The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-12-28
MARRIAGE IN PERSIA

A Country where . Man Can Take Q Wife
for . Month or for Life.
An extremely handy custom among
the Persiars, which would hardly be
popular in this country, however, is
the temporary marriage. A Persian
couple may enter into honorable
matrimony for any specified period Of
time-a day, week, a month, six
months or longer. A priest and writ
ten contract are required, as in the
usual form, and dowry and present
bestowed. Whether the transaction is
entered upon for a matter of days or
years, at its termination each ono goes
their way free of all further obligations
toward each other.
This form of marriage is INDUCED in
largely by travellers ard men whose
vocations take them from place to
place. A mixed party of travellers
men, women and children-arrive a* a
village. The susceptible heart of one
of the gentlemen is touched by the
chains of some rustic belle. The
village priest is summoned forthwith,
and the young lady's father is invited
to the caravanserai.
81 wish to be united in 1natrimony
to your honored daughter, the light of
Mohammed, oh, father" says the
smitten traveller. 'Inshallah."
.Bismillahr' returns the parent,
''for how longP"
''For three weeks, oh my father"
says the traveller, land l will mako
the settlement ten tomans-flve tomans
down and five upon our return from
Meshed, the holy, three weeks hence,
when your daughter shall be returned,
thrice blessed for having made with
US pilgrimage to Imam Riza's
sanctuary"
'What! ten tomans-pooh. pooht
screams the father derisively, and
making little of the advantages of the
pilgrimage to Meshed. "My daughter
is jewel and the belle of the village.
The settlement must be one hundred
tomans cash down."
The prospective bridegroom and the
father of the young lady in the Ease
now argue and squabble for probably
an hour, at the end of which time they
compromise on thirty tomans and three
quarters. The priest draws up mar
riage contract then and there, which
the groom and the brides parents
sign. In it is stated the exact terms
of the marriage, the amount of the
settlement and the time the contract
is to expire. The priest is fed, the
settlement money paid over to tho
father, and the blushing bride, who
has had nothing to say in the matter
whatever, is handed over to her hus-
band. She is mounted on an ass or
bundled into kajaveh and accom-
panies the party on to Meshed.
Three weeks later the travellers halt
at the same village on their return.
The bride of three weeks slides off her
donkey, kisses her husbands hands
and returns to her parents roof. She
is now charming young widow, and
possesses thirty tomans and three
quarters, besides an extra toman or
two presented by her husband at part
ing if he has been pleased with her
conduct as a spouse. With this snug
sum and the additional charms of her
new condition, she of course very soon
makes mincemeat of some worthy
young peasants heart, and settles
down for life. 1t sometimes happens,
however, that the young bride takes
advantages of the temporary marriage
to steal away her husbands heart, and
then at the old home a new marriage
contract is drawn up and she becomes
his lifelong helpmeet. Philadelphia
North-Americdn.