The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-11-08
purenase Value of Turk ish women


] American Register, Paris.
European society has been aware LOT
some considerable period that women Ia
/ the East are sometimes worm their
weight in gold Strange stories nave
occasionally been recounted Of oesutiiui
Circsssian ladies sold at private sale LOT
| $4,000 piece; but then OF course, these
prices are exceptions, and the purchasers
| Viceroys, Sultans and Ministers OF FL
| nance, to whom NOR ey was no OBJECT
The Eastern middle class, comprising
such small fry as Aghss, Etfendis, Basins
Bimbashi and the like, it is asserted
usually expends sums varying from ST.
600 to $1,000 in the purchase OF their bet
ter-hslves, but hitherto we have had no
indication of the market value OF women
among the working classes in the East.
1t has been reserved to Captain Barn.
ably, in his interesting account OF ride
through Asia Minor, TO enlighten US on
the subject of women considered as
marketable commodity among the lower
strata of Eastern society. 1t must be un-
derstoOd that we do not include IN this
classification such abnormal people as
Kurds, Bedouins, Circas5ians, and the
like, these people generally stealing their
wives Just rs they steal everything else.
Captain Barraby relates that his Turk
ish servant, who was given to such &C.
centricities as praying five times day,
and who may therefore, be regarded as
genuine type OF his class, revelled IN
the luxury of one wife. Monogamist by
force of circumstances, this Turkish SER
want had purchased his wife oil her father
for fifty dollars, and she was consid-
cred bargain at the price, her father
being I'D extravaganza individual, over
head and ears IN debt TO money lenders,
and disposed to sacrsfce his property Tor
ready money. 1t now remains to be
seen what the Turkish servant got tor
his fifty dollars, in order that we may
form fair idea of the money value OF
Eastern women. The lady in question
was good cook, skilled in the art of
preparing soup, and was thus possessed
OF way TO the heart Of q man OF u per-
manant and enduring character, she
looked two ways at once, which must
have enhanced her value, seeing that
she had only one eye disposabe at any
one time for the purpose OF investigating
her husbands delinquencies, which were
numerous as usual the case with man
kind; and, finally she weighed one hun
dred pounds. Women in East are gen
orally valuable IN proportion to their
weight, which is the great desideratum,
other qualities being regarded as mere
accessories. The wife of the Turkish |
servant of Captain Barnaby must there
fore, according to her weight, have been
worth half dollar per pound. Now If
we set aside quarter OF a dollar per |
pound for such extraordinary qualtica.
tons as the arts OF preparing palstable
soups and savory stews, we arc forced +,
to the conclusion that the mass of orCi-
nary Eastern women reckoned at the |
current value are not worth more than
one quarter OF a dollar per pound. Now
this Is q very low figure, and as no So
ciety can progress where women are 50
cheap. it would seem desirable that
Russia should prevail in her struggle
with Turkey if only for the purpose OF
giving Eastern women higher value
monetarily as well as morally, in Eastern
society.