The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-06-29
Arabian Woman.

Arabian WomAn.
The editorial leebas ftuA he old world to
the Utica n. T., Morning Herald, contains
much interesting matter, and freshness is
mot the least Of its attractions From the
last letter, We take the following, which
dims, Q little, the 6ne rose color, with which
maidens:
The Arab woman, - seen in the street, 10
the incarnation Of uglinsss. lfshs is young:
her face 10 sensual and british; If che Is Old
she 10 ine6ably, indiscribably hideous-
With skin like tanned leather; with face,
hands and feet, taGtooed ofa brown-blue
color, with horrid brass pendants hanging
like chains from the ear, and sometimes
ring, half a. large round - . tea-cup, hang.
ing from the nose; with hands and feet and
legs and bosoms bare budding amid mass
Of rags scarce sufficient to conceal the loins
conceive If you can . more bag like specta-
Gle. There she squats Ike toad in the
dust beside her mud.built hut, dandling
blue-eysd baby on her knees, her ogre-like
face half hid behind snout like veil, sway
ing her body backwards and forwards, and
mumbling some sing-song jargon to herself
in q tone half way between wall and y
howl. Az you approach, the snoutlike veil
is drawn closer over the face, Gsingle bru
fish eye glowers upon you from behind the
mass Of rags dirty hand 10 stretched i'm
ploringly forth, and . cry Of 'Backsheesh,
Howadjee," assails your ear. You drop a
few paras into the extended palm, and shud-
dsringly hurry away from the grim pesence.
Again: she stands upon the bank Of the riv.
er, with huge jar balanced upon the top Of
her head, Q ragged blanket drawn ding
onally over the lower half of herface, the
feet and legs bare, the soulless face Int up
with stupid lesr-a brute standing on lie
hind legs.
Poor wretch! She has had sad time OF
il. From the cradle to the grave her life Is
one great degradation. There is no CLEAN
of sunny hope or dreamy fancy to light up
the stern prose Of her being. She has no
social status, no rights, no destiny, but to do
and to suffer. Her lord looks upon her as
no does upon his OK and his ass. She is
bought with the rest Of the iurniture-bar-
gained and disposed Of like any common
chatte!. Her husband scorns to CONSIDER
her as his companion He never permits
her to eat at the same table with him, to &C
company him on any excursion OF pleasure,
to share his confidence, TO direct or compel
him in any maner. IL he is rich, he pamp-
ers her as toy; if he is poor, he makes her
his slave and his drudge As long as she
pleases him, he honors her with the shelter
Of his home the moment he tires Of her, he
sends her adrift aud fills her place by
younger and perhaps fairer spouse. lie
never inquiries Of his neighbOr for the health
Of his wife; and If her name is ever whisper
ed it is as the guarded lady" or the "con-
cealed jewel Having no respect for her,
he has no confidence in her affections or her
virtue He guards her as o tiger guards his
prey. II she offends against chastity, he
coolly resorts to the dagger-or the Nile
lie makes no fuss over the affair. No
blazing announcements Of startling devel-
opments" appear in the morning papers; no
gossiping wiseacres discuss the scandal; no
faction for damages" relieves the dizziness
Of the "Long Term" frail beauty dis
appears and no questions arc asked.
Grand Parties" are not known in Egypt
There are no Mrs. Potiphars," and Lady
Bamboozles; no matchmaking mammas, no
languishing bellies lowering about watering
places. There are no "female noyelists
and strong minded women--no fippant
champions Of pettieoat rule--in this benight
ed land. The softer sex is taboosd-ignor-
sd-vetoed-and voted by general consent
to be of "no consequence" Even the ko-
ran does not recognize the right of the poor
wretch to creep into heaven.
Perhaps have been slandsring the wo..
men Of Egypt One sees only The poorer
classes in the streets. The eight Of the ha-
rem is never permitted to shed its rays up
the heart of the stranger. Into the dim re
cessess of the Obalsque no vulgar eye shall
wander--no vulgar foot shall tread. AT its
portals stand grim eunuchs, guarding the
jewel with unsleeping eye Within, Beauty
dreams its empty life away, the world I'M
seeins-by the world unseen. Its pleasures
are wholly sensual-As inspirations of the
earth, earthly. Reposing on soft cushions,
dressed in the rich, airy robes of the East
lulled by the music of low fountains,-it en-
Joys species of brute happiness, which
poets. for the lack of lottier themes, delight
to magnify.