The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-05-06
IN AN EGYPTIAN HARENI.
The Ignorance and Luxury of the Women
and Their Exchanging Routine.

There can be no domestic life where
there is no woman at the head of the
household, writes Rose Eytinge in the
New York Star, and the Egyptian wo-
men are mere nullities. There is no
middle class, so that they are divided
into the two class extremes of high and
low. The high life is that of the hareem,
as they call it, and not the harem, and
is much better known throughout Eu-
rope than that of the lower class Egyp-
tian women. During my residence in
Cairo was frequently admitted to the
hareem upon the invitation of the
mother of the viceroy of Egypt, Ismail
Pasha. father of the present pasha.
often used to spent q whole day in
the hareni and never saw any of the wo-
men doing anything useful. They are
very seldom taught to read or write.
Conversation is generally carried on
with foreigner in French through the
aid of an interpreter. soon picked up
enough Arabic to converse with them
without aid. They live in great splendor
and total idleness. They have no pic
lures in their palaces and possess no
foreign or native literature. They never
sew, or even embroider, and their only
recreation consists in seeing girls dance
and in listening to barbaric music, or
to stories told them by an oiG woman
In true arabian Nights style.
The Egyptian women are fully de-
veloped at the age of Is and old at 80.
Their forms are usually most exquisite
until fat-the bane of both men and wo-
men in high life-destroys the delicate
beauty of their outline. The upper por-
lion of their faces. eyes, brows and fore
head. is wonderfully lovely, but the
lower part, below the nose, is ugly. bad
ly formed, and heavy as rule. Fortu-
nately for them. they are enabled to
conceal these defects by the veil they
wear. So far from being discontented
with their lot, the women of Egypt have
the utmost pity for their civilized sisters,
especially in matters of the heart. They
say our husbands care nothing for us or
they would not allow other men 10 look
upon our faces, and think that civilized
women possess no modesty to 60 un-
yelled To amuse them, l told them
once of the great surplus of female popu-
lation in the New England States
largely maiden-and of the struggles SO
many of our girls there and elsewhere
are obliged to undergo in order to earn
their own living. They laughingly
quoted aproverb answering to ours of
half loaf is better than no bread ct all,
and declared that the fractional posses
sion of husband WIS better than no
husband at all. They Were much sur
prised, even indignant, that we should
call ourselves civilized and yet make
laws compelling a rich man TO have but
one wife, when he might maintain fifty
or more, and SO husbands and support
for our Woodworking single women
would be provided.
The life of the4igh-ciass Egyptian
woman is that of monOtony, relieved by
the splendor of her surroundings-that
of the low-class woman the same mon-
otony, embittered by hardship and I'M
relieved by recreation save during one
month Of the year. This month all
good Mussulmans set apart for reiig-
ious observance answering to, but more
s.rict as TO fasting than our Lent 1t Is
called Ranla,ian. and occurs, think, in
tie early spr.ng. Tie men continue
their usual agricultural labor all day,
i;ut .ro:n sunrise until sunset nothing o.
food Or. drink passes their lips. But
Mhcn tia lnuezzin sounds for evening
,.raycr-before the strokes are finished,
wherever il may find hein-they hastily
draw from their clothing bread and a
boillc and Begin 10 ca: and drink with
the aviditY born OF long fasting. This
Is q singular sight TO Il European accus-
TONED to see people cat only indoors,
except in the rush III railway station,
with proper siowness ana dccorum. The
Egvptians make up at night for their
abstinence during the day, and. sunset
past, they fall 10 and Geek and eat and
drink aBd ieaS: and dance AZ night long
till sunrise, when fasting must be resum-
ed.