Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-09-09

HioIe, 10 eApeHdeu IOf nef use. Inc artl-
Giles thus bought belong to her under all
circumstances, and she takes them away
in case she is divorced.
Two or three nights before the wedding
the bridegroom hangs lanterns in front of
mis- house to indicate what is coming, and
these lanterns remain there till after the
wedding. On the last night of his bache
lorhood he gives party, and it is pleas
ing custom of the country that the per
sons invited to this party are expected to
bring or send presents, so that the enter
tainment generally pays for itself, and
very handsomely, too. Traces of this
custom are found in American weddings,
where relatives and friends of the victims
are expected to come down with valuable
articles that may be useful in housekeep-
ing or otherwise.
The day before the bride is TO be brought
nome she goes to the bath; her feminine
friends and relatives accompany her in
procession. In front are the musicians,
then come married relatives, then unmar
ried girls, and then the bride.
She walks under a canopy of bright
cOlored silk, carried by four men, who
sustain pole at each corner The cano-
Ply is open in front but closed on the sides,
and the bride, walking beneath it, is COM
pletely concealed by her dress, which
generally consists of red silk or a red
Cashmere shawl over her ordinary cloth
ing. Two of her friends walk with her
under the canopy, one on each side, and
the procession is ended by couple of mu-
sicians and the ag-tag Of small BOYS that
adhere to professions in all parts of the
globe.
The party remains several hours in the
bath, which is generally hired for the oc-
caslon, and they sometimes have grand
feast there. Then they return to her
house and have another feast, and on the
following afternoon she is taken to the
brldegrOOms house in procession SINH
lar to that Of the bath. She is conducted
to the harem; her friends sup with her,
and then depart.
The same evening the bridegroom goes
to one of the mosques, accompanied by
musicians, torch-bearers and friends. He
says his prayers, goes home, sups with his
| friends, and leaves them after time to
| pipes and coffee, while he proceeds to the
| harem. There he finds the bride and her
attendant. The latter retiIes the bride
groom lifts the veil from the brides head,
and for the first time sees her face.
So much for the forms of courtship and
marriage. Another important element of
| matrimOny is divorce, and it is more
prevalent than in our own country, for the
| reason that it is easier. Indiana and other
States famous for their facilities for IN
splicing married couples might Earn
something from benighted Egypt, and
something, in the language of the popular
| advertisement, to their advantage Divorce
is fashionable, and every respectable man
must indulge in it,
During the first few days of my stay IN
Cairo our party employed guide whom
we found at the hotel. He was an intelli-
gent Mohammedan, speaking French
quite we'll, and his certificates of character
were most fattering. While [ was CUES
tioning him about marriage customs he de-
clared, with no appearance of regret in
any form, 4" | have had nine wives, and
am now living with my tenth. When [
don't like wife divorce her."
The whole story is told in the last SEN
tenoe Of hisre mark" When | don't like a
wife | divorce her." and the only form of
divorce necessary is for the husband to
say to the wife, in the presence of single
witness, "I divorce you" No residence
in Chicago or Indianapolis is necessary !;
there are no lawyers to be engaged and
fees to be paid; no troublesome affidavits
about incompatibility of temper and the
like are to be signed; nor must one stretch
his conscience in making oath to any
document. Say only, Il divorce you"
and the work is accomplished.
As a consequence Of these facilities, the
people of Egypt are very much married.
Men can be found in Cairo, by the hun
dred, who have had as many as twenty or
thirty wives in half that number of years,
e'i10 hOhhSAi WIZ 11hfO A1CiIl Gl1C saint Dlu-
rality OF husbands in a similar time. But
divorced women are not considered as de-
sirable as those who have never been mar
ried, and consequently these frequent di-
yorces fall more heavily upon them than
upon men. The present intelligent ruler
of Egypt is we'll aware Of the debasing
effect of the marriage laws, and has i'm
proved them in several ways.
Polygamy is becoming less popular
every year, and would probably die out
altogether, in course of time, if it were
not expressly sanctioned by the Koran. I
was told that among the middle and upper
classes there was not one husband in fifty
who had more than one wife Polygamy
is more prevalent among the lower class
es, but even there it is not common. The
legal number of wives is four, but not one
man in 500 in Cairo or Constantinople
avails himself of the privilege.-Thos. ".
Knor, IN H0Tpers Bazaar.
An Army of Rats.
SUCH scenes as that described from the