, the
-largest Moslem Power in the whole world, revealed her
-ignorance, or her indifference, by calling Wahid-Eddin,
-“The Khalife,” long after his escape to Malta!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We see, then, that in the days of Sultan Mahmoud
-(that is, in our eighteenth century), the Turkish language
-was largely composed of Arabic and Persian,
-through the influence of religion. Then, precisely as
-our people in the old days could not read or speak
-the scholar’s Latin of our great literature, the people
-of Turkey could not understand their own writers.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>It was about 1339 (in our nineteenth century) that
-the cultured and intelligent Schinassi Effendi was
-sent to France. As other scholars and men of letters
-began to study Western culture in England, in her
-turn, Turkey was following European progress, towards
-desertion of any scholastic influences and
-academic style. Windows, that looked Westwards,
-were opening at last, to religion and literature alike.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Schinassi Effendi was inspired by a fine, broad-minded
-enthusiasm. He secured introductions to
-Lamartine and other great French writers; and,
-when he returned to Constantinople, immediately set
-to work upon a complete revolution of style and outlook
-in Turkish literature. With an ideal of most
-admirable and direct simplicity, he succeeded in
-modelling the language upon the best French, clear
-and logical way of construction.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Perhaps the most distinguished of his pupils were
-Namik Kemal Bey and Adbul Hak-Hamid; but there
-were many who helped to extend, and establish, his
-literary revolution. They did not, of course, cut
-away the whole traditional influence of the Arabs
-and the Persians; but, with orderly methods that were
-Western, produced almost a new Turkish language
-(which their own people could read and appreciate)
-that was perfectly adapted for the artistic and imaginative
-expression of modern thought and contemporary
-life. The European style and intellect, in its purely
-native setting, was, naturally, most apparent in their
-fiction.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Namik Kemal Bey was among those who died in
-exile for their ideals, leaving behind him some most
-touching pages in honour of the English character
-and constitution. When Zeyneb came to England she
-read some of his work to me, just at the time when
-some of our Liberal statesmen, to their eternal shame,
-had begun to declare their admiration for the Russia
-of the Czars. We arranged open-air meetings outside
-Sloane Square Station and at a big Opera House—to
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>protest against the British M.P.’s visit to
-Russia. Zeyneb’s comment was simple: “What
-would our great Kemal say?” Constitutional England
-allied to Czarist Russia!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The acknowledged leader of the New literature
-was Abdul Hak-Hamid, for some time a member
-of the Turkish Embassy in London. Schinassi and
-Kemal stood half-way between the past and this great
-modern writer, representing, also, patriotism in
-literature, as it dominated prose, at the declaration of
-the Constitution.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At this time, of course, “patriotism” meant “the
-Revolution of 1908,” a united attack on the tyranny
-of Abdul Hamid, who had persecuted Turks, Greeks,
-and Armenians alike.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Once the Constitution had been proclaimed, however,
-the Armenians turned to Russia for help to
-establish their own independence; the Greeks sought
-to revive an “Empire” from Athens.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks, who had never hesitated to appoint a
-Greek or an Armenian among their Viziers and Foreign
-Ministers, who always sent Christian Ambassadors to
-England, and who had chosen the Armenian, Gabriel
-Effendi Nouradunghian, for their Minister of Foreign
-Affairs, were now driven to concentrate their betrayed
-enthusiasm upon building up a Turkish nation <i>of their
-own</i>—for themselves alone.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Their scholars, therefore, devoted themselves to
-scientific research; social institutions were founded;
-they studied philosophy, national economy, and
-sociology; they prepared their own ethnography,
-history, and geography, and the reformed Turkish
-language.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They had, as it were, to build up a complete
-learning; almost a universal knowledge; a true
-world-culture for Eastern peoples; that, by its
-“National” inspiration, should create for Turkey a
-spirit and a soul.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>That great <i>savant</i>, Zia Gueuk Alp, one of the Malta
-victims, and afterwards Professor of Sociology at
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>Constantinople, has done more for the New literature
-than any other one writer; as Mehmet Emin Bey,
-who lives at Adalia, is their leading poet. They have
-others, of course, who produced fine work; among
-whom Yahia Kemal would probably prove the outstanding
-genius, had he the energy to maintain his
-highest gifts. The pangs of a Nation’s Birth, out of
-Sacrifice, have found voice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There are two women of genius in this group.
-To Halidé Hanoum we have already devoted a chapter,
-in honour of a wise and passionate personality that
-has impressed itself on the whole history of a generation.
-We in England, I hope, are shortly to have a
-translation of her remarkable “Nouveau Touran.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mufidé Hanoum (Mme. Ferid Bey) also approaches,
-though she has not reached, the outstanding genius
-of Halidé Hanoum. She is a younger woman, a less
-experienced writer, and, maybe, she lacks the inspiration
-that comes from long strain and suffering.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There are others,” concluded Hussein Raghib,
-“whom you <i>ought</i> to know, though they are not equally
-great.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But I’ve stayed too long already,” I replied,
-“interrupting your work.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And busy men, even in the East, must not neglect
-the State for courtesies too prolonged.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Hussein Raghib himself has published a very
-delightful “Story of Nationalism,” dating from the
-Closing of the Turkish Parliament. “As a matter
-of fact,” he writes, “the <i>Turc Odjagui</i> was the beginning
-of Nationalism.” This was a club founded by Hamdoullah
-Soubhi Bey as a protest against “Union and
-Progress,” and to place the movement on a national,
-as opposed to a party, basis. Halidé Hanoum and
-other prominent women were admitted; and its three
-thousand members included professional men like
-officers, lawyers, doctors, professors and writers; and
-men of all nationalities—Greeks and Armenians,
-Persians and Arabs. It was closed by the English, but
-has recently been re-assembled.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha contributed handsomely
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>to the funds, and Hamdoullah Soubhi came from
-Angora for the re-opening. “As our territory has
-become smaller, our intellectual empire must become
-wider,” said Hussein Raghib. “That is the spirit
-behind the club.” I had, unfortunately, to leave for
-Lausanne before the opening ceremony.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I have just been to the famous Hadgi Bairam
-Mosque, and found its chief charm, as I expected, in
-the exquisite colouring of the carpets and antique
-faïences. These glowing scarlets and blues, mauves
-and terra-cottas, surely compensate, in some
-measure, for all the grey that overshadows life.
-Europe would not seem so sordid if we imported more
-bright colours from the East—for our <i>East</i> Ends!
-Nothing fascinates me so much as the atmosphere
-of a mosque; the un-selfconsciousness and natural
-reverence of the men at prayers; out of the world,
-in Allah’s home.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Surely faith is the same for all men, making all
-men equal!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The gods,” said my guide, “are three—Goodness,
-Beauty, and Truth.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“To which I would add Courage,” was my response.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As you please,” he answered.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He told me that “The Pasha” and the first Deputies
-all came to visit the Mosque before the opening
-of the Grand National Assembly, joined by everyone
-in Angora—even sceptics—“to lift our hands to Heaven
-in prayer, confident that victory must be ours.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We went on to the tomb of the Sainted Man,
-robed in shawl and turban, after the picturesque
-Eastern manner. The guardian of the tomb was
-seated before it on his crossed legs, reading the
-Koran; and around him were many women, weeping
-over their prayers.... “Is it for peace, or for their
-dead?” I wondered!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>That afternoon I determined to try and find out
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>all I could about the army from some of my friends
-at the Assembly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You are very indiscreet,” said the officer, whose
-attention I had managed to secure.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I know that,” was my reply; “it is a little like
-asking St. Peter for just a peep into Heaven.
-But you <i>can</i> tell me something?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What do you wish to know? Our normal
-military service is for three years. We naturally
-have to adopt conscription for an indefinite period
-in times of war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What was the meaning of the large crowd at the
-Town Hall to-day?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They were enlisting. We cannot let go
-now. The sovereign rights of the people must be
-maintained.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You were beaten to the dust in the Great War,” I
-suggested.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We <i>were</i> defeated in Palestine. But most of
-our troops went to Cilicia; we were victorious in the
-Dardanelles and the Caucasus. Few of the Powers
-were forced to scatter their forces along so many
-frontiers.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The English were nowhere near Mosul,” he went
-on, “and they never really broke up our army;
-they just took possession of Constantinople and,
-through the Greeks, of Smyrna. They taught us
-the <i>fait accompli</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It was necessary for us, of course, after the rupture
-with Constantinople, to reorganise the whole
-army. The Pasha was forced to call in officers to
-train companies, even irregulars. Ali Fuad commanded
-in the North; Refet Pasha in the South. At the
-first battle we had two big guns only!</p>
-
-<div id='i224' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i224.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>AGHA AGLOU AHMED BEY.<br /><span class='sc'>Director of the Angora Press.</span><br />He sent a charming message to the author of this book complimenting her on her courage.<br />p. 224</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The work went on day and night: collecting
-and training men, making or repairing arms and
-munitions, gathering metal—often from railway lines.
-No one thought of rest till all was ready in numbers
-and construction. We had ten thousand men in July,
-1920, we are four hundred thousand to-day! We
-obtained four hundred and fifty big guns, and a fleet
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>of aeroplanes from the Greeks; a thousand machine-guns,
-besides clothing, tents, horses and mules,
-from the English.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now we have no grounds for fear, though you
-in England will not attempt to realise our Mosul
-figures: <i>Turks</i>, 150,000; <i>Kurds</i>, 450,000; <i>Arabs</i>,
-30,000; <i>Nestorians</i>, 30,000. The <i>Kurds</i> wish to
-unite with us. The <i>Nestorians</i> will fight, either as
-independent allies or under Turkish officers.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Colonel Mougin says that your army is the best
-officered in the world,” I said.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Our Staff is composed of picked men with great
-experience and knowledge; the officers have been
-chosen with great care. We are young, energetic,
-well-trained, and, above all, fired with enthusiasm
-for the cause.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is no calling more honoured than that of
-the army. None may marry without the consent of
-his superior officer.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Can he marry a Christian?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He hesitated a moment, and then replied: “It
-isn’t done.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Ah!” I smiled, “you have stolen our English
-<i>credo</i>.”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>
- <h2 id='ch26' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXVI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>LAST DAYS IN ANGORA: EXCURSIONS, CONVERSATIONS, PICNICS—HAÏDAR BEY’S PARTY</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Angora</span>, certainly, carries one back to the centuries
-before Christ; although we now realise that life was
-by no means without its luxury in those bygone days.
-As the houses of Pompeii were warmed by hot air
-behind the walls, and the baths were not only hygienic
-but luxurious, it would puzzle one to find what now
-remains in Angora from the comfortable period of
-Augustus. There is also a prehistoric atmosphere about
-Smyrna, or as it was once wittily expressed:
-“Since its deliverance from Greeks and Armenians,
-it has the charm of Sodom and Gomorrah after the
-fire.”</p>
-<p class='c012'>But every day I am more at a loss to imagine
-where the thirty thousand inhabitants of Angora are
-living to-day. I have seen some of them in their
-charmingly improvised houses, made homelike by the
-marvellous carpets of the East; but, as one always
-goes back to one’s first love, I give up the problem,
-and return to talk with the “élite” at the Assembly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One day I found the Director of the Angora Press,
-Aga Aglou Ahmed Bey, in his tasteful little ante-room,
-and learnt that he, too, found it hard to forgive
-the recent policy of Great Britain. He repeated, also,
-the note of despair I hear so often: “Whatever we
-do is wrong.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Yet,” he added, “had our movement originated
-in America, we should have had the whole world at
-our feet. All growing nations have been allowed to
-separate Church and State. We have, indeed,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>troubles within and without, but they have only
-strengthened the spirit of Nationalism, which the
-Pasha himself could not now destroy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Alas, poor Turkey! Abdul Hamid disposed of
-Turks with amazing dexterity: he lost them, killed
-them, or forgot them; and who cared? They were
-not Christians!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Look what it cost us to depose the ‘Red’
-Sultan, and then we had the ‘Black’ Sultan. When
-we got rid of him, Europe was not pleased. See how
-the English are defending him; though one of your
-charming countrymen told me they would not give
-him ‘house-room’ in your own country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I suggested, and Halidé Hanoum agreed, we could
-not refuse to find a safe home for our vassal; although,
-certainly, his visit to Mecca could not be justified
-by our refusal to go on paying his board in Malta.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ahmed Bey expressed his enthusiasm for Lord
-Curzon’s books on the East. As a young student,
-he told me, he had written glowing appreciations of
-this brilliant statesman, in whom all the Moslems had
-once put their trust. From Malta, he wrote to Lord
-Curzon: “One of your greatest admirers, who has often
-expressed his eulogies in public, is now in prison, a
-prisoner of peace, taken out of his bed....”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The names of Calthorpe and Milne will go down
-through the history of Turkey; but not to the credit
-of England.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here is the charming message sent to me by Aga
-Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director of the Press of Angora:—</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am, indeed, sorry that illness prevents my coming
-to tell you personally what your visit means to us,
-and the feelings of gratitude and respect that you
-inspire in the hearts of all the Turks by your <i>courage</i>
-and <i>love of the truth</i>....”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was particularly glad to hear that although, like
-most of his compatriots, Ahmed Bey holds that all
-propaganda is foreign to the character of the Turks,
-he has determined to open a “Bureau of Information”
-as soon as Peace is signed. I cannot doubt that this
-will be a great benefit to all Islam.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>“<i>My</i> propaganda,” I told him, “would be inspired
-by the determination to blazon abroad the marvellous
-kindness of all your race. Few people have any idea
-how hospitable and generous the Turks have been.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Dear Mademoiselle,” he replied, “you are right.
-We have not the sky-scrapers of New York; but
-we have big hearts. Yet we have given you so little
-comfort....”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You have given me your best, and I appreciate
-it. Hygiene and luxury are not everything; though
-I have a pet theory of my own as to the holding of
-hands between East and West in the realm of hygiene:
-‘First, I wash myself <i>à la West</i>, or, as you call it,
-in dirty water; then I perfect the ceremony <i>à la East</i>,
-that is, in running water. On the other hand, for a
-bath, I like to start with the Turkish and end with
-the English. You see I am already half-Oriental.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Though rather exceptionally sympathetic and broad-minded,
-I gathered from the Director that he, and
-others, were not quite so enthusiastic about the French,
-as they, certainly, had been quite recently. Much
-was expected of France at Lausanne, and they were
-disappointed in proportion.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The <i>Athenaeum</i> published a strange comment on
-my last book about Turkey, from a writer who claimed
-to know the East: “When a race becomes disciplined
-and energetic, the number of blonde women becomes
-greater!” I should not myself call many Turkish
-men I met blonde; but I have a certain impression
-of noticing a number of surprisingly fair men in
-Angora; and, maybe, the energy of the Nationalists
-is thus evidenced in the lighter colouring of their hair.
-If there be even a grain of truth in the theory, it seems
-a pity that women of all nations should resort to
-peroxide and henna, when a little hard work would
-have a better, and more lasting, effect.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>To-day, one feels the Grand National Assembly has
-achieved success, and is permanently established.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>This sense of security is, no doubt, partly derived from
-remembering what earlier parliaments, with scarcely
-less loyal enthusiasm, attempted, and failed to achieve.
-I remember my first visit to Adbul Hamid’s Parliament,
-and the big hopes by which we were all then
-inspired. It had been no easy matter to overthrow
-that hideous tyrant, and we have no reason to blame
-that Government for not realising our full expectations.
-Other governments in other countries have failed again
-and again on their road to ultimate success. On that
-opening day, too, I remember seeing, with pity and
-respect, a pale and lonely figure, seated silent among
-the general rejoicings, unnoticed and forgotten. It
-was the son of the great Midhat, who had established
-a still earlier parliament. All honour to the pioneers.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>On another occasion Djellal Noury Bey, deputy
-for Gallipoli and editor of the Constantinople
-<i>Illeri</i> (or “Forwards”), gave me some further
-impressions of the “Pasha” and of many interesting
-Anatolian problems. However closely the leaders
-agree on general principles, it is always helpful to compare
-as many individual points of view as one can
-obtain. Djellal Noury has been to England and the
-States, and speaks perfect English and French. We
-have mutual friends in London.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I asked whether I might go over the National
-Pact with him, clause by clause; as although,
-or rather because, I am so keen a friend to Nationalism,
-I want to be <i>sure</i> whether there are any points in their
-scheme, or their aims and attitude, that I <i>do</i> find
-fault with, or should like to criticise.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He seemed only too delighted that anyone should
-care so much for a full discussion of their important
-work, and put everything before me as clearly and
-thoroughly as I could possibly wish.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I could find nothing unreasonable in a single
-clause, if the Turkish nation is to achieve <i>real</i>
-nationality.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As business men, for example, can the foreigners
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>justly wish to maintain exemption from taxes? As
-Djellal Noury explained it: “The European and the
-Turk buy goods, say at five francs. The European
-pays no taxes and can sell for six francs. As the Turk
-pays a tax, he has to charge seven francs, and, being
-cut out in price, is naturally left with a large stock
-in hand. These are conditions which, obviously,
-cannot be maintained. Capitulations have strangled
-the commerce of the country and its progress.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It may happen that one Power takes out a Concession
-for the railways, but cannot, or will not,
-fulfil ifs contract. We have to go without railways.
-We cannot go elsewhere when a Concession has been
-granted.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I complimented Djellal Noury upon the excellence
-of his French. “I used to edit a French paper,” he
-replied, as he looked round the ante-room in search
-of anyone to whom I might especially like to be introduced.
-For my part, my attention had just been
-caught by one of the hodjas.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“These people do not think as we do,” he said,
-catching the direction of my glance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Then you are anti-Islam?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Not at all; I am strongly <i>pro</i>-Islam. The
-broad-minded dogmas of our religion can meet all
-modern requirements, moral or spiritual. But the
-Koran is not properly interpreted by the hodjas.
-The will of the people is our religion; service is
-worship!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I remember a story of Mahomet I heard in Turkey.
-“The prophet was one day walking with his disciples,
-and passed a group of workmen on the river’s bank who
-did not stop their task, even to salute him. When his
-disciples inquired whether these men should not be
-called to order, he replied: ‘Work and service are the
-greatest homage that the faithful can pay to their
-prophet.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had already conceived the idea that Nationalism
-is a religion. One sees the National Pact beside
-the bedside, as we have our prayer-books. Colonel
-Tewfik has a copy, bound like a small almanac, in
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>his waistcoat pocket. The principles of Angora are
-their “Holy Gospel.” To be a Nationalist is to stand
-for your country’s most vital interests.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We spoke of the Press—Turkish as well as British.
-The whole Turkish Press stands for Nationalism, irrespective
-of any opposed local opinions or interests.
-With us, the fine independence of other days has departed—one
-hopes not for ever. In the hands of a
-few party-peers one could, perhaps, expect nothing
-better. Were it not anti-Islam, one would name the
-<i>Manchester Guardian</i> as the most honest newspaper
-to-day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Djellal Noury had given up so many afternoons to
-explaining to me the whole policy of Nationalism, that
-I was grieved to hear of his having called to see me one
-afternoon when a party had been arranged for me by
-the colonel to join one of their shooting expeditions.
-I wish he could have been persuaded to join us.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>A special carriage and two of the finest horses in
-Angora had been requisitioned for the occasion; and
-though the colonel was prevented, at the last moment,
-from being with us, we made up four guns, and every
-man had two rows of cartridges round his waist.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I had visions of our coming Sunday lunch; but, alas!
-it was bitterly cold (in spite of rugs and shawls) on
-these lovely and picturesque roads, white with frost;
-and when we had waited a whole afternoon for the
-shooters to shoot, someone at last bagged a magpie.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Passing a flock of geese, by which the old woman
-of a tiny roadside farm was standing sentinel, I asked
-one of the party to hand me a gun with which to shoot
-one of the geese by mistake. I remembered in
-time, however, that the only time I had ever aimed
-at a rabbit, I killed a fox; and I was afraid that by
-aiming at the goose I should probably shoot the lady.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So they toiled on for another hour with no better
-result, and we began to hesitate about facing the colonel
-and the director of the Ottoman Bank, where we had all
-been invited to Sunday lunch. But on the way back we
-were lucky enough to buy a fine, plump hare from two
-peasant women we passed on the road; and the colonel
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>was boldly informed that it had fallen to Osman Noury.
-“Madame Noury must cook him,” cried the colonel,
-with a laugh that struck one as rather suspicious.
-The colonel supplied champagne; Mme. Noury superintended
-the hare and the pilaw; Boghetti brought
-some fruit; Oeillet was responsible for the cigarettes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When behold, to the manifest discomfort of
-Osman Noury, the colonel began asking awkward
-questions about the “where’s and when’s.” “Be careful,”
-I said, “the colonel is going to wire to his Government
-about it.” When the laughter subsided, Osman
-Noury blushingly explained that it had cost him two
-Turkish pounds! I am sure neither the fact nor the
-confession diminished our enjoyment of the merry feast.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have been very ill to-day, on the point of slipping
-out of this world altogether. Not realising the danger
-of close proximity to a mangal, I carried the precious
-warmth into my bedroom, to feast on its exquisite
-purple flames, which I just remember comparing to a
-sunset. Fortunately, my faithful maid was in the room
-when I lost consciousness, and I was carried out of the
-poisonous air.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The colonel told me afterwards that before they
-knew whether I should recover, he was possessed of a
-horrible panic that he could never persuade his Government
-I had died by accident.... Everyone will
-say “the Turks poisoned you and the Frenchman let
-them do it.” Well, I am still here, and the papers
-have lost an excellent opportunity for lying copy.
-M. Louis Steeg declares: “You surely will never die!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The Pasha has graciously lent me his car for a visit
-to Halidé Hanoum. It is a pretty little machine,
-lined with blue velvet, which hops and bumps and
-plunges along the roads like a kangaroo, swimming
-across the river for more miles of twisting acrobatics.
-I have always admired the carriage-drivers: before (or
-rather behind) M. Kemal’s chauffeur I am dumb.
-But, apparently, the cars “don’t mind”!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was imprudent enough to dismiss my conductor
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>at the nearest point to my host’s house, which even
-he could not reach, and walked on to find the servants
-had all disappeared, no doubt to the Mosque, and the
-family were not at home! Being in Turkey I did
-not hesitate to step down the road and knock at the
-first door I came to, which was of plain deal, with the
-usual huge lock (quite a foot long) and picturesque
-knocker. A thin-faced woman appeared to welcome
-me, and, without thinking, I fell back on my stock
-greeting: “Mustapha Kemal Pasha, <i>Chok Guzel</i>!”
-Accepting my muddy boots without demur, she
-smilingly led me into her little two-roomed cabin:
-on one side, the sleeping-room with its bed and well-cushioned
-divan; on the other, her simple kitchen.
-When she had tucked me up on the Divan, and given me
-coffee and cigarettes, I did my best at conversation,
-and by friendly signs tried to convey my gratitude.
-“England is a big country ... M. Kemal’s victory
-splendid ... cold weather outside,” my eyes and
-hands said.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If she did not exactly understand what was in my
-mind, she was polite enough to seem thoroughly interested.
-I sat on till I could hear the servants arriving
-at my host’s house, and with another supply of coffee,
-she smiled me farewell, without the slightest appearance
-of having resented my lengthy intrusion. They
-are hospitable in Anatolia!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Another person I met with pleasure at the Assembly
-was Hamdoullah Soubhi Bey. He is a distinguished
-writer and orator of about thirty-five, whose white hair
-offers a striking contrast to the alert youthfulness of
-his face and expression. He has spoken “cultured”
-French from the cradle; as, indeed, so many women
-of the upper classes know that language far better
-than Turkish. Zeyneb uses French in writing to
-Halidé Hanoum, being, no doubt, unwilling to trust
-her Turkish to so brilliant a writer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It must have been Hamdoullah Soubhi whom I
-heard, about ten years ago, plead so eloquently for
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>the abolition of the harem. When he showed us what
-polygamy so often <i>meant</i> to the children, few of his
-large audience could keep back their tears. The
-colonel had introduced him, and said that he had been
-the Minister of Education. “Why did he give
-up the post?” I asked. “Ah, <i>pourquoi</i>!” shrugged
-my friend, “it is a delight to talk with him. You,
-who love French, will indeed enjoy the exquisite
-language in which he clothes his thoughtful opinions.
-Such men are an ornament to any parliament.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Hamdoullah Soubhi does not seem to feel so leniently
-towards the Greeks as M. Kemal, and is less optimistic
-about their return. It had been supposed, he told
-me, that the marked differences between the two
-races would balance each other; but it has not proved
-so, and, in his judgment, they would always clash.
-“Our Anatolians, so long neglected and forgotten,
-are as they were three thousand years ago: honourable,
-firmly resisting all tempest, faithful to the traditions
-of their race, loyal to their chosen leader in the
-hour of danger.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told him it should be a lesson for us in Europe,
-to find a map of Asia Minor in all the humble homes;
-while my host, the Minister of Public Works, always
-brings <i>his</i> map on to our breakfast table, to familiarise
-me with all the geography of these wide lands. We
-are now studying Diarbékir and Kurdistan, not only
-the wonderful old towns, but the character of their
-cultured inhabitants. No wonder our Lausanne delegates
-have so affronted Turkey by their lofty allusions
-to the “illiterate” Kurd!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How can our younger civilisations, however advanced
-in science and commerce, ever have been so
-self-satisfied as to suppose that we could keep down such
-people for ever?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Our forty millions,” answered Hamdoullah
-Soubhi, “will not be so easily suppressed. Remember,
-our language is spoken beyond the borders of China,
-and our civilisation can be traced all over the world.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I afterwards met Hamdoullah Soubhi, in
-a little restaurant adjoining the Assembly buildings,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>he was accompanied by a brother of the late Djémal
-Pasha. I was glad of the opportunity to tell him
-that, “whatever the political mistakes of their former
-leader, I felt that the Turks had lost a great man.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The proprietor of this little restaurant is also a
-professor. He determined that, while cooks, and
-indeed all servants, were almost impossible to obtain,
-the deputies should suffer no inconvenience. Now
-they all either drop in at the professor’s, or ask him
-to send them a snack to one of the rooms of the
-Assembly. The ready courtesy with which he offered
-to contrive a meal <i>à l’anglaise</i>, for my special benefit,
-clearly showed he is always willing to do his best.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>H. Soubhi Bey’s tastes are very simple, and he
-detests show or bluff. “We discard superstitions,
-alike in life and religion,” he said; “only the solid
-foundations of truth can resist the storm. Our
-National Pact, like our faith, is solid, positive, and
-true.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>On one occasion I met Haïdar Bey, <i>député</i> for
-Vannes, the colonel’s adviser on rugs and carpets,
-whom he calls “the old brigand.” He told me,
-however, “the fellow was not dangerous;” and
-I surprised him by declaring that I had fallen in
-love, at the age of eight, with Hadji Stavros, Edmund
-About’s “King of the Mountains,” and, in consequence,
-was perfectly at home with brigands.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>HAÏDAR Bey does not carry the chaplet, which so
-many Orientals are always counting, in order to check
-the temptation to smoke, but I noticed he was
-clenching a piece of wax. “He’s training his muscles,”
-laughed the colonel. “Brigands, you know, have to
-keep themselves very fit!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He seemed to me, as a matter of fact, to have
-suffered more, physically, from the allied occupation
-than anyone else I met, except Essad Pasha, the
-celebrated oculist, obviously destined for constant pain
-to the end of his days.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>HAÏDAR Bey had sworn he would never again speak
-to an Englishman on account of our officers’ treatment
-of his mother. I could only assure him, with all the
-earnestness at my command, that the people of
-England abominated every form of personal cruelty;
-and that one day, when the facts were known, we
-should officially apologise, as I now privately expressed
-my horror and shame.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>His response was characteristic of these generous
-people! He arranged for me a really charming little
-supper-party; making graceful allusions to England
-as she was before the war; and as, since my visit, he
-had decided to think of her ... “I will only remember
-the occupation as a hideous nightmare!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I could sincerely say I had enjoyed every minute of
-the evening, from the Circassian chicken specially
-prepared for me, to the Oriental music and Abdul
-Hamid’s own cigarettes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our host himself had graciously come for us an
-hour before the appointed time; a prudent gallantry,
-to ensure the arrival of his guests in the crowded
-quarter described as “near the pump, which is perhaps
-near the Mosque”! with neither street-name nor
-number to assist the traveller.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Aided by sticks and lanterns, we accordingly
-prepared to face the dangers of the way. It was impossible
-to hear oneself speak in the biting wind; and
-our host, with his “lantern under thy feet,” as the
-Bible calls it, was fully occupied in guiding us away
-from big stones and wide holes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We were glad to reach his dimly-lighted room;
-over-heated, indeed, to Western ideas; and sink into
-the cushioned divans covered with his priceless rugs.
-The <i>mézé</i>, or meal of hors d’œuvres, was served the
-moment we arrived, with dainty dishes of fruit, cheese
-and olives.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The choirmaster of the Christian church had been
-specially invited to bring his band for our benefit.
-I found that, like so many of the Christians, even
-the priests, he had scarcely any Armenian. Indeed,
-they all wear the fez and speak of “our”
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>country, “our” victories, and “our” ghazi Pasha!
-It was in a Christian church that I once heard the
-following prayer: “May the all powerful God bless
-our beloved nation Turkey, and all the heroic sons and
-children of this nation to which we are so proud to
-belong. Give grace and health to our commander,
-Mustapha Kemal Pasha the ghazi, and to all the
-Ministers of the National Assembly, and all those who
-have sacrificed their life and comfort for our welfare.”
-The priest assured me that no one had “asked” him
-to offer up any such prayer, which was the spontaneous
-expression of his own feelings!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All Armenians consider themselves “at home” in
-Turkey; as the Welsh are “at home” in England.
