TURKISH MARRIAGE LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 338, 27 October 1908, Page 3

TURKISH MARRIAGE LAWS.

One of the greatest causes of social unhappiness in Turkey," says,' an American paper, has injustice t of the marriage laws: Husband and wife could not meet be-, fore marriage, as all ' marriages were arranged- by. others. . After the. ma.rriagd the power of divorce belonged'!to the. man; and not to the wcaiim, unless the right of tho latter to demand divorce, was distinctly stated -. in tho marriage contract., A man could say. to. his wife at any time, "Go," end alio.was divorced, tho only, penalty being that tho husband, must.pay cash down tho amount of dowry that lie had promised his wife. • Tho marriage contract demanded a promise from tho husband to_ pay a sum of money to his-wife if ho divorced her, but this sum was often ridiculously small, being among-the poorer classes sometimes not more than. 10s. .This sum of .money de- ■ manded as tho forfeit of divorce.was also often expressed, with a fraction or an uneven number, in the .hope-that owing to the difficulty of making change, in Turkey the husband would stop ;to think while ho was look- - ing for some small money, and would take back the fiat of repudiation.. ■ The frequency of divorce has made secure marriages and happy homes almost unknown among the Turks. Divorce, however,.. dees not involve disgrace to the divorced woman, although it breaks up families, and often causes extreme unhappiness. ; WOMEN'S CELEBRATION. It was interesting to see the women among tho croivds 'that • thronged the streets of Constantinople after the Constitution was . announced. Somo of them had thrown-aside t their veils, and all were alternately shouting and laughing, .and 'reading the papers that they carried in their hands. All, purpapers, both men and women, even those r who''could not read, a.lthough they could hardly believe that they were free to read i what. they saw printed there or to listen to others who pronounced the words! Many on glancing at the papers'thrust them quickly in their pockets and looked round anxiously lest a policeman be in sight. One 1 . Turkish^woman-writes:— • ' V ' ; ■ "rhave' seen the word 'liberty' printed fdr the first time'in "a Turkish paper.' I have.; tasted the ecstasy of freedom, and ,the joy of living. This day will be remembered with -. wonder and delight by future generations, and ecstatically described even by,-our children's children." ■ 1 '