Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-11
Among the Afghans.

. 'iiSi vi tdudi Is ueciareu Dy
oriental traditions to be one of the very
sites of the Garden of Eden. Displeas-
ing as it may be to the ''unco guild, -
VINO wall Historically over their own
countrymen and cOuntrywomen as the
most depraved and dunscrupulous beings
on the globe, ana who are Just now
taking the blameless and i'll used AZ
ghans to their bosoms, the plain truth
Is that Afghan men and women are no
better than they should be and consid-
erabiy worse. In accordance with the
national character for suspicion and
intrigue and corruption, an Afghan
dwelling house is like an Afghan boor-
kaposh-a whitened sepulchre. The
nat roofs Of the houses have generally
parapet wall formed of railwork,
thickly overlaid with mud, and five or
six feet high, to allow the woman of
the family TO take an airing unveiled,
as their lords are very jealous about
their being overlooked. During our
former occupation of the city. an off,
Ger who had ascended to the upper part
OF the Bala Hissar TO get good view of
the surrounding country, was credited
with looking at some woman half a
mile below him, and received deli
cate hint in the shape of ball from a
jejail whizzing past his head. But,
however much an Afghan would think
himself disgraced by his wife's face be-
ing exposed 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 consideration.
The wives may go wherever they
please in their boorkaposhes, to shop or
to visit relations, but they must keep
their purdah, otherwise, avoid 4 scan
DIAL. In some of the walls facing the
street little loopholes with tiny shut
tiers 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
stolidly gazing at vacancy through a
wider aperture below. Here is a pic
ture of an Afghan beauty behind the
purdah: The blue-black hair is plas-
tered down stiff with gums in various
forms on the head, and, from the roots
behind, plated into numerous long
tails, hanging over the shoulders and
back. The outer margin of the ears all
around is pierced and decorated with
rows of small silver rings, larger ones
hanging from the lobes. The neck and
breast are tat;oOed and dotted over with
little figures of stars and flowers. The
lastrous black of the ewes is further
enhanced by loading the lids with soor-
ma or black antimony. The checks 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 be-
low the waist and paljamas, or wide
trousers, of silk or other colored mate
rial, form the indoor costume. On go
ing out, leggings of cotton cloth, gar
tered at the kne9, walking shoes of red |
or yellow leather, and the indispensa-
bic boorkaposh are added. A lady of |
the kuzztibash tribe is sometimes dis
by the further addition of |
a black horse-hair veil, and il is also
considered chic to wear a vinaigrette |
filed with altar of roses or other scent |
on the forehead Afghan ladies exer-
else considerable influence Ove- their
spouses, both in domestic and political
affairs. Savage and intractable as the
men usually are among themselves, it
is qnite beautiful to see how submissive
they can become 10 the discipline OF the
Harem Serai. An officer has been late
ly telling us in the Times how Shere
Ali has the slipper applied to his au-
gust head by the mother of his de-
ceased heir, Abdulia Jan, and it was
well known that Shere Ais own mo-
ther, knadijah, "A daughter of a Populzia
noble, was paramount in his father
Dost Muhammed's, zenana, to the ut
Ter disgust of the thirteen other wives.
The dost's own mother, though with
l Persian tint in her blood, and consid-
cred, therefore. mesdiliiance, was new
the favOrite of the eight wives
IF his father, Payandah Khan. She was
he only one who could prevail on the
I'D Sirdir when on a campaign or a
carney to march at decent hour of
he morning, for which his followers
Ised to bless her. When any of the
,ther seven were with him he gener-
lily struck his tent I'm the middle of the
hight, as if in 4 hurry to get away from
hem.