-About the same proportion know the language, the
-national songs, history and literature, as we find in
-Wales. The priest preaches in Turkish because he
-desires the congregation to understand him; though,
-if he knows Armenian, part of the Mass is said
-in that language, for the sake of sentiment.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In these days, of course, the races have been
-provoked to mutual jealousies and suspicions. I
-overheard greetings that certainly <i>sounded</i> like the
-happy reunion of long-parted friends, and were, indeed,
-accompanied by all the outward and visible signs
-of affection, which the dignity of the European
-must always suppress.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We have missed you,” cried the affectionate
-Turk; “life is not what it used to be. None of us can
-take your place.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And the Armenian replied at once: “It was cruel
-to turn us against you. Those horrible English—that
-Lloyd George!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>They spoke of the happy days when the Armenians
-took care of Turkish children, whose parents had gone
-on pilgrimage to Mecca. Now they have come back
-the best of friends; and I believe, as they do, that
-not even the English could ever separate them again.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One of the guests, the Italian director of the Ottoman
-Bank, was very anxious that Colonel Mougin
-and I should not miss these signs of a permanent
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>reconciliation. “You see,” he said, “it is only the
-Turks themselves who can protect ‘minorities.’ It is
-easy enough for any Armenian to get on with them.
-The supposed antipathies are made in the States.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Governor-General of the Ottoman Bank, M.
-Louis Steeg, also begged me to do all in my power
-to stop this useless propaganda. The Armenians are
-begging to be ‘left alone.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is manifest again that Mustapha Kemal includes
-Christian minorities in the “New Turkey” he has
-determined to save from veils, harems, and lattices;
-the crumbling remains of Byzantium, anti-progressive
-Hodjas, and the Byzantian Patriarch imposed on
-Constantinople!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Certainly these Christian musicians gave us
-only Turkish music and songs: love songs, military
-airs, the Moslem ‘Hymn of Independence’ (known to
-every child in the land), Anatolian folk-songs, and,
-most interesting and incomprehensible of all, the weird,
-piping solo that accompanies the dancing dervishes,
-a combination of sacred mystery, sentiment and
-melancholy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Unfortunately, no European can expect to enter
-fully into Turkish music without a good deal of study.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>And yet, deeply as I feel the charm of Eastern landscapes,
-the glorious sunsets or brilliant sunshine
-revealing white minarets against the black cypress,
-I still hold dearer memories of the old talks with my
-Turkish sister, beside the roseate mangal, as she
-revealed to me the fascinating mysteries of the life
-of the sons and daughters of her land.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is the same to-day in the more strenuous and,
-in some respects, more Western atmosphere of the
-proud National Assembly. Even if I have done but
-little to convey the admiration their splendid resistance
-demands, which I so strongly feel, the effort to
-understand has brought me the greatest pleasure. And
-whether or not I have earned, or merited, the joy, none
-can take it from me.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>
- <h2 id='ch27' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXVII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>ROME, THE ETERNAL CITY—A VISIT TO THE CATHOLICS IN ANGORA</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>There</span> is so often compensation for disappointment.
-Had I been able to reach Angora through Constantinople,
-had I not been held up six weeks by strikes on
-sea, I should have missed the chance of another visit
-to Rome—above all, of having an audience with Pope
-Pius XI.</p>
-<p class='c012'>His Holiness could not know, for I did not myself
-then imagine, the precious gift he thus entrusted to
-me for his children in Anatolia. He certainly would
-not feel the time wasted, could I convey to him the
-heartfelt joy and reverence with which they listened
-for my answers to their eager questions. “What is
-he like, our Holy Father? Is it true that he always
-prays for us?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>No one could fail, indeed, to have been impressed
-by the deep sincerity with which the Pope takes
-man’s sorrows to heart; the great anxiety that overwhelms
-him, not only for his own flock but for all
-humanity; and his great desire for peace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Towards Turkey, I believe the Christian world will
-follow the lead of Great Britain; as in their attitude
-towards the Christian Powers, Islam will follow the
-lead of Turkey. Now that Mustapha Kemal Pasha
-has raised Turkey again to be the true head of Islam,
-should not our whole policy in the East rest on her
-friendship?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As in politics, so in religion. Dare we listen to the
-appeal of American Nonconformity for a “Holy War”
-<i>against</i> Islam; dare we follow the Anglican into
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>union with the Greek Church <i>against</i> the followers of
-the Prophet? Only the Roman Church has lived in
-perfect harmony in Turkey? The only Christians to
-praise and honour the Moslem faith!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>One must come from an audience in the Vatican
-with sealed lips.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But when humanity is waiting for understanding
-and kindness; when, above all, the East is asking:
-“Can we trust the West?” it is impossible to remain
-altogether silent concerning the Holy Father of Rome.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkey has been insulted, despised, and deceived
-by Christendom. Despite her utmost tolerance to
-every faith, she has been betrayed by those to whom
-she was most indulgent. Missionaries she welcomed
-in Christ’s name, as messengers of His love to all men,
-have used their sacred privileges to organise enemy
-propaganda.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Therefore will I bear witness: there is a father’s
-heart on Peter’s throne; a father anxious for all his
-children, suffering; and <i>with no crusade to urge against
-Islam</i>, also sons of God and brothers of Christ!
-For him there is one “enemy,” and only one: the
-“Materialism” that is poisoning our civilisations;
-nourishing our pride, our jealousy, and our hate;
-threatening our faith.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Is this “indiscretion”? Yet how is it possible to
-express one’s personal impressions of an audience with
-the Sovereign Pontif! All the literatures of the
-world have dedicated immortal pages to the Father
-of Christendom. They have paid homage to him,
-if not as spiritual head, at least as a great and
-picturesque personality; and, above all, a personality
-backed by the traditions of ages.</p>
-
-<div id='i240' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i240.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>BURNT QUARTER IN THE FRENCH PART OF SMYRNA NEAR THE QUAY.<br />p. 48</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Dumas, in his beautifully written interview with
-Pope Gregory XVI., describes his terror at the thought
-of meeting the Pope. To-day such a sentiment is no
-longer possible. Awe and reverence have taken the
-place of terror. Excommunication has lost all the
-meaning it had in the Middle Ages. And yet, deprived
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>as he is of all temporal power, the Pope is expected,
-by virtue of the age of his sacred office, to express himself
-in all moments of crisis. As spiritual head of the
-Christian Church, he is to-day in a difficult position.
-The Greeks and Armenians, it is true, are not for the
-most part his children. They belong, however, to
-branches of the Christian Church; and no Pope, however
-much the poor misguided peoples are responsible
-for their own misfortunes, can look with indifference
-on what is happening to them, and may still happen.</p>
-
-<div id='i240a' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i240a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>A LUNCHEON PARTY AT THE OTTOMAN BANK, ANGORA.<br /><br /><span class='sc'>Boghetti.</span><br />(Director of the Ottoman Bank.)<br /><br /><span class='sc'>Oeillet.</span><br />(Secretary to Colonel Mougin.)<br /><br /><span class='sc'>Miss Grace Ellison.</span><br /><br /><span class='sc'>HAÏDAR Bey.</span><br />(Deputé for Vannes.)<br /><br /><span class='sc'>Colonel Mougin.</span><br />p. 240</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, no Pope can forget what the
-Vatican owes to Turkey. In that hospitable land, the
-Roman Catholic orders, expelled from France, sought
-refuge. Throughout the length and breadth of the
-country, Catholic missions thrive and prosper. Though
-they rarely, if ever, make converts, they give care in
-sickness; comforts, education, and instruction to the
-Turks. And who is responsible for the cultural French
-language spoken in the Near East, if not the Jesuit
-Fathers?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This extraordinary religious tolerance on the part
-of the Turks has always been incomprehensible.
-Disraeli’s protection of the Turk was born of his gratitude
-for the religious tolerance they extended to the
-Jew. Jews, who could escape massacre in Russia,
-found then, as they find now, a comfortable home
-where they are free to practice their religion and make
-money. What more can they want?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally, then, seeing what the Vatican owes to
-Turkey, and Turkey to the Vatican, the Pope is interested
-in the personality of M. Kemal Pasha, and
-proved very willing to hear what a Western woman,
-with opportunities in the past of studying Turkish
-home life, knows of this great Nationalist hero.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Anyone who has seen the ceremonies at the Vatican
-must be impressed by their great spectacular beauty.
-The Church of Rome has given the world some of its
-finest art, literature and music. And at the Vatican
-itself, wherever the eye wanders, there is beauty—beauty
-of architecture, beauty of colouring. On the
-one side there is the gaudy costume of the Swiss Guard,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>with their scarlet and gold, in striking contrast to the
-grey courtyard and the black dresses or mantillas of
-the lady visitors; there are the frescoes, the statues:
-and over all a veil of mystery and the charm of history.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From the time one’s carriage rumbles over the
-stones of the great unshaded courtyard to the side
-where the Pope’s apartments are situated, one has the
-sensation of walking over a book of sacred history.
-It is true all Rome is history. The Vatican, however,
-is the history of the Catholic Church from the
-beginning, and as you go up the marble steps you instinctively
-lower your voice, walking slowly and
-silently. For have not all the greatest figures in the
-world’s history passed up that staircase?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is everywhere a delightful odour of books;
-but where are the books? Uniformed diplomatists,
-high officials, generals, cardinals in their scarlet splendour,
-priests in black and scarlet and purple, attendants
-in red damask court breeches, walk noiselessly in and
-out. All the chairs seem so big, and the consoles and
-vases so huge and so valuable, that a portrait of the
-kindly face of Pope Pius X. is a welcome change.
-Seeing me looking at the peaceful, saintly face, my
-neighbour whispers: “C’était un vrai père.” One
-notices also a beautiful bust of Pope Benedict XV.
-Why do the photographers never do justice to his fine
-intelligent face?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Monsignor X. has come to fetch me. He, too, is
-keenly interested in Angora. Now I am taken to the
-Throne Room; the Holy Father comes forward to
-greet me. He stands whilst talking to me, with one
-hand resting on a large piece of antique furniture.
-Beginning to speak in English, he continues in French.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Pope speaks most modern languages; and,
-as he receives every day, keeps himself in personal
-touch not only with the best-known Catholics, but with
-all the important personalities who come to Rome. He
-has travelled extensively, is well-read in many languages,
-and has written books of the highest value. As a
-younger man, Monsignor Ceretti—the Paris Papal
-Nonce—has told us, the Pope used often to read and
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>write the whole night through, and he has an inexhaustible
-fund of most valuable information. And
-what does he not know of Islam? He has studied it
-in all its phases; hence his great tolerance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Clad in a white cloth soutane, with a wide white
-cape over his broad shoulders, a white cloth sash
-hanging in wide ends on the left side, white buttons
-and a white calotte and red shoes, the Holy Father
-stands out as a contrast in simplicity to his surroundings.
-His thick gold chain and handsomely chiselled
-cross, with its large diamonds, are his only ornaments
-besides the pastoral ring.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Of medium height and pale, his powerful face is
-young for his years, and his large wide forehead quite
-unlined. His features are clear cut; his eyes seem small,
-perhaps because of the thick glass of the spectacles,
-which he frequently adjusts.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One is particularly struck, however, by the power
-of his features and his frank expression. It is a
-face of much intelligence, but, above all, one of the
-greatest human kindness. This can be seen more from
-the mouth than the eyes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told the Pope why I was going to Angora, where,
-as the people knew me and trusted me, I hoped, at any
-rate, to achieve some good. An expression of infinite
-sadness passed over his face as I continued: “All
-this awful bloodshed, this useless suffering. Surely
-these things should never have come upon us.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There was, indeed, little his Holiness could say.
-He knows how useless it is now, to question on whose
-shoulders History will place the responsibility for the
-diplomatic bungling in the Near East.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It should be remembered, however, that he had
-written to M. Kemal, begging him to do all in his
-power to prevent bloodshed as the army advanced.
-The Pasha’s reply was dignified, wise, and sympathetic:
-surely a key to his fine personality, as all can recognise
-it to-day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I said to the Pope: “Mustapha Kemal appears
-to me a man of great understanding, who would be
-capable of a <i>beau geste</i> towards Christianity. His
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>speeches are democratic, full of kindness and consideration
-for his people, revealing a real desire and
-determination to lead them along the road to that
-prosperity which should be the heritage of a people
-dowered with a soil so fertile in precious minerals....
-Yet, of course, other men in other countries have made
-great speeches and done nothing!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In paying tribute to the personality of M. Kemal
-Pasha, so far as I could then judge it, I said that he
-seemed to me a man of moderation, who would always
-use his great influence to prevent bloodshed. Yet
-one trembles at the thought of the moment when the
-army goes into Constantinople! The slightest friction,
-through no fault of the great general himself,
-might have appalling results. Yet I have sufficient
-confidence in the Turks to know they would not
-willingly harm one religious order. It could only
-be by accident ... yet it would be terrible, and must
-not happen....</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Nothing will happen, your Holiness,” I went on,
-“unless the Greeks begin it. In their tragic and
-hasty exodus from Thrace were they not reminded,
-in terror of what might be, of their own conduct in
-Asia Minor?” Yet the Pope’s face was very anxious.
-There was great pathos in his voice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In what almost tragic situations a Pope thus often
-finds himself! The spiritual father of both sides;
-nevertheless neutral, or, if not neutral, criticised by
-both ... always expected to dispense generosity and
-mercy—and receiving none; no wonder the strain of
-the war killed both Benedict XV. and Pius X.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Angora I told M. Kemal Pasha of the Pope’s
-great desire for peace. What was to be the Pasha’s
-<i>beau geste</i> towards Christianity. I suggested he might,
-as S. Sophia was a Christian Church, give it back to the
-Pope, as spiritual head of Christendom.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>M. Kemal Pasha replied: “Had there been only
-one branch of the Christian Church, although S.
-Sophia has now become part of our Moslem traditions,
-it might have been possible. As the Christian Church
-is so much divided, it is impossible. We should only
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>excite the Russians, the Greeks, and the Anglicans,
-to come and fight each other on our soil for S. Sophia;
-and the <i>beau geste</i> you suggest for peace would lead
-to eternal conflict and strife. Nevertheless, we are so
-anxious to do all in our power to honour Christianity
-in the eyes of the world that if, by our retaining S.
-Sophia as a mosque, we are really giving offence to
-the Catholic Church, we would either turn it into a
-museum, or close it forever. None must ever be able
-to say that we have intentionally injured the Christian
-Church.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I complimented the Pasha on his fine sentiments
-toward the Christian religion.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is natural,” he replied. “I am only carrying on
-our traditional tolerance to all religions. The Roman
-Catholics and all Christians, as well as the Jews, have
-always had full religious freedom in our country.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As to the <i>beau geste</i>, what can I say? You are free
-to go anywhere you like in Anatolia; talk to the
-Greeks, talk to the Armenians. If there is any cause
-of complaint, we will see that it is removed
-at once. We want the Christians to be happy
-in our country. We have given them full religious
-liberty, and equal rights with Moslems: can we do
-more? I feel sure that, in spite of all the devastation
-and atrocities committed by the Greeks in our
-country, in a very short time they will be back
-amongst us: the great friends they were before the
-Powers interfered.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Rauf Bey, the Prime Minister, echoed the sentiments
-of the Pasha. “Tell the Pope,” he said, “to
-rest assured we are doing all in our power to make his
-people happy and contented. Can there be a finer
-<i>beau geste</i> than this?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As the Pasha had suggested, I went everywhere,
-saw and questioned everyone. The Greek prisoners
-were bitter in their criticism of England, who
-betrayed them and left them unaided to fight the
-Turkish army. Surely the least intelligent of our
-military attachés would have seen the cruelty of such
-a move.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>Contrary to what most people suppose, there is a
-Christian colony left in Angora. It is mostly Armenian,
-though there are still many Greeks. The community
-nevertheless calls itself, and always gives as its legal
-nationality, “Catholic”; a delicate way of avoiding
-difficult questions.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mass is said on Sunday three times, partly in Armenian,
-which many of the Armenians do not understand,
-and the rest in Turkish. All the Armenians
-wear fezes, and prayers are said for Turkey. The
-little chapel is primitive and picturesque; never,
-however, has one heard such strange <i>Ave Marias</i> or
-<i>Glorias</i> or <i>Agnus Deis</i> as those sung in their Turkish
-setting.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>During my Christmas visit to the head of the
-Armenian Church at Angora, I asked him what message
-he wished me to give the Pope on his behalf. I told
-him the Pope was anxious about the Christians; and
-he might tell me, in confidence, if he was not happy
-in Turkey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For my visit the Armenian orphans had put their
-home in <i>festere altere</i>. They had made cakes and
-sweets to be served with coffee and tea.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then it was that I had the pleasure of speaking
-to them about the wonderful personality of the Pope
-as I had seen him in Rome; and of telling them that,
-above all, their Father in Christ stood for loyalty to
-their State. The Turks had never hampered their
-loyalty to their Church, and the Pope would never
-hamper the loyalty and obedience they owed to the
-Sovereign State.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then the dusky-skinned orphans, boys and girls
-together, were marched before me, each taking my
-hand, kissing it and raising it to their forehead.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As I said afterwards to Colonel Mougin: “I wish
-it were possible to supplement the meagre funds with
-which Father Babadjanian is maintaining this little
-colony of poor children.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Tell the Holy Father,” said Father Babadjanian,
-“that we are <i>perfectly</i> happy with the Turks. They are
-trying to send us away from Angora for economical
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>reasons, but we do not want to go. We have been
-told by the Grand National Assembly that we shall
-have exactly the same rights as the Moslems—no
-more, no less. What more can we expect or
-desire?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Tell His Holiness to inform Europe and America,”
-he concluded, “that it is useless to try and protect
-<i>disloyal</i> Christian minorities here. It cannot be done
-by any Church, or any League of Nations. We know
-very well, and events have proved it, that so long as
-we remain <i>loyal</i> to the Turkish Government, all will
-be well. All the trouble that has come to us has
-arisen from the disloyalty and political intrigues of
-the Orthodox Armenians and Greeks, and, above
-all, from outside propaganda. So much has been
-said and written about an “Armenian Home”; let
-America offer Armenians that national home. Let
-the Powers, since it is they who are the cause of all
-the trouble, only recognise that they must provide
-homes elsewhere for every Christian who wants to go,
-or else leave us alone....</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If you only knew how we tremble before this
-useless propaganda, how we pray to be delivered from
-our European friends. <i>Turkey is our home.</i> We have
-to live with the Turks on friendly terms; and will
-gladly do so, if <i>only</i> this political propaganda can
-cease.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Colonel Mougin, who accompanied me on this
-visit, can vouch for these statements, which he considered
-so important that he communicated them to
-his Government.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have delivered the message of M. Kemal Pasha
-and Father Babadjanian to the Holy Father. He
-will receive, also, fuller impressions of my interesting
-trip through Anatolia; and fuller descriptions of
-this country and those people who have made so
-splendid a fight for freedom and independence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Throughout the length and breadth of Anatolia,
-prayers for peace have been echoed and re-echoed.
-There must be peace; but not at the expense of the
-sovereign rights of the people.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>It is a comfort to the Turks, nevertheless, to know
-that the head of the Catholic Church stretches out
-the hand of friendship towards them, and prays for
-their peace and prosperity through the brotherhood
-of Moslems and Christians in the East.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>
- <h2 id='ch28' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>THREE DIPLOMATS AT ROME—THE GUARDIANSHIP OF THE HOLY TOMB</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>In</span> Rome I met three diplomats; as different from each
-other as night from day, as the Pope of Rome from the
-Khalif of Islam—a false comparison often made in
-New Turkey to-day.</p>
-<p class='c012'>We have described the Pope; the sanctity of his
-office, the odour of piety in which he dwells. The Pope
-is not of the world; he is above the world-elected,
-not born. The Khalif, like an hereditary king, inherits
-his position as Head of Islam; which means
-that he owes his position to the hazard of fortune, not
-to personality or virtue.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have met all the Khalifs from Abdul Hamid to
-his present descendant, who was, when I saw him, the
-third in succession. He appeared to me a kindly,
-cultured gentleman and a talented artist. My host
-at that time, Prince Youssouff Zeddine, heir to the
-then Sultan, had frequently invited me to the Palace,
-and always spoke highly of his younger brother. The
-Prince had a touching affection for England, and, with
-Djémal Pasha (then Minister of Marine) for interpreter,
-would gladly listen to endless stories of olden and
-modern days. Passing from Alfred and the cakes;
-through Drake, Gordon, and Princess Mary; to his
-favourite tale of the Suffragettes chained to the grille
-at Westminster, I sought to inspire this unhappy man
-with memories of the greatness of the England he
-loved so well.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>If, by any chance, I varied a phrase or omitted the
-slightest detail, he would beg Djémal “to respectfully
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>remind Mademoiselle that she is going too fast!”
-It is difficult, indeed, to believe that the man who
-laughed so heartily at the words “Votes for Women,”
-could have ended his own existence. He dared to
-say to the Turkish Parliament, “On no account must
-we be on the wrong side with England”; and the next
-day he was dead!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Not only in Turkey, but throughout Islam, which
-includes India, there is no institution so sacred as the
-Khalifate, yet the term is meaningless if the Khalif
-loses Arabia. Next in sanctity to Mecca, in Moslem
-eyes, comes Jerusalem, for all the prophets of that
-Holy City are sacred to Islam, though her prophets
-have no honour in Judea or among Christians. Should
-we not tremble when Christian Powers attempt to
-tamper with lands of pilgrimage like Hedjaz, and when
-they trample upon the traditions of the Khalifate?</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At Rome, Osman Nyzami Pasha represented Constantinople,
-while Djelaleddine Arif Bey was Minister
-for Angora. The former did not, indeed, go into exile
-with the Nationalists; but his varied experience as
-soldier, statesman, and ambassador has given him a
-rare knowledge of Europe that makes him popular
-and useful in diplomacy. Alas, now, however, his
-career ends.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ten years ago in Constantinople he greeted me
-with, “Dear child, what for did you do this dreadful
-thing,” as I was returning from the Persian Mouharrem,
-the anniversary of the assassination of Hussein,
-son of the Prophet. The Spanish Minister, who was
-with us, had fainted outright, although familiar with
-bull-fights. His wife, Mme. M., a Swede, had more
-courage than either of us; but I almost fell into the
-Ambassador’s arms as I reached my hotel.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In a ring formed round a centre of blazing torches,
-white-robed men wail and mourn for the holy martyr,
-slashing their heads with swords. They dip their
-hands in the flowing blood, and sprinkle it all over
-their faces. I was haunted for weeks by the ghastly
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>spectacle, which I shall never be able to forget, of
-those stained robes and faces, amidst the wild fanatical
-shrieks. When, as often happens, a man thus kills himself
-in the fury of exaltation, he is acclaimed a martyr,
-and his family are pensioned for life.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I asked why such awful ceremonies were
-permitted, I was reminded of Turkey’s “non-interference”
-with every creed and all the “pieties” of all
-peoples.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At Rome, I lodged in a quiet convent, which closed
-at 7.30. But the Ambassador called at eight and was
-followed by a succession of Turkish friends, until
-Mihrinour and her husband arrived at 10.30. I
-apologised next morning to the Mother Superior for
-such unseemly interruptions of her ordered life;
-explaining, in a fifteen minutes’ lecture, how anxious
-a Turk would always feel for the comfort of any friend.
-“You are perfectly right,” she said, “I know them
-well. I lived eighteen years on the shores of the
-Bosphorus!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Djelaleddine Arif Bey gave me a right royal welcome
-to Rome, and allowed me to trouble him with all
-sorts of questions. In Constantinople he had been
-what we call Dean of the Faculty of Law, and one day,
-on an official visit to the Sultan, wearing a frock-coat
-and patent-leather shoes, <i>he had just time to escape to
-Angora</i>, dressed as he was. His knowledge of both the
-Cheriat and European Laws was invaluable to the
-Assembly, and it is a delight to hear from his own lips
-that Turkey is going to establish her <i>own</i> Constitution,
-not a poor imitation of ours.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Our justice has been paralysed by capitulations,”
-he said; and told me of an Italian murderer who had
-found sanctuary in his Consulate, because the Kavass
-would not give him up. “We have been bound and
-fettered all these years, but it cannot go on.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>His admirable organisation of Justice in Angora
-developed from one colleague to twenty-five assistants,
-for work which occupied three hundred men in
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>Constantinople! Yet he very soon established complete
-order, though after the peace he hopes for still greater
-perfection.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He was interested in the personality of Cardinal
-Gasparri, whom I had met for the first time. I found
-him a great contrast to Cardinal Merry de Val, with
-whom I had long discussions about Islam ten years ago.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Shrewdest of diplomats, keenest of observers, is
-there one move of the world’s political chess-board
-he has not penetrated? Seeing, knowing, judging
-everything, could he make a mistake? In a State
-Church he would be a grave danger; but the days of
-State Churches are almost no more. As the Turkish
-minister remarked: “A Church needs more than anything
-a level-headed diplomatist having no connection
-with politics.” The Cardinal, then, is far too clever
-a man to undervalue Islam.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He has studied the greatest living authorities, in
-translations when he cannot read the originals, upon
-all the wonderful books of the East, and listens to men
-learned in the Koran. In theology, as in politics,
-none could catch him napping. One may, perhaps,
-guess something of his opinions by listening carefully
-to such questions as he may put to you; for he tells
-you nothing and seems to gather up all you know
-almost before you are conscious of having spoken. I
-<i>do</i> remember, however, that he asked me what the
-Turks proposed to do about the Holy Tomb?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To this I answered that Djelaleddini Arif Bey had
-said: “There could be no decision taken about Palestine
-without consulting the Turks. This astute lawyer
-had always bidden the Catholic authorities to remember
-that Christ, according to the Koran, is of miraculous
-birth, is one of Islam’s most venerated prophets.
-For the Moslem to blaspheme the Virgin Mary would
-be a heinous offence. To hand over the guardianship
-of the Holy Tomb to the Israelites is, therefore, a
-direct insult to Islam.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Fethi Bey also said: “We have all our work cut
-out looking after our own frontiers, yet we have always
-faithfully guarded the tomb of Christ, our prophet.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>What can we think, if the Powers now prefer to entrust
-it to the Jews who crucified Him and still deny Him?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Even as Mecca is to the Moslem, should Calvary be
-to us. Shall we who are called Christians suffer the
-Tomb we do not guard ourselves, to be taken from
-those who have faith in Christ?</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>
- <h2 id='ch29' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>EN ROUTE FOR CONSTANTINOPLE—A NIGHT AT BILIDJIK UNDER THE FROST-LADEN SKIES</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>One</span> does not expect comfort in an unheated railway
-carriage, with snow a foot and a half deep, and the
-temperature 15° below zero. As we left Angora we
-also noticed that one of the carriage windows was
-missing, and a courteous official kept back the train
-to insert one from another compartment! We were
-grateful, indeed, for even then the cold was hard to
-bear.</p>
-<p class='c012'>The little engine is now ploughing its way <i>downhill</i>
-but still slowly, since halts are needed to renew its
-strength for the double task of “traction” and sweeping
-away the snow.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We are well supplied with food for a five-days’
-journey, so that over a cheerful meal we can almost
-forget to feel frozen, and soon find we have covered
-the thirty-five hours to Eski-Chéir.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>From Eski-Chéir to Kada-Keuy, where the lines
-have been cut, is a short distance; but, mercifully, it is
-not so cold as in the mountains. From there we travel
-in a yaili (native carriage) which has evidently seen
-better days and, let us hope, better springs. They
-have been removed altogether from one side, and we
-should have been easier without the worn remnants
-on the other! As there are no seats, one
-has to be propped up by any available rugs or
-cushions, unless you prefer lying down at full length.
-But the little cart is lined with red-cotton brocade,
-while green curtains, looking-glasses, and tassels complete
-the “decoration”! It must be delightful to
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>saunter along on a summer’s day; and draw your
-curtains for a night in the open; but even the straw,
-the mattress, and many rugs cannot transform the
-yaili to a <i>train de luxe</i> in winter.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To catch “the express” at Bilidjik we have to
-drive in two and a half hours a distance that requires a
-much longer time. So, with good horses and a
-fearless driver, we rattle away, up hill and down, over
-bumps and stones. The luggage is thrown out, my
-thermos is shaken to pieces, and we are flung violently
-against the roof! Bruised and bleeding, we hold on
-in grim silence; since time, too, flies.</p>
-
-<div id='i255' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i255.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>The Yaili, or Native Carriage, with Drawn Curtains.</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>Even at this pace we cannot escape the oppression
-of desolation. On every side lie smashed engines,
-burnt railway carriages, and villages in cinders.
-As dusk falls, only a fatalist, in a country of fatalists,
-could venture the rush down sharp descents cut
-through a precipice of 800 feet!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Fate, indeed, preserved us, only to prove its irony;
-for when we reached the once prosperous Bilidjik,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>still beautiful in its ruins, we hear that a landslip on
-the line has made traffic impossible for some days to
-come. In Anatolia, one must be ready to do as the
-Anatolians; and we are faced with the prospect of a
-night under the frost-laden skies. There is not even
-a chair to be found, though “kindness” quickly
-contrives a seat for me from a pile of logs. Here I
-can rest awhile; and by brisk walks at short intervals
-probably keep up my circulation until the
-welcome dawn....</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Someone, however, suggested that we should beg
-for shelter in one of the luggage-vans already crowded
-with men and women—naturally, in separate compartments.
-One thought of the poor villagers we had seen
-huddled together in their holes on the mountains;
-and realised that even the floor of a luggage-van may
-be a “luxury.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here turban-headed men are sitting on their
-prayer-carpets, some sound asleep in that uncomfortable
-attitude, others eating, and others praying,
-but none uttering a word of complaint.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Looking around for a seat amidst the wilderness
-of food and bed-clothes, I suddenly hear a few cheery
-words in English, to my amazement and delight.
