Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-04
MARRIAGE IN PERSIA.
Great Importance of the Mother-in.
Law in That Country.

| Law IN That country.
| From the st. James Gazette.l
| In Persia girl marries to fill the place ot
| her husbands conf1dant and friend; to rule
his household and above all things to be {
| 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 match
| es are the exception. Persians a rule try
to arrange what they consider suitable
I matches for their children. Polygamy is th,
| exception and not the rule, and where there
| are two or more wives there are also two OF
| more establishments. Neither lodgings
money, servants, clothes nor jewels are held
| in common, and the only source of conten
| ton 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 q
| man can be rid of his wife by saying before
witnesses, ''Thou art divorced yet practi-
cally to obtain a divorce in Persia is almost
as difficult as it 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 rel
atives exact from the husband an acknowl-
edgment of far larger portion than is actu-
ally paid to him. 1t is the liability to pay
this, the ''mehr,'' that restraints the husband
from divorce save 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 a
part of her settlement. There is another
safeguard against frivolous divorce; di-
| vorced man or woman does not find it easy
| to make respectable marriage.
The marriage of first cousins is the favor
| ite union. The reason is that cousins have
| been acquaintaLees and friends from child
| hood, while to all the rest of the world, save
c:s fhn Fl ic a
yelled mystery; SO that, unless there is a mu-
| tual disinclination, or too great a 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 daughters, the young tradesman
mates with his like, and so with the mem
| bers of the servant and soldier classes.
But in Persia, everywhere else, extraor-
dinary personal attractions soon become
known and have their advantage. The beau
| ty 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 poor and
| handsome girl is welded without portion for
| her beauty's sake.
The Young wife does not Immediately as
sumo the RESPONSIBILITIES of her position.
Carefully tended as bride for the first year
| of her welded life, she willingly remains
under the tutelage of her mother-in- law if
| she have one or if she be the daughter of a
widow her mother usually accompanies her
| to her new establishment Mothers-in- law
have a 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 are learned the arts
| of housekeeping. Under her eyes all pur.
| chases are made from the huckster or female
| peddler, for visit to the bazaar by young
| wife before she has blessed her husband with
children would be considered q scandal
| among the upper. middle or tradesman class.
| Only among the very poor or the villagers
| does the young wife, save on ceremonial oc-
casiens, leave the shadow of her husbands
roof tree during the first year Of her mar
| riage.
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 indeed
| is the position of the wife a happy one. She
| receives the congratulations of her friends
and acquaintances and holds high festival
| Her husband digniies 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 used. If she is only
blessed with daughter still she is not cursed
with sterility, that terror of the Oriental wo.
man; and she may hope that heaven may yet
| bless her with son.
| Consulted in all matters, the Persian wife
| is her husbands trusted con6dant and coun,
sellor. ''But she is veiled, the poor thing,
| closely veiledI" exclaims the pitying Eng
lishwoman. Yes she is yelled. And loatt
would she be to part with what she looks on
as distinction and privilege. To her the
veil is the badge of modesty and the toker
of respeetability.
And has she any accomplishments, any ed
ucation; or is she merely the mother of the
ohildrens These questions are easily an
swered Many of the Persian middle-class
women are highly educated according tc
poetry; they sing and play, as rule well
and are mistresses of all the arts of plair
and fancy needlework; cooking is a second
nature to them; pastry making and confec
tionery are among their pleasures. The ac
complishments of the poor ones are natural
ly Of more useful kind. They are goo6
cooks and bread makers; they make ths
clothes of the entire household; they otter