Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-14
MARRIAGE In PERSIA.
Great Importance of the Mother -in-Law
In that Country.
[st. James Gazette

In Persia girl marries to Eli the place
of her husbands confidant and friend; to
rule his household, and, above all things,
to be a mother of children. The marriages
of the rich are generally dictated by policy,
while those Of the middle and lower classes
are often arranged by the parents. Love
matches are the exception. Persians as
rule try TO arrange what they consider suit
able matches for their children. Polygamy
is the exception and not the rule, and
where there are two or more wives there
are two or more establishments. Neither
lodgings. money, servants, clothes. nor
Jewels are held il common, and the only
source OF contention is the society of the
husband. But the wives, instead of being
Jealous rivals, are usually the best Of
friends.
While it is quite true that theoretically
4 man can be rid Of his wife by saying be
fore witnesses, Thou art divorced. 4" vet
practically to obtain a divorce in Persia is
almost as difficult as il is in Europe In
Persia the poorest of women does not
marry without a settlement which has to
be made good in case of divorce; and at
her marriage her relatives exact from the
husband an acknowledgment Of a far
larger portion than is actually paid to him.
It Is the liability to pay this, the mehr,
that restraints the husband from divorce
save on the strongest grounds. In cases
where mutual distaste is very strong, and
divorce desired by both parties, the matter
is simply arranged by the wife agreeing not
TO exact the whole or even q part of her
settlement. There is another safeguard
against frivolous divorce-a divorced man
and woman does not fnd it easy to make
a respectable marriage.
The marriage of first cousins is the favor.
tie union. The reason is, that cousins have
been acquaintance and friends from child
hood. while to all the rest Of the world,
save her brothers and sisters, the young
girl IS a yelled mystery SO that unless
there is 4 mutual Discrimination, or too great
q disparity of age, the Persian youth looks
naturally to the daughter of my uncle -
as his future wife. Often the cousins are
betrothed from childhood. As a rule,
classes do not mingle in marriage. The
sons Of merchants wed merchants daugh
tiers, the young tradesman mates with his
like, and so with the members of the sery-
ant and soldier classes.
But in Persia, as everywhere else, extra
ordinary personal attractions soon become
known and have their advantage The
beauty of the lower or middle classes need
not aspire in vain. The mother Of the
Kings eldest and favorite son, the most
powerful man in Persia, was the daughter
of a miller, who caught the Shah's eye
while washing clothes at the brook side.
Many a poor and handsome girl is welded
without portion for her beauty's sake.
The young wife does not Immediately
assume the responsibilities Of her position.
Carefully tended as a bride for the first
year of her welded life, she willingly re-
mains under the tutulage Of her mother-in-
law if she have one or if she be the daugh
ter of a widow her mother usually accom-
panies her to her new establishment.
Mothers in-law have better time in Persia
than in some other countries. There they
are regarded as the natural guardians of
the inexperienced bride, and the proper
care-takers Of the young mother and her
infant offspring From the mother-in-law
is learned the arts of housekeeping. Under
her eyes all purchases are made from the
huckster or q female peddler, for a visit to
the bazaar by young wife before she has
blessed her husband with children would
be considered a scandal among the upper,
middle or Iradesman class. Only among
the very poor or the villagers does the
young wife, save on ceremonial occasions,
leave the shadow of her husband 5 roof-tree
during the first year of her marriage
But the first year of wifehood has passed
away, and relatives and friends have been
summoned to celebrate the happy birth of
a son or daughter If the former, then in
deed IS the position of the wife happy
one. She receives the congratulations OF
her friends and acquaintance and holds
high festival. Her husband dignities her
by the title of Mother of Hassan, or
whatever the little ones name may be, and
from that day her own name is no longer
Sf1p OY,lX dxuft u q Il ,tar
still she is not cursed with ster;lity, that
terror OF the Oriental woman and she
may hope that heaven may yet bless her
with q son.
Consulted in all matters, the Persian wife
is her husbands trusted confidant and
counselor. But she is yelled, the poor
thing, closely yeiled!n exclaims the pity
ing English woman Yes, she is yelled.
And loath would she be to part with what
she looks Oh as 4 distinction and privi-
lege. To her the veil is the badge of mod
esty and the token Of responsibility.
And has she any accomplishments, any
education or is she merely the mother OF
the children These questions are easily
answered. Many of the Persian middle
class women are highly educated accord
ing to Oriental ideas They read and often
write poetry they sing and play, as rule,
well, and are mistresses of all the arts of
plain and fancy needlework pastry max
ing and confectionery are among their
pleasures. The accomplishments of the
poor ones are naturally of more useful
kind. They are good cooks and bread
bakers they make the clothes of the en-
tire household they often are able to add
largely to the daily income by their knowl
edge of some business or trade, and none of
them are idle.