Connecticut western news., 1876-06-23
WHITE SLAVERY IN TURKEY.
How Wives nre Bought In COnsfantinOple-
 The Flowers of tho HRrem.

A correspondent of the London Tunes says: Since the advance of Russia on the region of the Caucasus has either lei to the subjugation or immigration of the Circassians, the recruiting of wives for the wealthy Turks can only be car ried on under difficulties, and the busi- ness is reducedto profitable but rather petty retail trade. The business is gen erally managed as follows: A Moslem dealer, agent, or broker travels to the happy land where beauty and virtue may be bought, guaranteed first hand. He makes choice of four young, unso- phisticated girls, marries them, imports them to Constantinople, keeps them as pure as when they were in their mater nal homes, sells them, and then goes back for another "lot;" and if he can only achieve four such trips in 8 year, he can mako decent living out of six teen women-a noble, self-denying, and useful trade, tolerated by the govern. ment and consistent with the Moham
 medan code. Many of the Circassians are settled in Turkey, and there actually breed children for sale, having no more shame about it than fashionable Eng fish mother may feel about bringing out her girls for the matrimonial market. The Circsssian, however, does not care for rank or family connections, but for hard cash. Fatima is knocked down to bey or pasha, her father takes his baksheesh, and the girl becomes the mistress of harem till her successor ar rives. I can meanwhile positively assure you that there are in Stamboul as many as twenty-four houses whs re the sale of Circassian and other girls is freely car ried on. A young Mussulman of my acquaintancet told me that at one of these beauty shops he was offered frst-rate article, for which he was asked $50 Turk ish lire, and he offered 150 lire.
 That even the constant supply of Cir cassian and Georgian slaves has little effect toward improving ths breed of Turkish women we may argue from the specimens of the "flowers of the harems ''-fne types of womanhood as they originally are-whom we see driv- ing up and down the Grand Rue de Pera, especially on Friday afternoon. On this, their weekly holiday, these lovely beings do not disdain to parade their charms before the despised Gia- ours, the gossamer texture of their yash- macks allowing one to descry their fea- l were removed. How little real beauty there is to be seen among them must be obvious to any one who compares them with the bevies of fresh-colored, ele- gantly shaped Greek and other Levan- tine girls who are tripping along the muddy footpaths every day, and at all hours of the day, to say nothing of the dainty European ladies out for a shop ping in their Sedan chairs. As an ordi nary sight inside Turkish carriage you have here the ample Georgian dowager lolling back in her carriage, shapeless mass of obesity, uneasily blowing and grooming; there, in the next vehicle, the faded shadow of Circassian belle, thi1 and skinny, leaning forward with eagel curiosity, flirting with her yashmack anxious to attract attention, the vacuity of her mind visible through all he
 affected iveliness, the spell of her smile made haggard by the paint on he
 cheeks, and the black dye on her hair eyebrows, and even eyeids. Of thu genuine article of youthfulfe female beaut. little indeed makes its appearance.