The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-26


a hammock of it. tying the ends
together, and, placing the baby in it swings it
over her shoulder. If she stops at store or
shop she hangs the baby up by hooking the
hammock over the front door knob When the
baby gets old enough. say a year old. it sits
astEide one of her soldiers, holding on to the
mothers head gear while mother holds on to one
OF babys feet. The flies and heas love baby
very much. He fights against them at frst, but
soon abandons the field to them, and they have
their own way He rolls and sleeps in the dirt,
IS used to it and thrives. He gets to be eight
years of age and must go to school Trouble
now begins IL real earnest. About all the educa-
ton he needs is to be able to read the Koran.
He sits eross4egged at a little desk ten inches
high He must bob his head up and down, bend
ing the body from the hips TO suit the motion,
and say over, as fast and loud as possible-the
best scholar is the one who makes the most
noise-that which he is taught to say. Well,
with one hundred people in the room, one can
understand without hearing, that there is some
what of an uproar IN Mohammedan school
room A herce old fellow is the school
master He doesn't have switch
or ruler, as some of us used to be accustomed to,
but stick, five -eighths of an inch thick and
about three and a half feet long. He is oecu-
pied in using it almost all the time Of the school
session. There is nothing poetical about his
manner of proceeding. He just fevches the boy
a crack over the head which stuns him; and
then. before he rally, old pedagogRe takes him
by the neck and whirls him over onto the floor,
blows with his club the back, each one
of which is enough, one would think, to
break the ribs loose from the vertebra.
He then mops the floor with him a little, and,
lifting him, slams him down into his seat 1t is
altogether the hveliest school system ! know
anything of. The governments protects the
schoolmastErs in their policy. else would the
boys cDnspire, at sixteen, and kill him. Having
learned to read the Koran, and to repeat few
sayings of wise men, he is graduated out into
the world to begin to do for himself. He meets
with kicks and cuffs on every turn, just like no
bodyis dog, until he can do for himself He
seems to thrive under such vigorous discipline
at least is apparently the better for it.
If the baby is girl she fares better while young
as she. does not have to go to school. But.
raised in idleness she soon acquires very bad
habits. She is taught to consider the chief busi
ness of life to be the getting of a husband. How
ever, this is much like it is in America, The
eourtship business is not very sentimental. The
young man sees the young lady whom he wants
for wife. He commentaries his desire to the
parents, and, agreeable, they transact the
business for the contracting parties. The young
man, at the proper time, goes to the
mosque and makes his statement to
the ealiph, and then goes home.
Afterwards, the young lady is blindfolded and
led through the streets. preceded and sur
rounded by her friends who blow horns, beat
drums, and shout all sorts Of discordant noises
to the mosque. where she makes her statement
to the caliph, also. She is accompanied by a
number of boys, eight or ten wears of age, who
are subjected to the rite of circumcision at the
same time The bride is then led away to the
home of her husband, who meets her at the door
and touches her with his finger She then re-
turns to the home of her parents for eight days
after which she lives with her husband
The Koran allows man to have four wives.
He may have as many concubines as he pleases.
Things are very loose in such matters among the
| Egyptians Syrians and Turks. The law of di-
vorce is this: a man may put away his wife
whenever he pleases He must return to her
| the dover she brought him. and go before the
caliph, and simply formally that he has put
her away. 1t IS important that parents give as
| large dover to their daughters as possible. The
larger. of course, the less likelihood
| of divorce. This is a very easy
and inexpensive way to secure a
| divorce. No more so than it would be in Chi
cage, hut very much more simple and conven-
lent. The old Turk at IarnRcR, IN the island of
/ Cyprus, sent on board our steamer two women
/ that had been sent him from Constantinople for
wives six weeks before, that he was returning
as not sulting him. with instPuctAons to get
| him two more. This thing of course is net the
rule. Nine outof ten married men have but
/ one wife They cannot afford more than one,
and then is poverty blessing.
The vile is but a toy. In no sense is she the
equal of her husband, and in the least sense his
companion She locks alter the affairs of the
household, prepares her husbands meals, but
does not eat with him. and her business in life is
simply to CRAFTY his desires She is passion
\ ately fond of dress and jewelry-a weakness of
4 the seK-aHd more given to smoking than the
\ men, possible ldleHess, of course, is confined
\ to the welEto-de class Among the poor the
women are abject slaves. They carry great
4 burdens, labor in the fields, and do vast
amount of hard work. One cannot but
\ be impressed with what Christianity has
done for women and children In Christian
lands woman takes her place by mans side as
helpmate and companion. 1t is never SO in
i other lands Children are reared and governed