Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-27


Life IN Egyptian Harems.
Described BY Rose e tinge il the New York
Star 3IsszES
You ask if there is any home-life III
Egypt, that old, old land Of science, le-
gend and superstition Of sensuons col
|Eoring, Of semi barbaric SPLENDID ofIsis
and Osiris, Of Cleopatra the magnifii-
cent, and the nnyste pyramids is
there any home-life there? No, cer-
tainly not, as we understand it. OF
course, the people there must eat, drink
and sleep in obedience to the inexor-
able laws o.. our common humanity,
butthere can be no domestic lifewhere
There is no women at the head Of the
household, and the Egyptian women
are mere utilities. There is no middle
lass, SO that they are divided into the
,wo classes extremes OF high and low.
The high life is that of the hareem,
they call it, and not harem, and IS
luch better known throughout Eu-
rope than that sof the .lower-class
Egyptian women, During my resi-
lencein Cairo I was frequently adj
mitted to the hareem upon the invi-
tation of the mother of the Viceroy of
Egypt, Ismail >Pascha, father of the
present pasha. Ismall was the Vice
roy, or second in distinction to the
Sultan, Of Egypt. The pasha was so
afraid OF being poisoned that his
mother cooked all he ate, and for that
| purpose she accompanied him where
ever he went.
Poisoning is the favorite method in
that country of getting rid of an OBJ
noxious person. It is much more
speedy and infinitely less expensive
than a state trial. With the excep-
ton OF the V1ceroy's mother / never
knew 81 woman OF high position to
know anything at all OF the culinary
art. l used often to spend a whole
day in the harem and never saw
any OF the women doing anything
useful. They are seldom taught to
read or write. Conversation is gener-
ally carried on with a foreigner in
French through the aid Of an interpre-
ter. Isoon picked up Arabic enough
to converse with them without aid.
They live i'll great splendor and total
idleness. They have no pictures in
their palaces and possess no foreign
or native literature. They never sew
or even embroider, and their only rec
reation consists in seeing girls dance
and in listening to some barbaric
music, or to stories told them by an
old woman in true Arabian Nights
style. The Egyptian women are fully
developed at the age Of l3 and old at
80. (! Their forms are usually most ex-
Quisite until fat-that bane of both
men and women in high life-destroys
the delicate beauty OF their outline.
The upper portion of their faces, ewes,
brows and forehead are wondrously
lovely, but the lower part below the
nose, is ugly, badly formed and
heavy, as O.: rule, Fortunately
tor them, they are enabled to
conceal these. defects by the veil
they. wear. So. far from being; dis
contented with their lot, the women
of Egypt have the utmost pity for
their civilized sisters, especially in
matters of the heart. They say our
husbands can care nothing for us, or
they would not allow other men to
look upon, our faces and think that
civilized women possess no modesty
to go unveiled. To amuse them, T
told them once of the great surplus Of
female population in the New England
States-largely maiden-a and of the
struggles so many Of our girls there
and elsewhere are obliged to undergo
IN order to earn, their own living.
They laughingly quoted proverb an
sweringS to ours Of hall loaf being
better than no bread at all, and de-
! clared that the fractional possessions
OF q husband was better than no hus-
band at all. They were much sur
prised, even indignant, that we should
call ourselves civilized and yet make
laws compelling rich man to have,
but one wife, when he might MAINTAIN
fifty or more, and so husbands and
support for ss our Woodworking single
women would be provided. ~
Il AS the men do the cooking and the
main part of the sewing in Egypt
it is easy to see why there is no en-
ployment forwoman. Except in rare
cases, their intelligence, does not ex-
coed that of an American child 10 or
|; II years of age. Therefore; the men,
although themselves not. much supe-
rior, still have hardly any respect for
them, and, as there is little of the.
sentiment oflovet among them, they
seem to look upon their women only
as indispensable adjuncts of the con-
tinuance of the race.
Let me describe, a dinner in a. the,
harem when guest is present. Their
tables are always circular and about
O. foot and half in length. They sit
like dolls around them on cushions.
The old, inactive and fat, once down,
have to be pulled up. They serve but
one dish at time. and that is g. large
circular salver 3ofsilver, brass or some
times gold. They have no forks,
knives or.spoons, but each dip two
fingers of the right hand into the dish
and takes ont q bit, the meat having
been cut into small pieces in the
kitchen. - -. *s.>* ..;.E.
If they wish to particularly distin-
guish "a. visitor they select q, dainty
piece and place it in her mouth. It
would be an insult to betray any feel
ing but delight at such mark OF ia
yor. A great dish for. a feast, and one
which few Christian women have ever
tasted, is that 81 q lamb roasted
whole. After the manner of a nest of
Chinese boxes, each smaller than the
other, the lamb is stuffed with q whole
turkey, the turkey with q chicken, the
chicken with a pigeon, the pigeon with.
q quail, the quail with q becafica, the
smallest bird known except the hum
ming bird. It resembles pnr reedbird
in taste and makes just over amouth-S
full. The lamb is roasted over q slow