The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-08-31
THE HAREM.


rhe Tulips Palace-The Real TURKISH
Harem-APatrfarcha View OF H.
From the New York Commercial Adveriser.l
The tragedy which has just been en-
acted on the shores of the Bosphorus, IN |
he Palace of the Tulips, where the ex-
Sultan was temporarily residing, excites
n the reader desire to learn something
more than he already knows relative to
the inner life of the Turks. 1t can be
said that Abdul Aziz owes his dethrone-
ment and his death-either suicidal or
his fondness for the
harem. In the beginning of his reign
he had declared himself to be a Monog-5
amist, but lately he reconstructed his
harem, and spent there his strength
and his treasures. Still, the harem-at
least that of the ordinary Turks not
as bad as is ordinarily thought; and,
though written from a pro-Turkish
standpoint, the following letter from
Mr.. Butler-J ohnstone, recently publish
ed in the London papers, gives a pretty
fair idea of it. He says that it would
astonish many people to be told that the
harem is nothing more nor less than the
Turkish "home," and as such is invest
ed with quite as much sanctity and
purity in the eyes of a Turk as in those
of European. l am certainly not go
ing to enter into the stupendous ques-
ton of the
RELATION OF THE Sexes
nor to defend the Mussulman in COM
parison with the Christian view on this
subject, but I would wish to make one
or two observations with reference to it.
The first is that the prevalent belief in
Europe that the Mussulman system de-
MES the possession of souls by the wo-
men is like so many other current no.
tons, simply erroneous; secondly. that
although pelygamy is not prohibited by
the Mohammedan any more than by
the Jewish code, yet that public opin-
ion in Turkey has set strongly in favor
of monogamy, which has now become
the rule, and that, as a matter of fact,
the instances of double manages are
rarer in Turkey than elsewhere; and,
lastly, although 1 do not think that
either philosophy or religion has said
it's last word upon this subject, yet that,
all things considered, if the choice only
Law between the inmate of the harem
and the &C emancipated female" do
not think that any rational man would
for a moment hesitate.
However innocent the Turkish wo-
man may be of women's rights out
side the home, within the
PRECINTs OF THE HAREM
she is absolutely supreme. The .cere-
monial and etiquette observed within
its walls would, fancy, rather astonish
the flippant critics of the institution.
The Difference, especially, which is paid
to the mother has no parallel in the
West. The Sultan himself does not
dream of sitting down without leave in
the presence of the Valdez Sultan. Ger
tain institutions sanctioned and hallow-
ed in the West would be absolutely in
conceivable to Turk; such for in
stance as the widow mother quitting the
home and abdicating her position in
favor of the sons wife. This would ap-
pear to him an act of lese-mdture. So
would other institutions and laws, the
story of our age-such as the provisions
OF the Code Napoleon, which enjoin the
compulsory division of mans prop.
ty amorg all his children; ana univer.
sal suffrage, as contradistinguish
from household or domestic suffrage
FOR both these institutions would ap
pear incompatible with parental author
ity, and IN direct conflict with his do
nestle instincts, which are at the root
of his whole character, and upon which
reposes the whole fabric of Eastern so
ciety. For the patriarehal character Of
| THE TURKISH HOME
is it's chief characteristic. Every morn
ing the household gather round theil
head and respectfully kiss his hand
no empty formality with them, but {
] necessity and even Indispensable token
in their eyes, of respectful allegiance
In the household, too, are included no
only the children, but those whom W,
are obliged by the poverty of our Ian
guage to designate as "slaves." No
where in Turkey is the precept of ST
Paul so fully realized, "Ser
wants, be obedient to your masters,
and the son.shall be even as a. ser
want" If, on the one hand, it be tru'
that the unit of the State is the famil,
and not the individual; on the othe,
hand, it may be said that the true ide:
of the family only exists in the East
Nowhere else, too, do people live 81
continually in the presence of eacl
other. A Roman once said, "Built
me house where I shall be seen b,
every one every hour. in the day." TAi
is literally the case in the East. Living
too, continually in the presence of eacl
other, their conduct is subject to an.
influenced by the public opinion o
those around them in way that n,
Europeans can be. Two things are t.
be seen in Turkey which at first sigh
| NAV seem contradictions Int are in re