The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-08-05
Oriental Domesticity,

lively ltthC tHCil WtIlhS anu tIIN rs W lilt
Valley of Sweet Waters, to Hyder Pasha
or to the Place Of Sultan Bejazet; sea
themselves beside the tombs of the Littl
Fields of Pera OF Sentori; pass entire day
at the bath, or in visits to their friends
talk beneath the porticoes of the mosques
lounge in the shops of the Bezetin; ant
SAIL in c0igueS OF steamers, upon the wa
ters OF the Bosporus; but they have al
ways some companion. be it a negress, o.
an old woman in the capacity of duenna
or, IT they are rich, a eunuch. often more
jealous than his master If they are no
thus accompanied - which exception i
rare "A child, led by the hand, insures
them respect; or even, in default OF thi
protection, the tone of public manner.
watches over them, and 'protects' them
perhaps little more vigorously than they
altogether desire The excessive liberty
Of action which they enjoy is only appar.
ent
In real truth. the actual Turkish life is
not less Theoretically sealed" than we
have always supposed and it is very diff
cult to even con lecture what passes be
hind those closely -trellised windows, the
only view through which is that from with
in. each being furnished with 4 sort O
bull's-eye, to enable those on the inner
side to command perfect view OF all that
passes without while they themselves re-
main vigorously invisible.
Nor is it OF any use to think Of obtain
ing information from the natives Of the
country AS the author says at the com
mencemcnt Of 'Namouna"---
Utter silence reiglis throughout this narrative
To speak to Turk OF the women of his
household is to commit the grosseSt posi-
Bile breach Of etiquette and pollteness. 1t
is forbidden to make the slightest alluSon,
even indirectly, to this delicate subject
and, of course, all such phrases as elbow
they are to us) are quite banished from
conversation. The most ierociously beard
ed and turbaned Turk would blush like Il
schoolgirl il he heard An inquiry SO out
rageously improper.
! The elnbassadress OF France, wishing to
make present to Rcdschid Pisha of some
supurb Lyons silks for the ladies Of his
harcm sent them to him with this briet
note: Pray accept some silks, which you
will know better than any one how To
use" TO have expressed more plainly
the object Of the gift would have been bad
taste even in the eyes of Redschid Pasha,
despite his familiarity with French man-
ners; and the exquisite facts of the march
ioness caused her to adopt II form OF eX-
preston so gracefully vague rs could not
wound even the sensitive susceptibility OF
| an Oriental.
1t is, therefore, easy to understand that
it would be singulariy unbecoming to ask
from a Turk any details as to the habits
or customs of the harem, or the character
and manners of the women. Even though
he may have known you familiarity ut
Paris have taken two hundred cups OF
coffee and smoked an equal number of
pipes on the divan with YOU, he will, neN
erthelesS, if you question him ON this sub
ject, stammer and hesitate, and eyade
your inquiries in every possible manner.
Civilization, in this particular, has not ad-
yanccd a single step The only method
to employ, in order really to obtain any
authentic information, is to request some
European lady. who is Wen introduced
and has access to the tarenS. to recount
to YOU faithfully that which She has seen.
For 4 man, he may AS we'll abandon III
once the idea of knowing any thing more
OF the Turkish beauties than he is able to
gather from the glimpses which he may
snatch by surprise from beneath the awning
of an utmbU, through the window OF /
| t0lt{tt, or beneath the shade OF the cypress
es OF the cemetery, ut some moment when
heat OF solitude has caused momentlrI
and partial Withdrawing of the Veil.
Bv the SWrnt Waters of Asia-by lean
ing mmoya oly again-ta tree or the touu-
tain in the attitude OF one who is lost in
profound reycrie--l have been able TO
catch 4 glimpse OF more than one lovely
face but impertectlv concealed by a thin
veil OF gauAe half Withdrawn, and more
than one snowy throat cleaning between
the folds of half-open ftfttlyr while the
eunuch was walking at 4 little distance,
or gazing upon the steamboats, ON the
B0sporus, assured by my assured air OF
drowainess and abstraction,
The Turks however. see more Of them
than the Giaours do They never pass be
yond the Sc}tmlich, even in the houses OF
their most intimate friends; and they are
acquainted with no women but those Of
their own harems When the inmates of
one harem visit those OF another the W Nell
known custom Of placing the slippers Of
the visitors upon the threshold of the haI-
EN- which they are visiting at once an
nounces the presence Of strangers, and in
terdicts the entrance of the odtllch, even
to its own master, who thus finds himself,
ut any moment. shut out from Il part OF
his own house. An immense female pop
ulaton, anonymous and unknown, circu-
ates through this mysterious city, which
is thus transformed into a sort OF vast
masquerade, With the popularity that the
domnoes are never permitted to unmask
The father and the brother are the only
males who are allowed to behold the face,
of the daughters and sisters who rigidly
| veil themselves for any relative oi remoteI
degree and thus q Turk may, in his whole
life, have seen but halt Il dozen faces of
Moslem women
The possession Of large ard numerous
harems is restricted to viZiers, pashas,
beyS, and other persons OF either great
wealth or high rank, for their mainten-
ance is enormously expensive, especially
US each female who becomes Il mother is
entitled to her separate apartments and
| her own suite of slaves The Turks of
middle rank have rarely more than one
wife (although legally entitled to espouSC
four. together with perhaps three or toul
purchased female slaves; and tor them the
rest of the sex remain in the condition OF
!
u myth OF chlmerl. 1t is true that they
can compensate themselves by looking al
the women OF other races-the Greeks
,JeWesses, and Armenians together Will
the few European ladies who extend then
travels SO far; but Of the females Of thel
own people they know absolutely nothing
beyond the walls of their own harens.
The sentiment of love and the delica
cies of courtships are, necessarily, almos
unknown to the Moslemah. A Turk who
wishes to marry has recourse to some wo
man of mature age, who exercises the
profession of a matrimonial negotiator
This woman trequents the baths, and gives
him minute description Of the persona
charms of a certains number of Asmes,
Rouchens, Nourmahals, Lcilas and Other
beauties of marriageable age, taking prop
er care, of course. to adorn with the great
est profilsion of metaphors the portrait o
the young girl whom she herself favors,
or whom it is her interest to select. The