The Osceola times., 1880-05-22
MARRIAGE IN EGYPT.
Girls Sometimes Betrothed at the Age OF
Five Years and Married at Ten.


When an Egyptian wants wife he is
not allowed to visit the harems of his
| friends to select one. for Mohammed for
babe men to see the face of any woman
they could marry; that is to say, any be.
sides their mothers or sisters. A man,
therefore, is obliged to employ 'khat-
beth, or matchmaker, to find him one,
for which service he expects "back-
sheesh"-that is, payment. The khat-
beth having found girl, recommends
her to the man as exceedingly beautiful
and eminently suitable to HIM. The
father is then waited upon to ascertain
the dowry he requires, for all wives are
purchased as they were in patriarchal
days. When Jacob had no money t.
pay for Rachel he served her father seven
years as an equivalent; and, when
duped, was obliged to serve a second
time to secure his prize. (Gen. xxx. }
Fathers still refuse to give a younger
daughter in marriage before an elder
shall have been married. The people Of
Armenia, in Asiatic Turkey, forbid a
younger son to marry before an elder;
and this is likewise the law of the Hin
docs.
The price of wife varies from five
shiliings to $1,000. The girl may not be
more than five or six years old, but.
whatever her age, two-thirds of the
dowry is at once paid to her father, In
the presence of Witnesses. The father
then, or his representative, says: 81 be.
troth to thee my daughter" and the
young man resi- Ionds, 81 accept of such
betrothal." Unless among the lower
classes, the father expends the dowry in
the purchase of dress, ornaments or fur
niturc for the bride, which never become
the property of the husband. Even
when betrothed the intercourse of the
parties is very restricted. The Arabs
will not allow them TO see each other,
but the Jews are not quite so stringent.
The betrothals often continue for years
before the man demands his wife. Thus
samson went down and talked to the
woman" or espoused her, and "after a
time he returned to take her" Girls
are demanded at the age of ten and be.
tween that and sixteen years; but aftel
sixteen few men will seek them, and the
dowry is then proportionately low.
Girls IN Egypt are often mothers at
thirteen and grandmothers at twenty
six; and in Persia they are said to be
HlOtHtTs dl tleNCll, SfdliulnOlleTs ~
twenty-five, and past child-bearing al
thirty. When a man demands his be.
trothed a day is fixed for the nuptials
and for seven nights before he is ex.
pected to give feast, which, however,
is furnished by the guests themselves.
Thus. one sends coffee, another rice, an
other sugar, etc. The principal time o,
this feast is the night before the consum-
nation The conduct is intrusted to the
friend of the bridegroom" John ill.,,
29.) About the middle of the day the
bride arrives at the house and retires to
the harem, where she sits with her
mother, sisters and female friends. AT
the third or fourth watch of the night
three or four hours after sunset-the
bridegroom, who has not yet seen his
fair one, goes to the mosque to pray, ac-
companied by "meshals," or torches and
lanterns, with music. Upon his return
he is introduced to his bride, with
whom, having given her attendant a
present to retire, he is left alone. He
then throws off her veil, and tor the frs
time sees her face. If satisfied, he in
forms the women outside, who immedi
ately express their joy by screaming
"Zuggareet,' which is echoed by the
women in the house and then by those
in the neighborhood.