Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-06
WonenIn 10 pers.a:

Women 10 posola.
In Persia, Il 10 said, The women are
n0bodics. They sre astomishcd at tho
freedom with which European ladieA
move about, snd profess-te be sesii-
dalizcd, though perhsps they ape only
cnvi0us. Thcy describes . European
Of their own sex - woman who
wears "trousers with one feg,D that
being the name by which they distin-.
yuish European gowns and petticoat9
from thcir0wn trousers. How would
our fair coumtrywomenl like TO travel,
as Persian ladies do. shut upiu largo
box suspended lot ween two Inules7.
nrchs 10 tho sex cannot be Efoat. Wa
do not know how many wouankipd
the present Shah keeps, and we do
know that lie entertain cd euflici, ni,
respect for public opinion IN Eursrc
TO send back three ut what NAV per-
bnps be called lis travelling wi,ts.
One Of his Ruccsiurs, Fetch All. hSa
several hundred women IN Lis hsrcil,
and his sous were rCckuund y un,
wards Of eighty, while The dsuyhtcrs
were almost beyond count. The.
Pers;ans allege that 40 women are
much more numerous than men, IL is.
clear proof that Providence intend
cd husbands 10 have more than one
wife. But in thai case why keep the
women in such rigid seclusion The
Persian escort OF European lady
carry out IN practice the came severe
etiquette. 81 wss greatly amused AZ
their man9uvres," says an Enqlish-
woman, who was being carried
through the streets In her closely.
curtained chair. or big box. "a she
describes IL. "My escort were con-
stautly calling out 10 the male nas. :
seDoers 10 keen Oh. Leaf I should be
proiancd by being seen. When y
stray passenger happened TO neglect
their hints and advance boldly to-
wards the eprocession, he was imme-
diately seized, and placed with hia
face close to the wall till I had
| passed,n In that way he was tausht
propriety and good manners.
On the whole, life in Persia can
have few attractions to an English
woman, accustomed to the unre-
strained social intercourse and FREQ
mingling of the sexes which ia pcr-
mittcd 10 women in Europe. We
thertoro canuot conscicntiously res.
commend our countrywomen to fall
in love with any members Of the
! Shah's suite. Such is the dreary res
traint ofli in Persian barems that
ladies among tho upper Glasses well
como tho approach Of even cholera
or plague, because then they are re-
leased from the monotony Of life in
the cities, and arc sent during the hot
weather into the high summer lands.
There they live in tents, enjoy COM
parative freedom from restraint, and
have tho pleasure of listening oil day,
to purling streams and Of eating
sugar-candy, and far more solid food,
J a mucll-lovcd dainty-roast lamb.
Then the universal practice of the
country, whether in house or tent, ia
to make the ground your bedstead;
and until she grew accustomed TO
nightly visits from scorpious. cent?.
pedcs. and tarantulas. An Enpiish.
woman might find this position rather
disnyreeabIe. In the absence of he'd
stead. nervous people. II seems. take
various precautions against ,hcse
unwelcome visitors. Lady She'll In
i. her" Glimpses of Life and Manners
I'm Persia .Osays. :" knew n fore;v,t
vouny iadv Who had n UossacL swnrd
In ha1i Esen;mo watcI, eli n;g,t ~
hcr room rcaSv to s,nv ~" ;nt IN
voi,.r
Will. woue, oro oo ,;,h,,v .horrh.
of In pers;a oma n,ow I,a hnn,ht ,.onS
to,erahiv cbean % %o;p9 NO vOus. ~raitv ' asH.
, i;moiw With anY dscant nprchosor nh % a.
is sfsr,I;no n lind onr amrnst ~;ss,o =
Iur;ng his Eurnnoon trova,s ".,moiSr
fomnhiuy n new order Snec;a,iv " fnr
women. The great Persian ardcr
equivalent TO orr garter is the order
OF the lion and the SIM Tho nav
! order inst introduced ia Tho orJer ,.f
the sun, the lion being apparcntiv
omitted as jnapplicable 10 women
! This decoration has been given ,n tbn
Princess of Wales ami her s;s,er the
/ wife of the Czarowitch. 10 the Em.
press of Germany. and ono or two
other ladies' of royal or imperial
rank. No Persian lady. as far as we
know, has vet been honored with il
but surely the womau's rights move.
ment will not bo long in making
progress in Persia. when the Shah
returns home, and tho news Of his
strange dOings In honor of the seq in
Europe comes to be talked about.,
w q Shall hot DC SURPRISED. lnd94d- If
the chief result of his western tour ia
that he and the Persian princes with
their numerous Tetinue carry homo
with them more liberal and enli9ht.
encd notions as to the proper treat
ment of women. That will bo n CON.
quest of Persia very acceptable to
most of us for the degradation Of
women is a great hindrance to refine
ment and civilization, and is the
almost certain sign of the absceuce Of
both. Our Persian visitors seem 70
wonder less at our iron-cIads' our
factories, our industrial reso1rces.
and our tecming population. than AZ
thOuaanus Of unveiled female facas
thcv 500 avory ,Iay X,.S - eSoS
n!: anu IN cohVer-
SutlON, members OF the PersiaN anita
have further confided .to EnaI;sh'nar ."
that what has most struck them has
been, not SO much the beauty of our
young Nomen, as the comeliness Of
our elderly women. In Persia girl
is in her prime from IA to 20, and at
about this age some girls arc reputed
to be very lovely, especially tho
maids OF 1ezd the proverb being
that to live happily man must have
Wlte from LEO, must eat the bread