Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-05
THE WOMEN OF TURKEY.
The Curious Manner I'm which
Their Love IL wooed and Won.

The epigrammatic Turk fixes the status
Of feminine capabilities and intelligence
in the terse proverb, "Long hair, short
intelligence" But really, says San
Francisco Chronicle correspondent, the
women are not to blame. From child
hood they are hedged in from the world !;
allowed only to learn music, dancing and
Accomplishments" and purposely kept
from further leaning by the conservative
spirit of the country. Nowadays the
bonds are slowly loosening in this, as in
other directions. The missionaries have
established sewing schools for girls in
Pera, Galata and Scutari, and many
young women are taking advantage, OF
the opportunity. And in government cir
cles it is getting to be quite the thing for
the harem ladies to speak little French,
German and English. Teachers are now
admitted to the harems to give lessons,
and if education becomes the fashion, no
doubt before long Turkish women will
reach the same plane OF general intelli-
gence as their more favored Western sis
tiers. The male slaves flatter and tease
the little girls, so that long before they
approach maturity they are accomplished
coquettes and know the full value of their
charms. When girl gets TO be IA or Is
she begins to look around for a romance.
Some marriagable young fellow sees or
hears OF her and is conquered. He never
dares to woe her openly. If he did, the
probabilities are that he would get the
bottoms OF his feet tickled with the
bastinado. No, he adopts more subtle
fAs al,
finds a hyacinth or blush rose dropped
is piqued, and it does not take many
repetitions of this move to convince her
that she has an admissible lover. The next
the public baths. Here the mother OF
points OF the young lady while she is I'M
physically up to grade, favorable report
is made, and her bath attendant is en-
listed as messenger of the gods. The
abilities are that she will hear from this
attendant whispered tale of an offendi
who yearns for her love, as the nighting-
gale yearns for the affection of the rose.
There is regular formula which the
maiden passes through of blushing, being
scornful then timid, and then pleased
and it never takes more than two snch
interviews to get her to the point of in
quiring what the nightingale expects in
return. A token being suggested as
calculated to stimulate his yearning and
keep it from going over to some other
rose, this one flutteringly hands over a
charm from Mcpherson, a flowerisymbolic
of affection returned, or a Glove neatly
done up in a napkin. This token finds
its way without delay to the young man.
As soon as it is received he, or repre-
sentative, waits on the father of the girl,
states the absorbing and uncomfortable
nature of the passions that is consuming
him, and demands how much bonus will
be given him if he takes the girl off the
old mans hands. The old man is con-
ventionally horror struck, and instead OF
bonus proposes that something be given
for the girl. He has the advantage OF
the lover, in that he is fully posted in the
commercial valuation of the girl. and as
a rule gets the best of the trade. If the
dicker is successful the Cadi is called in,
there is signing of contracts, and the
young lady is conducted to the house OF
her intended. There, in the harem, for
the first time she sees and speaks with
her husband elect. OF course there are
many curious ceremonies connected witt,
marriage in Turkey Iu fact, every one
OF the innumerable tribes that go to make
up the nation have usages peculiarly Their
own. But the real ceremony is civil, and
depends for the most part on the contract
OF the parties. The picturesque features
are rapidly falling away before the
encroachments OF modern civilization.