Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-18
The Export of CiFcassia's staple
PFOduct

The Export of CiFcassfa's staple
Product.
The continued trade by the Turks in Cir
cassian women is creating public remark.
This modified form of the slave trade in the
East has been carried on, in very quiet
aud secret manner of late, out Of respect
to the progress of ideas and growth of gen.
eral civilization. The beauty Of the Cir
csssian girls has passed into proverb, and
mas attracted a romantic interest to their
country; of course it is no news to our read
ers that the hsrems of the East are mainly
supplied with these beautiful dolls from
the regions of country about the Caucasian
mountains, lying between the Black and
Caspian seas.
The province of Georgia, on the southern
| side of the mountain range, is the section
from which these female slaves are brought
to market. Modern writers have adopted
the Caucasian as the highest ty,.e of the
human race, and perhaps it is SO in ply
sical point of view, and under favorable Cir
cumstances it may be also susceptible of
the highest moral and intellectual develop
ment. In the home of its birth, however,
| it does not present any very encouraging
traits, either moral, social or intellectual.
1uoiC ID 1tIlO VI oCCiSCJ dUOub
the matter in Circassia; its daughters are
very generally reared for sale in foreign
markets, and symmetry of form, fairness
of complexion and beauty of feature are
| regarded and encouraged simply as availa-
BILE qualities for comman ling a price.
With very few exc ptions, parental or fra
ternal affection has no part or lot in the
matter, the only thought being that the
young female may please the eye of the
Jew purchaser, and thus produce handsome
price in gold. Domestic life, as we regard
the idea, has no existence among these pro-
Vinces.
The people are coarse in their habits, do
but little in cultivating the soil, plumber
their neighbors whenever this is possible,
| live in ill-constructe1 and contracted novels
| and eat only the coarsest food.
Under such circumstances as these it is not
strange that the females do not object to
being sold, but rather anticipate the event
with pleasure, as certain prospect of bet
tering their condition. OF course, the ira
ditions and stories which are told to them
encourage all to have The hope of becom.
ing wives of pachaS and grandees. The 70
mantle vein of their natures is thus cult
waited to the necessary point which
leads to their placid acceptance of the sit
uation, let it be what it may. The singu.
lar results, growing out of these expert,
ments, lead to stories equaling the "Arabi
an Nights" in vivid col0ring and portrait.
ture.
The trade has long since been interdict.
ed by the Turkish Government under the
pressure of Christian influence, yet it is
known to be carried on in a very cover
manner aud to very large extent. The
price paid in the market for these females
OF course varies according to their attrac
tons, but it is setdown at an average of four
or five hundred dollars each. Persona
beauty is all that is considered in this trade
intellectual culture being not only out Of
place, but also out of the question. What
little is known or protested of religion is Ma
hommedaD, though the tenats of the Greek
Church are sometimes adopted. All must
however, become Mahommedan by profes
sion before sale and entrance to the harem
as the Turk is always sensitive in all mat
ters relating to his religion.