Page:Englishwomaninan00elli.pdf/238

 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