Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-07-18
SYRIAN LADIES Al HOME.
Women Who Never Go Outside Their
Own Doors.
Boston Traveller


After few moments Madame Me
sAaka entered, making excuses for 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 enioyably with them. They are
Syrian women of the best type, with
fine, bright faces and in European dress,
that of our hostess being an embroid-
cred white wrapper, with red silk girdle
about hel waist, and, like her sister, ar.
titicial flowers in her hair, which latter
is an almost universal custom with these
people il dressed with any pretentions.
Even little girls, when appearing
dressed up all have artificial flowers
on their heads. Both ladies, when they
entered, had over their slippers wooden
clogs, which are used by the peasantry,
and slipped them off before stepping on
the carpet; and, referring to this custom,
they said they were put on when cross
ing the courtyard, from habit, as ii was
often damp, and thus their feet were
raised above the ground.
We thought these must be difficult
to walk with, but they were much anus
ed at the idea, and produced pair which
were much higher than any we had
seen, saying " that those were the kind
a lady wore just after marriage, to make
her look tall and of more importance
than heretofore, raising her nj least a
foot above the ground, but they were
only Worn a short time. ] suppose she
meant until her friends were fully I'M
pressed with her Importance. Refer
ring to our free, untrameled life, Mad
ame-putting her hands to her mouth
several times and throwing them out
gracetully-said How happy we
must be to be able to smell the wind'
She did not doubt but that in the three
days We mad passed in Damascus we
ha seen more than she had seen in
all Z ar life.
According 10 the custom of her race,
the women almost never go outside of
their own doors. Having been married
at IA, she is now, at %, the mother of
five or six children, and shut up with
them within these walls from one years
end to another. We sympathized with
her most heartily when she sighed over
the dizziness of the life it was their lot
to lead. Not, however, nearly as hard
for those who have known no better,
as we know it would be for us unless it
became necessity from i'll health.
The other call we made was on a
wealthy Jewish family, the house being
of the same general design, and fitted
up with great elegance. the walls being
made up ofrare marbles, and spaces be.
tween the windows 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 ali ROBBED in
calico or cambria, but the mother wore
about her neck rare collection of
pearls, and, the guide said, "if one
called on their Sunday they would be
richly arrayed and decorated with dia-
monds.' They were very cordial, and
entertained us as best they could, offer
ing coffee as they had done at the Con-
sulate. And if time had permitted,
other houses would have been open to
us. But the next thing on the pro-
gramme 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 Roman
highway where he was converted. and
in q small church the spot where he
was baptized. All OF which were very
interesting, as well as the different
quarters Of the city-Christian, Jewish
and Moslem-through which we passed.