-Here is one of the American Relief Workers, prepared
-and thankful to spend the night among the strange
-crowd. With the resourcefulness of his nation, he
-is provided with a large hat-box that will serve as seat
-or table, and contains both food and bed-clothes. From
-his “seat,” therefore, he quickly extracts some sandwiches
-of most delicious pea-nut butter, making a cup
-of tea for me on his “table.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All eyes are drawn to the neat dispatch of these
-preparations and the marvellous ingenuity of his
-packing. From that veritable box of Pandora came
-solid alcohol, tins, kettles, goblets and card-board
-plates. The food itself was kept in clean, little linen
-bags.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was, indeed, a strange lesson in efficiency and
-practical hygiene, delivered in the wilderness! His
-unpractical, Eastern neighbour is meanwhile struggling
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>with a bit of old newspaper, from which a most unappetising
-collection of honey and eggs and nuts and
-bread are tumbling in dirty confusion, as the broken
-eggs and printer’s ink trickle in a discoloured stream
-on the floor.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If only you would send out a good company of
-missionaries in hygiene,” I cried out, in my excitement,
-“the other gospels would follow as a matter of
-course. The world will be a far better place
-when America comes to the East and preaches the
-need for exterminating the house-fly and other insects
-with the fine zeal she is now devoting to the extermination
-of the Turk.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My new friend—I had almost said compatriot—laughs
-good-naturedly at my enthusiasm; and in a
-few moments, despite my sympathy with Anatolia,
-I am again compelled to recognise that I am, after all,
-a woman of the West.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When someone brought in a blazing mangal and
-carefully closed every door of the crowded luggage-van,
-the American soon found a polite excuse to jump
-out. Five minutes later I, too, ventured to open the
-door and call out to ask him for a helping hand.
-Both of us knew it was far better for us to die of cold
-in the fresh air than to choke in those thick charcoal
-fumes. I will hold a light while he digs out a hole,
-for sleep on the bosom of Mother Earth.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But now two charming Turkish boys, the sons of
-Moueddine Pasha, in our party, are telling me that they
-are terribly distressed at my discomfort. It is in vain for
-me to assure them that no one could blame <i>them</i>. Somehow,
-they find the <i>Commandant de la place</i>; and, at
-his direction, gallantly tramp back for two and a half
-hours, to bring me a mattress from the Governor’s
-house which, placed on three standard oil-boxes, forms
-my bed. Meanwhile, the Commandant, who is familiar
-with Europe and speaks fluent German, earnestly begs
-me to excuse this terrible reception. “It is the
-work of Lloyd George,” he adds, as for every disaster
-in Anatolia the same cause is proclaimed. Ask a
-peasant who killed his sons, and he will reply without
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>hesitation, “Lloyd George.” Our late Premier has
-now become super-bogeyman of the Near East for
-Moslems and Christians alike.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>All through the night strains break on my ears of the
-Anatolian folk-songs; the expression of that strangely
-resigned happiness of a long-suffering people which we of
-the West must half-envy and, at the same time, half-despise.
-Average human nature is only too apt to
-neglect those who never complain; and if others
-appeal for them, to say—as even America has said—“It
-is too big a problem for us to tackle.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>With so much goodwill around me, the night passed
-far more quickly than even my natural optimism
-could have foretold. And before stepping into the
-yaili that will carry us on to Broussa, I try to express
-to the kindly peasants a little of the gratitude and
-admiration in my heart.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We do not lack anything,” they assure me.
-“All we want is to save our Fatherland. It would be
-wrong of us to use up the wood and material for building
-houses that may be required in the war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then, for farewell, the old Bible-greeting of
-“God be with you.”... “And bring us peace,” is
-all I can find voice to reply.</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>
- <h2 id='ch30' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>FROM BILIDJIK TO BROUSSA BY YAILI—AFTER THE DAY’S ROUGHENING EXPERIENCES ONE CAN SLEEP WHATEVER THE ACCOMMODATION.</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Our</span> adieux to Bilidjik did not delay us long. As
-there were no trains to Constantinople, we had to take
-the road to Broussa and Moudania, whence the
-boat runs to Constantinople. I now joined the
-American in one carriage, the two Turkish boys following
-in a second. Although <i>yaili</i> means “a carriage
-with springs,” neither of ours justified their name, for
-they had none. An American, however, is nothing if
-not resourceful, and my companion performed
-wonders with straw, rugs, and boxes.</p>
-<p class='c012'>It was about nine o’clock when we started along
-the muddy roadway, in charge of one of the most
-happy-go-lucky coachmen it has ever been my good
-fortune to employ. He had ten animals of his own
-before the war, and, now the Greeks have taken them
-all, he is making a fresh start with the best he can
-hire from others. He <i>said</i> that these were steady and
-sound, but I could not believe we should have known
-the difference, over these ploughed fields on the edge
-of the mountains, so caked with mud that our carriages
-frequently stuck fast. It was a wearisome business
-enough, the constant alighting to be dug out for
-fresh starts; but I was altogether beyond sharing the
-American’s alarm lest we should sink for ever in a bog!
-I was far more concerned about the difficulty of getting
-really comfortable, among my disordered rugs and
-shawls.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As our coachman provides us with many evidences
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>of Greek barbarity from the ruins of every village we
-pass, my companion’s indignation shows rapid signs
-of approach to fever heat. “We’ve not played
-‘straight,’” he cried, “I am not pro-Greek nor pro-Turk,
-and, at the moment, I haven’t much use for
-Christians; but I don’t see myself keeping quiet
-about all this. You and I have to get quick and
-publish a little truth for a change.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told him that I had been trying in vain to get
-something done, or at least known, about Angora;
-but that if ever an article of mine included a word
-about Greek atrocities, the editorial scissors promptly
-got busy, and the truth remained untold.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Obviously the American belonged to that fine type,
-which abounds in young countries, who put all their
-dollars into the acquisition of knowledge, and who
-delight in using the knowledge they have acquired,
-backed by their own wealth, in the service of mankind.
-His keen inquiries about <i>my</i> impressions of the sad
-people he had come so far to understand, were proof
-enough that no kind of vanity, or pursuit of self-glorification,
-lay behind his insatiable curiosity.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was much interested to find that he agreed with
-me in having noticed how strongly the “personal”
-element enters into all one’s relations with any Turk.
-If they do not like one, you might as well stay in England.
-If your personality attracts them, it will
-make no difference where you happen to have been born.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They are called ignorant and fanatical; but I
-find that even the most illiterate understand enough
-of our civilisation to make any honest Englishwoman
-heartily ashamed of our ignorance and insularity.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Remember,” he said, “how little we Americans
-really know of you, or you of us.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I <i>do</i> remember how I shocked one of your compatriots
-by confessing that I had the most shaky idea
-of the occasion for your ‘Thanksgiving,’ but he afterwards
-admitted he had imagined till quite recently,
-that ‘Boxing Day’ was the annual event of our
-national sport!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>There was little to break the monotony of our
-lonely journey except a large number of caravans,
-and, every now and again, one of those tiny little donkeys,
-used to lead a troop of from nine to fifteen camels!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Now you see,” said the ‘man from the States,’
-“why we sometimes speak of a ‘conceited ass!’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Only,” I answered, “this little fellow has something
-to be conceited about. He has the right to
-say ‘look at me,’ as he trots along with the double row
-of turquoise beads round his neck, leading these great
-big chaps behind him. When he chooses to push
-ahead, they must hurry after him; and when he condescends
-to turn round and ‘look over’ them, for all
-the world as an officer might ‘eye’ his men, you
-could not discover a more striking example of personality
-in the East. I declare I have fallen in love with
-that charming ass!”</p>
-
-<div id='i261' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i261.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>“He has the right to say, ‘Look at me.’”</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Very well,” he replied with a laugh, “the next
-time anyone calls me an ‘ass,’ I shall be proud to accept
-the compliment.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>“But, seriously,” I replied, “asses are seldom as
-black as they’re painted. After all, to be stubborn
-is one form of personality. I remember staying in a
-French chateau during the war, where one donkey
-had taken over the duties and responsibilities of the
-eighteen horses, which had been requisitioned by the
-State. On Sundays, tied up to a tree in the churchyard,
-while the family was inside the church, he always
-waited to hear the Sanctus bell, and then brayed his
-loudest. He must take part in the Mass!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One rarely sees any driver astride his camel.
-He may be “considering his beast,” but, on the other
-hand, he may not. For of every variety of sickness
-(of the sea, the home, or love itself) is not camel-sickness
-the worst?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My companion agreed that he had not found the
-Turks either stubborn or unreasonable. “Everyone
-I met in Anatolia made an honest attempt to understand
-my point of view, even when I endeavoured to
-explain or at least to excuse, English policy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Turks are ‘stubborn,’ if you insist on the phrase,
-about the future of their country; but they have given
-a great deal of thought to the subject, and they speak
-from experience that has been bought at a big price.
-I have never encountered that uncomfortable type of
-mind we know so well among ourselves, and in a more
-aggressive, if less dangerous, form in the States, which
-nothing will move from its ‘pet’ hatred or chosen
-love, <i>in spite of</i> great culture and general understanding.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I will not quote President Wilson, because we have
-an even better illustration in the late Lord Bryce. Few
-men could claim wider culture, few have been so
-universally acknowledged a great statesman, yet the
-Turk to him was no better than a red rag to a bull!
-And when he said that these people were ‘unspeakable,’
-the world believed it.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I once attended a debate on whether ‘the Turks
-should, or should not, be forced to abandon Constantinople.’
-A judge from Constantinople had been
-called to open the discussion, who said, among other
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>things, that ‘this eternal reference to India as an
-excuse for backing Turkey was mere nonsense; <i>because
-Lord Bryce had said that India was indifferent to Turkey’s
-fate</i>!’</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Seyed Hossain, a member of the Khaliphat Delegation,
-then rose to contradict this assertion. He
-said that he had come all the way from India with the
-Khaliphat Delegation, for the express purpose of protesting
-against the attitude of the Allies towards <i>his</i>
-Khaliph (the Sultan of Turkey).”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“‘My dear Sir,’ answered the judge, ‘I have
-absolutely full confidence in any statement made by
-Lord Bryce.’</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The poor Indian was staggered for a moment,
-but soon found courage to reply: ‘Has a man like
-Lord Bryce the <i>right</i> to defy commonsense, statistics,
-and accurate, official information. My presence here
-is a clear proof that my statement is correct.’</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“‘Your presence means nothing to me,’ was the
-‘polite’ retort, which concluded the debate!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is, of course, a very stupid kind of loyalty
-in such an attitude, but it tempts one to almost despair
-of ever hoping to fight against its criminal injustice
-to Turkey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is a heavy responsibility for great men if
-they give rein to an obstinate and unreasonable prejudice.
-It is so hard to resist those we respect.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>“What do you really think about the Americans
-in Turkey? I am so anxious to do my utmost for
-these poor people, asked my friend.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I, who love them, will honestly say I fear that
-the influence of your people is very dangerous. For
-<i>one</i> who does good, as I am sure you have done, there
-are fifty who only make mischief, even undoing much
-of what you have achieved.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The supreme merit of the Nationalist movement
-comes from the fact that Turks are beginning to be
-<i>themselves</i>. All must be well in the end if they are
-content to ‘swallow’ Europe in small doses. Already
-we have with us that dangerous anomaly the European
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>Turk. The big capitals kill his sincerity and capture
-his affections by their vices. His mysterious dark eyes
-(an everyday commonplace in his own country) too
-often prove ‘false lights’ leading him on to the rocks.
-It is a test of character to ask the European Turk if
-he is not ‘longing to get back to Turkey?’ When I
-put the question to Hussein Raghib, he said ‘if I must
-stay here for my country, I will stay, but I am never
-happy for long so far away from Angora and all it
-means to me.’ Certainly a healthy view!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is surely better to let the Turks work out their
-own salvation, only helping when they ask for help;
-and even then we should be careful to give them what
-they desire and not what <i>we</i> may think best for them.
-It is really cruel to tamper with other people’s ideas,
-particularly their religion, and it does no good in
-Turkey. The gospel of Islam has made them the
-fine race they will always remain at heart.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You can do good in practical, material affairs
-and for the diminution of physical suffering. I wish
-every American would preach the gospel of the Rockefeller
-Institute all over the world: the creed of the
-open window, a crusade against vermin and microbes.
-That would bring us a ‘new’ world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I would like to see a closer union between the
-Red Cross and the Red Crescent. The Turks have
-not your organising ability; but they have many
-sound ideas already operating in their hospitals.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We must be quite sure that our civilisation is
-perfect before we force it on others. It is ‘mine,’
-and I owe much to it; but I, for one, can see much
-to criticise.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I, too, believe we have no right to offer more
-than material assistance, and such an example as our
-own efforts, towards the best we know, may afford.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is a great deal, if given in the right spirit. My
-own idea of ‘service’ is to try and understand the
-East, to prevent such terrible blunders as our ignorance
-of them have brought about, which may even involve
-us in the horrors of another war.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why should we ask Orientals to accept our
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>civilisation and ‘look at life’ through our eyes. It is
-no wiser or juster than asking a woman to see nothing
-except through a man’s eyes; and to work in his way.
-She cannot do that, and has suffered in the attempt.
-Your work is even a great peril. It is only too probable
-that you will be ‘starting’ them on the wrong
-road, and you must soon leave them to find their
-own way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If I am wrong, at least I speak in all sincerity;
-and I have studied the question for many years. As
-I see it, our Western civilisations have much to learn
-from the East in pity and humanity.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Osman Nyzami Pasha said to me once, in Rome,
-‘you must not judge a nation by its Government
-but by the gods it creates for itself in its own image.’
-The ancient Greeks peopled Olympus with gods of
-revolting immorality; but you in Oxford forget that
-chapter of the story. The God of the North——”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He paused, and I took up the challenge.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The cold, harsh, and unforgiving Deity; the
-bogeyman of my childhood, always ready with some
-awful punishment for the least shortcoming.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why are our Puritan countries, whose God is
-love, so unjust to women, keeping them down under
-cruel and illogical laws. It is idle for men to say that
-no laws can diminish the deep respect they accord
-to women, which, in fact, is seldom shown to any of
-us except their wives, certainly not to woman as a
-woman.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I certainly hold no brief for ‘irregularity,’ but
-there is something wrong with a conception of God
-which has produced the immeasurable gulf between
-the married and the unmarried mother. Humanity
-is not of our making; the ‘imperfect’ man has no
-right to demand ‘perfection’ from all women. Has he
-not made and tolerated <i>War</i> that has overthrown
-every standard of morality, changed all our ‘values,’
-shattered every ideal, leaving religion nowhere, and
-two million women without a mate?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Such is the civilisation that dares to point a
-finger of scorn at the unmarried mother; and, by
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>dismissing her, characterless and unpensioned, from
-every respectable avenue of support, dares to brand
-a child as unwanted, and push the innocent young
-life into secret and shameful surroundings. Those
-who should help, with all the power of their sheltered
-purity, prefer to keep themselves ‘too respectable for
-any knowledge of these uncomfortable problems,’
-since they are good and faithful servants of One who
-said, ‘Let him who is without sin amongst you cast the
-first stone!’</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“All maternity is sacred to the Turk, and every
-child enjoys full legal status. The super-cowardice
-of declaring a child as born of ‘parents unknown’
-(as you may in France) could never be allowed. If
-marriage be not the high sacrament it is, theoretically,
-regarded in Europe, the life of <i>every babe</i>
-whom God sends us is held to be a sacred charge. Do
-our missionaries in Turkey really preach the Gospel of
-Christ?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you approve, or admire, the resignation of
-the East, the Turk’s ideal of being content with so
-little?” asked the energetic American.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We are <i>both</i> wrong. Their resignation too often
-leaves life stagnant, our race for dollars drenches the
-world in blood.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Is it not horrible for us to have to confess that
-all this appalling Battle of the Cross against the
-Crescent, sprang out of greed for oil.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“One cannot realise what the world would be like
-were all nations governed by your and my ideals.
-Would there ever have been a British Empire? We
-can scarcely justify, on grounds of high morality, the
-conquest of America; and, surely, the States could
-by such ruling have, indeed, become ‘God’s own
-country.’”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>When the road became rather more European,
-our Turkish boy friends sought to relieve the monotony
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>by a furious race between the two yailis, and we
-were tossed about beyond all possibility of further
-talk. When, however, the boys had won the first
-heat, I begged to be excused from trying to secure
-our revenge, as the carriages did not seem solid
-enough for racing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Then behold, at the word, one of our wheels flew
-off! And, though we were mercifully taking a saunter
-“between rounds” at the moment, we had to follow
-our belongings into the mud and do what we could
-to help the wheelwright.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The American, I found, had been teaching himself
-the language, and claims to have read <i>Nasreddin Hodja</i>
-in the original. Now he hastened to improve the
-occasion by the most voluble congratulations to our
-unmoved drivers. “This wheel evidently knew how
-to choose the ‘psychological moment’ for its detachment,”
-he exclaimed. “On the edge of a mountain,
-we should all have been pitched into the depths;
-crossing a river, our lady passenger, who cannot swim,
-would have been drowned; during the race, we could
-not have avoided a fatal collision. If it had to happen,
-it could not have happened more wisely!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The job is finished at last; maybe hastened by
-such lively chatter; but I confess we did not feel
-really secure. In fact, the prudent suggestion that
-one of us should hold the reins while our driver “kept
-an eye on” the wheel was soon justified by a second
-flying away of that “offending member.” It was this
-time discovered that something must be found to
-enlarge the circumference of the axle to keep it fixed,
-and I immediately offered my pocket-handkerchief.
-Our driver, however, would not hear of “depriving me”
-and so I begged the American “not to disturb him,
-but to see how he would contrive.” Though obviously
-puzzled for a few minutes, he soon justified my confidence
-by cutting off a good handful of hair from
-the horse’s mane, and thus “fixing” the wheel once
-more.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That’s all very ingenious,” laughed my companion,
-“but ‘hair’ won’t ‘wear.’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>“Then he’ll find something just as original,” was
-my triumphant retort.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless it was growing dark, and there were
-rivers ahead that would seem to demand rather better
-security than we possessed. My anxieties, however,
-were soon scattered to the four winds by the most
-astonishing tirade of unjust contempt for all things
-English, in which my companion now proceeded to
-indulge. My anger lasted just long enough for us
-to cross the river; for once we were over, the good
-man explained that he’d done it to make me
-furious, the only way he knew to cure a brave woman’s
-fit of nerves.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At last the welcome smoke, rising from peat
-cottage-fires, brings the comforting knowledge that
-we have almost reached Enichéir; and we are soon
-happily searching for some sort of a resting place that
-may call itself “an inn.” We are offered the choice
-of four beds in a room with five others already occupied,
-or an empty, partially wrecked, sleeping apartment
-containing two!—one for me, one for the boys, and
-the American on the floor.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We naturally accept the latter, and immediately
-get busy about some cooking and a wash. After
-the day’s roughening experiences one can sleep
-whatever the details of the accommodation!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At about 9.30 that evening we are awakened
-by the police, who, however, explain that I am
-only “wanted” by the Commandant, who has called
-to wish me <i>bon voyage</i>, and inquire if there is anything
-he can do for my comfort or to speed me on the way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It is not now the Pasha and four wives,” said I,
-as our visitor soon discreetly left us, “but the Englishwoman
-and three husbands!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Next morning after a pleasant hour of mutual
-assistance in heating the water and holding a
-looking-glass for each other, with, as I told them,
-“the most courtly assistants any woman could desire,”
-the American goes out in order to fix that wheel
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>to his own satisfaction and, by inference, to mine.
-We have two more days in the yailis and cannot afford
-to lose time.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our next halting-place is still more primitive, with
-its four houses, the tiny inn, a large stable, and a
-poultry yard. Here, however, the Mayor is ready to
-join us, in his long Persian shawl, robe, and turban, his
-documents wrapped in a case of flannel. Like the driver,
-I notice that, as he steps into his seat, he is careful
-to take off his muddy shoes. Indeed, the godly cleanliness
-of Islam, if it does not quite follow our Western
-traditions, is a very real and honest ideal. The body,
-as the cheik had assured me, is clean if the clothes
-be dirty; and I am beginning to think that those
-“little visitors” in the hotel beds must really be
-“suffered in kindness.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I well remember the shock with which one of my
-friends met the suggestion that he might drown some
-of the kittens who were arriving, just then, with most
-alarming rapidity. He said, “the Koran would not
-permit it!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Another weary day, amidst so much mud and so
-many ruins, naturally stirs my companion to thoughts
-of what might be done by a few dollars.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I do not mind your having any concessions,” I
-said, “if you will keep your hands off the architecture.
-I was hearing the other day about a scheme for
-building a railway in co-operation with the Turks:
-one rail to be laid by them and the other by the Americans!
-I should feel far more safe in a yaili with <i>one</i>
-wheel!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is a delightful pastime to work out big schemes
-for smashing up Europe, Asia, and America; in order
-to rebuild the world tastefully and according to
-hygiene, like a couple of happy children with their
-bricks; but we have at last reached the conclusion
-of the whole matter. East is East and West is West.
-If they attempt to “take turns” building railways,
-the trains will certainly “go off the line.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have never been able to understand why anyone
-should be so afraid of the Cheriat Laws. With all
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>respect for my present company, I say, what I afterwards
-repeated to Sir William Tyrell, “I would rather
-trust myself in a Turkish court than appeal to
-American justice.” In the first case, you may
-find yourself in the hands of a kind-hearted judge;
-the second adventure depends entirely on cash.
-English justice has no equal; but our laws
-for women are themselves unjust, and the best
-workman can do little with poor material. Trials,
-like marriages in foreign countries, should be illegal
-unless the Consul, or someone equally expert, is
-present to “watch for” his fellow-countryman. What
-crimes have not we committed in the name of
-Justice through ignorance of foreign customs!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Those who face the choice of trusting themselves
-to the Cheriat or keeping away from Turkey, may find
-that these laws are not so terrible after all,”
-answered the American.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Zeyneb once said that the great merit of Moslem
-“Commandments” was the absence of mystery.
-“The i’s are all carefully dotted. We are not told, for
-instance, that we should give to the poor; we
-<i>are</i> told the precise percentage of income that must
-be allotted to charity. Though our laws come from
-the great Prophet of Allah they are not ecclesiastical.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Moslem countries the Head of the State must be
-elected by the people; he has full executive and
-legislative power, but he is also personally responsible
-to the nation. We cannot deny that Mustapha Kemal
-Pasha has rigidly adhered to this theory of government
-in his daily practice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This is the true Democracy. Born without any
-advantages of caste or family, Fethi Bey laughs at
-all my allusions to “old ancestors.” The attitude does
-seem peculiar to Western minds, and may often lead
-to confusion between us, but it is not without charm.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How do these very intelligent, modern Turks
-attempt to reconcile their zeal for liberal reform with
-their firm loyalty to Islam? How do they account
-for the decline in prestige and power that none
-can deny has been their fate?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>“My friends at the Assembly attribute the temporary
-fall of Turkey to the strong, non-progressive,
-influence of the hodjas, who have converted themselves
-into a powerful priestly class, as forbidden
-by the Prophet. Others attribute it to ignorance of
-economics; others to Western remoulding of Islam,
-and foreign oppression; others still, to a perpetual
-state of war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What is the Pasha’s personal opinion?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No man,” he says, “can live without complete
-liberty and full freedom; nor can any nation. So long
-as the interests of my own country permit it, I will
-be the friend of all nations and all humanity; but
-when any nation begins to tamper with our freedom and
-our independence, as Germany did in the war, then
-we can only resist and fight to the bitter end. I
-sought to discover my people’s will, and I found they
-were ready for any sacrifice to defend their country.
-I had faith in the sons of Turkey, and my faith has
-justified itself to the utmost.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There has, indeed, been no finer movement
-among the ‘despised and rejected’ since the world
-began.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>“Here comes my friend the sun,” I exclaimed;
-“a snow-capped Olympus, the cypress beneath the
-azure! Why is our driver using his whip with such
-unusual success, just when we want to linger and
-admire—— Do you know, my friend, should I paint
-this soil, in all its varied tones from ruby to terra-cotta,
-all men would cry out, ‘that woman always
-sees her Turkey <i>en coleur de rose</i>!’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I will bear witness,” laughed my friend.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But, seriously,” I went on, “does it not mean
-iron; rich veins of iron that it would <i>pay</i> someone
-to produce?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In this district of lonely marshland, one can at
-least rejoice in the cold for one reason. It has driven
-away the flies and mosquitoes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why does not your country find the capital
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>and send over our unemployed ex-service men to help
-the Turks drain and cultivate these waste lands?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I afterwards spoke of the possibility at
-Lausanne, I was told that “something might be done!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Now we have reached Broussa, and our young
-Turks hurry forward to announce our arrival to the
-Governor.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is more trying than ever to lack springs, as
-we jolt over the loose cobbles of these primitive and
-neglected town streets. But I could cheerfully have
-put up with far greater discomfort to reach, at last,
-the “luxurious” (in comparison) Hotel Brotte, its
-glowing fire, can after can of water, clean sheets, and
-the blessed chance of changing one’s clothes and really
-<i>brushing</i> one’s hair.</p>
-
-<div id='i272' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i272.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>THE TOMB OF THE SULTAN OSMAN AT BROUSSA.<br />p. 272</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>This is <i>not</i> the Savoy, but, surely, something better!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>
- <h2 id='ch31' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXI</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>A FEW DAYS IN BROUSSA—THE TRUE ISLAM ATMOSPHERE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>The</span> Governor who, once more, “comes from Malta,”
-has detailed a police officer to look after me during
-the five-days’ visit unexpectedly imposed upon us,
-since there is no boat leaving before then. My journey
-from Angora to Constantinople will, therefore, occupy
-ten days instead of the regulation two or three.</p>
-<p class='c012'>We start out the first thing in the morning and do
-not return till dusk. I have never visited so many
-mosques, and their colouring seems even more exquisite
-than I have found it elsewhere.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Naturally, however, we first went to pay our respects
-to the Governor, who promised to give me certain
-special information next day. His konak, however,
-happened to catch fire soon after we left, and in
-less than an hour it was reduced to cinders. There was,
-fortunately, little wind, though, as we watched the
-flames from our hotel, one could feel no security that
-it might not spread all over the town and render us,
-too, homeless.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was, as it happens, a brigand, descending by
-chance from the mountains, who had saved the whole
-town from destruction when the Greeks left it in flames,
-after demolishing their church and setting fire to their
-houses. Fifteen surrounding villages were, actually,
-burnt to the ground. The French proprietress of
-the hotel told me the town was not ravaged by
-Ottoman Greeks, but by the Hellenes. Their own
-Greeks cried bitterly at being compelled to leave,
-but were terrified into flight, many of them dying at
-Moudania or on the road.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>I heard an amusing story from my Dutch friend
-in Smyrna which illustrates in what “great respect”
-the Turkish army has always been held by Greeks.
-One of their officers, reconnoitring on the hillside,
-was seen to run back to his men, shouting: “They
-are coming! They are coming! There are fezes
-everywhere!” He had caught sight of a field of poppies!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Madame herself is “desolated” by the departure of
-her Greek servants, and puts no real reliance on the Jews
-by whom she has been obliged to replace them. Although
-getting on in years, she is eighty-six, she never dare go
-to bed before any of her guests, lest someone should
-ring and obtain no answer. I enjoyed examining, in
-her visiting book, the signatures and humorous comments
-of English prisoners, who were with her during
-hostilities.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Everywhere the Jews are stirring themselves, in
-and out of their quarters, eager to take on anything
-abandoned by the Greeks, as shoemakers,
-plumbers, tradesmen, and labourers of all kinds. Nowhere
-else, I imagine, could one hear them boasting
-“I am an Israelite.” Our guests include many Jews,
-and they are quickly finding their way more than ever
-into the good graces of the Turks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I hope they will soon organise the splendid “bathing”
-one could enjoy at Broussa if only some comfortable
-rest-place were set up for recovery from the bracing
-effects of such strong waters. Surely the Baths of
-Broussa might be promoted into a gold mine!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I wonder if the town is really as old as Angora?
-In parts it is more dilapidated, as one can see from
-walking about its deserted streets, so sorely in need of
-repair, and glancing up at the broken windows on
-every side. Nevertheless I, personally, delight in
-the delicate charm of this famous Asiatic city, free
-from a “Levantine” population and the relics of
-Byzantium that rather spoil Constantinople.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The celebrated silk factories are not, of course, so
-picturesque; and the depressing mixture of steam
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>heat, and smell is certainly calculated to make one
-long for the very latest kind of progressive machinery
-to replace such unhealthy “human” labour. Here,
-again, we find Jews and the so-called “Catholics,”
-have replaced the Greeks; and the proprietors (who
-are so often Jews) only complain that there are
-not more hands available.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This means, of course, not enough competition;
-and wages have risen from thirty to sixty piastres a
-day. For this reason they miss the Greeks and
-Armenians, although the new men are equally good
-workers.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We have also to employ Turkish women,” they
-say.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Are they good?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, very bad. They <i>can</i> work, but have never
-done so, and have no experience. Yet we must pay
-sixty piastres for their unskilled labour.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Then you are running the factories at a loss,
-with these high wages?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Oh, no! We ‘make up’ for that by paying the
-peasants half their old price for the raw silk.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do they complain?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No. We tell them that times are bad; which
-they understand, and accept.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is an excellent example of the ease with which
-almost anyone can make his profit out of the Turk.
-He is satisfied with so little, and seldom, or never,
-protests. For years Greeks and Armenians have filled
-their pockets at his expense. Now we have driven
-them out of their homes and Jews are quickly filling
-their place. No wonder they turn on their Christian
-“protectors,” and resent our “interference.” To
-them money is the breath of life, and money is more
-easily made in Turkey than anywhere else in the world.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Whatever prosperity these districts have managed
-to retain largely depends on the silk-making and the
-tobacco factories. All the Europeans are, naturally,
-against any attempts to abolish capitulations. “They
-are not likely to leave us,” say the Turks, “where else
-would they be granted ‘capitulations’?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>The bazaar at Broussa has lost none of its Eastern
-charm, but prices have gone up by leaps and bounds
-since I was here ten years ago. They will, probably,
-soon rise still higher when hand-embroidery dies
-out before the machine-made imitations.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Central Mosque has been rather disfigured by
-the over-zealous multiplication of mural texts; but
-the beautiful fountain preserves the most marked
-characteristic of all mosques, on which their “appeal”
-so largely depends. It also contains some very fine
-specimens of the curious old clocks, which only show
-Turkish hours.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the courtyard there are more fountains and
-many pigeons, and the public letter-writer. Just
-now he is hard at work for a profitable customer who,
-one might think, surely knew how to conduct his own
-correspondence. From my experience as an amateur,
-doing my best for the <i>Poilus</i>, I should never imagine
-that letter-writing could be an easy profession.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>How well I remember the poor boy (a particularly
-serious “case”) who asked me to “tell Jeanne” that ...
