The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-09-19
aROUT ABDUL HAND,
He Has Between Two and Three Hundred
wives and Is Still a Happy Man-His
Harem.

little above the middle height. of slight
but wiry build, with a sensitive face,
very dark and rather mountaineering
ewes, and a very carefully trimmed
beard and mustache. As far as his
clothes 90 he could give points to most
of our well-dressed young men on
Fifth avenue and Broadway. Abdul
Hamid always had great liking fol-
perfect-fitting trousers and coats. All
his clothes are made either in London
or Paris, and he nearly always wears
patent-leather shoes. In an ordinary
way the only distinguishing mark of
his nationality in his dress is the red
Turkish fez or cap.
His disposition? Well, if he were
man in ordinary life he would proba.
bly, be described as very plain,
straightforward. easy-going fellow.
One of his chief characteristics is dis
like of too much pomp and ostenta-
ton, and he has upon various occa.
sions displayed an inclination to lay
aside certain Turkish customs and ira.
ditions and adopt various European
manners which he recognizes as i'm
provements upon HABITS in his country.
For instance, it has always been the
custom at the Turkish court for sub
iect to PROSTATE himself flat upon his
face upon being ushered into the sui
tan's presence. Abdul Hamid has done
away with this, and simply exacts a
low bow. which he, contrary to former
custom, graciously returns.
Nearly all the Turkish ladies nova
DAYS wear European dresses beneath
the outer cloak which envelopes them,
and on their heads, beneath very thin
wells, they wear Parisian-made bonnets.
There are probably few such charm
ing spots in the world as that which
the sultan has chosen as the site of his
permanent residence. When Abdul
Hamid came to the throne he deter
mined to turn his back upon the
melancholy magnifcence of Dolma-
Bagche, the former palace, and built
for himself residence after his own
heart on the picturesque heights Of
Yildiz.
The palace he has reared for himself
is one of rarest beauty. From the ter
raced roof he can at his pleasure look
upon the snow-covered crests of dis
tant mountains, upon the blue, spark
ling waters of the Bosporus, and upon
the hazy outline of islands dotting the
Asatic coast. He can see the domes
and minarets of Stamboul, and through
the rich foliage of the park are to be
caught glimpses of the Golden horn
and the streets and villas of Pera. A
tall wall, hidden from sight beneath
a mass of ivy and creepers and fringed
by date palms and towering trees, in
Il ,No1ann on1 ,nrly IL
the palace the furnishing is dream
of oriental luxury.
How many wives does he maintain? ?
Well, there are between 200 and 500
ladies in the harem, but only those
who are mothers really hold the
rank of wives. In the sultan's harem,
though, as in every other Turkish
harem for that matter, there is always
one who is the favorite. She is vir-
tually the sultana, and she generally
manages to keep the head of the house
hold pretty we'll to herself Turkish
women are not much different from
any other women in their leaniLgs to-
ward monopoly as regards the pos
session of a man. There are many
women in the imperial harem who have
never exchanged ten words with the
sultan.
The harems are mostly recruited from
Georgia and Circassia. Dealers go into
these districts and purchase the girls
from their parents at prices ranging
from a few hundred to thousands of
dollars. The price entirely depends
upon the appearance of the article.
The poorer-looking girls are kept at
home to supply the home demand.
The Georgian or Circassian young man
who wants wife gets his mother or
some other female relative, in whose
judgment he has confidence. to select
a wife for him from the local harems,
and he pays for her in sheep, in
goats, or In asses, as his means will
allow. Recently, l have been told.
the in0allment plan of paying for a
wife has been introduced with great
success in Circassia. 1t enables q
young man to secure an article of bet
ter quality than if he had to pay value
down.
The best looking girls, however, all
go TO the brokers or dealers. Money
talIks in Georgia and Circassia just as
loud rs in London or New York. The
girls thus purchased are handled with
great care. and are disposed of al
profits ranging from 200 to 500 per
cent in the markets of Constantinople,
Smyrna, and other large cities.
In the higher realms of Turkish
society it is considered quite the hand.
some thing to give friend as a birth
day present plump young Georgian
or pretty. fair-skInned Circassian.
Upon receiving notification from the
chief eunuch the dealer in wares from
Georgia or Circassia is bound to give
the imperial harem the first pick. This
picking is usually done by the chief
eunuch.
This official is very important per-
sonage in the Turkish empire. He
ranks with field marshal and receives
salary equal to that of the prime
minister On his fingers he wears
diamonds worth a kings ransom, and
his sable feet are kissed by postulants
for his favor who seek to secure the in.
direct influence which he can exert up
on his royal master.
The eunuchs are usually recruited in
upper Egypt, and are selected in early
childhood for the career they are to
MI. L ho bidShti duu u ileI INC GuDucn
is the bigger price he brings. A tall,
well-developed imposing looking
eunuch, with the requisite amount of
swarthiness and uglincss, is worth
from $4,000 to $1,000.
The eunuchs are required to keep
strict watch over the harem and to
hold the inmates in order. They are
pretty careful in their bearing toward
those inmates who are mothers, and
consequently have a certain rank, but
they frequently cuff and spank the
other ladies, and upon occasion even
resort to the bastinado. which con-
sists of a whipping administered to the
soles of the feet
In the harem the ladies spend their
time in slipping chocolate. eating sweet
meats, playing cards. aud talking to-
gether. One would imagine that there
was very little food for discussion
among them, but it is strange how
much news from the outer world leaks