Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-04-15
DAILY EVENING STAR.
From Fraser's Magazine.
WOMEN OF CONSTANTIEoPLE.

Bayley st. John. in his "Turks in Eu.
rope" gives the following account of the
amusements of the women of CONSTANT.
nople: Nearly all Turkish women sally
out every Friday to take the air, away
from the town, on the banks of the Bos.
phorus, or to some of the places where
water and shade may be found. The
wealthy go in carts, without springs, OF
unwieldy and primitive construction -
six or seven heaped together: and some
times their husbands lead the oxen Oh
horses to the chosen spot, and then go
away, leaving the women perfectly free
to enjoy themselves as they please. The
most popular amusements are the sing
ing and music of the gipsy women, who
repair thither for the purpose-muse
which is amorously languid, and singing
which is detestably indecent. A lunch
is generally brought out, and when this
is despatched, smoking and drinking
commence-drlnking not of sherbet, but
of good brandy, or other strong liquors,
which soon induce boisterous gayety.
SO that the sultanas whom we often ina.
gine as pining away imprisoned, may be
seen rolling in commissions of inextin-
guishable laughter on the turf, or huddled
up In still more advanced stage of in
toxication like bundles of rags.
Their Montenegrin servants, who are
the privileged beholders of these scenes,
are often compelled to haul them into
their carts, in which they are jolted back
to the harem. Those who are not too far
gone, frequently pull up in passing thro'
the Christian quarter, at the doors of tav.
erns, to get more drink: ana file of a
hundred carts may often be seen stopping
in one street, all full of women, some
made bold and chattering by their ex-
cess, others hanging sleepily about and
murmuring to be taken home. There is
walk planted with elm trees, not far
from the city, where only women are ad.
mitted. Two or three thousand assem-
ble there at time, and, sitting upon
verdant slope, enjoy the pantonime of
comedy which some Infamous Jews, hired
Tor the purpose, perform on the limits oi
the forbidden ground for their amuse-
ment. On these occasions, ii would
be possible for stranger to re-
cogn;ze eastern life from the descriptions
he is accustomed to read. The free con.
duct of the women has more than once
the attention of the Government,
which not very long ago published an
edict, complaining that they remained
out late at night; that they rode forth in
coaches with young Christian drivers;
that they ventured into shops, especially
those of apothecaries; and even pushed
their audacity SO far as to eat ices in the
Franklin coffee-houses ofGalata and Pera.
The edict accordingly recommended that
early hours should be kept, and for
bade women to enter shops of any kind,
or to be driven about by young coach
men. These interferences with manners
which were supposed to be great adva.r
tages in civilization, and which seem
strangely accompanied by proclamatio.,s
giving permission for women to appear
on the public promenades, were of course
Intellectual. The women continue their
old customs, though some have been
hanged or drowned for being found in the
back shops of Christians. 1t will re-
quire something else besides rcpressive
measures to bring about reform in this
respect. All laws in the East, moreover,
have the temporary character of procla-
nations. They are applied for a day
and forgotten. 1t is forbidden, for ex-
ample, most expressly, for shopmen to
have any other than old men as servants:
and they almost without exception have
spruce dashing young attendants.