-“he was well and happy and enjoying himself.
-But that some friends had written and told him she
-had not been faithful, and ‘he didn’t care.’ All the
-girls were running after him, and the grand ladies,
-too. He hadn’t any time to think about <i>her</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He afterwards gave me careful instructions about
-a P.S. “But I do think of her sometimes.” In
-another few minutes it was, “I often think of her.”
-And, finally, “you can tell her that I forgive her, and
-love her as much as ever.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Every corner of Broussa reveals the true “Islam”
-atmosphere; whether you look down on it from the
-surrounding heights, or wander along its quaint streets
-and alleys. Everywhere you see latticed windows,
-mosques, and dervishes’ Tekké. It stands on a wide
-stretch of marshland, seemingly going on for ever, with
-its countless rows of skeleton-poplars, that stand out
-in the blue-grey mist like ghostly sentinels.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>I decided there could be no better opportunity to
-indulge in an adventure I had often contemplated:
-climb up the highest of all the minarets to reach “the
-top of the top!” The narrow and winding staircase
-was sadly in need of repair; but at the long last I
-found myself on the tiny balcony from which the
-muezzin daily summons “the faithful” to prayer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you think I might sing?” I asked. “It
-would be interesting to know how far the voice carries
-at this height.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As you please,” he answered; but as it was clear
-that he was decidedly embarrassed, if not shocked, I
-contented myself with quietly humming <i>Gloria in
-Excelsis</i>. When I told him the words—“On earth
-peace, to men of goodwill,” he answered, reverently,
-“<i>Inch Allah</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You see,” I explained, “the muezzin calls the
-faithful to prayer, I call them to peace.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>As, perhaps, I ought to have foreseen, it proved a
-far more difficult business to get <i>down</i> those steps than
-it had been to climb <i>up</i>. Somehow the walls seemed
-closing in upon me, and the mere idea of starting upon
-the descent brought on a fit of unmanageable giddiness.
-My guide promptly offered to carry me, but I did not
-believe it could be done; and, in any case, I should
-not wish him to make the attempt. When I have
-plucked up courage to trust my own feet, they are
-constantly slipping over the worn stones, and often
-we find three or four missing altogether; still it would
-not be possible to jump.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am only just in front of you,” said my guide,
-“if you fall, you will fall on me.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I <i>ought</i> to have been thoroughly ashamed of myself,
-but I could only say, “You must let me manage my
-own way and slide down as best I can.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I am perfectly comfortable in an aeroplane at an
-altitude of 10,000 feet; and to this day I have never
-been able to understand why that minaret made me
-so giddy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>We visited the tombs of Osman and many of the
-other Sultans buried in Broussa, the ancient capital
-of Turkey. The idea of the continual watching of
-the tomb, and, indeed, the whole attitude of Islam
-towards death, is full of beauty. One does not wish
-to believe that the Greeks marched up to this Holy
-Place with drawn swords, cursing the founder of the
-Osman Dynasty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We also drove to the famous Green Mosque, immortalised
-by Pierre Loti. The actual colour of this fine
-building is a most wonderful turquoise blue; but,
-like those jewels, it may, indeed, one day grow green
-with age. Here Pierre Loti used to write his books, reclining
-on the magnificent carpets, of which the
-quality and beauty have defied time itself. On one
-side stands the large door (replacing the altar) of exquisitely
-blended green porcelain and delicate gold
-lettering; on the other, the cool and sparkling fountain.
-All day long he worked in this hallowed atmosphere;
-where the invisible mouths of the fountain send out a
-gorgeous mass of rainbow-hued spray into the sun’s
-white rays.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The guardian of the mosque, who used to serve
-coffee and bring Loti’s narghili and arrange the
-cushions, has been laid to rest near by; and now
-Loti’s long life is drawing to its close. His best work
-was done in the mosque at Broussa, as his countless
-admirers should not forget—the shrine of one of
-Turkey’s truest friends.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Here, in the East, all may enter God’s House; and
-it is here that every day, all day long, you see (as,
-indeed, you may in France) men and women of every
-sort and condition, unburdening their hearts of
-joys or sorrows, some carrying a homely parcel, a
-loaf of bread, or their goods to market; others carrying
-their little children. No doubt, the mosque—or
-the church—offers warmth and shelter; but its quiet
-solemnity must turn our thoughts from all the pettiness
-of existence, the false pride, and the ugly sin. Nor do
-those who are, as it were, so thoroughly “at home” in
-God’s House, pray with any less earnestness or sincerity.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>What a contrast to the cathedral at Geneva I
-visited with a French ex-Ambassadress. We had to
-send for the caretaker, who <i>unlocked</i> the door for us
-and <i>locked it up again</i> as we left. Yet this was once a
-church; holy men had dedicated their genius to make
-it beautiful, because it was the House of God. It is
-not God’s House now; only a building where men meet
-and speak. “Have we, indeed, lost faith in anything,”
-said my companion, as the door was closed behind us
-“which of us would God Himself lock out? Are there
-none left who would pray to Him? To what vain
-and untrusting materialism will mankind yet lower
-drift?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One morning, unable to hold in the interest awakened
-by a handsome, young Turkish woman with veiled
-hair, who was sitting near me in the hotel, I, at last,
-ventured to ask her if she would “excuse my staring,”
-but “she so much reminds me” of an old friend, Dr.
-Nihat Réchad.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He is my brother,” she replied in excellent
-English, obviously delighted. It appears she had
-lost touch with him for many years; only knowing
-that he had been in prison and escaped to join Mustapha
-Kemal. Now she hoped he must be coming into
-his own again.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was glad to tell her how greatly we appreciated
-Dr. Réchad in London.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our acquaintance brought me many new pleasures
-in Broussa, in addition to her own delightful society
-and her most friendly baby. She introduced me
-to many of the nicest people in the hotel, and
-arranged for us to visit the admirable hospitals of Dr.
-Nazoum, head of the Army Medical Service, who was
-a friend of her husband’s.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There were two Turkish gentlemen, however (General
-Kemallidine Pasha and Nourredine Pasha), whom
-I had been warned <i>not to see</i>, because they were “such
-bears and hated England”; naturally, having thus had
-my combative curiosity excited, I eagerly sought for
-introductions to them. And I could not admit the
-justice of their condemnation.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>General Kemallidine Pasha is about thirty-five,
-with an honest, open face and merry eyes, that strongly
-reminded me of my brother; who—though not wounded
-<i>eighteen times</i> like the Pasha—has been so frequently
-sewn up as to present to the world, so I tell him, no
-more than a figure of “threads and patches.” He
-apologised for offering his left hand, obviously pleased
-when I said, “it did not matter which of a hero’s
-hands one is privileged to shake.” When I said that
-I was sorry to hear he disliked my country, he gave
-the only explanation I ever obtained from a Turk:
-“It is because I once loved her so well!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And for that I have only one answer, provided for
-me by Mr. D——, who was in Constantinople all
-through the war, and is convinced that the English
-were, throughout, entirely misled by Greek and Armenian
-dragomen. He, himself, would never trust these
-men to translate any newspaper article for him.
-“Their work may be, and frequently is, quite correct,
-but they are clever enough to impart an entirely different
-<i>meaning</i> from one language to the other; for
-example, with the word “iltehoc,” how can that word
-be translated with all its shades of meaning?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The most dangerous Englishmen,” he said, “were
-irresponsible young colonels of twenty-five, the familiar
-“temporary gentlemen,” whose sudden access to
-power and responsibility has, on other occasions, led
-Great Britain into adventures she cannot, afterwards,
-disown. One must regret, but can scarcely in
-fairness condemn, some of these brave boys from
-the “edge of beyond” in Canada or Australia, who,
-of course, are absolutely ignorant of Moslem customs,
-and, by training, rather aggressively impatient of the
-slow ways of old England herself.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There were Turks of a very inferior type to be
-found to help them, as it would be dishonest to
-deny. Those who made themselves <i>personna grata</i> to
-the Allies, and enemies to the Nationalists, because
-they would sink to any calumny or blackmail to
-secure a “job,” or to keep one.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is, indeed, high testimony to the personality of
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>General Harington that, despite all the crimes committed
-“in his name,” General Kemallidine, Ismet
-Pasha and Nourredine Pasha are unanimous in their
-high tribute.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Our empire is built on confidence in the “Man on
-the Spot.” It has given us our unrivalled position
-and a reputation for justice and generosity none can
-rival. But, with the wrong men, it may have most
-disastrous results; and, in Turkey, we still want to
-know <i>who sent Turkey’s élite to Malta</i>?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Kemallidine Pasha gallantly summed up his acceptance
-of my explanations.... “Now I see the
-difference between an English lady and an English
-‘temporary gentleman’!”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Dr. Nazoum has taken us to his office and showed
-us his delightful sketches. He also removed some
-ordinary picture postcards from their frame to show
-us his wife’s picture hidden behind them.... “Twelve
-years of a life that might have been given to one’s
-family stolen from me for the rough and wandering
-life of war. Only a photograph. That is my married
-life.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We also visited Nourredine Pasha’s father-in-law,
-a dervish living in a Tekké, and revived all my enthusiasm
-for their wonderful dancing to the weird
-piping flute; although these dervishes are, I believe,
-“contemplative.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was invited, when at the Assembly, by the Grand
-Tchelebi to visit Konia, the chief city of the dancing
-dervishes, and was much tempted to accept. I have
-never fully <i>understood</i> the “mystic dancing,” derived,
-as I was told, from our Psalmist’s command to “praise
-the Lord with dance and song”; but no one could
-fail to recognise the fascination of the weird rhythm
-to which the outspread skirts move with a haunting
-grace that is all their own; like gigantic mauve and
-brown poppies over the polished oak floor.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>We were unfortunately too late to see much of
-Nourredine Pasha—the General was starting on his
-Inspection. My guide had been too polite to tell
-me my watch was slow. The General, however, found
-time to entrust me with greetings to General
-Harington, and to express more hopeful confidence in
-the future relations of our two countries. I am certainly
-glad I did not accept anyone else’s judgment of
-this kind and distinguished man. He is, however, a
-good ten years older than the other generals of the
-Pasha’s new army whom I have met. I am now quite
-accustomed to statesmen and generals of forty.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I think I must really have seen <i>everything</i> in Broussa,
-including the burnt hamlets of the countryside. I
-remember a school-house in this district, where the
-master had been paid in corn, and in which four generations
-of women, who gave us sweet goat’s milk, were
-now all living in one room, tastefully arranged with
-cushions. They had been swept off the face of the
-earth with the village in which they dwelt, by the Greeks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I must not forget the hospital, full of poor
-women—victims of the Greeks. If there <i>were</i> such
-sights at the French Front, I mercifully escaped
-seeing them; and here, for the first time, I realised
-what some of my sisters have had to endure since the
-spirit of war has come over us. Greek hatchets had been
-at work on Mme. Roufy Bey’s patients; and, whether
-in face or hip, back or leg, too many of these terrible
-wounds were festering, because it had been impossible
-to attend to them in time.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I remember the mother who once answered her
-little girl’s natural questions by telling her: “You
-just grew on my heart.” “How lovely,” cried the
-child, “is that why mothers all carry the babies so
-near their hearts?” “Yes, it is where we keep them.”
-Here was a poor Turkish mother whose little one had
-been shot as it lay in her arms!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Through this devastated area, and having seen the
-utter destitution of these people, I should have
-expected to find far greater bitterness towards the
-Greeks. But they are well treated in all the prison-camps,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>and never handled with brutality as they work
-on the roads. Yet they look rough and desperate,
-showing none of the resignation with which the Turk
-faces captivity, however ragged and tattered. These
-Greeks even seem afraid if a Christian woman
-speaks to them, although they own that their alarm
-does not come from either a guilty conscience or from
-terror of their enemies, but only reveals the broken
-spirit of men betrayed and alone. I feel, however,
-that to be always surrounded by the useless and horrible
-devastation you have yourself inflicted, must unnerve
-the most callous of human beings.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At about six o’clock on our last morning, an officer
-arrives to conduct us to the station. The train starts
-at 7-30, reaching Moudania at nine o’clock, where the
-boat <i>may</i> leave at 9-30, or any time it likes. It is a
-short and uneventful train journey, only relieved by a
-brisk trade in tea at our two stopping-places.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We find a high wind and rough seas at Moudania,
-and the boat has not yet <i>arrived</i>! There is plenty of
-time to drive to a unit of headquarters, where the
-officer’s mother (whom he had “smuggled” through
-from Constantinople) gives me coffee and cigarettes
-beside a welcome fire. We pass the historic house
-in which Peace was signed; one of the many
-examples in Anatolia of great achievements from
-small beginnings.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Moudania is, on the whole, more depressing than
-any of the miserable towns I have been over; and the
-officer is, certainly, to be congratulated on having
-secured the company of his mother.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was about half-past six in the evening when we
-were summoned to embark; and there was no sign of the
-“special cabin” that had been promised me in this
-little cockle-shell of a boat, on which passengers, nevertheless,
-are divided according to class. For my
-part, I chose to travel second, as there was far
-more air; and, as we opened the door, the “poultry
-yard” gave us a hearty welcome! The women had
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>taken their chickens and rabbits into their berths;
-the floor was strewn with corn and lettuce-leaves! As
-I disliked sharing my bed with poultry, I should be
-happier in the cold outside.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>However, the first officer graciously gives up his
-cabin. It is tiny, by no means immaculate, and papered
-with cheerful postcards. But, in the place of honour,
-Queen of Beauty among the ladies of the Levant,
-hangs Gladys Cooper! I have never so much admired
-that lovely actress as when now she seemed smiling
-down at my mighty efforts to sleep in this tiniest of
-bunks that had been built for someone of half my
-length and width.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The little tub ultimately started at midnight,
-dancing over the waves to Constantinople, where
-Turkish passports are no protection, and I must now
-learn to depend on my credentials from England.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>What is going to happen to me? Very possibly
-my passport will be taken from me, or endorsed with
-the grim words “not to return to England.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My mission, indeed, was harmless, if not sanctioned.
-I have, honestly, endeavoured to see that England may
-be “a little better” understood by the Nationalists
-in Anatolia. But in fighting Prussianism, we have
-been slightly infected by that disease. It has
-crept into our legislation and our administration. In
-free England, Cæsar reigns. We can say, as the Turks
-say, “We have <i>Prussia</i> to thank for our distress.”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>
- <h2 id='ch32' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>CONSTANTINOPLE NO LONGER THE CAPITAL—THE HEART AND SPIRIT OF TURKEY ARE IN ANGORA</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>As</span> our little cockle-shell reaches the busy quay at
-Constantinople, the veiled women collect their animals
-and carry them through the Custom house. I am the
-only Britisher, yet the tall, well-built official rapidly
-scans my passport and signs it without moving a
-muscle, or showing the faintest surprise at my arrival
-by <i>that boat</i>, not even opening his lips in reply to my
-good-morning. Is this army etiquette? His kind
-face has been taught not to unbend. It seems a foolish
-way of encouraging foreigners to understand us.
-“You are not English,” everyone declares, “dear
-lady, you have too much heart to be English.”</p>
-<p class='c012'>“We English have hearts,” is my reply, “but, for
-some reason, we must pretend we have none.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Someone wearing a fez, perhaps a Moslem, insists
-on taking me to the hotel, though I assure him that
-I am quite capable of carrying my little bag, and a
-few rugs over my arm. But he has seen Fethi
-Bey’s letter, and nothing, clearly, will prevent him
-from mounting beside the driver and burdening himself
-with my belongings.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Tokatlians’ Hotel, however, the Armenian porter
-handed him the truly magnificent tip of two Turkish
-pounds. He assured me that others pay double that
-sum for the little trip from the boat to the hotel!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I see, at once, that there is a difference between
-Angora and Constantinople. In Anatolia no one
-would dream of thrusting his services upon his country’s
-friend, or of accepting a two pound tip for so short a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>ride. My Angora host’s servants could not even be
-induced to accept a tip when I left. At Angora there
-was none of the Levantine haggling over the price
-of a cab. In Constantinople I decided always to
-leave such matters to the porter, who was a kindly
-man and did his best. Nevertheless, I should seriously
-advise the Nationalists, when they are back here, to
-fix a tariff for luggage and cabs, as the traveller is now
-intolerably imposed on.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is compensation, of course, in the return to
-Western comforts, if not luxuries; above all, of the
-hot bath. I have already taken three; and they tell
-me that, if I still don’t feel clean, it is only because the
-water is always brown. One can, further, obtain the
-services of a manicurist, a hairdresser, and a chiropodist,
-all worthy men; and how I enjoy these hot-house
-sitting-rooms, and sheets like satin on the bed! A
-touch of fever and full permission to stay tired, are
-quite enough to make me perfectly content with my
-one “weary” hat—until my luggage condescends to
-get <i>un</i>-lost.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>General Harington invited me to the Harbié
-(British Headquarters); chiefly, no doubt, to hear
-about the big men I have seen in Angora. There
-are few Englishmen more keenly interested than he
-in the personalities of the Nationalist leaders, particularly,
-of course, “the Pasha.” He speaks affectionately
-of “that nice, honest, fine soldier,” Ismet
-Pasha; and describes Refet Pasha as “a very clever
-man, one from whom I have never had an unkind
-or discourteous word. We are the best of friends.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I asked him whether “he was <i>altogether</i> in sympathy
-with the Turks.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You must remember,” he answered, “that I was
-with General Wilson. No one could have had a finer
-chief; and no man, I dare to say, could have followed
-more closely in his chief’s footsteps than I.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Could not our troops be withdrawn, while such
-an act might still seem <i>le beau geste</i>?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>“We ought never to have been here,” he replied.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It hurts my national pride to see you fine men
-doing police work.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I told him all I had learned about “the Pasha’s”
-opinion of the situation, and asked him when he
-intended to retire.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As soon as I feel really confident that Peace will
-be ratified.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And Lausanne?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We shall have storms, but the result must be peace.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As soon as we dare hope....”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I congratulated him on the rôle he had played at
-Moudania.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I am glad,” he said, “to have rendered service
-to my country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Can you see any motive for this disastrous policy
-in Constantinople?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I can only suppose that, for some reason, Mr.
-Lloyd George simply refused to listen to the advice of
-everyone who knew Turkey, in favour of friends
-entirely ignorant of the whole subject. I am almost
-disposed to think he did not even consult his own
-Foreign Minister.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Why did you not go to Lausanne?” I asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Well, I was not invited. Lord Curzon and Ismet
-Pasha appear to understand each other; and they
-have clever experts at the Conference.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you not feel, however, that a “prejudiced”
-expert may do even more harm than the Premier’s
-‘men,’ who knew nothing?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If you can prove they are prejudiced, yes.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“In my view, when the Turks mistrust them, it is
-enough.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That, surely, is not for me to say.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I much fear it was “mistaken” modesty, which led
-General Harington to think that his presence would
-“make no difference” at Lausanne.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, his praise of Refet Pasha is well-deserved.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>It would, indeed, require an exceedingly
-smart diplomatist to get over a man no one can
-bluff, for all his courtesy and kindness. The
-“wonderful little general” is always busy, but never
-<i>too</i> busy to see the friends of his country, who all
-delight in his wit.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“There is nothing he would not dare,” said Colonel
-Mougin. “I can imagine him smoking a cigarette on
-the edge of Vesuvius! With a mere handful of men
-he held his own against regiments of Allies all along
-the line.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When I first met Refet Pasha we spoke of Colonel
-Mougin, with whom he had been photographed. I
-told him that I had been fighting the colonel ever
-since we met.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Fighting with that charming man?” he exclaimed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The charm of friendship is to fight in peace,” I
-replied, “or <i>Discuter sans disputer</i>, as the French say.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He laughed heartily, and then spoke with the
-deepest respect of General Harington.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You have yourself given me an example,” said I.
-“‘Love your enemies’, as it is written.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Colonel Mougin used to say that Refet Pasha had
-the glorious spirit of a pioneer, and that his country
-made good use of the quality. When he had cut his
-way through the wilderness of Anatolia, they sent him
-to take possession of Constantinople, though the
-Allies were still there! At the same time, he was to
-prepare the way for the axe that was once more
-to chop with severity, speaking metaphorically, of
-course, in the departure of the Sultan. When the
-Government machine at Constantinople was running
-smoothly, he was sent off to tackle Thrace!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Refet Pasha spoke warmly of Colonel and Mrs.
-Samson, not forgetting their charming little girl.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He rendered great service to Turkey during the
-Siege of Adrianople. He likes the Turks.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Like all British <i>gentlemen</i>,” I interposed, to his
-amusement.</p>
-
-<div id='i288' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i288.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>GENERAL REFET PASHA AND COLONEL MOUGIN IN CONSTANTINOPLE.<br />p. 288</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Enemies, or not enemies,” he said, “in spite of
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>all the terrible things your compatriots have done, they
-are fine and intelligent men. I ventured to say to them:
-‘Perhaps, by bringing every man you can obtain from
-the four corners of the earth, you may crush our forces,
-but <i>never</i> our spirit. And remember, in crushing us
-you will mutilate yourselves for ever!’ General
-Harington knows that. He perfectly understands.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The General spoke of his twenty-eight years’ service:
-the terrible hardship of these last years, when
-they had to fight, not only the enemy without, but
-those Turks who had thrown in their lot with the
-Allies.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They say,” he went on, “soldiers love war. It
-is not true. They hate it, because they know what
-it means. Politicians want war and make war; we
-only have to obey.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He has a very high opinion of the present Khalif,
-whom I myself met ten years ago, in the days of
-Mahmoud II.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Everybody has the greatest respect for him,” he
-went on, “and rightly; a fine gentleman and a great
-artist.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How does he like not being a Sultan?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He is the Khalif,” he replied. “In his place,
-however, I might prefer the lesser honour and the
-smaller responsibilities.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you approve of my going to Lausanne?” I
-asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“You have worked hard, and honestly, at studying
-the country and striven very sincerely to understand
-my people. It will be well for your delegates to be told
-the truth. Nevertheless, Lord Curzon himself knows the
-subject inside out. He has made up his mind, and
-knows exactly what he intends to do. Above all, he
-thoroughly understands what effect his policy will
-produce.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I believe every word. This time the Prime Minister
-will have nothing to say; Lord Curzon has <i>full powers</i>.
-His responsibilities are heavy indeed. With the terrible
-heritage of “ugly debts” incurred in the name of
-England, of which he will personally be held guilty for
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>years to come! For him, the <i>right</i> way is not the
-<i>easy</i> way.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>The British officials of Constantinople have been
-most kind to me; as the only Englishwoman who
-knows the story of Angora, and has been near to the
-“heart” of the Turks; they hope I shall go to Lausanne.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But who will listen? From the beginning of time,
-has an Englishman ever asked a woman for her opinion,
-or listened to her if she expressed one, even after being
-consulted! Often, of course, a personality like Lady
-Hamilton’s, may exert great influence; but men do
-not come to us for information or advice on policy
-however much we may know, however deeply and
-clearly we may think. I am still uncertain of how much
-our women may ever be allowed to effect in politics and
-diplomacy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I once heard a story from a witty Frenchman,
-which “hits off” our <i>men</i> to a miracle! Their stubborn
-tenacity, which has never <i>conceded</i> an inch to
-women that was not dragged out of them by main
-force! A celebrated French Minister once came to
-London in hopes of securing a certain concession.
-When he had spent an hour explaining his case,
-our great personages briefly replied: “You might as well
-have asked us for a part of Hyde Park!” He tried
-again, for another hour, with precisely the same result.
-His reasons, any mutual advantages that might, or
-might not, accrue, were absolutely ignored. They
-only answered, “You might as well have asked us for
-Hyde Park!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Lausanne, unfortunately, there is every reason
-to fear that the English and the Turks are <i>both</i> adopting
-the method of not listening. It works, of course
-(so far as getting your own way), if <i>one</i> party is firmly
-in possession; but when the claim to control is
-in dispute, and neither can be induced to yield, one
-<i>must</i> feel that a little conciliation might be prudent.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Thinking it most unlikely that I shall have another
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>opportunity of talking so freely to any British officials,
-I have spoken with great frankness of what has been
-in my heart for years, but what I now see can never
-be changed.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Lord Curzon spoke courteously of my self-imposed
-mission “to serve my country abroad,” but England
-will never entrust such tasks to women, or even lend
-them any <i>official</i> sanction.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This, then, is my swan song of the work which I
-have proved that a woman <i>can</i> do. Before leaving
-the stage, I may say what I think.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If you suppose that we are going to let any Tom,
-Dick or Harry run our Embassies, as they do in
-America, you are very much mistaken.” I was once
-“officially” informed: “We may be accused of being
-socially exclusive, but everyone knows to which Embassy
-they should appeal when anything <i>has to be done</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“That does not touch my complaint,” I answered.
-“I shall continue to resent the fact that <i>we</i> are not
-allowed the same footing as women in other countries.
-We have at last secured the vote, and, theoretically,
-the right of entry to all professions; but, proud as we
-are of Lady Astor and Mrs. Wintringham, their
-presence in Parliament has, rather unfortunately,
-produced an impression of far more ‘freedom’ and
-‘equality’ than we have actually achieved. Some
-are indeed safely on the heights, but most women have
-not yet even planted their feet on the lowest rung of
-the ladder.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Everyone knows that the Englishman is chivalrous
-to women, and is their surest anchor in distress.
-He will willingly die for them, but he maintains his
-rooted objection to being asked to help them to live.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The French Government sent a <i>woman</i> to Angora
-with the fullest official backing in finance and prestige.
-Their Ambassador provided a plan for her journey, and
-has made public acknowledgment of her service to
-France.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We do not require women for this work,” was the
-dogmatic reply; which also, of course, ignored the
-<i>principle</i> involved in such official rigidity.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>But with the unfailing courtesy which the best
-Englishman never denies to the women whose “interference”
-he most resents, “I hope you made our
-position clear to your friends the Turks. Those who
-serve our Government have always done so of their
-own free-will. <i>That is why we are served so well!</i>”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I approached this question from another angle at
-Lausanne. As I have already pointed out, and illustrated
-from experience in an earlier chapter, it is
-most advisable, if not essential, that the Ambassador,
-like other great “Personages,” should employ agents to
-“try out” the petty “first steps” of any change in
-policy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was told by way of reply, that “the first qualification
-for ‘entering diplomacy’ is to be twenty-one!”
-This, of course, excludes a woman over thirty; a fact
-that may serve for answer to many bitter attacks upon
-my “Disadvantage of Being a Woman.” A man of
-threescore is seldom considered too old for diplomacy;
-a woman of thirty-five is fourteen years beyond the
-limit.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What would you do with the old men?” I was
-asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Teach them golf,” was my prompt retort.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At the Front in a French uniform, speaking French
-to my own compatriots, I was always unwilling to
-confess my nationality. So long as they thought I was
-French, they forgot the lady, and made a friend of the
-woman! Shedding their “own” uniform, as it were,
-they “let go” in homage and devotion; giving,
-being, and appealing for <i>themselves</i>. But the moment
-it came out that I was English, the open oyster
-closed down and hid its pearl. From these spruce,
-upright, and tightly-buttoned uniforms I could never
-get through the politeness.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As an interpreter in the Guards once explained it:
-“When one of your Generals asks me to buy him a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span><i>Vie Parisienne</i>, he never forgets to add, ‘but don’t
-give it to me in front of my officers.’” It must be the
-same with women. The Englishman will allow a <i>French</i>
-woman to “have a peep” at his soul. To his compatriot
-he offers his dignity and his prestige—which are no
-better than a bag of bones!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What I have always known, has been brought home
-more forcibly than ever during this trip. In matrimony,
-at his office, and in the home, the Englishman
-must be master. We can, if we must, accept a <i>good</i>
-master. Who will help us against the <i>bad</i>? Do the
-<i>Laws</i> of England?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It sometimes seems indiscreet for an Englishwoman
-to visit the British Embassies in foreign capitals, but I
-rarely omit to call on the French; and there are, of
-course, certain advantages, under some circumstances,
-in a twin-nationality. I have been invited to their
-Christmas lunch by General and Madame Pellé.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mr. Neville Henderson, the British <i>chargé d’affaires</i>
-at Constantinople, though certainly not pro-Turk, does
-not hesitate to criticise the Greeks. An ideal sense of
-balance for a diplomat.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Turks like Mr. Henderson; and when I remarked
-on the apparent anomaly that “one can be
-popular in Turkey without being pro-Turk,” I was met
-by the astounding retort that “he succeeds because
-he knows how to talk”—a strong argument against
-“silent” diplomacy!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I can only hope that he may long remain at his
-post. Although he may not like to hear his beloved
-Foreign Office called a “mausoleum,” or the burial-ground
-for twentieth-century ideals. Of him, one can
-repeat what a Cabinet Minister once said of France: that
-“he is one of the few ready to give a criminal, or a
-genius, <i>his chance</i>.” Though not an enthusiast for any
-“Asiatic Revival,” he will accept the inevitable, and
-cheer the winner. May he stay at his post <i>at least</i>
-till danger is past.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I have just made my first, and I hope my last, stay
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>in Pera. The sister-in-law of my little Turkish
-sister is dying, so I cannot accept her hospitality,
-though she has begged me to come to her.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What a terrible warning one can take from Pera!
-I had not realised the danger of losing oneself in
-the ambition to be truly cosmopolitan. These people
-belong to all nations and have the souls of none. Their
-faces have only one common feature—the lack of the
-spirit behind all racial types, the entire absence of any
-ideal. In Anatolia I found two forms of inborn
-honour: the “nationalist” and the “primitive
-peasant.” In Pera I stepped from Tokatlian’s Hotel
-to the Embassy with the feeling that someone is
-going to stab me in the back.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>This is the fourth Christmas I have spent in Turkey.
-On the first occasion the Germans invited me to their
-Christmas Tree; outside some Armenians sang
-their exquisite native carols; which, like their folk-songs,
-make one wish their characters were equally
-fine. The concert, however, was interrupted by the
-master-scavengers of Constantinople, the innumerable
-dogs, against whose furious barking the Christians at
-first bravely held on. But the “enemy” trotted away
-to collect his forces from every quarter of the city and,
-in the end, I won a wager for the dogs <i>versus</i> the Christians.
