, 1878-08-01
About Turkish Wives.

First among Turkish social topics is
that of the harom. The Koran allows a
Mussulman TO have four wives and many
persons have consequently imagined that
polygamy is the rule in Turkey, whereas
it is the exception. A Mussulmaa may
only have as many wives as he can keep
in comfort; and it is only the very rich
who can afford to keep four. The mid
die class Turks have only one wife apiece; :;
the men of the lowest class are often
obliged to remain single from not having
the means to support consOrt in the
style ahiCh the MOslem law enjoins.
Nothing can he more un-Turkish than
the Mormon idea of aCCumulating u
number of women to live under one roof,
quarreling in the kitchen and parlor, and
acting rs household drudges for their
husband The Turkish wife is not slave I;
the chief fault to find with her is that
she has too lofty a sense Of her Gwn dig
nily. An advocate of female rights
would have some difficulty in persuading
her that her lot was pitiable; she has
never envied the emancipation of Chris
tian women, whose free ways shock her ;
while she has noticed that they get much
less respect from the men of their faith
than that which is invariably vouchsafed
to herself. She wells her face with no
more regret than IL Western lady unveils
her shoulders. Turkish women are not
shut up. They go out when they please,
attended by their adoliks, if rich, or
holding their children by the hand; and
their magic voices fill the bazaars, for
they are noisy takers. Wherever they
pass, men OF all creeds stand aside defer
entially. If husband meets his wife III
the street he makes no sign of recogni-
ton.
A Turkish house is divided into two
parts-the selamlik for the men, the hare
milk for the women; and the latter has
as many separate suites of apartments as
there are ladies. A Turk who has but
one wife may require q large haremlik if
his mothers and sisters live with him. for
each of these ladies must have her private
set of rooms and servants for her separate
use. There must be no crowding and no
mixing of domestics in well-ordered es
tablshment; so that if there be four
wives they need never see one another un-
less they please. The first wife is called
the hanun, and takes precedence over the
others all her life. She has right to the
best rooms and to fixed share of her
husbands income, which he must not re-
duce to minister to the caprice of his
younger spouses. AS these points have
generally been settled through the ule-
mas or priests before the wedding, ha-
nuns jonture is as safe as that of q
Frenchwoman who has had contract
drawn up by notary. During the last
twenty years monogamy has become
more and more the rule among Turks
of the highest class, and even among
those who have two or three wives, the
hanun has gradually come to be regarded
as having the same rank as the mistress
of Christian house. She visits and en-
tertains the hanuns of other gentlemen,
but keeps aloof from other wives of the
second and other degrees. These are not
equals in her sight, being genFally ladies
of lower social status, who have not
brought any dowry to husband. Time
was when pasha would take four wives
of an equal degree, all being daughters
of other pashas or of the Sultan, and all
richly portioned, but manners have al
tered in this respect; at all events, in the
European part Of Turkey. 1t must not
be supposed, however, that hanun cher
ishes any such jealous hatred of her fel
low wives as is felt by Christian wife
who sees her husband tlirt with strange
women. She is content with the largest
share Of her husbands respect, without
demanding his exclusive devotion.-PaN
Mall Gazette