Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-28

with her. and she is now living with tie
rest of her establishment here in Cairo.
''Monogamy," continued Colonel Cardwell,
sis in fact growing in favor in Cairo. The
Khedive has set the example and the upper
tendon shows a disposition to follow 1t.
One of the princesses said the other day that
a good Moslem coald according to the Koran
have but one wife,"
Sand how is that" she'was asked? The
Koran states that he may have four and Mo-
hammed himself said, there are two things
in this world which delight me, these'ar
women and perfumes. These two things re.
loice my eyes and render me more fervent In
devotion. The great prophet had some
thing like dozen wives and he especially
gives all devout men the right to four.
81 assert, however," said the Princess,
that the Koran intends that man should
have only one wife, And this is because he
cannot be good and have more. The Koran
says that YOU must not love one wife more
than another and this is impossible if you
have more than one. Hence you should
take only one."
The father of the present Khedive is
Ismail Pasha, who is now living in Con-
stantinople, and who receives pension from
Egypt or $500, 900 year. He holds differ
ent theory from his SON in regard to monog-
amy, and his harem is large one. He took
it with him when he went to Naples to live,
but a young Italian, ii 1 remember correct
ly, ran away with one of his prettiest wives,
and he moved his establishment TO Constan-
tinople, where his harem would be more
sacred and where he can, if he chooses, drop
q faithless wife into the Bosphorus without
comment or courts.
AN OLD MANS JOKE.
Mehamet Ali had also a number of wives,
and went out this afternoon to Shoubra
palace, in which the old man spent some of
the last days of his life. The guides here
show you beautiful garden, and in sum-
mer palace a lake about four feet deep with
marble resting place in the center. 1t was
upon this seat that the Napoleon of Egypt
used to sit with his ladies in boats on the
water about him. The boatmen were posted
by him, and at the crook of his finger they
would overturn the fair Circassians into the
pool, and Mehamet would laugh in his old
cracked voice as he watched their terrified
struggles in trying to get out.
Year by year, however, the keeping up of
harem in the Mohammedan countries be-
comes more expensive. The introduction of
the Western civilization is inspiring new
wants in the minds of the houri, and the no.
blest of them want French kid slippers and
their dresses from Worth. They want dia-
monds and modern jewelry, and if they have
children must have French and English
governesses for them. The majority of the
Mohammedans of Egypt are too poor to
keep more than one wife under the new Gus
toms, and this number is being reduced by
the increased cost of living. Even the Or
dinary wealthy women of Cairo now have
some European dresses in their wardrobes,
and the wells which they wear when out
driving grow thinner and thinner each year.
The wife of the Khedive wears veil of
thin gauze through which her features can
be plainly seen when she goes out driving,
for the windows of her carriage are open, ,and
an American tells me he could see the
sparkle of her magnificent diamonds
through this thin veil when he passed her a
few days ago. FRANK G. CARPENTER.