-Our entertainers went home, amidst a never-to-be-forgotten
-chorus of canine howling.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In Constantinople the dogs certainly had their
-own nationality. Divided against each other by street
-feuds, the biggest troop coming from the “station
-beat,” where cans of rubbish are emptied from the
-Orient express, they yet <i>united</i> to drive out the
-“alien” Christians from the fatherland of “Dogdom!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And so it is with the Moslems. If Albania and
-Syria have left their fatherland, it is not wise for a
-foreigner to utter a word against Turkey in their
-presence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Mustapha Kemal Pasha will find no difficulty about
-proving his confidence in Nationalism. “If Europe
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>deny us justice, we shall obtain justice from Asia
-The brotherhood of Islam stands solidly for us.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>This Christmas, after a pleasant dinner at the
-hotel with Mr. D——, I asked him to take me to
-church. “Can you hold on to Faith after what you
-have seen?” he asks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I have sometimes nearly lost hold. But when I
-realise that ‘war’ has taken away everything else from
-us, I just <i>hang on</i>, hard.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So I go to church alone, leaving the hideous
-jazz-band and the noisy dancers; who drink and step
-out like kangaroos by way of enjoyment!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The eternal beauty of the midnight Mass carries
-one right away from the dreadful tragedy of life,
-handing us, too, spiritual food for the heart’s strengthening.
-On the way home I was humming the Christmas
-hymn, “Come and Adore Him,” when a clash of discord
-struck at me from the approaching hotel-mob;
-for <i>their</i> part, humming “<i>j’en ai marre</i>” (“I am fed up”)
-the most contagious refrain ever uttered.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I, very unreasonably, poured out my wrath on
-Mr. D—— next morning. “Is it impossible to make
-them realise what their song <i>means</i>? Nero fiddled
-while Rome was burning; they are dancing to the
-tune of a poor woman’s broken heart. Someone will
-soon find a gay air for “the Song of the Shirt,” and
-men will be hopping and braying to it.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>At last I am, fortunately, able to drive quietly
-away from Pera. “You haven’t changed a bit, you
-always disliked Pera,” my little Turkish sister had said.
-“I remember that when we used to go to the Ottoman
-Bank to fetch your letters you would have the horses
-whipped up so as to ride to Pera and back as quickly
-as possible.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Again I am gazing upon the “Sublime Porte.” It
-is still “sublime” and the sunset has not changed. Yet
-no longer can it command my love; and woman does
-not reason!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>The old buildings are as magnificent as ever; the
-sun is still sparkling on the gold; the picturesque
-beggars are still there; the blue sky, the Bosphorus,
-and the cypress trees!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Only the heart and spirit of Turkey have gone to
-Angora. This is no longer the Turkey of the Turks;
-and so I am a stranger here, and there are no friendly
-faces of the Anatolians to give me greeting.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Along the road the same houses are tumbling down,
-at exactly the same stage of decrepitude. “Nothing
-has changed, my child,” I say, “except my heart.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As we pass the old Tekké, however, I miss the
-kindly face that used to smile on me from behind the
-green grilled window; and we laugh over the curious
-souvenirs I managed to obtain from that holy man.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I was walking with Colonel Z., ten years ago, the
-first day I noticed him at the window; the big,
-lovely, dark eyes; the green swathed turban; the
-Persian robe; and on his face the look of the “peace
-that passeth understanding.” He must be the “Sower
-that went forth to sow,” I said, “please take me in
-to him.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But I cannot,” said the colonel; and so, before
-he realised what I was doing, I just walked in myself
-and told the holy man that “I had come to look at his
-‘beautiful face.’” After that I paid him many visits,
-sharing his coffee, making signs to the women, and
-watching his strange worship, that had not even any
-accompaniment of the piping flute.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>He told me that no Christian had ever before been
-admitted into the Tekké.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Do you consider me a heathen?” I
-asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“No, we are all children of God. How can one
-of His children be a heathen?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>“What has become of the old man?” I asked my
-Turkish sister.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“They ordered his son—you remember that fine
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>lad—to say <i>Vive la Grèce, Vive Venizelos</i>, and when he
-refused, they shot him.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“But what of the old man?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It broke his heart. One day he just fell asleep
-and did not wake again.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The harem door is still open. The little daughter,
-now thirteen, still calls me Tezajim (dear Aunt), and
-we find seats on the marble veranda to wait for the
-sun to set over the shores of the Marmora.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“How often I think of you,” murmured my little
-sister, “trying and trying, day after day, to paint our
-sunset.” And when I repeated that to the late Sir
-Alfred East he laughed heartily, saying, “Dear child,
-Turner could not have done it?”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>And who has taken the place of my attendant, Miss
-Chocolate? The slim figure of a coal-black negress
-appears to answer my question, robed in brown velvet,
-with a brown velvet toque. I must call her Miss Ink,
-though her name is Mary.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I lunch with my Turkish sister as often as the poor
-sick woman can spare her, and she is generous. Yet
-eighteen of her friends are there already. This time
-my friend wears a fur coat and a black veil with
-lace over it. “Fancy calling <i>that</i> a veil, I teased her.
-Yet I can count the steps taken in the progress of
-Turkish women by our lunches. The first time I came
-to Turkey, you wanted to go up in a lift, and though
-your father said neither ‘yea’ nor ‘nay,’ you did not go.
-The second time you often used the lift. The third
-time, we lunched at Tokatlian’s restaurant, ‘for ladies
-only.’ Now you lunch unveiled (I don’t call <i>that</i> a
-veil) in a <i>mixed</i> restaurant.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And yet, now you have won the privilege for
-which you have been waiting so many years, you prefer
-to lunch ‘with the ladies.’ How like a woman!”</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>
- <h2 id='ch33' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXIII</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>LAUSANNE PALACE HOTEL—THE HOME OF TURKEY, FRANCE, AND JAPAN—“EVERY POSSIBLE PHASE OF COMPLETE INTERNATIONALISM”</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>“Please</span> reserve comfortable room for Englishwoman
-coming from Angora,” so ran the telegram despatched
-by an American friend of mine, who had gallantly
-determined that I should be well looked after. It was
-both comfortable and warm; and, to complete the
-welcome, my waking eyes next morning are caught by
-the two flags I have learnt to love so well, the Turkish
-and the French—the “standards” of two brave
-peoples, with the fine spirit that nothing can subdue,
-who would choose rather to be annihilated than to live
-in servitude.</p>
-<p class='c012'>Then I notice the flag of Japan! “What has
-Japan to do with it?” I ask Ismet Pasha.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Ah, Miss d’Angora,” he answers with a laugh,
-“it is fine sport to watch the poor little bird as they
-pluck out his feathers and clip his wings.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Indeed, Lausanne has been “revolutionised” by
-this Conference of Peace! It is a golden harvest for
-the hotels, which have not a room unoccupied. Every
-day luncheons, dinners, and banquets! Everywhere
-representatives of the world’s Press! I feel strange,
-somehow, in a “neutral” country. Ever since 1914
-I have been living, or travelling, over “seats of war,”
-in lands fighting to defend, or attack, an Ideal.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>One can respect any sort of an “opinion” from some
-point of view; but “neutrality” and “anonymity”
-do not sound to me like attributes in which a free
-and independent people should feel much pride.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>Yet the “neutrality” of Switzerland means the <i>International
-Red Cross</i> and the <i>League of Nations</i>; and
-it has surely earned by its hospitality to the world’s
-statesmen, a right to play <i>its</i> part in the historical
-peace, for which “the God who Forgives” is waiting.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Orient express is bringing the peoples together;
-Lord Curzon from London, Ismet Pasha from
-Angora. May their political discussion travel under
-one company to our home of peace! This Hotel of
-the Strange Tongues is fast become a very Tower of
-Babel, for it reveals every possible phase of complete
-internationalism, from fox-trots and cocktails to the
-folk-songs of Anatolia, sung by the Pasha’s Guards when
-off duty. Here, too, are thronging a host of new
-nationalities—Georgians, Bolsheviks, Syrians, Sons of
-Palestine, and Armenians; each fired by their own
-ideals, each proud of their independence; all sighing
-for the (political) moon.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For the moment, of course, the Conference has resolved
-itself into a duel between Lord Curzon and
-Ismet Pasha. Mme. B., indeed, is indignant because,
-she says, “our English representative has so bullied
-the French delegate that he has been obliged to take
-to his bed,” though one can hardly believe that
-proud and mighty Republic would choose a man whom
-anyone could really bully to bed!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I tried to imagine the Conferences of the future!
-“We should appoint a bear for our delegate,” I said,
-“send him round to all the other delegations in turn,
-to grunt! When his confrères had all taken to their
-beds, he could dictate his own term.... After the
-senile sensitiveness of M. Barrère, the youthful
-‘insolence’ of Riza Nour is most refreshing.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>This is the first occasion of big diplomacy in which
-Turkey has ever dared to assert herself. “A free and
-independent Turkey” is so unheard of; one sadly fears
-it may even now be dismissed as “mere bluff.” Do
-they realise, or will they ever believe, that a vast, well-trained
-army (who <i>may</i> be called fanatics) are <i>ready</i> and
-<i>thoroughly prepared</i> (by military experts) to come out
-at a word from their great leader, and once more
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>save their Fatherland? It is sad to feel that the
-“Hymn of Independence” I heard on all sides at
-Angora, should sound as much “out of harmony” with
-the tone of the Conference, as “Anatolian” folk-songs
-with a Jazz Band!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>America has sent “representatives,” whose chief
-is called <i>An Observer</i> and rejoices in the name of <i>Child</i>—“The
-Child Observer” or, as it is whispered, “The
-Boy Scout.” To point the humour of the situation, I
-naturally expected to meet a hoary-headed old gentleman
-with a long white beard, like his predecessor at
-Rome, Ambassador Robert Underwood Johnson. But
-though I was not aware of it at the time, he is the very
-young man I reduced to silence, by inquiring the
-way in what he called voluble French, who simply
-led me to the place without comment, rang the bell,
-and went away!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At the Conference one still sees the Powers in turn
-calling Turkey “to order,” when their own arrogance
-has reduced her delegate to a condition of what the
-Press calls his “more than usual insolence.” Then
-the “Boy Scout” or “Child Observer” would “try
-a little kindness,” to Ismet Pasha. “Don’t you see
-the whole world is against you,” to which came the
-dignified rejoinder, “We have become accustomed to
-that.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As it was in Angora, everyone here talks politics all
-day. But I am told that, while they only enjoyed themselves
-at Genoa, they do work at Lausanne. I quite
-believe in this “work”; certainly the Turkish delegates
-are hard at it till two or three every morning. But they
-do not forget enjoyment altogether. The younger
-members from the commissions have treated themselves
-to a <i>thê dansant</i>. “It warms your feet,” said
-Hussein Djahid, who takes his dancing very
-seriously. “Surely Turks don’t suffer from cold feet,”
-I exclaimed, “and I don’t believe you really like it,
-you only dance to show us that you can <i>dance</i>.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Press is luxuriously installed in a miniature
-palace of its own, at the Palace Hotel; a bar, of course,
-a gramophone, a perfect dancing-floor, roulette, and,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>incidentally, “plenty of room to write.” Mr. Ward
-Price politely regrets that “etiquette” will not permit
-him to ask me for an interview. Why should newspaper
-etiquette be allowed to hamper his “duty” as a
-good sportsman?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To the one journalist who really counts at
-Lausanne (though his articles were not always printed),
-I ventured to bring grave charges against the Press.
-“How is it men of talent and education have allowed
-themselves to sink to the level of mere machines, that
-any ‘big’ proprietor can use to manipulate public
-opinion? The ‘Power of the Press’ is a fraud.
-You never give us the benefit of your knowledge and
-judgment; whether we take a ‘pennyworth of news,’
-or let ‘bang go saxpence.’ ‘Alas,’ said Shakespeare,
-‘to choose love by another’s eyes!’ Is it not a hundred
-times worse ‘to write by another’s ears?’”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>You write only what Mr. MacClure deigns to approve;
-and, though doubtless honest and unbiassed, he is not
-himself really “free.” He feeds you daily, like the
-animals in Regent’s Park, and, after a good night,
-you may digest the food. It would be far more honest
-to issue an “official” Report, without the “false”
-impression of personal judgments formed on the spot,
-which a “special correspondent” is meant to produce.
-The public is taught to laugh at Ismet’s pleasantries,
-via Mr. MacClure! Now I have heard the Pasha rehearsing,
-and Lord Curzon preparing his “part”;
-but I still want to witness the duel upon the public
-platform, <i>for myself</i>.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Could one ever forget the most dramatic moments
-of the Second Conference at the Hague! Can such
-incidents be reported unless one has actually seen
-them! I remember Mr. Choate was down one
-afternoon to speak on Disarmament. As he rose,
-Baron Marshall von Bieberstein deliberately closed his
-ears, and opened a sheet of paper and began to write.
-Drawing himself up to his commanding height, with a
-stern air of dignity, Mr. Joseph Choate began—“I
-have prepared my speech with great care for the express
-benefit of Baron Marshall. If the <i>noble</i> gentleman is
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>too busy to “listen” this afternoon, he would, perhaps,
-be good enough to make another appointment!”
-Surely the fine picture of this grand American calling
-the “noble” Baron to order upon a question of good
-breeding is one which each correspondent must see,
-hear, and describe for himself.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is, no doubt, largely due to the great difficulty
-of obtaining first hand news, that most people are
-anti-Turk. We were told, for example, that Riza Nour
-was “insolent”; whereas he had patiently listened for
-hours to nonsense about the “National Armenian
-Home,” <i>before</i> he left the Conference room in despair of
-being permitted to tell the truth.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>And, partly no doubt because they may not comment
-upon anything of real importance, the papers are
-always ready to enlarge upon some trivial detail that
-is calculated to fan the flames of hate, or point the
-finger of scorn, towards any Turk. Someone asserted
-that the Turkish military expert had made a little mistake
-in preparing a map. He himself did not admit
-that he was wrong; but in any case, no one pretended
-that the matter was in the least important; and it
-could, ultimately, be rectified without the slightest
-effect on policy. Remember, too, that the poor man
-was working from surveys prepared on different systems,
-and in a language that describes everything for
-us backwards. It would not be remarkable if some
-slight error <i>were</i> made in transposing the details to
-European measures and methods. Yet the papers all
-give columns exposing the “little mistake,” which,
-most probably, was never made. Vital questions,
-meanwhile, were almost entirely ignored in the Press;
-and the “insolent” Asiatics are filled with bitter resentment.
-It is idle for Mr. MacClure to say that
-“they must expect criticism.” What they complain
-of is not “criticism,” but the entire “ignoring” of
-their point of view—a very different thing.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The journalist whom I thus attacked admitted that
-they deserved all I said. “The public,” he added, “<i>has</i>
-been misled, one might say ‘cheated.’ I <i>could</i> myself
-have supplied a good deal of first-class information,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>sufficiently dramatic and interesting to ‘raise
-circulations’; had I refused my signature to the
-‘official’ news so sparingly doled out for me to put into
-shape. I can promise you that, on me at least, your
-words have not been wasted.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Let us hope he may substantiate his pledge. At
-present the Press is neither a critic, a check on intrigue,
-nor an inspiration. It echoes the Governments, good
-or bad. In Constantinople, for instance, the American
-and English “special correspondents” frankly confessed
-that they employ a few “scouts” to collect
-copy, and merely “hash up” what comes in from
-these “scavengers” of rumour and gossip.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Propaganda in the Turkish Press is under the direction
-of Kemal Bey (the poet) and Ruchène Echref.
-Men of such literary distinction, alas, are no better fitted
-for such work than a watchmaker would be to heave
-coal. In Turkey they do not understand how heavy
-are the hands that can mange propaganda: that posts
-are created for the men who can fill them, and men are
-not made for any post that may happen to be vacant.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>It was always a pleasure, <i>and</i> a surprise, to meet
-Lord Curzon socially at Lausanne; and if only his
-traditional respect for British prestige would have
-allowed him to be “himself” with Ismet Pasha and
-the Turkish delegates, to approach discussions with all
-the charm and wit that he knows so well how to exert,
-I am convinced that the <i>practical</i> gain to both countries
-would be enormous.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>For though in debate his “official” manner is
-bound to emphasise the impression of a determined
-man, so clearly knowing his own mind that argument
-or even discussion is waste of time; I found him sincerely
-interested in all the personal details of my trip;
-and his penetrating questions were proof enough that
-he is quite ready to hear all sides, and really anxious
-to understand the country, the people, and their point
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>of view, from anyone who knows them, irrespective of
-what “heresies” they may uphold. To me personally,
-he was not only courteous, but respectfully attentive;
-the only Englishman whose compliments and
-praise <i>meant</i> a real gratitude, a serious acknowledgment
-of my fifteen years’ study and adventure, as “worthy
-service to my country.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ismet Pasha asked me if I had succeeded in making
-Lord Curzon understand the grave importance of their
-movement.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I may have helped a little,” I answered, “I
-believe I have. But he has always understood nearly
-the whole truth. What I fear <i>you</i> and your friends
-must find it almost impossible to understand is the
-“public opinion” in the West, which he cannot ignore.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Does he know how foolish it is to talk of a “home”
-for Armenia?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He knows it would be as useless as to tie ‘a
-swarm of bees under a donkey’s nose.’ But, though—as
-you justly say—it is not their business, England
-cannot ignore America and the Powers. It would not
-bring you peace, or justice, to affront them. I do
-not wonder that you and Riza Nour grow impatient
-with the wasteful methods of traditional diplomacy;
-but that is <i>our</i> way of democracy, to conciliate public
-opinion by a pose of far greater obstinacy and intolerance
-than we feel, or intend to act on.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>We in England, however, should realise that, however
-wise and sincere Lord Curzon’s own sympathy
-may be, the general attitude—in England and the
-Continent—is still based on our interpretation of the
-“old” Turkey. Our experts, for example, in Constantinople,
-still approach the Nationalists as they
-were accustomed to order about Abdul Hamid’s Turks.
-They are, naturally and inevitably, “touchy” in
-Angora, but we shall not help matters by any offensive
-allusions to the “Moslem with his tail up, no
-thank you!”</p>
-
-<div id='i304' class='figcenter id001'>
-<img src='images/i304.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' />
-<div class='ic002'>
-<p>LAUSANNE PALACE HOTEL.<br /><span class='sc'>The Home of Turkey, France, and Japan.</span><br />p. 304</p>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c012'>It would be not only wiser and fairer, but more
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>dignified, to congratulate these people on the achievements
-of the Grand National Assembly, which the
-“Mother of Parliaments” should surely welcome with
-honour and respect.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>I found Ismet Pasha often depressed by the immensity
-of his task; harassed, too, lest his own people
-should not feel that he had done enough. “They
-have sent me, a soldier, to fight a Bismarck, one of
-your greatest statesmen,” he said one day.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I repeated what Lord Curzon had told me, with
-obvious sincerity, “You know, I <i>like</i> the little man.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“And I respect <i>him</i>,” was the prompt reply, as
-his bright eyes lit up with renewed hope and courage.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Another day he was again in despair. “Well, it
-will just <i>have</i> to be war.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>But I would not hear the word. To all the Turks,
-Riza Nour, Tewfik, Hikmet, I say the same. “We are
-both in the wood. We must walk round and round,
-until we have found a way out.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It may sound paradoxical, but, while there is absolutely
-no offence to British prestige in the National
-Pact that is worth shedding one drop of human blood
-to remove, it yet stands for such vital ideals, means
-so much, and has been achieved with such grand courage
-and self-sacrifice, that the Nationalists must uphold
-and defend it to the bitter end. That is the “problem”
-of Lausanne.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is, however, no reason why, if foreigners are
-afraid to trust themselves, and the capital, in a Turkey
-governed by Turks (without “protection,” which
-means “interference”) they should not leave the
-people to find their own way towards commercial and
-political stability.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Lord Curzon, naturally, <i>told</i> me nothing; but his
-questions enabled me to guess at what he wished
-and intended to achieve. Perhaps I have guessed
-wrongly.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>Is he not anxious to keep Mosul, from fear of Russia.
-We could buy the oil, and the Turks would gladly
-sell it. Also a promise to Arabs has been broken
-before now; and if our bungling has led Turkey into
-a temporary alliance with Russia, no one knows what
-will come of the German-Jew Soviets. Maybe, we
-have far more need to protect India from them, than
-to stand on our dignity with “new” Turkey.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The British Empire was founded, and can only
-survive, on Trust. It is a poor policy that dare not
-act for fear of backing “the wrong horse.” It is a
-criminal policy, when hesitation means war and the
-loss of millions of lives.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Lord Curzon’s association with the Coalition
-has sadly shaken his high repute for “good faith”;
-and unless he can see his way to come forward frankly
-for a “free and independent” Turkey, the Nationalists
-will fight in their own defence.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There seem to me too many “Commissions” at
-Lausanne. Closer contact between Lord Curzon
-himself and those able men, Djavid and Hamid Bey,
-as well as Ismet Pasha, would surely not only go far
-to restore their confidence in his good faith, but
-enormously “speed up” decisions on the <i>essential</i>
-problems that need to be promptly settled.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As I listened to the public speeches of Lord Curzon
-I was haunted by all the fateful memories of the ruin
-I had seen in Angora. The doubt <i>would</i> come; does
-he really realise the supreme necessity to wipe out for
-ever that awful page of history, to <i>establish</i> peace, and
-to <i>help</i>, with all the tactful sympathy at his command,
-the new nation to stand on its own feet. Maybe we
-should even be comforted by hope, if our Government
-would only take us more fully into its confidence. The
-people of England are, after all, deeply concerned.
-They have faith, they would gladly be loyal; but
-why are they kept in the dark? When I am speaking
-with the Turkish delegates, I sometimes fancy I
-catch a look on their faces of “deep anguish” as we name
-Lord Curzon, and my heart sinks. How am I to convince
-them, certain as I am he is right, that he is not
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>drifting towards the false “sentiment” that has been
-broadcasted to uphold the Greeks?</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>On the anniversary of the In-Eunus, I dined with
-Ismet Pasha. When he refused dates I told him
-that, “so long as he kept the ‘dates’ of his victories,
-he needed no others.” “I left Constantinople with
-nothing,” he answered. “I returned the head of the
-Army.” Turkey gives every man his chance.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>So far as possible, I am dividing my time between
-British and Turks; and no one can say that either
-gives more time or “hard labour” to their responsibilities,
-than the other. It is not possible, certainly,
-for any visitor to interrupt Lord Curzon, he seems to
-be working all the time.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>There is one figure we all watch carefully at the
-Conference. I once compared the face of M. Venizelos
-to an Apostle! Now he hovers round the British
-Delegation like a bird of ill-omen, for some inexplicable
-reason still mesmerising our diplomatists, carrying
-trouble wherever he goes. Djavid Bey laughs to
-remind me of how proud I had once been to pour out
-tea for them both!</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>One naturally feels great interest in Melle Stanciof,
-as the first woman diplomatist, and her personality
-repays study. Tall and thin, with the large eyes of
-the Oriental, she is very able, speaks English without
-an accent, and loves her work. I repeated to her the
-dogma that to be twenty-one is an essential qualification
-for a diplomat; but she is twenty-seven, and only
-laughed at the idea.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Sir Wm. Tyrell, Permanent Head of the British
-Foreign Office, with all his Irish charm and wit, is as
-clever as Machievelli. He delights in calling himself
-“Chief of the Underlings”; but men like Mr. Forbes
-Adam and Mr. Harold Nicholson were experienced
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>diplomats when their Turkish colleagues were in their
-cradles; which, as Ismet Pasha sometimes complains,
-“gives them no chance for a fair fight.” But when I
-dined with them as his guests, there was no fighting;
-and our host, I felt, was very well qualified to promote
-friendly relations, by the cultured ease of his
-hospitality.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To my thinking, British “underlings” are very
-able men, and not pro-Russian as the Turks are disposed
-to fear. They were all anxious for peace,
-and quite sincerely eager to understand the
-nationalist point of view.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>During the conference both M. Poincaré and M.
-Mussolini visited Lausanne and dined with Lord Curzon.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I have had many talks about the Patriarch, whom
-Mustapha Kemal declares must be removed: “He
-must be got rid of, with the other relics of Byzantium!”
-The problem is especially hard on Turkey,
-because it arose from what ought to have been considered
-the great strength of the nation, though—in
-this case—it has been exaggerated into weakness,
-her immense tolerance for other people’s religion.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>When the Byzantians conquered the Turkish tribes
-who had emigrated into Asia Minor, they compelled
-the tribesmen to be converted, and join the Orthodox
-Church. The Bible, and all their prayers, were translated
-into Turkish; whence, without design, the Turkish
-Orthodox Church came into being. When, later, under
-the Seldjoucides and Osmanli, Anatolia passed into
-Moslem hands, no attempt was made to interfere with
-the Orthodox religion of the people.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was only when the Ottomans ruled in Constantinople
-and the Sultans used their growing power to
-support the Greek Patriarch, that the Anatolians began
-to see they were being manœuvred into the power of
-the Helenes. During the war, the Patriarch’s intrigues
-became more daring and more obvious; until Papas
-Eftim Effendi proposed in the Assembly that Fanar
-should be separated from the Orthodox Church, and
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>that the Orthodox Church of Anatolia should rule in
-Thrace and Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Yet when Ismet Pasha spoke of the religious “tolerance”
-of Turkey, Lord Curzon replied: “How can
-you claim to be tolerant. All your past record will
-be destroyed if you dismiss the Patriarch.” And
-rather than risk such a charge against the Nationalists,
-he gave way.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It seems to me, I confess, that this concession is a
-grave risk. The interference, thus permitted, may
-prove to be more disastrous than that of a few foreign
-judges against which they so resolutely protest. As
-Mr. Nicholson said he hoped that I had told Lord
-Curzon how much the Turks were giving up.... “I
-think,” he said, “their tolerance is very fine.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>Ismet Pasha often worked all night with his hench-men,
-Colonel Tewfik and Hikmet Kiamil, a grandson
-of Kiamil Pasha, who has inherited his grandfather’s
-political talents. They felt that the slightest failure
-to meet the immense demands made on the delegation
-would stamp them as an inferior race, and they determined
-it should not be.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was actually after one of their most arduous
-sittings, up to three o’clock in the morning, that I
-obtained from Ismet Pasha the comprehensive exposition
-of his point of view, that I have put together
-in the following pages.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Ismet Pasha, like Mr. Edison, is deaf; and possibly
-feels with that great inventor that, “though it is
-uncomfortable when people insist on making a spitoon
-of your ear, for the rest <i>it is all advantage</i>.” For example,
-at dinner one can “get on with one’s thinking,”
-instead of listening to the conversation. Ismet Pasha
-only “hears what he wants to hear,” often a great
-advantage in diplomacy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As to being content with the “working of the Conference,”
-he said, “we are doing all in our power to
-make peace, but it is difficult for one nation against
-all the other powers. Willingly or unwillingly, they
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>cannot see what our National Pact means to us; and
-that, as a proud people, we cannot accept terms of
-peace which they would not think of offering the
-Greeks and Bulgars. It is said that the Great Powers
-must conciliate public opinion which hates and distrusts
-us as ‘barbarians,’ but we feel certain that the
-Powers could deal with ‘public opinion’ if they so
-desired, and convince the whole world that we are now
-working by civilised methods to become a free and
-independent nation. Instead of facing the vital question
-of a ‘right to exist’ as a State, we feel that much
-time has been wasted over details that do not need any
-discussion. It is known, for example, that we are
-offering, what we have always offered, <i>equal</i> rights to
-Moslems and Christians; yet we are asked to establish
-<i>in</i>equality by exempting Christians from military
-service.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“If ever the Powers consent to accept our point of
-view, it is considered a great concession, and when we
-point out that our <i>whole</i> demands have been reduced
-by us to the lowest minimum, they laugh; imagining
-it is a ‘concession’ to give us back <i>one room</i> in our own
-house.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“For three years, Turkey has given proof that none
-can dispute of her organising capacity, her great
-vitality, and her deep longing to regenerate her
-country. We came here hoping and believing that
-the plenipotentiaries would bear this in mind. They
-do not. They beg us to ‘trust’ them; but they
-treat us with the same caution, the same <i>dis</i>trust, as
-they have always shown towards the old ‘decayed’
-Turkey, towards which, maybe, there <i>used to be</i> some
-slight justification. Such an attitude cannot produce
-satisfactory progress.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“What are the chief obstacles to Peace?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“Mosul—Finance—Judicial Capitulations—Reparations.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“We are only asking four milliard gold francs for
-reparations. That is a small figure for a country that
-has been completely devastated, and it takes no count
-of loss of life.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>“Mosul was never captured by Great Britain,
-though they claim the right of conquest. Their
-troops were a long way from Mosul when ours were
-demobilised at the end of the war. They ‘captured’
-it by ‘violating the terms of the Armistice’; as they
-did at Constantinople, and as the French did in Cilicia.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“The population of Mosul is Kurd and Turkish,
-with only a small Arab minority. It must, therefore,
-belong to Turkey on all the principles by which the
-Powers have determined the frontiers of Europe.
