Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-12-13
CIRCAssfAN GIRLS.
lIHoull, Journal. /


Home Journal
The Cireassian is d little fair-haired
lass from . far village In Turkestan
Her father Is d robber or herdsman,
and she will perhaps be princess. The
Prince Claiming whom the governess ii
always looking for, but who never comes,
is very strong potentially In the future
of the white slavc-gir1 One day q
bearded and venerable old Turk arrives
from STEAMBOAT and picks out our little
girl. She is not carried away by force,
but gold is counted out, and she Is
perched on mule, and bids goodbye
forever to barbarism. The purchaser
takes every imaginable pains with her
education and her appearance. She is
taught to read and write, to dance and
sing, to embroider ID silk and play the
guitar, and further initiated into all the
mysteries Of the toilet.
When she has grown into budding
womanhood, the dealer lets his best
customers know that he possesses o
treasure almost priceless. and all her.
virtues and beauties are detailed with
the usual oriental exaggeration. Finally
some royal princess or rich pacha's wife
expresses wish TO see her, and, extra
care having been taking with her bath
and dress, she Is presented for inspec-
ton. From long preparation and jeal-
GUS guarding from the sun, she has
skin white as milk and her naturally
beautiful type of face is adorned with
the usual tints of kohl to the eyebrows
and eyelashes and rouge to the full red
lips. Her exquisitely shaped nails glow
with henna' and her own luxuriant hair
is intertwined with meshes of silk flor
the prophet curses women who join
their own hair with that of another, or
that of another to their own') till it
reaches her ankles in an uneven number
of tails. an even number being for
hidden.
She gives samples of her accomplish
ments, musical, gymnastic, and other
wise. Accepted, she is at once clothed
with rich silk dress, and receives a
present of necklace or bracelet as an
earnest of favor before she joins her
fellow slaves. Beyond assisting her
mistress in the toilet, accompanying her
in her drives, and handing her coffee
and cigarettes, she has little to do She
is an ornamental appendage rather than
a servant.
A household such as one of these Cir
cassians would enter would contain
crowd of men servants and black women
to do the work and perhaps ten to
twenty other girls like herself, and
very gay time they have together, The
great ladies are very fond of exchanging
visits and giving musical entertainments,
at all of which some of the slave-girls
attend When she goes out with her
mistress in the natty little brougham,
almost the only difference between the
lady and the maid lies in the former
taking the right-hand seat. The girl is
dressed in way to do credit to the
house she belongs to and often sparkles
with jewels, chatting freely with every
body at the places she visits. and enjoy
ing herself as fully as any of the eman-
cipated When the time comes for her
to be married, her owner chooses suit
able husband, and gives a rich dover,
and many OF the marriages of slave-girls
eclipse in magniGcence even those of
the wealthier classes.
The erstwhile barefooted, ragged little
Circassian from Turcoman's Land is
now q princess OF pacha's wife, with
slaves of her own, but she would laugh
if you suggested to'her that there was
anything degrading ia their position OF
had been in her own. The degradation
and the hardship are simply ideas
formed in ignorance of the facts and
conditions Of oriental domestic life, and
have no place in reality. OF course
there is another side to the picture, but
even that is not very dark one. The
girl may fall under the displeasure of
the master OF mistress, and will then
get punished. She may be locked MP
for few hours, or, if her mistress is hot
tempered, have her hair pulled and re-
ceiye a sounding box on the ear. Per-
haps in very rare and extreme cases
severe beating may be administered but
the same might, and would, often hap
pen in the case of paid servant A
reconciliation, however, shortly takes
place, and the peace is cemented with o
present of new dress or trinket.