Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-11-26
9a EGYPTIAN HAREsIs. 49,.

IS) pt, liidl Olu, Olu ltuu Ol ScieEct,
legend and superstition, of sensuous
coloring. of somi-barbaric splendor, of
Isis and Osiris, of Cleopatra the mag
niiiccnt, and the mysterious pyramids
lis there any home-life there? No,
certainly not as we understand it. OF
course, not people there must eat,
drink and sleep. in obedience to the in
exorablc laws of our common humans
ty but there can be no domestic life
where there is no woman at the head
OF the household, and the Egyptian
women. are mere nullties. There is no
middle class, SO that they are divided
into the two classes extremes of high
and low.
The high life is that OF the harcem.
as they call it, and not harem, and is
much better known throughout Europe
than that of the lower-class Egyptian
women. During my residence in Cairo
was frequently admitted to the ha-
reem upon the invitation of the mother
OF the Viceroy OF Egypt, IsmaiI Pasha,
father OF the present pasha Ismail
was the Viceroy, or second in distinc-
ton to the Sultan, of Egypt. The
fasha was so afraid OF being poisoned
that his mother cooked all he ate, and
for that purpose she accompanied him
wherever he went.
Poisoning is the favorite method in
that country of getting rid of an OBJ
noxious person. 1t is much more
speedy and infinitely less EXPENSIVE
than state trial. With the exeer ion
of the Viceroy's mother | never knew
a woman of high position to know any
thing at all of the culinary art l
used often to spend whole day in the
harem and never saw any of the wo-
men doing anything useful. They are
very seldom taught to read or write.
Conversation is generally carried on
with foreigner in French through the
aid of an interpreter. | soon picked
up Arabic enough to converse with
them without aid. They live in great
splendor and idleness. They have no
pictures in their palaces and possess no
foreign or native literature. They
never sew or even embroider, and their
only recreation consists in seeing girls
dance and in listening to some Darbar-
ic 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 Is and old at
30. 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, eyes,
brows and forehead are wondrously
lovely, but the lower part, below the
nose are ugly, badly formed and heavy,
as rule. Fortunately for them, they
are enabled to conceal these defects by
the veil they wear. So far from being
| discontinued 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
care nothing for us, or they would not
allow other men to look upon our
faces, and think that civilized women
possess no modcsty to 20 unveiled. To
amuse them, told them once of the
great surplus of female population in
the New England States-largely maid
en-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 q proverb answering to ours of
half loaf being better than no bread
at all, and declared that the fractional
possession of husband was better
than no husband at all. They were
much surprised, even indignant, that
we should call ouselves civilized and
yet make laws compelling a rich man
to have but one wife, when he might
maintain fifty or more, and so hus bands
and support for our hard working
single women would be provided
As the men do the cooking and the
main part of the sewing in Egypt, it is
easy to see why there is no employ
ment for women. Except in rare eases,
their intelligence does not exceed that
of an American child 10 or Y years of
age. Therefore, the men, although
themselves not much superior, still
have hardly any respect for them, and,
as there is little of the sentiment of love
among them, they seem to look upon
their women only as Indispensable adj
Juncts OF the continuance of the race.
Let me describe Il dinner in the
harem when guest is present. Their
tables arc always circular and about
foot and half in height 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 ut time, and that in u large cir
cular salyer of silver. brass or some
times gold. They have no forks,
knives OF spoons, but each dip two
fingers OF the right hand into the dish
and takes out bit, the meat having
been cut into small pieces in the
kitchen.
II they wish to particularly distin-
gulsh a visitor they select dainty
piece and place it in her mouth. 1t
would be an insult to betray any feel
ing but delight at such mark of favor.
a great dish Tor feast, and one which
lew Christian women have ever tasted,
Is that OF lamb roasted whole. After
the manner oil nest of Chinese boxes,
each smaller than the other, the lamb
Is stuffed with whole turkey, the tur-
key with u chicken, the chicken with a
pigeon, the pigeon with quail, the
quail with becafica, the smallest bird
known except the hummlng bird. 1t
resembles our reed-bird in taste and
makes just a mouthful. The lamb is
roasted over a slow fire until it is
cooked TO shreds and NETS into one as
it were. The Egyptians have no SYSTEM
affixed way OF eating, no set time for
meals, but keep up continual munch-
ing OF sweets, OF which they have
great variety unknown to us, and all
sickingly sweet to u European palate.
They use honey for sugar In an
Egyptian kitchen there is total alb
sence of what Il civilized COOK would
consider indispensable in the way of
cooking utensils and appliances. There
Is no dresser upon which to arrange
the dishes; there is no sink nor run
ming water, nor any thing like our cook
ing-stoye or range, but upon one side
OF the kitchen there is erected struct-
ure OF masonry which resembles n
great square shelf with deep drawers,
the openings to which are on tue top.
This queer object is the Egyptian range
the openings are CHARCOAL furnaces,
and as they are disconnected, cook
can have a dozen fires, or only one, us
he desires. l have often been astonsh-
ed at the excellence and dclaicacy of a
dinner cooked upon one OF these rude
ranges. hose Eytinge ia TIC Acc York
Star.
pafrfsS EI,a.r,.f,