-This was recognised, indeed, in the Sykes-Picot agreement,
-which admitted that Mosul is <i>not</i> a part of
-Mesopotamia.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“It was finally handed to England by the French
-Foreign Office; but M. Clemenceau afterwards
-apologised that he had not previously ‘<i>known of the
-oil there</i>.’ The Kurds of Mosul have nothing in
-common with the Arabs; and naturally want to be
-united with their ‘brothers’ in Anatolia. Why are we
-the only nation to whom the principle of racial
-frontiers has been denied? By what kind of justice
-does an Arab minority, probably smaller than one
-quarter of the population, give England the right to
-annex Mosul!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“To insist upon our accepting ‘foreign judges,’ is
-an humiliating insult to our Government that is altogether
-incompatible with National Sovereignty. Such
-interference, and such an affront to the authority of
-the State would be no less injurious to the interests of
-foreigners in Turkey than to our own. It could not
-fail to provoke continual clashing of interests, confusion,
-and friction between Turkish and foreign administration
-of law, that would be fatal to commercial
-security <i>for all alike</i>. Here again the Powers are still
-‘building on sand.’</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As to finance, it is a serious difficulty for us;
-but no question of mere money will ever separate us
-from England.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“I firmly believe that, when once the Powers can
-get rid of their old prejudices, the traditional friendship
-will revive. England and Turkey, surely, need
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>each other; we need England and England needs us,
-if only to pacify those Moslem people whom <i>England’s
-injustice to us</i> has roused to righteous anger against her.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“A strong Anglo-Turkish alliance would mean not
-only peace in the Near East and for Islam; it means
-peace for the whole world.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>People have asked me “Why did Lausanne fail?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>I answer: “It did <i>not</i> fail. It <i>would</i> have been
-failure had Ismet Pasha signed, at the pistol’s point,
-a treaty that could not be ratified. He knew that
-the Assembly would never sign the terms offered by
-the Powers; and, as I told Lord Curzon, he had to
-consult his colleagues in Angora. It would hinder
-peace, not promote it, to sign with no security for
-ratification.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>As Ismet said, “We have purchased our Anatolia
-with the blood and money of her peasants. We can
-die, but we cannot betray them.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>
- <h2 id='ch34' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXIV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>TURKEY AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS—THE PARLIAMENT OF NATIONS MUST BE TRULY IMPARTIAL AND INTERNATIONAL</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>For</span> those of us who pinned their faith on the League
-of Nations, it is a matter of the deepest regret that
-Turkey has lost her trust in the great Parliament of
-All Nations, especially now that it could have played
-so important a part in settling our differences at the
-Lausanne Conference. It is not entirely the Turks’
-fault; indeed, considering all things, one can scarcely
-urge them to any other attitude.</p>
-<p class='c012'>To them, at least, the League must seem definitely
-anti-Islam, and (as founder of the Lyceum Club
-‘League of Nations Circle,’ of which Lady Gladstone
-is president) I have continually endeavoured to impress
-upon Lord Robert Cecil the danger of allowing such an
-idea to remain uncontradicted, that it may spread
-more widely and be more firmly held.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Turkey never interfered with British property
-during the war, and British merchants continued their
-business in Smyrna throughout the hostilities. Yet
-we not only confiscated, but sold enemy property.
-In one case, for example, the business of a man, brought
-up in England and a pronounced Anglophil, was sold
-to a Greek for a quarter of its value, and the money
-sequestered by the Government. Had the Bey even
-been a traitor he should have been given the full value
-of his business, and then expelled, instead of being
-driven to exist on money borrowed at an exorbitant
-rate of interest. On the other hand, Ottoman “Christian”
-property was freed from sequestration; a
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>distinction between “neighbours,” hardly consistent
-with the teaching of our faith.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The “pick-pocketing” habit of confiscating enemy
-property—Turkish, German, or Austrian—is surely
-beneath an Empire with our reputation; and the
-plea from France and Italy’s example does not strike
-one as a dignified defence. As a matter of fact, France
-emphatically denies ever having taken a penny from
-the Turks.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Is not such flagrant injustice an obvious case for
-the League’s authority to intervene? When visiting
-the “League of Nations” headquarters in Geneva the
-other day, Sir Eric Drummond asked me why Turkey
-should be so suspicious of the League? I could only
-refer him to the public speeches of our most responsible
-statesmen. When Mr. Lloyd George hurled insults
-at Islam, it only meant one more item in the big bill
-of Moslem grievances against England; when Lord
-Balfour and Lord Robert Cecil speak in similar strains,
-Islam listens. While <i>they</i> refuse justice and mercy,
-Turkey mistrusts the League.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Because the League stood aside, and left the Greeks
-in Smyrna, as Britain refused discussion with Turkish
-emissaries, Mustapha Kemal was driven to arms, which
-gave Turkey, indeed, the victory, but spread ruin
-throughout Anatolia.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Should not a careful consideration for the <i>feelings</i> of
-all nations be an outstanding characteristic of the
-League, which is the expression of the world-brotherhood?
-Yet it suggested that a man, a Mr. Pitt,
-should be allowed to search the harems for enslaved
-Greeks and Armenians! An incomprehensible insult
-that, if Turkey ever forgives, she cannot forget. The
-Turks are a proud and aristocratic race, with venerable
-traditions, which, if we will not understand, we should,
-at least, respect. To them, home-life is a sealed and
-sacred book.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Why, again, was the preparation of a full report on
-“harems” entrusted to a Roumanian poetess, rather
-than to such a woman as Halidé Hanoum, of tried
-experience and world-wide reputation for liberal broadmindedness?
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>We have depended, in the past, chiefly
-on nursery governesses whose exaggerations and misconceptions
-on this subject are invaluable to sensational
-writers. Hence the sordid colouring for Western
-eyes thrown on a system of delicate lights and shades
-and very complicated nuances.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Greek and Armenian servants in Turkish
-harems would be themselves the first to resent interference.
-For they are treated in Moslem homes with
-an equality, consideration, and leniency no Christian
-mistress would dream of permitting. They, often,
-practically control the household, and are, indeed,
-sometimes given an unwise preference in the Pasha’s
-affections. They hold the purse-strings, direct, advise,
-and administer domestic affairs, as they also, so largely,
-manage the commercial life of the country. In return,
-naturally, the Turk expects absolute loyalty; and woe
-to those who refuse, or betray, it.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It is true, of course, that backstairs propaganda—from
-American Relief Workers, among others—has
-been at work to misinform the League; and had reliable
-information been available, those unfortunate
-mistakes would never have been made.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Indeed, the honestly impartial head of its own
-Press department now reports: “We have tested the
-real value of Greek and Armenian propaganda, and
-sympathise with the Turk in consequence.” Such
-repentance comes rather late in the day, but may even
-yet produce a wiser policy.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>It was one of the Fethi Bey’s many humiliating
-experiences, on his visit to London, to see the harem
-misjudged by an ex-governess, and to read the assertion
-of a lady from Boston that “beautiful Greek girls
-had to disfigure themselves to prevent the Turks from
-stealing them!” Statements that might have been
-treated with the contempt they deserve, had they not
-been accorded such prominence by the Press.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, one must acknowledge that the
-Turk’s attitude towards his detractors is more lofty
-than practical. Pride forbids him to answer accusations,
-or disseminate the truth; which he, as a fatalist,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>firmly believes “must out”! They will, certainly,
-never hoist the propagandist “on his own petard,”
-since, to their thinking, the man who accepts money
-to defend a cause is no better than a “political
-prostitute.” They argue that “he who works for
-me, must believe in me, as a true friend, eager to
-help.” And for the moment, Europe has made them
-feel that “facts” would avail them nothing—“whatever
-we do is wrong.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In the East news spreads with accurate rapidity
-without the assistance of newspapers; but the foreigner
-who needs chapter and verse for every statement may
-be, to some extent, excused for suspecting their obstinate
-reticence about statistics and exact figures. I should,
-myself, have welcomed more information about a
-story I quite believe, but cannot substantiate, that
-came from an Italian lady at Broussa. She said that
-the Greeks burnt a Turkish prison, <i>with all the prisoners
-in it</i>, and, “to her dying day she would never forget
-their awful screams,” but no one will give me the least
-idea of how many prisoners were slaughtered. I called
-on a Vali whose palace was burned to cinders before
-I had the information. And I could discover no precise
-details, despite inquiry at Angora, Constantinople, and
-Lausanne!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Norwegian head of the Minorities Committee,
-a man given to wise and just decisions, has said:
-“It is no use expecting Asiatics to be Europeans.
-They have as much right to do things in their Asiatic
-way, as we have to act like Europeans. There are
-standards of right and wrong, against which neither
-may transgress, but for the rest, nothing can be done.”
-He also agreed that to secure protection from a minority,
-you must enforce loyalty to the majority. I told him
-the head of the Armenian community had begged the
-Pope to see that they “were left to the mercy” of the
-Turks, which <i>is</i> merciful.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The League can really help Christians in Turkey by
-putting a stop to pro-Christian propaganda, for which
-Armenians in Anatolia will have to suffer.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There is so much that the League of one’s dream
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>could do for Turkey, as for all the peoples; and we
-criticise only from hope and desire of some hastening
-in its approach to perfection, and the establishing
-of its supreme authority. As Sir Eric Drummond
-pointed out, the high-handed and retrograde attitude
-towards Eastern problems would not be possible were
-Turkey represented on the council: as others have
-seen, that while the so-called “enemy” peoples are
-unrepresented, the League cannot be truly either impartial
-or international.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>To secure equal justice for all, it must stand outside,
-and above, divisions of race, creed or prejudice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Nevertheless, we hope that Turkey will trust the
-“imperfect” League. Maybe, after all, in dealing
-with Mosul, it would grant the plebiscite which Lord
-Curzon declares is “impossible.”</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>It is not generally known why Colonel House chose
-Geneva, in preference to Lausanne, as the seat of the
-League of Nations.... After long and careful deliberation,
-which yet produced only indecision, I am told
-that he asked his valet’s advice.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Joseph replied: “Geneva would be much better
-for your rheumatism!”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Once installed, however, Colonel House discovered
-another reason. At Geneva, lived Josephine!</p>
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>
- <h2 id='ch35' class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXV</h2>
-</div>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c010'>
- <div>THE FUTURE—ABOVE ALL, A LASTING PEACE</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Will</span> the future bring us peace; above all, a lasting
-peace? Though nothing less is worth having, <i>we
-cannot have war</i>.</p>
-<p class='c012'>I saw M. Franklin-Bouillon in Paris and, though
-not perhaps in agreement with all he did in Syria, I
-maintain that his work in Moudania deserved
-thanks rather than criticism. He knows the Turks
-well, and affirms that he would have made peace at
-Lausanne. He possibly might have done so, but
-would it have been <i>lasting</i> peace?</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>On my way back to London we cross the channel
-in a Handley-Page Aeroplane. There is just time to
-prepare a conclusive answer to all questions about the
-harem; for no matter how eager we are to proceed,
-after six months’ study of the Angora movement,
-to more important impressions, every newspaper
-correspondent asks about the harem.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Just as for those who, in the States; held me
-personally responsible for our policy in Ireland, I
-stole from <i>Life</i> a witty answer, compressed into this
-dramatic “tabloid,” that “turned away American
-wrath”:</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“<i>Pat</i>: Wouldn’t it be awful if England now gave
-us all we wanted?”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“<i>Mike</i>: Sure, and ’twould be like her to play us the
-dirty trick.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>In like manner, I prepared two shots to kill “harem”
-inquiries:—</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>One</i>: “Why has the Turk only one wife, to-day?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“When four wives meant four tillers of the ground,
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>there was ‘sense’ in polygamy. It is ‘folly’ now
-they buy their dresses in Paris.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'><i>Two</i>: “Why are you always so early at the
-Mosque?” a pious man was asked.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“As I have two wives, I leave home as soon as
-possible.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The result was as I expected.</p>
-
-<hr class='c013' />
-
-<p class='c012'>But what about the peace for which we all wait so
-anxiously?</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>What has the future in store for us? We must
-turn over a new page, and find our way with great
-care, both sides first uttering their <i>mea culpas</i>, with
-honest courage to learn the lesson of their mistakes.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Above all, may Lausanne learn the lesson of Versailles.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Which of the Big Four dared face <i>the real problems</i>
-of Versailles? They decided nothing, but, leading
-us into the pestilent zone of neutrality, imposed a
-“Government by Committees” upon the world, which
-could not work. Nature abhors neutrality, as she
-abhors a vacuum. And so it is in politics.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>On the other hand, however, we ask ourselves what
-nation was as badly beaten as Turkey? Yet which
-of our late enemies has dared such open defiance to
-the Allies? Not, however, in consequence of their
-victory over the Greeks; but because she knows that,
-however much we may pretend, none wants to fight;
-and no one can win the prize of “Constantinople”
-save by conquest.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>We had foolish visions of a new Byzantium, and
-thought that Greece would reward our support by a
-“place on the Bosphorus.” But had the Powers
-accepted this monstrous idea of a Greek Bosphorus,
-we should have found it necessary to punish the arrogance
-of our <i>soi-disant</i> fellow-burglars. The <i>timeo
-Danaos</i>, etc., of ancient Greece has still its place in
-modern politics.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>The Allies, however, knew they could not create a
-“neutral” Constantinople, and had intended, before
-the Bolshevik regime, to present the prize to Russia.
-<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>A “committee” government of France, Italy and
-England would mean English rule; and our blundering
-had been too patent.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>There remained no choice. Constantinople had to
-be given back to Turkey. Though she was beaten in
-the Great War, which she has now forgotten, we could
-not conquer her (single-handed, as we should find ourselves
-to-day); and, therefore, “she has to have her
-own way.” The endeavour to curb New Turkey by
-“neutral zones” would prove as useless as an attempt
-to check the tides. It is only by an honest peace, carefully
-thought out in every detail and planned for permanent
-security, that we can regain our prestige in
-the Near East.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Perhaps, however, the greatest lesson we have still
-to learn from Turkey’s victory was spoken in Gœthe’s
-lines:—</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>“He who would be just must have consideration
-for <i>all</i> men.”</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>Or again, as it is written in the Turkish lines quoted
-by Professor Browne:—</p>
-
-<div class='lg-container-b c022'>
- <div class='linegroup'>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>Kam máta gawm un wa ma mátat makárimee pum</div>
- <div class='line in2'>Wa asha gawm un was hum fi ’n—nase amwátu!</div>
- </div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='lg-container-b c022'>
- <div class='linegroup'>
- <div class='group'>
- <div class='line'>Many a people’s virtues survive when themselves are sped,</div>
- <div class='line'>And many a people linger, who are counted by man as dead!</div>
- </div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<p class='c027'>Turkey is not dead, but born again out of the
-ruins of a Great Civilisation. May there be peace again
-between East and West, that shall bring peace to a
-world so greatly needing what it so little deserves!</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>My final words are of sincere congratulations to New
-Turkey, of warmest thanks to all the friends who gave
-unending interest to my visit, of pious hopes for peace.</p>
-
-<p class='c012'>At Lausanne, Ismet Pasha always gave the toast
-of “The British Empire and King George,” and I responded
-with “Turkey and Mustapha Kemal Pasha”;
-then we touched glasses, coupling the names. May
-“coming events cast their shadows before.” <i>Inch
-Allah!</i> and again, <i>Inch Allah!</i></p>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c003'>
- <div>THE END</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c003' />
-</div>
-<div class='chapter'>
- <span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>
- <h2 id='idx' class='c009'>INDEX</h2>
-</div>
-<ul class='index c003'>
- <li class='c028'>Abdul Halik Bey, the Vali of Smyrna, 44 <i>et seq</i>.</li>
- <li class='c028'>Abdul Hamid, an exception, who reversed Turkish ideals, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his terrible régime, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>the ruthless, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>clever at “losing” Turks and forgetting them, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li>vain hopes for his “Parliament,” <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li>his excellent cigarettes, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li>
- <li>his Turks used to be ordered about, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>-<a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a>, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Abdul Medjid, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Abiloff, M., Azerbaijan, Ambassador for Caucasians, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ablutions, a religious rite, described, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Acropolis, at Athens, difficulties of its ascent, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Adabazar, a Circassian tribe, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Adalia, school closed, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Adam, Mr. Adam, of British delegates, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Adana, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Abdul Hak, Hamid, Turkish writer, for the people, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>
- <ul>
- <li>acknowledged leader of the “New” literature, reconstructs learning and creates the soul of Turkey, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Adnan Bey, Dr., Vice-President of the Assembly, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>
- <ul>
- <li>Angora High Commissioner in Constantinople, husband of Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Adrianople, the Siege of, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Æschylus, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Afghanistan, Ambassador, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Afioum-Karahissar, where they finally leave train, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Aga Aglou Ahmed Bey, Director of Angora Press, repeats that “whatever we do is wrong,” <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>,
- <ul>
- <li>admits the value of propaganda, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>views on the Press, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Agamemnon</i>, on board the, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ahmet Emine, brilliant journalist, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>Aidin Railway, antiques found in laying the route, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Alascheir, once prosperous, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Albania, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Albanians, wiped out, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>
- <ul>
- <li>scheme to exclude, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Albert Hall, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Alcohol, its use and abuse, taught in schools, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Alewites, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Alfred and the cakes, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Algeciras, and its assembly of fallen angels, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ali Fouad Pasha, general, President of “Rights of Roumelia and Anatolia,” largely the inspiration of the Assembly, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>
- <ul>
- <li>commanding in the North, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>America and her churches as advertisers, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>
- <ul>
- <li>anecdotes of her journalistic enterprise, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li>
- <li>her two generations of Jews, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li>
- <li>approved as a “democracy,” <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li>should spread gospel of Rockefeller Institute against vermin and microbes, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>American, author will <i>not</i> pretend to be, ix
- <ul>
- <li>“nerves” in the war, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li>author supposed to be American, but objects, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, 76 <i>et passim</i></li>
- <li>sings “Swannee River,” <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li>
- <li>the first at Smyrna, his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li>the second at Smyrna, his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li>
- <li>scheme to rebuild Turkey <i>à la</i> “States,” <a href='#Page_85'>85</a></li>
- <li>unwise propaganda for Christians <a href='#Page_175'>175</a></li>
- <li>Nonconformity and the Holy War, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li>idle talk of a new “home” for Armenians, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>their mischievous propaganda, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>characteristic, of arrogant obstinacy, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li>diplomacy not wanted in English Embassies, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li>Near East relief workers in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li>who are, unfortunately, too pro-Armenian, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>American Relief Worker to the rescue, 256 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>his marvellous efficiency as a traveller, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>-<a href='#Page_258'>258</a>, 259 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>joins author on journey to Constantinople, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li>
- <li>views on Greek barbarity, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li>
- <li>recognises “personal” element in all relations with Turks, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li>
- <li>eager to know author’s view of American work in Turkey, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>his idea of service in “understanding,” <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li>
- <li>linguist and jack-of-all-trades, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li>
- <li>rudeness, a tactful cure for women’s nerves, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li>
- <li>back-stair influence on the League, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Americans, do not know how to drink, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a>
- <ul>
- <li>delightful, <i>in spite</i> of their Government, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a></li>
- <li>done fine work in education, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>in Turkey, with the best intentions, interfere too much, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>may have “concessions,” if they keep their hands off architecture, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Anafarta, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Anatolia, Greek atrocities in, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>
- <ul>
- <li>sense of isolation, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li>
- <li>great hospitality, 72 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>general condition of country, 74 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>nowhere to house the poor people, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li>
- <li>children and soldiers of, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li>
- <li>people comforted by being <i>seen</i>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li>wonderful recovery of trade, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a></li>
- <li>a typical <i>han</i> (inn), <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li>
- <li>similarity of devastated towns, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a></li>
- <li>bazaars and curio-merchants reviving their trade, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a></li>
- <li>the carriages and drivers of the country, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a></li>
- <li>people seem to have “walked out of the Bible,” <a href='#Page_135'>135</a></li>
- <li>excellent newspapers, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li>primitive machinery, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li>must be in at 5 o’clock sunset, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li>
- <li>accepted heavy taxation, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li>
- <li>song of her love for Roumelia, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li>carpets and rugs from, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>the native music, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>refugees of, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li>unfortunate influence of American relief workers against Turkey on behalf of Armenians, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>but they have done fine work in education, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>advantages of Anglo-French capital, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>retains old customs largely abandoned in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li>
- <li>true hospitality in a two-roomed cabin, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a></li>
- <li>character of the people, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>everywhere maps of Asia Minor, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>their folk-songs, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>cared for by Pope, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a></li>
- <li>must not grumble in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li>
- <li>need lessons in hygiene, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>-<a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>peasants declare they do <i>not</i> lack anything, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>a “casual” driver, 259 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>strange method of caravan-driving, where one donkey leads a troop of camels, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a></li>
- <li>colour of soil suggests rich veins of iron, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a></li>
- <li>peasants accept low prices when told that times are bad, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- <li>her folk-songs heard in Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>when it first became Moslem, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>being manœuvred into power of Helenes, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>purchased by blood of peasants, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li><i>See</i> <a href='#Angora'>“Angora”</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Andromache, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Anglican scheme for union with Greek Church, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='Angora'></a>Angora, “the little Republic of the Mountains,” <a href='#Page_ix'>ix</a>
- <ul>
- <li>discourtesy to ambassadors from, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li>no luxuries in, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li>
- <li>unknown to British, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li>
- <li>misunderstood in Angora, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a></li>
- <li>at last near at hand, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li>
- <li>first view of, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a></li>
- <li>somehow disappointing, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li>
- <li>atmosphere of brotherhood, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li>
- <li>the town described, 134–<a href='#Page_135'>135</a></li>
- <li>high rents, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>everyone reads the papers, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li>
- <li>the real “New Turkey,” <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a></li>
- <li>a primitive printing works, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li>the Hadji Baïram “quarter,” <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li>not many “sights,” except hospitals, schools and gardens, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li>
- <li>serious housing problem, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li>
- <li>how we exaggerate here, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- <li>all men proud of their country, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li>will Angora or Constantinople be capital of the new State, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a></li>
- <li>Holy Angora, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a></li>
- <li>Treaty signed here with France, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li>its foreign personalities, 202 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>Germans have no influence, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- <li>but are conciliating Turks in Germany, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- <li>surprising progress, especially in hospitals, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a></li>
- <li>former “Director of its Press,” <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>present “Director of its Press,” <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li>its famous Mosque of Hadgi Baïram, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>carries one back to centuries before Christ, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li>where do all the people live? <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li>dangers of the bad roads, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li>a “difficult” house to find—“near the pump,” <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li>
- <li>the Christian Colony, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>-<a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>representative in Rome, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li>admirable organisation of Justice by Djelaleddine Arif Bey, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li>
- <li>no tips, no haggling over prices, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a></li>
- <li>a <i>woman</i> sent out to Angora by French Government, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li>has taken from Constantinople the heart and spirit of Turkey, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li>
- <li>naturally touching, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>-<a href='#Page_68'>68</a>, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>-<a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, 273 <i>et passim</i></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Antigone, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Antoine, who staged some of Pierre Loti’s tales, anecdote of, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Arabia, words from the Turkish literature, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Arabs, scheme to exclude, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>
- <ul>
- <li>minority in Mosul, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>Arden, Forest of, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Aristotle, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Armenian choir regret their old “good times” with Turks, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_238'>238</a>
- <ul>
- <li>orphans and Father Babadjanian <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>servants in harems, well treated and contented, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Armenians, “under Papal protection,” <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>
- <ul>
- <li>attempt of girls to escape, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li>in America, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a></li>
- <li>hard to realise they are Christians, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li>
- <li>in Cilicia, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li>shawls, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a></li>
- <li>orphans, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>turn to Russia, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li>feel “at home” in Turkey, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li>
- <li>want to be left alone, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>call Turkey their “home,” <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>have long filled their pockets out of the Turks, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- <li>at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Armistice, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Army of Occupation,” what it means, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Army of Nationalists, described, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>
- <ul>
- <li>increased from 10,000 men to 400,000, with 250 big guns, etc., <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li>detailed statistics and character of Staff, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Asia Minor, quite safe, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>
- <ul>
- <li>and Orthodox Church, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>map to be seen everywhere in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Asiatics, not inferiors, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Asquith, Mr., and his son, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Astor, Lady, effect on other women, of her success in Parliament, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Athens, visited, 36 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>its churches, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Athenæum</i>, on blonde Turks, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Augustus, his “comfortable” period, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Austerlitz, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Australian mothers, their gratitude for “the truth” about Turkey, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Aviation ground, reorganised, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a>
- <ul>
- <li>women aviators, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Azerbaijan, ambassador, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Babadjanian, in charge of Armenian orphans, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>Bagdad, and her woman Professor, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Balfour, Lord, unfortunate scorn of Turkey, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Balkan War, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Barrère, M., <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Beaconsfield, Lord, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bedford College open to Turkish women medical students, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Békir Sami Bey, Ambassador from Angora and the Soviets, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Benedict XV., Pope, beautiful bust of, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>
- <ul>
- <li>killed by strain of war, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Benghazi, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Berlin, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Beyrout, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bieberstein, Marshall von, German diplomat at Constantinople, and his “human” retriever, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bilidjik, station for “the express,” <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bismarck, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bitlis, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Black” Sultan, the, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Boghetti, who brought fruit, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bolshevism, compared with Moslem, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>
- <ul>
- <li>has “no” influence in Turkey, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li>
- <li>in spite of their magnificent Embassy, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li>
- <li>and their genuine friendship, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li>
- <li>at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Bosphorus, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Boston lady, her insulting lies about life in harem, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Briand, M., attack on Lloyd George, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his famous Note, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a></li>
- <li>his pleasant compliment, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>British Museum, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>
- <ul>
- <li>naval officer at Smyrna, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li>propaganda, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Broussa, ancient capital of Turkey, fine hospital at, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>
- <ul>
- <li>headmistress at College of, misses the “Christian” pupils, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li>and the comfort of its Hotel Brotte, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a></li>
- <li>unexpected visit to, 273 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>governor’s house burnt to cinders, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li>
- <li>town had been saved by a brigand, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li>
- <li>influx of Jews, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li>
- <li>splendid bathing, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li>
- <li>silk and tobacco factories, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- <li>its bazaar, its Mosque, and the letter-writer, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a></li>
- <li>true atmosphere of Islam, 276 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>a minaret and the famous Green Mosque, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>-<a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- <li>school-house and hospital, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Browne, Prof. E. G., hope that he will translate some of the Turkish books on Nationalism, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his perfect knowledge of language, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>his praise of the author, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>quoted, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Brutus, his wife, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bryce, Lord, his opinion enough to crush all argument, a tale of Western arrogance, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bucharest, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Bulgarians, now friends again, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>
- <ul>
- <li>more respected than Turks, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Burns, Mrs. John, anecdote of her dignity, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Byron, Lord, <i>his</i> Greece and his <i>Maid of Athens</i>, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Byzantine Hippodrome in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Cadem Haïr, a maid, whose mistress buys her trousseau, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Caliphat, the sacred office, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Calthorpe, Admiral, and the Armistice <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>
- <ul>
- <li>hears tribute to English honour, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Calthorpe, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Camerad Areloff, Soviet Ambassador in Angora, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a>
- <ul>
- <li>no influence over Pasha, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Canada, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Capitulations, unjudicial, incompatible with national sovereignty, would be also injurious to foreigners, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>
- <ul>
- <li>naturally “desired” by foreigners, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Caracol, the (or lock-up), of Smyrna, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Caravan, in charge of a donkey, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Carl Marx, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Carlyle on Mahomet, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Carpet-factory visited, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Catholic, what the word now means in Turkey, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>
- <ul>
- <li>happy in Turkey, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Caucasian Confederation, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cecil, Lord Robert; quaint thoughts of him in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>
- <ul>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>impossible scheme to unite Anglicans and Greek Church, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li>
- <li>should see that “League” does not appear anti-Islam, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>.</li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Cemetery, like a field of poppies, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ceretti, Monsignor, Paris Papal Nonce, memories of Pope as a young man, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Chamber of Deputies, the French, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Chapel of Bones” in Malta, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cheik (once Professor of Arabic at Oxford) joins author in her journey, 69 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>a delightful travelling companion 71 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>his appearance described, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a></li>
- <li>his generous kindness, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a></li>
- <li>his philosophy, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li>
- <li>talks on politics, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>must educate his sons in Germany, not England, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Cheik, the; our “troubles” will make history, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>
- <ul>
- <li>talk on religion and the Koran, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a></li>
- <li>an excellent housewife, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li>
- <li>claims that Turks are “clean,” <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Cheik-ul-Islam, called in to formally depose Khalif, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a>
- <ul>
- <li>compared to Abdul Hamid’s “Cheik,” <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Chemsi Effendi, schoolmaster in Salonika, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cheriat laws are not run on a “cash basis,” <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Chester, Mr., of the U.S., and sky-scrapers, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Child Observer, the, or Boy Scout, from America, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his “little kindness” to Ismet Pasha, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>China, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Chislehurst, where Kemal Pasha’s future wife was educated, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Chivalry, fine, but inconvenient sometimes, 56 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li class='c028'>Choate, Joseph, stern rebuke of Baron Marshall von Bieberstein, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Christ in Koran, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>
- <ul>
- <li>venerated by Turks, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Christian minorities to be looked after by M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>
- <ul>
- <li>must be loyal, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>only Turks can “protect,” <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Christian prayer for Turkey and the Pasha, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Christians claim exemption from military service, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>
- <ul>
- <li>why they have left Anatolia, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>happy at school with the Moslems, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>to be exempt from military service, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li>have always lived in harmony with the Turks, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Churches, the; their proper function, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cilicia, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Circassian tribes, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Clapham, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Clemenceau, Mons., bigger man than Napoleon, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>
- <ul>
- <li>did not know of oil in Mosul, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Committee of Union and Progress, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>
- <ul>
- <li>its mistakes, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Compton, Mr., administers relief in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Conceited ass” a leader of camels, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Constant, Mons., French Ambassador at Constantinople, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Constantine, of Greece, afraid of air-raids, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>
- <ul>
- <li>tale of an “interview” with, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Constantinople, its avenue of Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>
- <ul>
- <li>mass meeting in the Byzantine Hippodrome, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li>its “dangerous” distractions, 29 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>fear of its being handed to Russia, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li>
- <li>will not tolerate a “Greek” Patriarch, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li>
- <li>the Hippodrome made in Germany, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li>
- <li>some impressions of its bazaar, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a></li>
- <li>will it be capital of new State? <a href='#Page_149'>149</a></li>
- <li>Parliament seized by English, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a></li>
- <li>present position and prospects, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>reforms interrupted by the war, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a></li>
- <li>the newspaper called <i>Illeri</i>, or <i>Forwards</i>, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li>representative in Rome, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li>ceremony of the Mouharrem, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>its relics of Byzantium, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li>
- <li>eager for tips, sharp contrast to the Anatolians, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a></li>
- <li>fixed tariff required for tips and cabs, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a></li>
- <li>compensations in luxury, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a></li>
- <li>Armenian concert interrupted by dogs, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>street-feuds among dogs, who unite against “alien” Christians, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>still the sublime but no longer the Turkey of the Turks, which is Angora, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li>
- <li>the holy man of the Tekka, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a></li>
- <li>how correspondents “hash up” their news, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>Ottoman rule in, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>cannot be neutral, and so intended for Russia, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- <li>government by committee would mean English rule, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>must be given back to Turkey, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_179'>179</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, 193. <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Conversation without words, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cook, Messrs. Thomas, &amp; Co., Egypt, Ltd., <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Crowday, Dame Rachel, at the League, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Cuba, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Curzon, Lord, knows the East, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>
- <ul>
- <li>firm, but not insulting, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>views on the Assembly, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li>
- <li>books on the East, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li>understands Ismet Pasha, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li>
- <li>knows the subject, and his own mind; has full powers, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li>
- <li>for him the right way is not the easy way, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li>compliments the author, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li>his duel with Ismet Pasha, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>preparing his “part,” <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- <li>a pleasure to meet, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>unfortunate severity and stiffness of manner in public, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>really interested in Turks and understands them, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a>, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>might be more himself with Ismet Pasha, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>cannot ignore “public opinion” in the West, still based on our conception of old Turkey, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>said of Ismet Pasha, “I like the little man,” <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>naturally told nothing, but asked questions, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>guesses at his policy, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>hampered by association with the Coalition, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>pity he cannot deal more directly with Turks, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>his public speeches, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>refuses to recognise religious tolerance of Turks, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li>try to force on Turkey what they would not offer to Greeks or Bulgars, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>could deal with “public opinion” if he really wished to, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>always seems to distrust Turks, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Cyprus, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Czar Ferdinand, of Bulgaria, at Marienbad, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Damascus, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dames de Nazareth, the, at Beyrout, converted to school, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dane at Smyrna, his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dardanelles, the, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Daudet, his hero and his goal, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Deacoville, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>de Brock, Admiral, stationed outside Smyrna, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>de C——, Mrs., widow of Minister in Teheran, 62 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>her advice, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li>
- <li>account of fire in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a>, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Democracy may be “perfect” in the East, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dervishes, the “contemplative” and the “dancing”: fascination of their rhythms, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a>
- <ul>
- <li>their “progressive” representative, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Dersim, its aged Deputy, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Diab, Deputy for Dersim, ninety years old, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Diarbékir, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Diogenes, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Diplomacy must be taken up when you are twenty-one, not later, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Disraeli, grateful protector of Turks, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Divans, early Turkish poems, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Djavid Bey, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Djelaleddine Arif Bey, represents Angora in Rome, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his escape to Angora, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li>strongly against Capitulations, and his admirable organisation of justice, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li>
- <li>on Palestine, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>Djellal Noury Bey, editor of the <i>Illeri</i>, and the National Pact, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>-<a href='#Page_231'>231</a>
- <ul>
