The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-19
TURKISH WOMEN.
A GREAT DEAL FREER TODAY THAN
THEIR EUROPEAN SISTERS.

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A GREAT DEAL FREER TODAY THAN
THEIR EUROPEAN SISTERS.
The Old Fashioned Covering For the
Face out Of Date-now the Turkish
Ladies Carry ON FHrtations.
The following sketch of Turkish
women Is from Constantinople, trans
lated from the Italian OF Edmondo de
Amicis:
It is great surprise, for the new
conner in Stamboul, after having heard
much OF the slavery and seclusion in
which the female sex is kept, to see
women everywhere, and at all hours OF
the day, going about, as In u European
city. The stranger wonders whether all
those white yelled figures In gay-col-
ored wrappers are nuns. or masquer-
aders, or mad women, and rs not one Is
ever seen accompanied by man, they
seem to belong to nobody, and to be all
great sodality of the misunderstood"
or the Ill married. Are these, then, you
think, those "conquerors Of the heart, !"
those "founts Of pleasure" those little
rose leaves" those "early ripening
grapes" those "dews of morning."
those "full moons," Of which Victor
Hugo and a thousand poets have sung
Are these the hanums and the ada
lisques, the lovely oppressed ones, pris-
oned behind gratings. watched by
eunuchs. walled Off from the world, fit
ting past upon the earth like phantoms,
with q cry Of pleasure, or. a sbriek OF
pain =?
Signor de Amicis assures us that
there Is but little truth in all this poe
try. In the fret place, the Turkish
woman's face is no longer q mystery.
That double veil, the yashmak, which,
according to the Koran, was to be "a
sign and shield OF virtue" is now only
semblance. These jealous screens,
that ought to be OF muslin, and drawn
about the head in such manner as to
leave only the eyes exposed, are In real
| ity or transparent tulle, and 30 loosely
put on that not only the face. but the
ears, neck and hair are seen, and very
often also European hat, trimmed
with flowers and feathers. Thus it hap
pens that just the contrary Of what once
obtained is now the custom, for the
older women, who were always allowed
to uncover the countenance q little,
are now the most closely yelled,
while the younger and especially the
handsome ones, who were once rigor-
| is difficult, the author thinks, to define
the beauty Of the Turkish women. He
sees, when he tries to call up her image,
a fine profile. two black eyes, crimson
mouth, and an expression Of sweetness.
Everything else, shoulders, arms and
waist, is scrupulously shrouded in the
Jerde, a kind Of long tunic furnished
with cape and long wide sleeves,
shapeless garment falling like a sack
from the neck to the feet. Even the
countenance which we are allowed to
Whitens her complexion with almond
and jasmine paste, lehgthens and dark
ems her eyebrows with India ink, tints
her ,eyelids, powders her throat, puts
dark circle around her eyes, wears
patches on her cheeks. But she does it, |
we are assured, with taste, not like the
beauties Of Fee, who paint themselves
with whitewash brush. Our Italian
rhapsodist protests that the greater
part OF the Turkish women have regular
oval faces, the nose a little arched, full
few have dimples also in their cheeks,
beautiful throat, long and flexible and
delicate small hands. Almost all are
plump, and many are above the middle
height; 1t Is rare, we are told, to see a
dumpy or a long thin woman in STAN
boul. But all have a common defect Of
walking with stoOp, and a certain
waddle like that of a big baby suddenly
grown up, which comes, it is said, from
q weakness OF limb caused by abuse OF
the bath, and to some extent also from
the clumsy foot-gear worn out Of doors.
Ii is not uncommon to see very elegant
ladies, who might be credited with
small, delicate feet, daintily clad no
doubt at home, shod in the street with
mems slippers, or long wide boots
wrinkled all over that European rag
picker would disdain. But even in this
way of walking there is, it
seems, a kind Of girlish air not displeas-
ing e. ao,aon, 90 -, a.
counter beautiful figures, comely with a
there is mingling of Turkish, Arabic,
Persian, or Greek blood.
Now it is matron Of thirty, whose
opulent form the fered lie fails to CON
ceal, very tall, with great dark eyes,
full lips, and dilated nostrils, hanums
to strike terror with a look into the
souls Of hundred slaves. Now it is
small and plump, who has
round-face, eyes, nose,
an air Of such mildness
and childishness, Of such placid resig-
l11iou w uSA ucSCluys Iudt pdSSluS near
her you are tempted to pop sugar
plum into her mouth. And there again
are the plant, agile forms of wives of
sixteen, vivacious, ardent, with eyes
orimful Of cunning and caprice, who in
spire in the beholder qualm of pity
'or the poor effendi who would control
hem and the unhappy eunuch whose
post of warder can be no sinecure.
Nothing in fact is more astonishing to s
The Occidental tourist than the Wav
Turkish women have of looking and 6
which excuses, to his think {
ng, the boldest advance. 1t frequently
happens that a European staring fixedly G
1t an Osmanli lady. even one OF high
'ank, is rewarded by smiling glance c
IF aH open laugh, Nor is it rare, either. i
or handsome3ha in carriage to /
give gracious salute with her hand, S
behind the eunuch's lack, to Franklsh c