Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-02-11
TRAINING IN LADIES

TRA1EG IN LADIES.
Many rich Turkish ladies carry on a
trade, for which we have no name. They
keep what may be called Nurseries of
Wives md Mothers; and find both plea.
sure and profit in training their Young
pOrteges to the duties of married life
Their agents go about collecting the raw
material of their manufacture, picking
up orphans, foundlings, or the children
of poor parents; for, in the East, there is
no prejudice of birth, and the lady is dis
tinguished from her servant only by edu
cation or wealth. The task is by no
means difficult. Not much knowledge is
expected from an oriental matron; and in
this case at least neither the idea of
virtue OF sentiment is inculcated. We
have already limited in what way the
flock of young maidens is made to con-
tribute to the development of the young
masters of the house. They are early
ready to be sold as wives or mistresses.
Beautiful girls are often bought by
these professional trainers in high life,
for eight or ten pounds, and afterwards
sold for four or five hundred. The profit
constitutes the pin-money Of the harem.
A number of old women-bride-b brokers
Garry On the trade, TO which not the
slightest idea of shame is attached.
They discuss the price of their merchan-
dize, and as openly as if they were selling
a pair of slippers or parcel of perfume.
Sometimes they act as agents for some
old gentleman, who finds his house lonely
and his purse sufficiently full to enable
him to indulge in the luxury of com
panion; and sometimes they undertake
the still more equivocal task of going
about warming the imaginations Of
bachelors and others by the luxurious
descriptions Of the Gagged beauties. They
generally take money on either hand, and
it must be admitted that many good
matches are struck by their care. a..
There is no prejudice anainst partners
obtained by these means. On the con.
trary, many Turks prefer damsels brought
up in this way-perhaps because they
are without the incumbranee of relations
especially when they come from the
harem of minister or other great fi,nc-
tionary. The wife of Reschid Pacha,
who, by the way, is no polygamist, has
generally some forty young creatures to
dispose of, and finds no difficulty in get
ting rid of them. The demand is ALWAYS
equal to the supply. .-s..s
From this class, and from the Georgian
slave market, most of the consorts of per-
sons high in rank are taken. Such are
the mothers of the Sublime Porte, ave,
and all of the Sultan's that have ever
reigned on the shores of the Bosphurus, :;
for the Sultan does not, in those simple
countries, either beg the hand of the priin-
cess he has never seen, or, initiating a
common man, choose a wife among the
coquettes of a ballroom. The state pro.
vides the partner of his couch. At various
periods of the year fixed by law, the
Council of Ministers and the Tlemas. in
conclave assembled, VOTE as it were,
subsidy of girls bought at the public mar
kets, or at private sales, and send them
with high solemni6es into the arms of his
Sublime Majesty. On these occasions the
Sultan goes in pompous professions to
the mosque; and, no doubt, thanks
Heaven for the large supply of angels
which have come to illuminate his solitary
moments.-L1fef az the East. ~