The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-26

lecture of India And after going through
narrow winding passage, you suddenly step
into courtyard more or less magnificent.
according to the wealth Of the owner Court
yards OF two and three acres in extent are not
uncommon. and some cover five acres. They
are hifed with parterres of flowers and trees of
the most luxurlant foliage. Here and there are
great tanks, some of them fifty yards long, with
jets of water playing in them. Every house
holder in Teheran has his courtyard and tank of
water, no matter how poor he is. Frequently
there are three or four courtyards and there is
one called the andaroon, into which no man ever
enters, except the master and his eunuchs. Ii is
reserved FOR his wives and concubines A wealthy
Persian can have four wives and seven concu
bipes. These women drive out in carriages and
visit one another, and are watched with the
greatest care. The wives of poorer men &c
about on foot but all alike are covered with a
dark blue mantle which falls to the feet conceal
ing the form. Over the face is white veil, With
apertures for the eyes.
"The rooms have large windows set in richly
decorated sashes and opening on the court
yards, and frequently these windows are studded
with coored glass, giving cathedral effect to
the high ceilinged rooms. All the rooms have
dirt floors, but they are hardly noticed, for they
are covered with mattlngs and rich rugs. In
one part of the room there is mattress covered
with rugs, and on this the Persian sits during
the day and sleeps at night. Some of the rooms
have tanks in their center, giving them an air of
luxury. / often wonder why water is not used
more in this way in other countries 1t does not
create dampness as the climate in Persia is very
dry. There is separate room for the bath, and
Its appointments are often luxurious Christians
are obliged to have separate baths from the
Mohammedans'
What are the daily habits of Persians!n
Everyone, from the king down. rises at 6
o'clock in the morning. They then partake of a
cup of tea and some bread Tea is very inn
portant article of diet in Persia, and the tea urn
is nearly always busy. No milk is used. but
they sweeten the tea almost to the consistency
of syrup. Tea over, the merchant goes to his
shop in the bazaar. This bazaar consists of a
hundred narrow streets rooted over with brick
arches which are pierced here and there to adj
NIT light and air. The merchant sits in booth
in front of his store and awaits custom. He
charges much higher price than he expects to
get, after the usual Oriental style. AT noon he
makes substantial breakfast in the bazar and
then as the middle of the day is very hot, he
takes nap About o'clock he goes home and
takes ride returns to dinner and then at about
Z o'clock enters his andaroon. When once
there, he is inaccessible except the most ur-
gent business. 1t is a sufficient excuse for not
receiving caller to say that man is in his
andaroon. He takes another hearty meal
there at o'clock, and soon afterward retires TO
bed"
DO the wives ali occupy one room7"
THAT depends on the wealth of the man.
They generally have separate rooms, and by law
he Is compelled 10 spend certain amount of
time with each wife. OF course she can some
times be bribed to sacrifice her rights in favor OF
another wife Persian is rarely seen walking
with his wives except on the great holiday Of
the year, called no ROOF. 1t is then the
custom for every Persian to go about with his
wives, and the gardens of the rich are on that
day thrown open to the public.
How do the unmarried women live|
There are no unmarried women, except dis
solute women. Every girl is bethrothed before
she IS ten years of age. 4 love match is some
thing almost out of the question. Marriages are
arranged by third persons, although sometimes
the young man may see the bride before the
wedding, but that is rare. He first sees her
face after the ceremony, and if he doesn't like
her he can reject her Girls 60 unveiled until
about ten years of age. They receive no educa-
ton except in needlework and embroidery. They
know nothing except of what is going imme-
dlately around them, but Mrs. Benjamin, who
has had unusually favorable opportunities of
meeting them, says that they are clever and
piquant. Like the Persian men, they gener-
ally handsome. have been able to observe this
for myself when wells fell off in the street, and
by seeing the peasant women, who wear
wells My wife tells me that their figures are
very good The children are handsome, with
warm, brown skins, and dark hair"
Are the Persians attached to their wives"
mo, divorces are exceedingly common. 1t is
very easy to be divorced. 1t is only necessary
to write out paper stating the reasons, and the
thing is done, or to say to the woman three sue
ceSslve times, L divorce you but the husband
must have preteXt for his action however
fimsy. A man sometimes divorces all four
wives and begins over again The women
have rarely any difficulty in securing new
husbands. 1t is no disgrace to be divorced.
There is extraordinary law about marriage
outside of the ordinary ceremony, which per-
mts man and woman to marry for any
specified length of time, from five minutes up to
sixty years The couple go before priest and
state the time settled on, and the man then pays
the agreed sum of money to the woman. If he
leaves her al the end of the fixed time she can-
not marry again for four months and any child
born is the legitimate offspring of the man, aud
he cares for it. Many women Of rank prefer
this kind of marriage, making the term fifty or
their iointure beforehand and their ri husband
cannot divorce them until the time is expired.
There some highly educated and intellectual
women in Persia, but they are very rare. In
taking evidence, the testimony of man
equals that of two The civil law, or the
Urf. is based the religious law whose ex-
Founders arc the Molahs, or priests"