The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1880-10-26
SECRETS or raH HARBM.
The Inside View Of Whi'e Slavery
IN Turkey One Of the Sources
Of the Decline Of the Sui
tsn's Empire.

two distinct parts, the seinmllk .oDd
the harem. the former being reserved
fur the Den the latter for the women.
This division exists in the palace of
the sultan Is we'll ss in the houses Of
the simple artisAns. In public car
riages. tramways or trains. women
have their reserved places. protected
by q curtain from the gaze IT the peo-
pie The thousands ut women who
are in the harem If the sultan and of
the princes at the imperial family are
all slaves. There is not single rich
or well.to-io family in Turkey that
d.,es not Pssess u certain number -:
women AID girl slaves. the former
from Central a RIGA and Nubis the
latter are Circas-isns, sold by their
parents. This latter commerce is III.
tpgether free. As To the Commerce III
the nesresses. il j. under the surveil-
lance of the different coun-ulstes. and
more especially Ut that of England
the white slaves were formerly bought
in Georgia and Circassia Russia.
since she has conquered Circassia. has
prohibited this Commerce: but many
families have emisrated to Turkev.
and they bring up several young girl.
To sell them rs slaves. There are mo-
longer public markets Of slaves, and
young girls are NO longer bought ~
fDrm-riy at the bazaar. but there are
hous-s known nv the authorities where
they are exposed for -ald. Children
of some years are sold BY Caucasian
families; the price varies. according
to the beauty Of the children. from
som. hundreds If thousands Of riss
ters. In an ordinary time girls Of iif-
teen ar sixteen. ana who are reslly
b-sutiiul. are s"ld tor about lon. 900
pissters -over 81 900.
THE Ugly WOMEN
are employed for domestic work. while
those who are pretty are taught to
sing. dance and write. The question
Of slavery is veil understood by the
different emhassirs ut Constantinople.
Embassadors' wives visit the hsrems
IF the sultan. pashas aud beys. They
psss q whole day there sDmeiimes.
breakfasting and dining in the harems
sni b.ing waited upon by slaves.
Often on the very day that their
wives are visiting the harems. the
ambassadors send in protest against
slavery. having noted the arrival Of q
ship load Of black slaves from Africa
A. to the hundreds Of thousands Of
white slaves who make up the harem-.
nothing il said Of these. This slavery
is one Of the sources If the decline IF
Turkey. The law authorizes every
Turk tn marry fur wives aud to have
as manv cuncubines As his pure wilt
allow him. The sultans, having re-
nounced political marriages with
Christians, aud with daughters Of their
subjects. only live with slaves. The
slaves who b-come mothers are raised
tn the rank o. caiioe. but never to
the rank ot wife. for the sultan do-s
not marry. In his quality Of khalif-
he Is too much above 4 slave to cnn
s-ses q marriage With her. Ab5"i
Ha:rid has fur cadines. Besides. the
Sultan Abdul Hand has. according
to custom. for his attendants. forty
vouny girls. chusen from the most
beautiful. They dress and undres~
MIN. and accompany him to the hath.
The cadine who displeas-s most is de-
pns-d. These ladies maids bear the
name Of ''odalisqnes." ~ "adsleuk" in
Turkish. Those that becnme fsvoriies
with the sultan are called "ikb,l."
The other slaves Of the palace perform
all inferior duty; some are trsined TO
dance and form . corpse de ballet;
others tn sing aud are kept for that
purpose only Cooking j. generally
perfnmed BY men in Turkey:
AT THE PALACE,
~ we'll rs in private houses. III. cocks
are for the m'e: part Armenians The
sultan Abdul Hamiii- too iond of tine
hsr ~, Iik. b hro'' or the - Sultan
Muurx,i. AMI like his istter. tine late
Sultan Abdul M-,.jid A. tn the
prince.ses If the imI~risl family, Gus
tom gives them the power to chouse
tie own husbands. Thy often ~
out in carriages and walk out; thus
they have every opportunity # select
ing . husband. who i, generally speak
ing, a young hey" Of go"d family
Very often the youth learns his is'e
when il is decided that he Is to marry
= princ-ss. When the princess has Sc
lected snme one she ininrms the moth.
er Of the sultan. and the lsiier informs /
her 500. The young "bey" j. no, al. |
ways pleased. hut he must pretend to
be 80; il he h ,ws any sign of dis
pleasure, he is exiled and his family
ruined. From the very moment that
! young man il selected BY . princess.
his life cannot he called his o~n. He
3 raised to . high rank. in the army