The Hickman courier., 1874-02-28
W.MEN AMONG THE ARABS.

Polvgamy is rare among the Bedou- |
ins. b1t few have two wives. The |
marriage ceremony is very simple
among the Aenezes. When man de-
sires to marry girl, he sends friend
of the family to her father, and the
girls wishes are ascertained; for she IS
not compelled to marry against her IN
clination. If she agrees, the friend,
then holding the fathers hand, says
aloud that he understands that he IS
willing to give his daughter In mar
riaoe 10 her suitor, when the father an
swers in the affirmative. The we'd
dinc-day is fixed, and the bridegroom
brings a lamb to the tent of the girls
father and cuts its throat before WIT
nesses 4; as soon rs the blood falls upon
the ground, the marriage ceremony Is
regarded as complete, and the bride IS
by-and-by conducted to her new home.
The knot, being so easily tied, untor-
tunately is loosened without much scru-
pie. for divorces are of frequent occur
renee. If an Arab becomes dissatisfied
with his wife, he separate himself by
simply saving, "Thou art divorced,
and, giving her she-camel, Ands her
back to her family. He is not obliged
to state any reasons, nor does this re-
fleet particularly on the discarded wife's
honor the husband is excused by his
friends saying he did not like her.
There have been instances of Arabs,
not more than forty-fye years of age,
who were known to have had above fif-
ty different wives in fact, VIII ever Will
be at the expense OF camel may di-
vorce as many 4 les as he pleases.
The wife also can s the privilegssN1
divorce in SOM espdltied A7-.s'
Ii she IS unRaE - ny Tor re-
* force to induce her to return,
her family would resent this violence.
ing the word5& l-zaaiz.sss-sS - that The,
class there are large number, but old
maids are unknown among the Be
douins. If the husband dies, his
brother generally offers to marry his
widow, but neither is forced by custom
to enter into matrimony. A man has
the exclusive right to the hand of his
cousin. though he is not obliged to
marry her still, without his consent,
| she cannot accept husband
Women are regarded among the Be
| douins as inferior to men, and, though
not neglected, they are always taught
| to consider that their chief business IS
cooking and working. An unmarried
/ girl enjoys much more consideration
/ than a married woman +; once married
! she becomes a mere drudge, occu
pied all day, while her husband Is
/ lollipg at ease, and smoking Dis pipe.
| The women have to fetch the water, a
laborious operation often, and the uu-
married girls among the Arabs of Sinai
| drive the herds to pasture. They watch
the sheep all day, and if & man of the
tribe passes, they offer him a drink Of
| milk or water On most occasions,
however, if a stranger passes, the wo-
men turn their backs upon him, nor Will
they receive anything from his hands
unless some friends be present. The
old women are, however, treated with
great reverence and respect by their
/ children, but the relations between the
fathers and their grown-up sons are of
ten very bad. In many tribes slaves
perform the more menial offices of the
/ family, and most wealthy sheiks pos
sess some of them. After a lapse OF
time the slaves are emanclpated and
married to persons of their own color.
Hospitality is certainly one of the Be
douin virtues, though it often proceeds
from vanity and a Gesire of distinguish
! ing themselves among their equ Is IN
the tribe. A helpless traveller may GO
| the whole way between Mecca and Da-
I mascus, and he can safely enough trust
to the hospitality of the Wild tribes he
may encounter. A hungry Bedouin
will always divide his scanty meal with
a stranger, though he may have n
means of procuring a fresh supper.
| When a stranger enters an Arab en-
campment he alights at the first tent on
his right hand, for if he passed that
tent its owner would consider himself
to be slighted. Among the Arabs Oi
Sinai the custom is that the stranger Is
! Gus quarreIs arise as to who has the
1 right to entertain visitor IN the alb
sence of the husband, his wife invaria.
bly, receives and entertains strangers,
ASST ted by a male relation, who
does the honors. Some tribes of the
Arabs permit the women to drink coffee
/ with strangers on their arrival, provided
/ the owner OF the teht be present.
Among those tribes who are continually
1 exposed to the passage of strangers, it
must be confessed that hospitality can
/ only be purchased by money, and on
the Hail foute little mercy is shown to
/ pilgrims ii distress. The influx of for
eign manners has done good deal to-
ward impairing the ancient virtues of the
Arabs who live on the borders of Syria.
g The Alps Of Ar0bia," By " G.
Vaughan.