The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1877-12-07
TURKISH WOMEN.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning Their Mar.
ket Value.

A writer in the American Regtster. {
Paris, says: European society has bee
aware for some considerable period tha
women in the East are sometimes wort
their weight literally in gold. Strange ste
rles have occasionally been recounted @
beautiful Circassian ladies sold at priyat
sale for S25, 600 apiece; but then, of course
these prices are exceptions, and the pur
ehasers vlceroys, sultans and ministers o
finance to whom money was no object
Ihe Eastern middle class comprising sucl
small fry as Aghas, Effendis, Bashis, Bim
bashis, and the like, it is asserted, expenc
sums varying from $1,000 to 5000 in the
purchase OF. their better halves, but hither-
TO we have had no indication of the market
yalnMa ne IF we wfmnp 2. 1,naGas n i tl,e -,
Barnaby, i'll bis intereSting account of a
ride through Asia Minor, to enlighten us
on the subject of women considered as a
marketable commodity among the lower
strata Of Eastern society.
1t must be understood that we do not in
clude in this classification such abnormal
people as Kurds, Bedouins, Circassians, and
the like, these people generally stealing
their wives, just as they steal everything
else. Captain Barnaby relates that his
Turkish servant, who was given to such
eccentricities as praying five times day,
and who may, therefore, be regarded as
genuine type of his class, reyeled in the
luxury of one wife. Monogamist by cir
cumstances, this Turkish servant had pur-
chased his wife of her father for $50, and
she was considered bargain at the price,
her father being an extravagant indivi,iual
over head and ears in Gcbt to money lend
ers and who was disposed 10 sacrifice his
property for ready money. .,-e
1t now remains to be seen what the Tur-
kjsh savaut got for his $50. 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 pre-
pairing soup, and was thus possessed of
way to the heart of II man OF d permanent
and enduring character. She looked two
ways at once, which must have enhanced
her value, seeing that she has only one eye
disposable at any one time for the purpose
of investigating her husbands delinquen-
cies, which were numerous, as is usually
the case with mankind, and, finally, she
weighs 100 pounds.
Women in the East are generally yalua-
be in proportion to their weight, which is
the great desideratum, other qualities be-
lug regarded us mere accessories. The
wife of the Turkish servant of Captain Bar
n"by must, therefore, according to her
weight, have been worth so cents per
pound. Now, if We set aside 25 cents per |
pound for such extraordinary qualifications
as the arts of preparing such palatable |
soups and sayory stews, we are forced to |
the conclusion that the mass of ordinary |
Eastern women, reckoned at their current
nannd are POL NEorth ers than 25 cents per
as no society can progress where women
are SO cheap it would seem desirable that
Russia should prevail in bsr struggle with
Turkey, if only for the purpose of giving
Eastern women higher value monetarial-
Iy, as well as morally, in Eastern society.