The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-26
IN THE INNER HAREM.
MRS. CARTER RELATES A REMARK
ABLE EXPERIENCE.

Win Party of Americans and En-
giish Women, the Chicago Divorce
Visits the Inner Domestic Sanctuary
of the Sultan-What She Saw There
The Curiosity of the Turkish Won
en- Over the Strange visitors-Great
Goblets of Precious Gems Worth a
Kingdom.
Copyright 1887
New York, Aug. 24.-Fair-skinned and
yellow-haired Mrs. Leslie Carter sat in a
title room in the Academy of Music, on
Fourteenth street and Irving place, yester-
day, and chatted with few friends about
her dram tic prospects and her travels
abroad. She is most vivacl )us talker and
companies her conversation with prestv
little dramatic gestures that flu lily bear ont
the claim that she is no novice in stage
matters. Her fan goes incessantly, and her
snug little foot taps the floor in sort of
accompaniment Her eyes are dark brown
aud under excitement seem to grow abso-
luteiy purplish-oIack, while she talks of the
wonderful life she has led since the DAYS of
her girlhood.
Il have been great traveller" she said :;
more 50 than most American women at my
age, although for that matter, my country
women travel more than those of an Y other
nation. Half of my life has been spent
abroad. You want to know about my
Mediterranean trip" she added, smiling.
We'll, it was about three years ago. !
had been TO India and Japan and had seen
all that was worth seeing in those coun-
tries, when I Thought l lould like to visit
q of bn Gull A.
frind OF mine-an American genjle nan
was about to to take a party III his yacht
up the Blue sea to the Bosphorous, and re-
ceiving an invitation to make one of the
numter gleefully accepted. We were all
society people and mainly New Workers,
although there were one or two English
| ladies and gentlemen aboard. We passed
| through the Dardanelles and up the Bos-
| phorous and, for the first time in NV life, |
saw the romantic Golden Horn of which l
had so often read and dreamed
when we reached Constantinople, the
| first til ng in order was to hunt 10 Minister
Cox, for it was through his influe co
at the palace thai we expected TO get
permission to see the harem-
the objective point of our visit. Now,
many visitors have been pegmi ted to enter
the harem grounds, but very few Europeans
o. Americans-indeed, | think Mrs. Lew
among my country women-nave
ever penetrated the inner haram.
1t is strictly guarded night and day, and it
would be death to attempt to enter unless
you had the permission of the sultan him-
self and were acco npanled by soms officer
deputed for that purpose, who in turn hands
you over to the harem officials
owe succeeded in getting the coveted per-
mission. 1t was bright afternoon il Jan
uary, 1885, wine set out with our escort
for the royal seraglio. l need hardly tell
| you that we were full of the strangsst an
ticipations. We were about 20 enter into
| an unknown world, sacred precinct OF
which few of us had tho slightest concep-
ton as to It's real character and its inmates
| We were conveyed through a number of
court yards, and, firallv after traversing
| what seemed to be almost endless maze of
passages and gardens, we reached a point
where the civic functionary turned us over,
| after q great deal of palaver and eXplana-
| ton, to one of the principal officers of the
| harem. He guided us t. the rooms occu-
| pied by the Sultan'S wives and their attend
| ants. We were greeted almost effuSvely.
| No English was spoken and all the talking
| that was done was in French.
The room we entered was large apart
menU, more like court yard than cham
Der, according to American ideas. In the
center was an imm ense fountain, fro n
which the water rose in misty shower,
cooling the atmosphere and diifuSng mild
and pleasant fragrance around. Had it not
been for tGis, the air would have 'en very
hot indeed; for although it was January
the thick walls of the buildings in Turkey
are meant to keep out the heat and cold
alike, and it is sometimes almost suffocat-
ing ia the apartments. There were pillars
of marble, or some stone very like it, and
the tiled floor was strewn with rugs, skins,
large pillows and ottomans. The plants in
different parts of the place made it look
like a dollhouse, and there were colored
lamps lit, although it was broad daylight
outside. / noticeda few opium pipes, with
their long stems lying about the room.
Several OF the women who sat around
rose as we entered aad came forward to
greet US. There were probably fifteen in
all there at the time, and what struck me
at the outset was the extraordinary brill
fancy Of their dress They were attired
just like so many dolls Presently tley all
came around US aad looked US over aad
over wonderingly, as though we had been
on exhibition. They fingered our clothing
(Of course there were no gentlemen in the
party that was admitted) aud made re-
marks in audible whispers to each other.
They didn't seem able to III Ike out ex ictly
what we were or where we came from,
but they were all very mucl interested,
and smiled, showing their white teeth and
arcaing their thick, black eyebrows in
the prettiest way Imaginable Oh,
assure you, the women of the harem, while
they may not know much of the outer
world a g just as coquettish as other
females. and have all the little arts that
women love to practice.
Il think some of these women were
among the most beautiful creatures l ever
saw. They were nearly all young and had
orbs, such as you cannot find in the women
of any other nation under the sun. And
all the time we were there, black skinned,
thick Tipped Nubia1 slaves or attendants
cooled US with long fans, tipped with
feathers and fitted on to bamboo handles
as long as mans hight The women
seemed to care no hing for the presence of
these slaves Almost all the women were
cf the same type of beauty, finely rounded
limbs and languIshing eyes, and as they lay
around on the couc res in their thin and
almost transparent robes of raw Turkish
silk. their necks and bare arms covered
with gold and jewels, and their dark hair
hanging loose, they seemed the incarnation
of oriental beauty ami luxury. There
were prob bly, half dozen who attracted
our special attention by thsir remarkable
beauty, although all were handsome. No,
the eve does not get worrie1 looking at the
same type of beauty, although" added Mrs.
Carter naively, 81 should imagine it would
he a little t.resome for the sultan to con-
template it all the time. They may have
blondes in Turkey" she said with smile,
-