- <li>used to edit a French paper, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Djémal Pasha, former Minister of Marines, as interpreter, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the late, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Dogs lack the dignity of the East, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Drake, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Drummond, Sir Eric, asks why Turks suspect the League, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>
- <ul>
- <li>wants Turkey to be on Council of League, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Drunken Englishman, The,” a popular game in Naples, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dublin, degree given to Turkish woman medical student, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dumas, and his interview with Gregory XVI., <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Durdje, a Circassian tribe, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dutch parson at Smyrna, his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Dutchman who ought to write a book, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>
- <ul>
- <li>trusts Turks, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li>
- <li>tale of how Greeks respect Turkish army, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>East, Sir Alfred, on painting an Eastern sunset, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres, school attended by author, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Edison, a tale of his youth, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a>
- <ul>
- <li>on being deaf, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Edward VII. and Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>
- <ul>
- <li>at Marienbad, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Egypt, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Eliot, George, her words are part of the treasure England has for mankind, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ellison, Grace, her mission for peace, ix, x
- <ul>
- <li>her friendship with Pierre Loti, 17 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>early admiration of Gladstone, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a></li>
- <li>first personal impressions of the Revolution, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li>
- <li>her “Turkish sister,” <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>-<a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li>at Stamboul, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li>her “An Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem,” <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li>risks of friendship for Turkey, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li>invited to Angora, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li>
- <li>some of her views on women, 29 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>her search for Union Jack, 34 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>her “defence” of England, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>her impressions of Athens, 36 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>on the “modern” Greek financier, 36 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>and the Hellenes, 38 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>on imperialism for Greece, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a></li>
- <li>on Smyrna, 43 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>her first impressions of devastations, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a></li>
- <li>the first “spinster” to enter Turkey, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a></li>
- <li>her battles with the flies, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a></li>
- <li>distrust of financiers who exploit Turkey, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a></li>
- <li>known as “niece” of Lloyd George, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a></li>
- <li>refuses “control” from English chivalry, 54 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>could meet bullying better than kindness, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a></li>
- <li>always “trusts” Turks, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a></li>
- <li>entirely unsupported by Government or the Press, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a></li>
- <li>“childhood” beginnings of her keen interest in the East, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li>
- <li>nearly blown up among ruins of Smyrna, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a></li>
- <li>actually ready to start for Angora, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></li>
- <li>farewell gifts and advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>-<a href='#Page_69'>69</a></li>
- <li>advice and gifts from men of all nations at Smyrna, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>-<a href='#Page_69'>69</a></li>
- <li>her “answer” to them all, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a></li>
- <li>her delightful companion, the learned Cheik, 69 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>memories of England, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li>
- <li>her eventful journey to Angora, 71 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>first impressions of Anatolia, 72 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>once more called an “American,” but objects, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a></li>
- <li>experience of life in trains, 77 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>a night in the open, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a></li>
- <li>not a true Eastern, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li>
- <li>a journey on foot, 85 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>addresses public meeting at Ouchak, 94 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>does not regret discomfort, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li>
- <li>reasons for visit to Angora explained, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li>must not have war, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li>demands “friendship” between Turkey and Great Britain, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a></li>
- <li>strange ways of her Turkish lady’s-maid, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li>
- <li>the terror of travelling in a luggage train, 104 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>refuses to stay in train <a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li>
- <li>once more taken for American, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>her aims and work, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a></li>
- <li>making her toilette in the train <a href='#Page_122'>122</a>, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a></li>
- <li>her “Turkish Woman’s Impressions of Europe,” <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li>disappointed at <i>first</i> impressions of Angora, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li>
- <li>visits newspaper office and printing works, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li>her “guide” in Angora, 144 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>what to sketch in Angora, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a></li>
- <li>once more “why” an American, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li>sort of “father confessor” to beloved new nation, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li>impressions of Assembly, 148 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>talks with Mustapha Kemal, 159 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>at the Pasha’s own house, 163 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>curiously like M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>her interview with M. Kemal, 174 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>what it cost her to reach Angora, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a></li>
- <li>views and anecdotes of harem life, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>views on “women,” <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></li>
- <li>makes friends with Ministers of the Assembly, 192 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>hopes they will be ready to learn from Europe, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li>
- <li>renews her friendship with Halidé Hanoum, 205 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>messages to John Masefield and from Australian mothers, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li>her own “best way” of helping national Turkey, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li>still “more to do” in Angora, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li>
- <li>visits a Lycée for Girls, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a></li>
- <li>interesting Preface to her “Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem,” by Prof. Browne, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>proud pupil of École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>organised meetings against help to Czarist Russia, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li>faith the same for all men, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>indiscreet questions about the army, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a></li>
- <li>final impressions of Angora, 226 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>her ideas of propaganda, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>she is half-East, half-West, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>prefers hard work to peroxide and henna, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>approves the National Pact, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>-<a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li>enjoys a picnic and a good dinner, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>a poor shot, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li>nearly suffocated by fumes from mangal, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li>visits a wayside cabin, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a></li>
- <li>studying the map, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>talk at a “supper-party” given by an Anglophobian, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>-<a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>her Turkish sister again, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>impressions of Rome and the Pope, 239 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>describes the Pasha to the Pope, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- <li>visits Armenian orphans, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>on diplomats in Rome, 249 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>impressions of several Khalifs, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li>tale of Alfred and the cakes, <i>and</i> of the Suffragettes to Prince Youssouff Zeddine, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li>sees a celebration of the Mouharrem, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li>leaves Angora in the snow, 254 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>dangerous drives in a yaili, 254 <i>et seq.</i>, 259 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>a night “in the open” saved by American efficiency, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>-<a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>tale of mutual ignorance between English and Americans, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li>
- <li>“falls in love” with an ass! <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a></li>
- <li>thinks, on the whole, Americans do more harm than good in Turkey, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>judge a nation by its “gods” and learn “humanity” from Islam, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>attack on Puritanism towards women, whom all Turks honour and respect, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>Turks too resigned while our dollar-race drenches the world in blood, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>life in primitive times, 268 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>by all means let us play at schemes for rebuilding the world, but leave all the “old bits,” <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li>Broussa, and the first chance of brushing one’s hair, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a></li>
- <li>tale of letter-writing for a <i>Poilu</i>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a></li>
- <li>climbing a minaret, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a></li>
- <li>visiting Loti’s Green Mosque, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- <li>on board a cockle-shell of a boat, cheered by photograph of Gladys Cooper <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li>
- <li>her “harmless” mission to make England a little better understood, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>impressions of Constantinople, 285 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>too much heart to be English, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a></li>
- <li>her Swan-Song of what she has proved women can do, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>-<a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li>defence of her “Disadvantages of Being a Woman,” <a href='#Page_292'>292</a></li>
- <li>only trusted at the Front, when men thought she was French, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li>more at home in French Embassies than English, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li>four Christmas Days in Turkey, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>-<a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>danger of being too cosmopolitan, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li>
- <li>holds on to Faith, because War has taken away everything else, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>anger with jazz bands, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>first woman admitted in Tekké at Constantinople, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li>
- <li>at Lausanne, 298 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>strange feeling of being in a neutral country, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li>
- <li>severe criticism of journalists at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>-<a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>helps to make Lord Curzon understand, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>haunted at Lausanne by memories of Angora, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>tries to divide time between Turks and British, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>obtains full explanation of Turkish policy at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>-<a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>views on the League of Nations, 313 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>could never obtain statistics about Greek atrocities, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>hopes for the future, 318 to the end</li>
- <li>over the Channel in an aeroplane, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- <li>held responsible in the States for Irish policy, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- <li>witty answers that turn away wrath, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- <li>congratulations and thanks to New Turkey, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>England, memories of, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>English, the; once welcomed, now distrusted, ix
- <ul>
- <li>idle policy in Turkey, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li>hated by Greeks, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li>
- <li>will be soon welcomed again in Turkey, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a>, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a></li>
- <li>ignorance of Young Turkey, of Angora, and of the Nationalists, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li>
- <li>humour unlike the French, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li>will now take bribes, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li>
- <li>our policy will “come right,” <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>seized Turkish parliament in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a></li>
- <li>will again be friends with Turks, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>generous welcome to Turks in England, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>Taine’s judgment of them quoted, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li>the best real “education,” <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>stupid ignorance of the Khalif’s supreme duty towards Holy Relics, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li>shameful admiration for Russia of the Czars, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li>close a “Nationalist” club, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>whole “Press” is anti-Islam, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li>must lead attitude of the world towards Turkey, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a></li>
- <li>why should we interfere? 263 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>much to learn from the East in pity and humanity, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>cruel Puritanism followed by bloodshed in race for dollars, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>their injustice to Turks entirely due to their being misled by Greek and Armenian dragomen, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li>
- <li>witty story to illustrate our national habit of not listening, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li>public opinion still based on conception of “old” Turkey, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>our Empire founded on trust, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>people in vain seek for confidence from the Government, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>captured Mosul by violating Armistice, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li>need friendship of Turks, as Turks need English friendship, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>should have been above pick-pocketing habit of confiscating enemy property, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>can only regain prestige by honest peace, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Englishwoman in a Turkish Harem, An,” by Grace Ellison, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>
- <ul>
- <li>appreciation by Prof. Browne, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Envichéir, and its primitive inn, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Enver Pasha, evil influence, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Erki-Chéir, where General Trécoupis was in captivity, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>
- <ul>
- <li>picturesque café, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a></li>
- <li>flourishing town, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a></li>
- <li>munition-making replaced art, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>Europe, will she ever realise? <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Faith, the same for all men, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Falkenhayn, General, whose methods disgusted M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Falstaff, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Fanar to be separated from Orthodox Church, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Fatma, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ferid Bey, Mme.; <i>see</i> “Mufidé Hanoum”</li>
- <li class='c028'>Feszi Bey, Minister of Public Works, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a>
- <ul>
- <li>author’s host at Angora, 137 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>his unfailing courtesy, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a>-<a href='#Page_143'>143</a></li>
- <li>appearance and business energy, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li>
- <li>alarmed at idea of receiving an Englishwoman, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>his private business, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li>
- <li>delight in map, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior and Ambassador from Angora; his praise of England, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his “philosophy,” <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li>
- <li>memories of London, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a></li>
- <li>a Minister at thirty-two, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>his life and character, well known in England, Minister of Interior, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>-<a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li>
- <li>claims Jerusalem for the Turks, who honour Christ, rather than for Jews, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li>
- <li>laughs at our English pride of family, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- <li>humiliated in London by hearing the harem life misrepresented, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Flies in Athens, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>
- <ul>
- <li>have real “freedom” in Turkey, 47 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>the end of, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>France, why she gave up Cilicia, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the Treaty with, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li>value of her political support, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a></li>
- <li>not the Power to which Turkey looks for help, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li>ready to give a criminal, <i>or</i> a genius, his chance, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li>denies that she has taken a penny from Turks, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li>
- <li><i>See also</i> <a href='#French'>“French”</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Frank Street in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Franklin-Bouillon, M., advises friendship with England, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>
- <ul>
- <li>says he could have made peace at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>Freedom of the Straits must be <i>real</i> freedom, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a>-<a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='French'></a>French influence in the Near East, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>
- <ul>
- <li>unsuspicious, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li>their interests in Syria, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a></li>
- <li>Revolution studied by M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a></li>
- <li>their influence has played “too large a part” in Turkey, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li>method of typhoid-inoculation, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li>
- <li>losing the enthusiasm of the Turks, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>violated Armistice in Cilicia, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Frenchman at Smyrna, his advice, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Friendship between Turkey and Great Britain essential to both, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Fouzouli, earliest writer of love-poetry in Turkish, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Front, at the, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Gabriel Effendi Nouradunghian, an Armenian, chosen by Turks as Minister of Foreign Affairs, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ghazal, that is, a love song, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gallipoli, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gasparri Cardinal; his views on Turkey, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his character, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Geneva and the League, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>
- <ul>
- <li>cathedral locked, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Genoa, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>George V., the “Moslem” King, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Georgian Circassian slaves, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Georgians at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gerbervilliers, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gentleman: Turkish ambition to be one, ix, x</li>
- <li class='c028'>Germans have no influence, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>
- <ul>
- <li>but are conciliating Turks in Germany, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- <li>education vitiated by punishments, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>a trench, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li>Soviets, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Germany began to tamper with Nationalist independence and was thrown off, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gladstone, reaction against influence of, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a>
- <ul>
- <li>Lady, and the Lyceum Club League Circle, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Gladys Cooper, her photograph in a ship’s cabin, Queen of Beauty among the ladies of the Levant, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Goethe quoted, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>Gordon, General, author’s father’s praise of, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Goschen, Sir Edward, and Edward VII., <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Grand National Assembly, the parliament of Nationalist Turkey, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>
- <ul>
- <li>description of building and position, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li>the band in gardens of, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li>
- <li>form of proceedings, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>-<a href='#Page_155'>155</a></li>
- <li>evidence of democracy, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a></li>
- <li>different personalities, 155 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>predominance of military uniforms, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- <li>rather “difficult” variety of culture among Deputies, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>false reports at Lausanne of its corruption, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>is <i>really</i> national, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>inspires confidence, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li>
- <li>one chamber the ideal form of government, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a></li>
- <li>opposition at present has little weight, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>its attitude explained by M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li>
- <li>a Cabinet of young men, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>its three great men, 192 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>Cabinet and Prime Minister independent, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>Ministers are Heads of Departments, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>real authority rests with the whole Assembly, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>Lord Curzon does not think system would work for a stable State, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li>
- <li>difference in knowledge and culture between Deputies, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li>
- <li>Cabinet and less-known Ministers, 198 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>difficulties in the future foreseen, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li>
- <li>has achieved permanent success, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li>the restaurant provided by a professor, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li>
- <li>a Western atmosphere, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>deserves congratulations from the Mother of Parliaments, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Grand Tchelebi, progressive representative of Dancing Dervishes, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Great Britain breaks her faith with Turkey, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>
- <ul>
- <li>bitterness against, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Greater Greece, greater than Greeks can sustain, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>Greek Patriarch supported by Sultans, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Greek Pope, the, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Greek, moneylenders, 36 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>the business men of Turkey, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a></li>
- <li>atrocities in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>, <a href='#Page_60'>60</a></li>
- <li>to enslave Turks, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li>hate Lloyd George, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li>
- <li>barbarism in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li>ungrateful conduct of refugees, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li>anecdote of cruelty, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a>, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li>
- <li>other examples, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li>
- <li>Greeks in America, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a></li>
- <li>devastations worse than the “German,” <a href='#Page_79'>79</a></li>
- <li>burning of trains, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li>
- <li>their dream of Empire, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li>largely victims of Big Powers, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- <li>we cannot forget their atrocities, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li>report of them by Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li>Church, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li>further evidence of devastations on return journey, danger of American relief worker, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li>
- <li>Ottoman Greeks weep when their compatriots burn Broussa, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li>
- <li>run away from a field of poppies, which they mistake for Turkish soldiers, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li>
- <li>have long filled their pockets out of the Turks, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- <li>have always misled the English about the Nationalists, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li>
- <li>their “victims” in hospital, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li>
- <li>more respected by the Powers than the Turks, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>servants in Turkish harems, well treated and contented, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>statements about, by an Italian lady at Broussa, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>foolish vision of a place on the Bosphorus, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Green Mosque at Broussa made famous by Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gregory XVI. interviewed by Dumas, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Guests, how they should “direct” their hosts in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Gunhani, where railway line is cut, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>
- <ul>
- <li>wonderful railway bridge, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>Hadji Baïram, a “quarter” of Angora, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>
- <ul>
- <li>its mosque, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>Hague, Second Conference, a dramatic moment, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>HAÏDAR Bey from Vannes, the “old brigand” who buys rugs and carpets for Colonel Mougin, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>-<a href='#Page_238'>238</a>
- <ul>
- <li>sworn never to speak to Englishman, but arranges supper-party for author, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hakki Pasha, Grand Vizier, quoted, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Halidé Edib Hanoum, one of the finest women in Turkey, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- <li>never unveils her hair, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li>
- <li>wanted in “Assembly,” <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>quoted, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a></li>
- <li>character, life, and opinions, 205 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>respected everywhere, wanted in the Assembly, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>now an enemy to England but ready to love us again, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li>
- <li>manner and appearance, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li>
- <li>translates from the American, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li>
- <li>her work and views on freedom for women, 209 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>Chief Inspector of Schools, an organiser of education programme, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li>retains the “veil” for its “Nationalist” significance, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>has prepared report of Greek devastations, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li>pessimistic about Conference, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li>peace but <i>not</i> dishonour, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li>Jeanne d’Arc of Turkey, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li>the greatest woman of the “New” literature, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>her remarkable “Nouveau Touran,” <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>member of the “Turc Odjagui,” <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>should have been invited to report on harems, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hamdoullah Soubhi Bey, eloquent speaker for women, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>
- <ul>
- <li>character and opinions, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>eloquent against harem, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>not lenient to Greeks, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>can trace Turkish civilisation over the world, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>simple tastes, and not superstitious, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li>
- <li>founder of the “Turc Odjagui,” <i>q.v.</i>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hamid Bey, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span><i>Hamidieh</i>, the, in the Balkan War, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hamilton, Lady, <i>did</i> influence politics, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Harem, misunderstood, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>
- <ul>
- <li>provides “real” safety, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li>discussed with M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>-<a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li>descriptions and anecdotes, his own choice, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>not invented by Prophet, introduced in conquest of Byzantium, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>investigated by the League, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>formerly described by nursery governesses, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>Christian servants well treated and contented, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>a tabloid reply to criticism, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Harrington, General; his views on Turkey and Lausanne, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his fine work at Moudania, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li>
- <li>praise of Refet Pasha, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li>and other Turks, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a>, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hassan Fehmi Bey, Minister of Finance, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hedjaz, sacred city, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Helen of Troy, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Henderson, Arthur, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Henderson, Neville, British Chargé d’Affaires at Constantinople, popular in Turkey, though not pro-Turk, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Herbert, Colonel Aubrey, authority on Near East, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hikmet Bey, Captain, aide-de-camp to the French colonel, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hindenberg, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hodja, living in oak tree, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hodjas, their reactionary influence, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>
- <ul>
- <li>their powers limited, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- <li>responsible for Turkey’s long sleep, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li>
- <li>misinterpret Koran, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Homer, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Horses, agreeable neighbours, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hospitals, greatly advanced in recent years, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>House, Colonel; why he chose Geneva for seat of the League <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Hussein Djahid, brilliant journalist, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>
- <ul>
- <li>edits <i>Tanine</i>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li>dances to warm his feet, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hussein Raghib Bey, Prof., Chargé d’Affaires in Paris; his account of Nationalist literary revival, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>-<a href='#Page_223'>223</a>
- <ul>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>his “Story of Nationalism,” directed against any “party” policy, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>a true internationalist, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>not happy in Europe, away from Angora, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Hygiene needed in Anatolia <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Hymn of Independence,” sung by all Moslems, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Idol that was a fountain, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Illeri</i> (or Forwards), a newspaper in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Imbrie, American commercial attaché, to protect “concessions” and organise relief, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>
- <ul>
- <li>lives in railway salon, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Imperial Ottoman Bank now the Bank of Turkey, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>
- <ul>
- <li>a bureau of general information, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>the Governor-General of, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>Italian director, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Incivility, does not “pay” in diplomacy, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>India, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, 59 <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>In-Enus, some impressions of the battle, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>International Red Cross, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Iron Duke</i>, H.M.S., outside Smyrna, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Islam, word means obedience, the reverse of Bolshevism, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ispahan, roses of, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Israel has its place in Islam, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ismet Pasha; his duel with Lord Curzon, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>
- <ul>
- <li>understands Lord Curzon, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li>
- <li>public taught to laugh at his pleasantries, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- <li>“official” treatment from Lord Curzon, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>depressed by fears he has not done enough for Turkey, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>dread of war, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>a soldier, sent to fight a Bismarck, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>does he, or his Turkish confrères, really trust Lord Curzon, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>left Constantinople with nothing, returned the head of the Army, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>no chance of a fair fight with mature British diplomats, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>makes dangerous concession about Greek Patriarch, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li>works into night, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>explains his point of view, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>-<a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>advantages of being deaf for diplomacy, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li>doing his best for peace, but cannot give up the Pact, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>all agreements with us are held up as “great concessions,” <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>we are offered “one room in our own house,” <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>always met with distrust, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>chief obstacles to peace: Mosul, finance, judicial capitulations, reparations, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>we cannot betray Anatolia, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>toast of the British Empire and King George, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>-<a href='#Page_300'>300</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Italy, a bad example, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Italian, a wise proverb, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>
- <ul>
- <li>guide to Miss Ellison in Athens 36 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>his inborn courtesy, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a></li>
- <li>like a Greek Patrician, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a></li>
- <li>sings “La Tosca,” <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li>
- <li>the first at Smyrna; his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li>the second at Smyrna; his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li>the third at Smyrna; his advice, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Izzet Pasha; his Cabinet, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Jaffa, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Jane Clegg,” acted by Sybil Thorndike, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Japan, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Jeanne d’Arc, story from her life, 180 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li class='c028'>Jerusalem held sacred by Turks, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Jews eager to replace Greeks, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a>
- <ul>
- <li>beginning to “make their profit” out of simple Turks, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Johnson, Robert Underwood, formerly American Ambassador at Rome, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Judea, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Julius Cæsar, search for humour in, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>
- <ul>
- <li>compared to M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>Kada-Keuey, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Kadinlar Dunyassi</i>, a paper for women, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kaiser, the, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kara-Kuey, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kara Kheuz, <i>i.e.</i>, Punch-and-Judy show, at a wedding, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>Karahissar, centre of opium trade, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kassaba, terrible condition of, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kemallidine Pasha, General, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a>
- <ul>
- <li>learns the difference between an English lady and an English “temporary gentleman,” <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Kemal Pasha, Mustapha; the victory of his “rebels,” <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>
- <ul>
- <li>when he “lifts his little finger,” <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li>
- <li>not a “rebel,” <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>seeks to free Islam from Byzantine heresies, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>great importance of his choosing the right type of wife, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- <li>takes over house from Constantine, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li>an American interviewer says he smokes “Players,” <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li>
- <li>women must take their place in life, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- <li>wisdom to prohibit alcohol, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a></li>
- <li>inspired people with almost superstitious confidence, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li>
- <li>and “the miracle happened,” <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></li>
- <li>his “dancing” car, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a></li>
- <li>on French Revolution, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a></li>
- <li>great civil organiser, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li>
- <li>requires no “guard,” <a href='#Page_159'>159</a></li>
- <li>his true greatness discussed, 159 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>inspired by his mother’s suffering, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a></li>
- <li>difficulties with the Churches, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a></li>
- <li>lenient towards Greeks, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- <li>hard-working and simple home-life, 161 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>compared to Julius Cæsar, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- <li>handsome and eloquent, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a></li>
- <li>his home, his mother, his opinions, and his life, 163 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>would be at home in any drawing-room, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a></li>
- <li>views on Napoleon, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a></li>
- <li>secure in his people’s admiration, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li>
- <li>disapproves of word “Kemalist” for a “national” movement, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li>
- <li>not influenced by Bolshevists, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a></li>
- <li>more balanced than some of the Deputies, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a></li>
- <li>personality can dominate Assembly, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>might be author’s brother <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li>
- <li>visit to peasants, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a>, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li>
- <li>not easy to understand, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li>
- <li>an interview with, 174 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>the “Assembly” is not one man, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>ultimate confidence in England, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>hopes that the Conference will bring peace, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a></li>
- <li>sympathy with all Christians, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>views of Constantinople and on freedom of the Straits, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>must have “national” frontiers, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>attitude towards minorities, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a>, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li>must refuse “privileged” on capitulations, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li>not only soldier, but statesman, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>some account of his mother, <a href='#Page_179'>179</a></li>
- <li>facts of his life, 180 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>disgusted by brutal methods of General Falkenhayn, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li>appointed Inspector of the East or High Functionary of the Eastern Villayets, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li>opinions and desire for reform of the harem, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li>his own choice of a wife, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>advocate of “sensible” dress for men and women, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li>wedding-presents to his bride, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>educated in Rochester, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>will sweep away harem and other Byzantine heresies, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>great faith in youth, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li>
- <li>his task will get harder as country settles to reconstruction, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li>
- <li>two hundred years ahead of some of his own Ministers, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li>
- <li>a “tribute” applied from an ancient inscription, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>supports the “Turc Odjagui,” <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>visits the “Mosque,” with other Deputies, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>against Byzantian heresies, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>concerned for Christian minorities, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>correspondence with the Pope, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- <li>regrets division between Christian Churches, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li>maintains that Turks have <i>always</i> practised religious tolerance, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li>a real democrat in practice, a reformer loyal to Islam; faith in full liberty and in his people, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li>
- <li>driven to arms by Greek’s entry of Smyrna, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>reference to, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Kerr, Philip, private secretary to Lloyd George, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Khadidja, poetess and public singer <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Khalif, the present, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>
- <ul>
- <li>must guard the relics, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li>hereditary; the Pope, elected, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li>impressions of several Khalifs, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Khandeke, a Circassian tribe, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kiamil Pasha, Grand Vizier to Abdul Hamid, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>
- <ul>
- <li>and his daughter, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>-<a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>his daughter spoken of as my Turkish sister, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li>
- <li>visits bazaar, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a></li>
- <li>her sister-in-law at Pera, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>teased for growing more advanced but preferring the old ways, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Kiazim Pasha, Minister of National Defence; his character, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kipling, Rudyard, his cat, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Konia, chief city of Dancing Dervishes, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Koran, “an accursed book?” <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>,
- <ul>
- <li>its precepts, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>written in Persian, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li>misinterpreted by Hodjas, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Krassine M., told of Turkish views on Soviet Government, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kutahia, a dinner-service from, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kurd, population of Mosul, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Kurdistan, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Lady of Paradise, Mahomet’s daughter, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Lamartine, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Lasz, the, the President’s guard, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Latifée Hanoum, the Pasha’s future wife, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>
- <ul>
- <li>educated at Chislehurst, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Lausanne, authorities there know nothing of life in Angora, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>
- <ul>
- <li>still talk of Turkey that is dead, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a></li>
- <li>what can Nationalists do there, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- <li>told the Assembly was corrupt, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>ignorance, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a></li>
- <li>views of the Delegates, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>results of Conference, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>scorn for patriotism of the Turks, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>duel between Lord Curzon and Ismet Pasha, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li>
- <li>Halidé Hanoum elected Delegate, but too ill to go, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li>
- <li>receives Halidé Hanoum’s report of Greek atrocities, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li>
- <li>English Delegates’ foolish scorn of the Kurd, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>Conference must produce peace, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li>
- <li>both sides adopt the method of not listening, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li>will they ever listen to a woman? <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li>under the flags of France, Turkey, and Japan, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li>
- <li>a gay and busy scene, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li>
- <li>hotel a babel from folk-songs of Anatolia to fox-trots and cocktails, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>a host of “new” nationalities, all sighing for the (political) moon, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>French Delegate bullied to bed, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>first word of a “new” and independent Turkey, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>
- <ul>
- <li>can they ever understand? <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li>always called Turkey to order, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>politics all day, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>luxury for the Press, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>weakness of journalists, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>-<a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li>more work done than at Genoa, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>fight out details and ignore important questions, and the Turkish point of view, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li>
- <li>wasteful methods of official diplomacy, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>the real problem of Lausanne, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>too many Commissions, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>haunted by memories of Angora, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- <li>all watch Venizelos, the bird of ill-omen, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>the first woman diplomatist, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>British are not so pro-Russian as they have to appear, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li>talks about the Greek Patriarch, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li>Conference will not see what National Pact means to Turkey, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>everyone meets Turks with distrust, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>chief obstacles to peace: Mosul, finance, judicial capitulations, reparations, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>England and Turkey need each other, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>Lausanne has <i>not</i> failed, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>may she learn from mistakes of Versailles, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Law, Mr. Bonar, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>League of Nations must be impartial and international, 313 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>unfortunately appears to be anti-Islam, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a></li>
