Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-11-19
Egypt-The Dress. Life and Manners Of
Modern Cleopatras.

Modern Cleopatras.
Emmeline Lott writes TO an English
newspaper the following account Of the
women Of Egypt as they are to-day. She
says:
The Egyptian women are generally
supposed in Europe TO be shut up in the
harems, like slaves, subject TO the
csprices of their lords, without any
society whatever. This is far from being
the case. They are cunning and shrewd
enough TO learn, as soon as they are mar
ried, TO make their lives pass away plea
sanity enough. Being accustomed to
confinement, and taught from their ear
liest days that it is their duty to study
the whims and fancies Of those TO whom
they are to be married, they seek TO do
so, and by that means. possess great in
fuence over their husbands, to maintain
which is the sole occupation of their
lives. There are more females than
males in Egypt They are divided into
two classes, irrespective of the black
slave, the native born and foreigners,
among whom VIC class the Georgians,
Circassians and Mingrelians.
The former ar purchased by the gran
dees, and people the harems of the
princes and individuals attached to the
viceregal court. and are easily distin-
guished by the fairness of their complex
ion, while the others are much darker
and have pointed features. The foreign
women were born Christians, but were
made TO embrace the Moslem faith before
being brought into Egypt. Those in
Turkey, but especially in Constantine
pie, have been endowed with ideas aud
manners totally different from those of
their own sex in their respective coun-
tries. AS they know, as soon as they
enter the harem, that they are destined
to live in opulance, and that every re-
spect will be shown ,hem--for l have
already pointed out, in "Harem Life
in Turkey and Egypt" the etiquette that
the slaves observe to the princesses-the
seeds of ambition begin to be developed
among them, and they become bigots in
their new religion. The Turks take
great care of such women. Those who
by reason of their rank, or the post that
they occupy in the Government. disdain
an alliance with a true-bern Egyptian |
woman, no matter of what rank she may |
be, generally purchase at great price, |
varying from 1900 to $1,000, Georgian |
or Circassian, whom they marry imme-
diately afterward, and who, when she has |
obtained hold on her husbands atfec-
by the counsels of the |
mother of the harem, very Machiavel- /
liam princess-enters heart and soul into |
political intrigues The women are not
in their tastes nor in
their habits; they eat, drink cof- 4
fee and liquors, and smoke to their
hearts content. Accompanied by their
and favorite slave attendant,
the head eunucb, they quit the harem
whenever they like, proceed 10 the ham
nam (batb 1.-THE gossiping shop of the
other harems, and 70 shop
ping into the bszasrs. They are en-
tirely free in all their actions, and there
is no fear of their transgressing the
bounds of decorum or etiquette, for
can safely say that such q line of. con.
duct never enters the heads of Moslem
women. Ia the first place they are too
bigoted to engage in any liaisons with an
infidel; and secondly, they know, from
their own mother of the harem and
others, the fate that awaits them if they
were so imprudent as to commit such a
suicidal act--tlat death would be their
as well as that of their para
mour. Their habitual conversation
among themselves is disgusting beyond
conception to European ears, but they
have been trained up from childhood to
4: L: . .ls:.. manner, without having
the slightest idea that by so doing they
outrage the feelings of their sex; they
10 not think there is any harm in so do. |
ing, and all European woman could say
10 them would not convince them to the
The Egyptian women generally pass
heir time in frivolities, exception certain
lays, when they attend to their mendqe,
IS ] have already explained in 1.-THE
English Governess in Egypt" in pleasing
md wheedling their husbands, studying
heir whims and caprices. They delight
n relating stories themselves to their
aides of the harem, slaves and ennuchs,
of an evening en- .fdmilie, a
lind of Conversations, or in listening to
he songs of the slmehs and their own
slaves, having their own horoscopes cast,
md asking the mothers of their harem
O interpret the dreams they have had
Turing their kef as joseph did those Of
Pharaoh of old.
The splendid halls Of the mansion of
bliss" Of the great resound also with
One woman murmurs at
Ter barrenness; another at the favor
by her lord upon her ikbal for
he time, which raises her jealous feelings
o fever pitch. A question of engrossing
interest is how they can obtain theirs.
Most of the Turks adopt rigid system
IF economy as regards the pin money
which they allow their wives, and the
,aksheesh they bsstow upon their ikbals,
laves, eunuchs, and other attendants
Many limit their toilet expenses to a
ixed per measum, and do not allow
hem to give too expensive fantasies.
The Memloek women. on the contrary,
Who possessed large landed property,
gere very wealthy, and disbursed large
sms most generously-expended their
oaras with no sparing hand for fantasies,
md lived in such a state of Independence
hat they had quite the upper hand over
heir husbands