The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-13


Emmeline Lott writes to an English Newspaper
the following account Of the women Of Egypt y
they are to-day. She SAYS;
The Egyptian women are generally supposed ID
Europe to Be shut up 10 the harems, like slaves
subject TO al the csproes of their lords, without
any society Whatever. This y far IRON being the
case. They are cunning and shrewd enough %
learn, ~ soon 80 they are married. to make their
lives pass away pleasantly enough. Being. 40
customed to confinement, and taught, from their
earliest days that It Il 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 influence over their husbands, to
maintain which u the sole occupation OF their
lives. There sre more females than males 10
Egypt. They are divided into two classes, ire.
foreigner, among whom we class the Georgians,
The former are purchased BY the grandees, and
people the hsrems Of the princes and individuals
distinguished by the fairness Of their complexion,
while the others are much darker and have
pointed festures. The foreign women we're born
Christians, but we're made to embrace the Moslem
faith before being brought into Egypt. Those In
Turkey. but especially In Constantinople, have
been endowed with ideas and manners totally diff
ferent from those of their own sex in their
respective countries. As they know, as soon IS
they enter the hsrem, that they are destined 20
live in opulence, ana that every respect viii be
"Harem Life in Turkey and Egypt" the etiquette
that the slaves observe to the primo esses-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 true born Egyptian woman, no matter OF
what rank she may be. generally purchase at Q
great price. varying from fj0O to $1,000, o
Georgian or Circassian, whom they marry imme-
ofto ard and ho NH oha bo. Oh
tanned hold on her husbands aft ctions-assist.
ed by the counsels of the mother OF the harem, q
very Machiavellian princess-enters heart and
soul into political intrigues. The women are not
constrained IN their tastes nor in their habits;
they eat, drink coffee and liquors, and smoke to
their hearts content. Accompanied by their per-
sonal and favorite slave sattendant, the head
eunuch, they quit the harem whenever they like.
proceed to the hammam (bsth) the gossiping
: Sop0 S the 5s onss s and 20
entirely fred in all their actions, and
there Il no feat Of their transgressing the bounds
Of decorum or etiquette, for can safely say that
such line Of sonduct never enters the heads of
Hoslsm vomet 10 the first place they are too
bigoted to enghge In any aisons with an in6del;
and secondly, they know from their own mother
Of the harem, and others, the fate that awaits
them II they Tere SO imprudent as to commit
such suicidkl act--that death would be their
punishment, q well as that Of their paramour.
disgusting beyond conception to European ears,
but they haveneen trained mp from childhood to
converse In THAT manner, without having the
slightest idea.th by 90 doing they outrage the
feelings Of their AK; they do not think there il
any harm 10 sts doing, and all Q European woman
could say to item would not convince them to the
contrary.
The Egyptian women generally pass their time
N f1yolties. except on certain days, when they
attend to their naendge. as have already ex-
planned In !" The Engnsh Governess in Egypt" in
pleasing and wheedling their husbands studying
their whims and caprices. They delight in relat-
lug stories themselvesto their ladies Of the harem,
ayes and eunichs, copgregated of On evening en-
Jdn,iue, kind Of conuersdzsone, or in listening
70 the songs OF the almehs and their own slaves,
having their own horoscopes cast, and asking
their mothern Of their harem to interpret the
dreams they have had during their kef as Joseph
did those Of Pharaoh of old.
The splendid halls Of the mansion of bliss 70 of
The great resound also with complaints. One wo-
man murmurs at her barrenness; another at the
favor bestowed by her lord upon her itbal for the
time, which raises her jealous feelings to fever
pitch. question OF engrossing interest IL how
they can obtsin theirs. Most Of the Turks adopt
q rigid system Ct economy as regards the pin
money which they allow their wives, and the bak-
sheesh they kestow upon their ikbals, slaves, Gu.
nchs and other attendants. Many limit their tor
let expenses TO fixed sum per naensum and do
not allow them to give too expensive fantasies.
The hemlock women, on the contrary, who pos
sessed large landed property. were very wealthy
pended their paras with no sparing hand for fan
tasias, and lived in such state Of indie pendence
that they had quite the upper hand over their
husbands.