- <li>by allowing Greeks to enter Smyrna it drove M. Kemal to arms, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>should consider the feelings of all nations, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>report on harems entrusted to Roumanian poetess, not to Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>listened to back-stair propaganda of American relief workers, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>its own Press department distrusts Greek and Armenian propaganda, but sympathises with the Turk, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>can only help Christians by putting a stop to pro-Christian propaganda, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>what a really international League could do for Turkey, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- <li>the only way is to put Turkey on Council of League, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Lebouvier, M., Dutch <i>pasteur</i>, reports Greek atrocities, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Lenin, theories opposed to the Turkish, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Life, a story from, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Literary Digest</i> quoted, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Lloyd George against Turks, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his “indiscretions” towards Ambassadors for Angora, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li>what Turkey owes to him, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li>
- <li>and “our dear Christian brethren,” <a href='#Page_38'>38</a></li>
- <li>hated by Greeks, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li>
- <li>confused with King George, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li>is he not a democrat? <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>his puzzling inconsistency, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- <li>his policy not the policy of English people, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li>and <i>Les Misérables</i>, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li>
- <li>why does this “democrat” hate Turks, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li>
- <li>the fallen angel, or modern Nero, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a>, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li>
- <li>says you must speak to Turks “with guns,” <a href='#Page_169'>169</a></li>
- <li>“that” Lloyd George, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>super-bogeyman of the Near East, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>badly advised, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li>
- <li>his insults to Turkey not taken seriously, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Loti, Pierre, his dream and interpretation of Turkey, 17 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>his stories, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li>his Melek and Zeyneb, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li>
- <li>his “Désenchantés,” <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li>
- <li>steamer so-called, 17 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>sympathy of her captain, 17 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>and the Bazaar at Smyrna, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li>his Green Mosque, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Lowther, Sir G., Ambassador at Constantinople, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ludendorff, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Luggage-train, a painful journey, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Lycée for Girls described, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>MacClure, Mr., tells journalists what to say, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>-<a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mahmoud Bey, smiling aide-de-camp of M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mahmoud Chefket Pasha, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mahmoud Essad Bey, Minister of Economics, studied in Switzerland, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mahmoud II., <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mahomet, Prophet of Islam, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>
- <ul>
- <li>and his daughter the “Lady of Paradise,” <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>a story with a meaning, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li>
- <li><i>See</i> <a href='#ProphetofIslam'>“Prophet of Islam”</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Mohammed V., anecdote of, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mallet, Sir Louis, Ambassador at Stamboul, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Malta, the home of exiles from Turkey, 29 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>as a prison, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li>Nationalism for (?), <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li>Turks arrested and sent to, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li>
- <li>anecdotes of its shopkeepers, 34 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>means patriot, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Manchester Guardian</i>, unsound on Turkey, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mangal, or charcoal, stove; its dangers and discomforts, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Manissa, first halt in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Marie, author’s “Catholic” maid in Angora; her ideas about hot bottles, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Marienbad, tales of Royalty at, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>Marriage and brides in Turkey, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mary, Princess, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Masefield, John, memories of, at the Front, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mecca, visited by “Black” Sultan, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>
- <ul>
- <li><i>not</i> honoured by Christians, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Mehmet Emin Bey, of Adalia, leading poet of the Nationalists, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Melek, heroine of Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, 22 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li class='c028'>Melle Stanciof, first woman diplomatist, very able, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mentone, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Merry de Val, Cardinal, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mesopotamia, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Metaxatis, Monseigneur, a Cretan, once Metropolitan of Constantinople, as Metelios IV., <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Metelios IV., <i>see</i> “Metaxatis”</li>
- <li class='c028'>Midhat, whose son was the pioneer parliament-maker, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Michelet, his “little Assembly,” <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Milne, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Minaret, ascent of and impressions produced, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Minorities can only secure protection by loyalty, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Minorities Committee; their Norwegian head says Asiatics will never become Europeans, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Missionaries and treacherous propaganda, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mihrinour and her husband in Rome, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Moudania, the most depressing town in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the historic house in which Peace was signed, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Monsignor X. conducts author to Vatican, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mont Pegasus, ascent of, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Morgenthau, Mr., an American who wants to make an ideal republic <i>á la</i> Tammany on the Bosphorus, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a>
- <ul>
- <li>says States are not disposed to lend, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Morning Post</i> quoted on interview with M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Moscow plans against India, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mosul, its future, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>
- <ul>
- <li>never captured by British, but handed to them by the French, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li>population, Kurd and Turkish, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>admitted by Sykes-Picot agreement, was not part of Mesopotamia, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Mother in the Home, The,” an American tale translated by Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mouche, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Moudania Conference, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mouedine Pasha, General, who “taught” M. Kemal and Fethi Bey, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his charming sons, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li>
- <li>start dangerous race between two yailis, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Mougin, Colonel, earlier called the “French colonel”; his gallantry (?), <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>
- <ul>
- <li>friendship with, 114 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>gives an excellent dinner on the train, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a></li>
- <li>his role in Angora, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a></li>
- <li>his car very welcome, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li>
- <li>his hospitality in Angora, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li>
- <li>his Embassy, once the Station Hotel, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li>
- <li>persists in doubt, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- <li>praise of Kemal’s army, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a></li>
- <li>represents French interests with skill and tact, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li>his awkward questions at dinner, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li>always “informs” his Government, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li>fears of responsibility for author’s life, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li>says only Turks can really protect Christian minorities, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>high praise of Refet Pasha, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a>, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Mouharrem, Persian ceremonial in memory of the martyr, Hussein, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mudros, the Armistice, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>
- <ul>
- <li>treachery of, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Mufidé Hanoum (Mme. Ferid Bey) second great woman-writer of “New” literature, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Mussolini, M., visits Lausanne, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Naim Bey, courteous hotel-keeper in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his pity for “poor Americans,” <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li>
- <li>defies “law” for his guests, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a></li>
- <li>guests from all countries, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Namik Kemal Bey, Turkish writer for the people, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>
- <ul>
- <li>died in exile for his ideals, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>Napoleon and M. Kemal, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nasreddin Hodja, Turkish wit, his stories from, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a>, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>National Pact discussed, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>-<a href='#Page_231'>231</a>
- <ul>
- <li>of capitulations, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li>
- <li>a religion, copies in every home, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Nationalist appeal for the first time adopted by Moslems, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nationalist Literary Revival, brief history of, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>-<a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nationalist Turkey, ix., <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>
- <ul>
- <li>result of Lloyd George’s policy, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li>
- <li>misunderstood by British official, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a></li>
- <li>a Nationalist meeting at Ouchak, 95 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>the Pact contains nothing unreasonable, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a></li>
- <li>Nationalism, a religion, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a></li>
- <li>fight for freedom single-handed, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a></li>
- <li>what Nationalism means, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li>
- <li>compared to Christianity, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a></li>
- <li>National Pact, a new “decalogue,” <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li>
- <li>natural enthusiasm for new Turkey facing reconstruction, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a></li>
- <li>not the cat’s-paw of Bolshevism, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>will not allow herself to be used against British influence in India, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li>
- <li>the “Constitution” proclaimed, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li>founders need no advice from us, <a href='#Page_201'>201</a></li>
- <li>does not look to France for help, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li>the pioneer worker, Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li>
- <li>much literature has been already written about, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>brief history of Nationalist Literary Revival, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>-<a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li>
- <li>“Story of Nationalism,” by Hussein Raghib, how it grew out of the <i>Turc Odjagui</i>, a club founded to protest against “Union and Progress,” <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>what was a “party” movement made National, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li>the army described, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a></li>
- <li>grows from 10,000 men to 400,000 men with 450 big guns, etc., <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li>actual statistics and character of staff, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a></li>
- <li>unwisely too proud to use propaganda, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>-<a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>discussion of the National Pact, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>-<a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>Nationalism, a religion, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li>
- <li>the “Hymn of Independence,” <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>will protect “loyal” minorities, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>wants peace, not surrender, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>her Constitution will <i>not</i> “imitate” from England, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li>Turks beginning to be <i>themselves</i>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li>still approached as we used to approach Abdul Hamid’s Turks, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>no offence to British prestige in the National Pact, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- <li>their policy at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>-<a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>cannot be curbed by neutral zones, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>must have honest peace, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>not dead, but born again, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li><i>See also</i> <a href='#Turks'>“Turks”</a>, <a href='#Turkey'>“Turkey,”</a> <a href='#YoungTurks'>“Young Turks”</a>,”</li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Nansen, Dr., always talking of “Greek” suffering, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Naval man of the best type, but starched, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his refusal to give up the flag, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></li>
- <li>off guard, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Nazoum, Dr., head of Army Medical Service; his hospitals, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nelson, call to “Duty,” <a href='#Page_64'>64</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Neutrality, cannot satisfy a country’s pride, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>
- <ul>
- <li>though in Switzerland it has “made history,” <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>New York, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a>, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a>
- <ul>
- <li>near hell, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li>
- <li>and sky-scrapers, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Nicholson, Mr. Harold, British Delegate, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nightingale, Florence, part of the treasures England has for mankind, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nihat Réchad, Dr., talk with his sister, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nonconformity, foe of the Turks, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Noury, Mme., who cooks the dinner, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Nourredine Pasha, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his father-in-law, the Dervish, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li>
- <li>does <i>not</i> hate England, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Nouveau Touron,” by Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Oeillet supplies cigarettes, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Officer; the Turkish officer detailed to conduct author to Angora, 71 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>his helpfulness, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Official dignity, its dangers in dealing with Young Turkey, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Official ignorance of Nationalist Turks, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>
- <ul>
- <li>care for English women, 54 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Old maids, none in Turkey, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Oriental landscapes, glorious colours, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>
- <ul>
- <li>music, its peculiar charm, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li>by a Christian choir, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Orientals, broad-minded, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the most criminal respect their mothers, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a></li>
- <li>our brothers, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Osman, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his tomb, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Osman Noury Bey, of the “Ottoman Bank,” <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Osman Nyzami Pasha represents Constantinople in Rome, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>
- <ul>
- <li>horror expressed at the Persian Mouharrem, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li>
- <li>claim for Turkey to be judged by the gods she has created; finer than the Olympians or the Puritan Deity, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Osmanli, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman “Christian” property freed from sequestration, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman Commission, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman Empire, large slices relinquished, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman Government, the old corrupt, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman Greeks, Greece has no room for, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ottoman Society, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ouchak, hospitality of the governor, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>
- <ul>
- <li>a public meeting at, 94 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Oxford, on Greece <a href='#Page_41'>41</a>
- <ul>
- <li>forgets the immorality of Olympus, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>Palestine, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pan-Islam rising to be feared, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Papas Eftim Effendi; his proposal about the Orthodox Church, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Paris, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Parliaments before the Assembly, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Parthenon, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Patriarch, the Greek; his disloyalty, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>
- <ul>
- <li>discussed at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>Pellé, General and Madame, invited author to Christmas lunch, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pera always disliked by author; always feels someone is going to stab her in the back, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>
- <ul>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Pericles, boast for his own epitaph, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>-<a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Peroxide and henna, less effective than a little hard work, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Persia, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Persian Ambassador, now left, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Persian literature, its influence on the Turkish, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Persians, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Pierre Loti</i>, the steamer, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_60'>60</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pirus, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>-<a href='#Page_38'>38</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pius X., portrait of, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>
- <ul>
- <li>killed by strain of war, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Pius XI., Pope, audience with, 239 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>friendship for Anatolia, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a></li>
- <li>a father’s heart on Peter’s throne, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li>debt to Turkey for tolerance and responsibility towards Christian peoples, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- <li>interested in personality of the Pasha, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li>
- <li>speaks many languages, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a></li>
- <li>his robes and appearance, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a></li>
- <li>his deep yearning for peace, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- <li>messages to Christians, and Turks in Anatolia, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Plato’s Republic and Bolshevism, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Poincaré, M., visits Lausanne, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pompeii, and how its houses were warmed, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Pope, elected; the Khalif, hereditary, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Power of the Press, a farce, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Price, Ward, will not ask for interview, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Prince Said Halim, late Grand Vizier, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='ProphetofIslam'></a>Prophet of Islam, the; his wedding-presents to his bride, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Prussianism in England, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Rauf Bey, Prime Minister without portfolio, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his life, character, and opinions, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li>admired by England, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li>reforms in education, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li>says Turkey wants to please Christians, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Réchad, Dr., on evening-dress, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>Red Cross should work with Red Crescent, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Red” Sultan, the, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Refet Pasha, well-deserved praise from General Harrington, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>-<a href='#Page_288'>288</a>
- <ul>
- <li>also from Colonel Mougin, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li>speaks warmly of Colonel and Mrs. Samson, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li>did much pioneer work, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li>
- <li>praise of English, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li>
- <li>soldiers do <i>not</i> love war, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li>
- <li>praise of the Khalif, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li>
- <li>commanding in the south, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Regent’s Park, animals in, are fed like journalists, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Religion, a living force in the East, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Reparations, only asking four milliard gold francs, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Revolution, the, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Rhadyah, woman traveller and lecturer, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Rhodes, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Rhondda Valley compared with Angora, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Riza Nour, not really insolent, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>
- <ul>
- <li>no wonder he is impatient with wasteful methods of official diplomacy, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Rochefort and Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Rochester, where author went to school, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Roget, his “Thesaurus” and a harem, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Rose in the Bud,” tune to which a Turkish poem “goes perfectly,” <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Rosebery, Lord, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Roufy Bey, Mme., at the hospital in Broussa, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Roumanian poetess sent to report on harems, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Roumelia, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Ruchène Echref, Mme., and her husband, neighbours of M. Kemal, tell of his future wife, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Russia must not be sacrificed? <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>
- <ul>
- <li>the destitute aristocracy, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a>, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Russian Christians, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Sakharia, extreme point reached by Greeks, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>
- <ul>
- <li>and Austerlitz, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a></li>
- <li>fifteen days’ Battle of, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Salihli, town of four houses, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Salonika is <i>not</i> the gate of Christendom, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Samsoun, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>San Remo, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sarojini Naidu, a poem by, quoted in full, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Savoy, the, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Schinassi Effendi studies culture in France, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>
- <ul>
- <li>re-models Turkish language, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Scotch calmness hides feeling, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sea of Marmora, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sefa Bey, Minister of Education, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Seldjoucide, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Selim, first keeper of the Holy Relics, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Senegal</i>, H.M.S., blown to pieces by mine, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Senegali, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sèvres, Treaty of, and why Turkey signed, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>
- <ul>
- <li>French repentance, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Seyed Hussein of the Khaliphat Delegation insolently snubbed by quotation from Lord Bryce, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Shakespeare, his humour, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>
- <ul>
- <li>quoted, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Silver threads for good luck, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sloane Square Station, a meeting outside, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Smyrna, crime of sending Greeks to, <a href='#Page_x'>x</a>
- <ul>
- <li>occupied, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li>impressions of, 43 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>its hotels, 46 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>no longer the alien’s paradise, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a></li>
- <li>the quay, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li>
- <li>among the ruins of, 60 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>remains of Frank Street, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li>details of fire, 62 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>anecdote of the Custom House, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li>last words from, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li>
- <li>certainly <i>not</i> burnt by Turks, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li>
- <li>has charm of Sodom and Gomorrah, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a>, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Socrates, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sœur Julie, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sofia, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a>, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sophocles, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sons of Palestine at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>South American, the, one of guests at hotel in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>,
- <ul>
- <li>final advice and effort, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Soviet helpful to Turkey, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>
- <ul>
- <li>Embassy and Camerad Areloff, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Spaniard at Smyrna; his advice, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>Spartelli Library in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>St. Sophia, Church of, cannot be restored to any <i>one</i> sect of Christians, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Stamboul, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Stan-Harding, Mrs., on the “best people” in Russia, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Stars and Stripes, not the Union Jack, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Steeg, M. Louis, says the author “will never die,” <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>
- <ul>
- <li>Governor-General of Ottoman Bank, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Story of Nationalism,” by Hussein Raghib, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Suffragettes chained to grille at Westminster, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Suliman, the Magnificent, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sultan Ahmed Khan, Ambassador from Afghanistan, difficult relations, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sultan Mahmoud, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sunset reveals God’s world in contrast to man’s, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Syrenaique, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Syria, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a>, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Syrians at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Sykes-Picot agreement on Mesopotamia, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Tagore, a delight to talk with, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Taine, M. Henri, on the English quoted, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Talaat Pasha, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Tanine</i>, newspaper of Angora, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tchan-Kaya, home of M. Kemal, a few miles out of Angora, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tcharhaff, Turkish head-dress, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Teheran, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tewfik Rushi Bey says “easy divorce” makes happy marriages, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his copy of the Pact, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Thesaurus,” by Roget, and a harem, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Thorndike, Sybil, in “Jane Clegg,” <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Thrace, her boundaries, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>
- <ul>
- <li>tackled by Rafet Pasha, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Timbuctoo, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Times</i>, the, suppresses reports of Greek atrocities, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Timourlin, his mountain-tomb, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Timur, his ideas of pleasure, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tokatlian’s Hotel in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tokatlian’s Restaurant, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Town-planning unknown in Turkey, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>Townshend, General, and the Armistice, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tunnel, a journey through, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Turc Odjagui</i>, a club founded to protest against “Union and Progress,” from which sprang Nationalism, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='Turkey'></a>Turkey, meaning of word to different peoples, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>
- <ul>
- <li>devotion to England, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li>
- <li>the “philosophy” of her people, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a>, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li>
- <li>few Turks now speak English, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a></li>
- <li>the “dead” Turkey still talked of in Lausanne, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a></li>
- <li>here beginneth the New Turkey democrat of democracies, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a></li>
- <li>English trade unionism not wanted, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li>birth of New Turkey, 160 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>risks of friendship with, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li>
- <li>crushed and humiliated at Sèvres, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li>
- <li>her real crime is to have kept Constantinople, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li>gives fair exchange, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a></li>
- <li>no idea of town-planning, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li>
- <li>an “enemy” country of dear friends, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li>
- <li>strike her and all Islam will rise, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li>
- <li>social antipodes of England, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li>
- <li>desire to join Opium Convention, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a></li>
- <li>must have national frontiers, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>must have her place in future of civilisation, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li>
- <li>harem life and tales of weddings, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>the absentee bridegroom, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li>
- <li>no “old maids,” <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li>the famous women of, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>use and abuse of foreign schools, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li>great change in conditions of life, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li>
- <li>Europe cannot grasp meaning of Turkish civilisation, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a></li>
- <li>notes on early literature, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li>
- <li>abstract character of Turkish love-poetry, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li>true head of Islam, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a></li>
- <li>can we trust the West? <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li>insulted by Christendom, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li>
- <li>her many services to the Vatican, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- <li>learnt French culture from Jesuit fathers, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li>
- <li>Allah compared with Jehovah, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>justice does <i>not</i> depend on cash, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>the “Commandments” have no mystery, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- <li>real democracy, because Head of State is elected by, and responsible to, the people, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- <li>non-progressive centuries due to influence of Hodjas, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li>
- <li>the Islamic atmosphere of Broussa, 276 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>Mosques always open for prayer, in contrast to cathedral at Geneva, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li>
- <li>her heart and spirit is now in Angora, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li>
- <li>her first appearance in “big” diplomacy, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li>
- <li>charged with arrogance at Lausanne, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li>
- <li>complains that her point of view is ignored, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li>
- <li>still treated at Lausanne like old Turkey, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li>
- <li>tolerance may be weakness, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li>
- <li>has given three years proof of power to organise, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>and the League of Nations, 313 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>never interfered with British property during the war, but we have confiscated her property, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a></li>
- <li>hope for the future, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-<a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li>badly beaten but secured victory over Greeks, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Turkish courtesy has its inconvenience, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>
- <ul>
- <li>religion contrary to Bolshevism, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li>
- <li>food simple, but too fattening, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a></li>
- <li>Anglo-Turkish alliance means peace for the world, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a></li>
- <li>sister, <i>see</i> “Kiamil Pasha”</li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>“Turkish Woman’s Impressions in Europe,” <a href='#Page_124'>124</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='Turks'></a>Turks can only be dealt with by complete trust, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a>
- <ul>
- <li>always respect women, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a></li>
- <li>anecdote of their tenderness to all animals, <a href='#Page_60'>60</a>, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a></li>
- <li>anecdote of rather inconvenient faith in Allah, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a></li>
- <li>anecdote of their proverbial carelessness about official details, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li>moderation in revenge, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li>
- <li>daily prayer, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a></li>
- <li>kindness to enemy people, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a></li>
- <li>their soldiers, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a></li>
- <li>will not take money, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a></li>
- <li>need very little food, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>their high code of honour, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li>further example of their philosophy, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li>
- <li>fearless riders, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a></li>
- <li>every man equal before the law, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li>
- <li>tolerance of all religions, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li>
- <li>danger of our calling them “niggers” or “natives” in Egypt, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li>
- <li>no longer trust the West, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- <li>tale of a woman patriot, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a></li>
- <li>bought arms from England and other countries, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- <li>their almost embarrassing courtesy, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a></li>
- <li>want an Asiatic capital, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a></li>
- <li>their democracy not Socialism, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a></li>
- <li>all desire peace, but cannot accept humiliation, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a></li>
- <li>if they appear arrogant <i>are</i> moderate, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a></li>
- <li>illustrations of democracy at weddings, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li>important to teach Nationalism to children, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li>
- <li>an extreme example of fine hospitality, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a></li>
- <li>fit because they don’t drink, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a></li>
- <li>beginning to lose faith in British honour, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a></li>
- <li>their new sense of confidence as citizens of a Free State, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a></li>
- <li>dislike Germans, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a></li>
- <li>their almost embarrassing courtesy, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li>
- <li>always merciful to their beasts, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a></li>
- <li>a brilliant woman medical student, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>friendly rivalry with Christians in schools, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li>system of education too exact a copy of the French, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li>
- <li>let us blazon their hospitality, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>their energy produces more blonde women, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li>
- <li>the only race who can really protect Christian minorities, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li>
- <li>always tolerant alike to Catholics and Jews, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li>
- <li>honour the Christian prophets and hold Jerusalem a sacred city, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- <li>claim that they would guard Jerusalem and the Holy Tomb more reverently than the Jews, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>their friendship depends on the personal element, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li>
- <li>not stubborn or unreasonable, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li>
- <li>anecdote of offensive arrogance from a judge towards a Turk, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li>
- <li>spoilt by flattery in Europe and a taste of Western luxury, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li>
- <li>should keep their religion and their civilisation, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li>
- <li>deep respect for maternity, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>resignation tends to stagnate, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>clean bodies, if dirty clothes and houses, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li>
- <li>the Koran will not permit us to drown kittens, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li>
- <li>Asia will not deny justice to Turks, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li>
- <li>asked to exempt Christians from military service, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>offered back “one room in their own house” as a great “concession,” <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li>
- <li>a proud race who cannot forget even what they forgive, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li>
- <li>sympathy from Press Department of the League, <a href='#Page_315'>315</a></li>
- <li>foolishly too proud to use propaganda or answer their detractors, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>refuse to support their claims by statistics, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>will never become European, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li>
- <li>hope they will trust the imperfect League, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li>
- <li>must have Constantinople, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a></li>
- <li><i>See</i> <a href='#YoungTurks'>“Young Turks”</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Turner and Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>
- <ul>
- <li>could not paint Eastern sunset, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Trécroupis, General; his captivity at Eski-Chéir, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>
- <ul>
- <li>surrendered to Turkish lieutenant, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></li>
- <li>his revolver as a wedding-present, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Tripolitain War, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Trotsky, theories and ideas opposed to the Turkish, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Tyrell, Sir Wm., “Chief of the</li>
- <li class='c028'>Underlings,” Irish Head of</li>
- <li class='c028'>British Foreign Office, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>Union Jack sought in vain, 34 <i>et seq.</i>, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>
- <ul>
- <li>last sight of, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>Vakit, newspaper of Angora, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Valetta, in Malta, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>“Vanity Fair,” <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>Vatican ceremonials and library, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>-<a href='#Page_242'>242</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Vely Nedjdat Bey, author’s guide in Angora, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Venizelos, his magic name, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his responsibility, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li>
- <li>his character, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li>
- <li>bird of ill-omen, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li>
- <li>reference to, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Versailles, a lesson for Lausanne, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>
- <ul>
- <li>which of the Big Four faced <i>real</i> problems, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- <li>their pestilent neutrality and government by committees, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Von Bieberstein, Baron Marshall, rebuked by Joseph Choate, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li>
- <li class='c003'>War means—“and he never returned,” <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>
- <ul>
- <li>has not yet come, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Waterloo, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Wells, H. G., on our love for those we have wronged, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Westminster, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Whahid Eddin, called the Khalif, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Wilson, General, a fine officer, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Wilson, President; his ideals derided, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Wintringham, Mrs.; effect on other women of her presence in Parliament, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Women may be protected away from their duty, 29 <i>et seq.</i>
- <ul>
- <li>and cows, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li>
- <li>a great nuisance when they are brave, 54 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li>at a grave disadvantage as journalists, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a></li>
- <li>their seclusion comes from Byzantium, not from the Koran, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li>
- <li>they “count” in the East;</li>
- <li>their progress compared with the same in England, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li>
- <li>leave much housework to men, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li>
- <li>work in the war, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li>
- <li>must remain anonymous, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li>
- <li>Turkish women on English ballrooms, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li>
- <li>never recognised by Government or by the Press, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a></li>
- <li>not now confined to harem by advanced Turks, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li>
- <li>their freedom imperfect in England, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- <li>their real freedom desired by the enlightened, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li>
- <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>the author and M. Kemal discuss the harem, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>-<a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li>
- <li>lectures and friendships and weddings, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>-<a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li>
- <li>women’s progress in Turkey started on right lines, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></li>
- <li>should not compete, but co-operate, with men, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></li>
- <li>their ways in Turkey, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li>
- <li>harem in a Byzantine heresy, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>famous Turkish women who spoke or sang in public, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li>gained much from American colleges, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li>
- <li>their freedom a burning question in Turkey, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li>their legal status, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>excellent women’s papers, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li>
- <li>carried forward one hundred years by work for the Red Crescent in the Balkan Wars, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>may probably retain the veil for its Nationalist significance, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li>
- <li>brilliant students, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>only a few feminine “stars” at present, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a></li>
- <li>visit to a Lycée for Girls, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li>their schools and the University in Constantinople, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li>
- <li>Soubhi, an eloquent opponent of the harem, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li>
- <li>manifold injustice at the hands of the Puritans, who dare to scorn the unmarried mother, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>all Turks respect maternity, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li>
- <li>their “unskilled” labour expensive, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li>
- <li>never listened to by statesmen, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li>
- <li>no place in Embassies, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li>more respected by French statesmen than English, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li>
- <li>their unpaid and unrecognised service is gratefully received, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a></li>
- <li>men more “natural” with Frenchwomen than English, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'><span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>Yahia Kemal, a poet who might do even finer work, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Yaili, or native carriage, dangerous driving, 254 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li class='c028'>Yemen, exiles to, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li>
- <li class='c028'><i>Yeni Gun</i>, newspaper in Angora <a href='#Page_143'>143</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Younous Nadi Bey, who “ought to be shot,” editor of <i>Yeni Gun</i>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>
- <ul>
- <li>a visit to his office and printing works, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li>
- <li>his varying news of Lausanne, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'><a id='YoungTurks'></a>Young Turks not to blame for joining Germany, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>
- <ul>
- <li>do not understand official diplomacy, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li>
- <li>tremendous energy of the young nation-makers, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li>
- <li>universal admiration for Halidé Hanoum, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a></li>
- <li>hard work in “deposing” Sultans, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Youssouf Kemal Bey, Ambassador from Angora, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Youssouff Zeddine, Prince, listens to stories of England, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his courage and his suicide, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c003'>Zakaroff, his gold, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Zeyneb, (i), beautiful lady-professor at Bagdad, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a></li>
- <li class='c028'>Zeyneb (ii), heroine of Pierre Loti, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, 22 <i>et seq.</i></li>
- <li class='c028'>Zeyneb (iii), says no fear of theft at weddings in Turkey, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>
- <ul>
- <li>views on England and Russia, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li>
- <li>modest about using her own language, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a></li>
- <li>on Moslem Commandments, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Zia Bey, chief of Police in Smyrna, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>
- <ul>
- <li>his novels and his business methods, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a></li>
- </ul>
- </li>
- <li class='c028'>Zia Guenk Alp, Professor of Sociology, immense influence on “New” literature, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<div class='nf-center-c0'>
-<div class='nf-center c002'>
- <div>PRINTED BY THE ANCHOR PRESS, LTD., TIPTREE, ESSEX, ENGLAND.</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-
-<div class='pbb'>
- <hr class='pb c002' />
-</div>
-<p class='c012'>&nbsp;</p>
-<div class='tnbox'>
-
- <ul class='ul_1 c003'>
- <li>Transcriber’s Notes:
- <ul class='ul_2'>
- <li>In the <a href='#ills'>List of Illustrations</a>, the illustration “Burnt Quarter in the…” shows
- it facing page 48. It actually is page 240. Clicking on the link will take you to the
- <a href='#i240'>correct place</a>.
- </li>
- <li><a id='tn01'></a>The illustration that is shown as facing page 64 (“Turkey for the
- Turks, indeed!” was not included in this edition of the book.
- </li>
- <li>Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
- </li>
- <li>Typographical errors were silently corrected.
- </li>
- <li>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant
- form was found in this book.
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