Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-04-04
ORIENTAL eOQUETKY.
Dangers and Delights of Flirting With
Asian DamaeIs.

1T. Stevens in the st. Louis Globe Democrat j
One would scarcely think there was any
such thing as coquetry among Turkish Ia
dies. considering the arbitrary social condi-
tions under which they live. AS matter of
fact, however, there is good deal Of firta-
ton going on in a surreptitious manner.
The Moslem lady, eoquettishly inclined, has
to be very careful; and old Bluebeard de-
tecting the least improperly might cause
her ruin, and even nowadays her death if the
other party was a Giaour The Turkish
lady runs very great risks and flirts under
most decided difficulties The extent of her
Irritation with Frank would be the stealthy
removal of her yashmak to let him see her
face when meeting him at some unfrequented
spot. If very bold ooquette this risky
performance would be supplemented by a
smile. This sort of filtration is largely in
dulged in by venturesome young Turkish La
dies when donkey riding on the Island of
Prinkipo and other pleasure resorts about
Constantinople.
The same difficulties have to be overcome
and the same dangers brayed by the ladies of
Persia. They too cover up their faces when
in public, and they too would get into seri-
GUS trouble if detected flirting with Feren-
danger of her life. And yet, when walking
in the suburbs of Teheran, I have seen the
wells quickly raised on some lonely street,
and have time and again been the recipient
of forbidden smiles. These yenturesome CO.
quettes were literally smiling at the risk of
having their throats cutl It was all pure
Irritation too; no more significance in it than
in the Sleeps eyes the American lady at the
theater made at the two dudes-not bit.
The only country where I positively es-
capped anything in the shape of Irritation was
in Afghanistan. In that fanatical country
the women are practically invisible.~I used
to sometimes catch glimpses of female heads,
closely yelled, peeping cautiously at me
around the chimneys of their fat-roofed
houses; but a single glance in that direction
and the heads would dodge back out of sight
as quickly as though lodging bullet.
In India coquetry is confined chiefly to the
Nautch girls. They understand the art to
perfection, and when performing before q
''Sahib" sometimes afford him more pleasure
by their coquetry, directed at himself, than
by their dancing itself.
The Chinese as general thing are horribly
matter -of-fact and realistic. But there are
coquettes even among the hesthen Chinee
I had quite Irritation directed at nae by a
not unhandsome golden lily one day up in
the province of Duang-tsi. She was all the
more interesting because I had up till then
seen little disposition among her country
women to firt. She was at roadside tea
hittim when halted for refreshments. The
golden lily, her tiny feet bandaged prettily
with red and blue ribbon, came and sat be-
side me and helped herself to tea and pea
nuts, sunfower seeds, cakes and sweetmeats,
and smiled and chatted like Celestial par
rot. I staid there about half an hour, dur
ing which time the golden lily had chartered
and giggled necessarily, and wnen I finally
moseyed off she waggled her hand good bye
and ''ehin-chined" till was out of sight and
hearing.
The Japanese-but there, I have said
enough to convince the most skeptical that
coquetry is an inherent principle in woman
kind the world over, ana you have all seen
the "Mikado'' with its Yum-Yums.