The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-05-20
IN AN EGYPTIAN HAREl!.
The Ignorance AID luxury nt the Women
and Thor IHci,ansis,- Ean.inc.

, There can be no domestic l;fe where
there is no woman nj the head of the
household, writes Rose Evt:n re in the
New York S:ar. and thc Egyptian wo-
men are mere -nuilities. There is no
middle class, so that they are divided
into the two class extremes OF high and
low. The hig!, life is that OF the hareem,
asllley call 1t. and not the hace:n, and
is mach better known throughout EU-
rop5 than ;Aa: OF the lower class Egyp-
tian women. During my residences in
Cairo Was frequently admitted TO the
harcem Epon the invitation of the
mother of the viceroy OF Egypt. Isnail
Pasha, father of the presen! p:ish;-
/ often used to spent n whole day IN
the harem 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
t,res 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
10 stories told them Ly an old woman
in true Arabian Nights style.
The Egyptian women are fully de-
veloped at the age of l3 and old at 80.
Their forms are usual most exquisite
until fat-the bane of b h men and wo-
men in high lif,-dest IS the delicate
beauty of their outline. The upper por-
ton 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 rs 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
sav 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 90 un-
yelled. To amuse them, told them
once of the great surplus of female popu-
fation 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 aproyb answering to'ours of
half Il loaf is better than no bread at all,
and declared that the fractional posses
sion of husband was better than no
husband at all. They were much sur
prised, even indignant, that we should
call ourselves civilized and yet make
laws compelling rich man to have but
one wife, when he might maintain fifty
or more, and so husbands and support
for our hard-working single women
would be provided.
The life of the high-class 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 un-
relieved by recreation save during one
month of the year. This month all
good Mussulmans set apart for a relig-
ious observance answering to, but more
strict as 10 fasting than our Lent. 1t Is
called Ramadan, and occurs, think. in
the early spring. The men continue
their usual agricultural labor all day.
but from sunrise until sunset nothing OF
food or drink passes their lips. Bat
when the muezzin sounds for evening
prayer-before the strokes are finished.
wherever il tmas find them-they hastily
draw from their clothing bread and a
bottle and begin 10 eat and drink with
the avidity born of long fasting. This
is singular sight to a European accus-
toned to see people eat only indoors,
except in the rush at railway station,
with proper slowness and dccorum. The
Egyptians make up at night for their
abstinence during the day, and. sunset
past, they fail TO and cook and eat and
drink and feast and dance all night long
till sunrise, when fasting must beTesunl-
ed,