The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-09-25
Women i'm Turkey.

i
her husbands marrying second, third
and fourth time. He is not compelled
to even ask her opinion about the mat
ter. He is free in the premises, so long
as he does not exceed four wives. The
only instance where the consent Of the
wife is required is in case the husband
wants to marry cousin or an aunt of
hers. She may oppose and prevent
such an alliance. If he insist, in spite
OF her opposition, he must repudiate the
wife and pay her dover. This some
times is very difficult thing to do.
The dover is obligatory, though it is
not necessary that it should be part of
the contract. Its amount is fixed by
agreement. AS rule it varies accord
ing to the social condition Of the wo-
man. Thus, in case no dover has been
allowed, as often happens, the judge
fixes it under the law; and although the
law has fixed some limits to it, still it is
left to the discretion of the judge. He
may make it sufficient for the kind of
living to which the woman has been &C
customed.
In making the dover obligatory, the
code has in view principally provision
for the repudiated wife. The code
means that she shall have decent sup
port for the period of time she is for
hidden to marry. This period is six
months. Dover is intended also as
shield against too frequent populations.
1t happens often that though the hus-
band is DESTROYS of repudiating his wife
he finds it impossible to pay her dover;
so he abstains from repudiating her.
The law fixes the dover to five hundred
drains of silver, or sixty five ounces of
silver This is but pittance nova
days; but it was fixed by the prophet.
This is the amount which he accessed
for his own wives. 1t must have been
adequate for the few necessities required
by woman among the Arab tribes at
Mecca and Medina thirteen hundred
years ago. Besides, it was fixed at an
epoch when silver was scarcer than it is
now, and before bonanzas of the white
metal had leaped out of the sunless tenn
-,tUa nf the earth
Moreover, anything which is capable
of being legally acquired may be made
in payment of dover, except wine and
hogs! One of the odd forms of dover
is the teaching of chapter of the Koran
by the husband to the wife. 1t is
pious, though pecuniary equivalent
Dover also may be slave, or house,
or anything of value. Ifthe husband is
not able to furnish them he is liable for
their value. The dover may also be
agreed upon after the marriage. The
wife may exonorate the husband from
the dover, or she may commute it for
something else. She becomes the pro-
prietor of the dover, and may legally
dispose of it; but should the husband
divorce her before the marriage is con
sumated, the half of it reverts to him.
Should she forgive him that which be-
longs to her, the whole would be his.
If slave be assigned as dover, and she
should emancipate the slave, and she is
divorced before the consumation of the
marriage, she is liable for halt the value
aaf..i.. shaw. III case OF dispute with
regard to the amount of the uowcr, rl,e
word of the husband is preferred until
the contrary is proved; whereas, If ne
acknowledge the amount stated as the
dover, and alleges its delivery, but fails
to prove it, credit is given to the word
and oath of the woman.
The code provides as to the time to
be devoted by the husband to each one
of his wives, in case he has more than
one. This rule of law has its initiative
in the organic law that each man has a
right to four wives, and that a man has
the absolute disposal of all the hours OF
the day for himself. The law allows no
right to the wife to claim the attention
of her husband during the daytime. 1t
creates an obligation upon the husband
to divide the rest of his time equally
between his wives, or at least he is not
bound to make his court, or to be with
one wife more than once in every tour
DAYS. and this whether he has one wife
or more. If among his wives there is
slave, she has the right only to receive
! half the time allotted ~ the free wife.
This does not include slaves or odalls-
cues who are not lawfully married.
The temporary marriages being adj
mitted only by the Sheeahs, and these
temporary contracts not being under
general MoLammedan law, it may suffice
to state that such marriages can be le-
gally made for one month or one year.
They are allowed by the religious rules
Of that sect.
The harshness of the marriage con-
tact toward the women OF the Moham-
medan countries is greatly exaggerated
il not entirely fanciful. Marriage is, as
We have said, civil contract. 1t is
: Ike, and yet not unlike, the contract IN
England and America. 1t gives nc
preference or right to either OF the con
tacting parties over the property OF the
other party. The wife retains her power
Of disposing of her estate. She can bt
sued or sue. In suing, she has no neee
of next friend, or trustee. She may
cummon her own husband into court