Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-13
NOT VERY GOOD.
The Women and Men Of AfOhanlstan--
How Shere All Is HenpeCked.
New York world.l

The district of Cabul is declared by |
Oriental traditions to be one of the
very sites of the Garden of Eden.
Displeasing as it may be to the "unco
guild, who wall Historically over their
own countrymen and countrywomen
as the most depraved and unscrupu-
lous beings on the globe, and who are
just now taking the blameless and i'll
used Afghans TO their bosom, the
plain truth is that Afghan men and
women are no better than they should
be, and considerably worse. In ac-
cOrdance with the national character
for suspicion, and intrigue, and cor
ruption, an Afghan dwelling house is
like an Afghan boorkaposh-a viii
tened sepulcher. The fat roofs of the
houses have generally a parapet wall
formed of railwork, thickly over
laid with mud, and five or six feet
high, to allow the women Of the fam
lily to take an airing unveiled, as their
lords are very jealous about their
being overlooked. During our former
occupation of the city an officer who
had assembled to the upper part Of the
Bala Hissar to get view of the sur
rounding country, was credited with
looking at some women half mile be-
low him, and received delicate hint
in the shape of ball from a iejail
whizzing past his head. But however
much an Afghan would think himself
disgraced by his wife's face being ex-
posed to the vulgar gaze, he has
not the slightest objection to being
squared to keep her purdah :" or,
in other words, conniving at her con
nubial vagaries for a consideration.
The wives may 60 wherever they
please in their bOokaposhes, to shop
or to visit relations, but they must
keep their purdah," otherwise, avoid
a scandal. In some of the walls fac
ing the street little loop-holes with
tiny shutters exist, through which an
Afghan beauty may be seen glancing
quickly and furtively at the passing
stranger, while her grim old lord and
master sits stolidiy gazing at vacancy
through wider aperture below. Here
is a picture of an Afghan beauty be-
hind the pudah. The blue black hair
is plastered down stiff with gums in
various forms on the head, and, from
the roots behind, plated into numer-
GUS long tails, hanging over the shoul-
ders and back. The outer margin of
the ears all around is pierced and dec
Grated with rows of small silver rings,
larger ones hanging from the lobes.
The neck and breast are tattooed and
dotted over with little figures of stars
and flowers, The lustrous black of
the eyes is further enhanced by load
ing the lids with soorma or black anti
mony. The cheeks are rouged and
picked out with little round moles of
gold and silver tinsel fixed on with
gum. A loose yellow, blue, or red
Jacket Of muslin or silk hanging below
the waist and paijanlas, or wide trous-
ers, of silk or other colored material,
form the indoor costume. On going
out, leggins of cotton cloth, gartered
at the knee, walking shoes of red or
yellow leather and the indispens-
able boorkaposh are added. A lady
Of the kuzzilbash tribe is sometimes
distinguished with the further addi-
ton of a black horse hair vail, and it
is also considered chic to wear a vim
aigrette filed with altar Of roses or
other scent on the forehead Afghan
ladies exercise considerable influence
over their spouses, both in domestic
and political affairs. Savage and in
tractable as the men usually are among
themselves, it is quite beautiful to see
how submissive they can become to
the discipline of the Harem Serai.
An officer has been lately telling us
in the Times how Shere Ali has the
slipper applied to his august head by
the mother Of his deceased heir, Ab-
dulla Jan; and it was well known
that Shere Ais own mother, Khadi-
jah, daughter OF a Bopulzal noble,
was paramount in his father, Dost
Muhammed's, zenana, to the utter
disgust Of the thirteen other wives.
The Dost's own mother, though with
a Persian, tint in her BLOOD, aud con
sidered, therefore, q mesalliapce was
nevertheless the favorite of the eight
wives Of his father, Payandah Kahn.
She was the only one who could pre-
yail on the old Sirdar when on q cam
paigl or Journey TO march AZ a decent
hour Of the morning, for which his
followers used to bless her. When
any Of the other seyen were with him
he generally struck his tents in tho
middle Of Chs hight, Is II ii 4 hurry
TO get away from them.
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