Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-09-05
Syrian Ladies' at Home.


After few minutes Madame Mesh
aka entered. making excuses fr her
husbands absence, through our inter-
prefer, and requesting most earnestly
that we would make our visit to her,
and soon sending for her sister, who
spoke French, we spent half an hour
very enjoyably with them. They are
Syrian women of the best type, with
fine, bright faces and in European
dress, that of our hostess being an en-
broidered white wrapper, with red silk
girdle about her waist, and like her
sister, artificial flowers in her hair.
which latter is an almost universal Gus
tom with these people if dressed with
any pretentions. Even little girls,
wien appearing " dressed up" oil have
artificial flowers on their heads. Both
ladies', when they entered, had yer their
slippers wooden clogs, which are used
by the peasantry. and slipped them IF
before stepping on the carpet; and,
referring to this custom, they said
"they were put on when crossing the
courtyard, from habit, as it was often
damp, and thus their feet were raised
above the ground"
We thought these must be difficult to
walk on with, but they were much
amused at the idea, and produced q
pair which were much higher than any
we had seen, saying "that those were
the kind lady wore just after marriage,
to make her look tall and of more i'm
at least foot above the ground, but
they were only worn short time" l
suppose she meant until her friends
were fully impressed with her impor-
lance. Referring to our free, untram
meled life, madame-putting her hands
, to her mouth several times and throwing
them out gracefully-said: How
happy we must be to be able to smell
the wind" She did not doubt but
that in the three days we had passed in
Damascus we had seen more than she
had seen in all her life.
According to the custom of her race,
the women almost never go outside OF
their own doors. Having been married
at fourteen, she is now, at twenty" three,
the mother of five or six children, and
shut up with them within these walls
from one years end to another. We sym-
pathized with her most heartily when
she sighed over the dullness of the life
it was their lot to lead. Not, however,
nearly Us hard for those who have
known no better, as we know it would
be for us unless it became q necessity
from ill health. The other call we
made was on wealthy Jewish family
the house being of the same general
design, and fitted up with great ele-
l,n L. Il IF
marbles, and spaces between the win
dows built to initiate temples with
arched roofs and slender pillars. A
fountain in the saloon makes it as cool
and fresh as if we had entered another
country, after coming from the hot,
dusty street.
Here the females were robed in calico
or cambria, but the mother wore about
her neck rare collection of pearls, and
the guide said, eff one called on their
Sunday they would be richly arrayed
end decorated with diamonds" They
sewere very cordial. and entertained us
as best they could, offering coffee as
they had done at the consulate. And
if time had permitted, other houses
would have been open to us. But the
next thing on the program was to ride
about the city and see the old walls,
having the house of Naaman pointed
out and the place where st. Paul was
let down in basket from the wall;
piece of the old II oman highway where
he was converted, and in a small church
the spot where he was baptized. All
Of which was very interesting. as we'll
as the different quarters of the city
Christian Jewish and Moslem-thrOugh
which We passed.