Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-03-26
Wretehedness Of Turkish Wives,

On all those great occasions in Turkey am in
constant dread of being placed between two of
the natives, who might be able, as is the case
with many of them, to speak nothing but their
own tongue and as dyeuner here is an affair
of two hours-never less than twenty dishes,
beside all the odds and ends, which have no end
this is not a pleasant prospect. So ] was
delighted to-day to find myself placed between
our English Ambassador and one of the Turkish
Ministers, whom had known in 1855 in Paris,
where he had belonged TO the Embassy. He
speaks very good French, and as soon as we had
got over the first few phrases de conUendnce, he
began to speak of their Turkish customs, and
asked me how liked the dresses of their native
women | told him that admired them very
much, and thought them most picturesque and
becoming. But if you had to wear them," he
said, "you would not think Our ladies are
the most unhappy beings in the world always
shut up, always kept away from all civilization
and this, ~ be added, "is, to my mind, the curse
of the country. We are all unhappy, for how
can we be happy with a wife who takes aoso-
luely no interest in anything that passes in the
world, who can comprehend nothing, and who
has neither instruction nor cultivatiOnP
! said that thought they seemed quite happy
with their wretched position, and would not wish
to change it but be assured me that they nearly
all pned for freedom, and only wanted to bear
the words, " Sortez VOus etes hbres, to throw off
their present slavery at olce. " How can you
expect" be went on, I" that a country should be
happy with such customs? What be more
unnatural than society without ladies? And
they, again cannot but be unhappy, never to see
ybody but their own family. Ia short, what
shall say? 1t is an unhappy fate that has so
willed it. In other countries, in yours, for in
stance, there is heaven on earth, while here we
are always wretched Let us hope that we shall,
at least, have Heaven in another world, and that
on nispr HE destiny will intQ
eternity" He then begun, quite of his own ac-
cord, to speak of his own home, and said he had
married twenty years ago-of course without
having previously seen bis future wife, and had
been made most unhappy. She was so intOlera-
BILE that after having tried to bear it and improve
her, he obliged to seperate from her after
year. He had then married Circassian slave
girl, whom he bought in the slave market, the
same sort Of girl be said, as the Sultan's wife
was. 'sShe is very obedient, but that is all.
No possible means of making her understand the
least thing" ! asked if she was pretty. No,
quite the reverse" he said. "And then, you
know, she is thin to such degree yes, she is
an absolute skeleton l'' This seems to be looked
upon as an objectionable fault among the Turks,
and may probably be considered as just ground
for divorcing a wife as the habit of snoring
grinding their teeth in their sleep. Ny neighbor
almost a skeleton himself and had a very
grave and sad expression. ! afterward asked
hm TO explain to me What tbelr religion could
have to do with their notions about dress, etc.
He answered that though 1t was certainly looked
upon as being contrary to their religion to dress
otherwise than they did, this was all nonsense,
{" for, after ALL" he said, ''how little do we
really observe our other religious laws aud
duties. We ordered to pray five times day,
and many of us do not do it more than once
month, or even twice year. Why not, then,
rather change or break through laws, which, till
thpV chauOed m st he from
becoming civilized, and make it miserable I"
Hon. Mrs. Gray.