Omaha daily bee., 1882-11-14

oulclals BeIectlng m ma1dens that few
il any, of the poorer classes are evel
permitted to enter the lists. These
officials accept brides and presents
from peasants and guardians, and make
decent fortunes every year at the time
OF selection. Towards the close oil
the reign of Sultan Abdul Medgid,
that monarch one night refused tc
select a wife from amongst those who
were presented to him, and breaking
through the ring, selected q poor girl
who was standing il the crowd selling
flowers, to the astonishment of all
the Pashas and Beys pres.
ent. For several years after this the
officials conscientiously did their duty,
selecting the prettiest girls, prospect.
i've of the positions or influence OF
their parents; now, however, bribery
and corruption will open the door to Q
rich girl, to the detriment of a poor
one, who may be ever 80 much more
beautiful than the favored one The
number Of maidens allowed to compete
is 101, and when the election Is com.
plete, invitations, or rather imperial
commands, are issued for them to
attend, with instructions as to dress.
The dress consists of a large white
linen sheet thrown over the shoulders
in Roman fashion, and sandals to the
feet. All the maidens have to dress
alike, leaving their hair hanging, and
no gems or ornaments of any descrip.
ton are permitted.
HOW YHE SELECTION is MADE.
On the night of the ceremony the
sultan proceeds to the suliemanich
mosque on the Stamboul side of the
Golden Horn, accompanied by all the
palace officials, ministers of state and
pashas, all in gala uniform, and sur
rounded by his aids-de.camp in their
picturesque costumes, representing
the various nationalities over which
his majesty reigns supreme. The
streets through which he passes are
lined with soldiers, who, to make the
scene more Elective and to illuminate
their masters passage, have Chinese
lanterns stuck on their bayonets, and
military bands play the sultan's march
at short distances along the
route. Arriving at the Suleimanich
mosque, his majesty is conducted
to the holy carpet, wherein he al.
ways stands during the service, and
where he hears the regulation sermon,
or rather advice, preached by the
Sheichul. Eslam, in which he is en-.
joined to be a good and true Mussul.
man, and to take warning by the mis-
hap which befel his ancestor Selma
in that very mosque, because he took
only one wife unto himself. His
majesty stays in the building for about
half an hour, after which he proceeds
to the square facing the mosque, where
great preparations are made for
his reception. On q large tenn
elevation are all the digni.
taries of the state, the clergy of
the Imams, Mollahs, and Hawagas
occupying the places of honor. In the
centre is a Pavilion of scarlet velvet,
embroidered In gold, with the "Tou-
or sultan's monogram, which is
always the official emblem Of Turkey,
hanging in each corner. It is covered
at the top, and supported by four sill.
yer columns, thus leaving the sides
open. In the pavilion are the Sheich-
u .Islam and the heir to the throne,
while around it stand the 1O1 maidens
drawn in the form of a complete cir
Gle, each maiden being attired in the
white sheet and holding a
towel in her hand, which, being sub.
ject to no restrictions, vary In color,
design and quality.
After a short prayer, the heir to the
throne approaches the sovereign and,
kneeling, offers him two pigeons,
which he begs of him to sacrifice to
the Almighty and invoke his assis.
lance in selecting from amongst the
Outstanding maidens one who will be-
come a faithful wife, a loving mother,
an ornament to the crown and an ex-
ample to other women. The sultan
then takes a knife from his belt, and,
kneeling himself, sacrifices the Big
cons, invoking the help of the prophet
in the selection which he Is about to
make, after which he rises and pro.
ceeds to wash his hands in a golden
basin held by the Shiek. ul- Islam.
His majesty is in no hurry to finish
his additions, however. On the con-
trary he proceeds exceedingly slow,
carefully scanning the pretty girls
surrounding the pavilion meanwhile.
1t must be no easy matter to deter
mine, seeing that all the competing
damsels are very graceful and beauti.
full, and many a little heart must be
throbbing terribly while this examina'
ton goes on. Some of the Caliphs
have been known to continue washing
their hands for an hour, while others
have made their selections In a few
minutes; but it has been generally
remarked that the younger the
Sultan is the sooner he washes
his hands. AS he advances in
years, however, he becomes more diff
cult to please, and being experienced,
takes his time, proceeding with great
deliberation. Having made up his
mind he leaves the pavilion and goes
straight up to the maiden he has se-
lected, and takes from her hands the
towel she is holding, upon which he
wipes his wet hands. No sooner has
he made the selection than the poor,
lurried creature, who by this act has
become the wife of the highest in the
land, is Immediately seized by half a
dozen attending ~eunuchs, who throw a
thick veil over her and rush her off to
a crrriage, which is made for the pur.
pose, the windows of which are of dark
glass, 80 that nobody can see through
them, and the is galloped off to the
palace. The bands strike up, the
artillery roars, the people shout, the
officials congratulate his majesty on
HIS wise selection, and the sultan him.
self looks highly pleased. The palace
treasurer then throws bags of small
coins TO the crowd, and while they are