Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-07
LIFE IN A HAREM.
Olive Harper Writes of the Mysteries ir
the Houses of Opulent Turks.

own persons but that is not altogether
true, as my residence of over a wear
in their country taught me- for they
are really dexterous with the needle
and do work which is as fine as that
done by the Sisters in the Converts OF
that of wives of the feudal noblemen OF
olden times.
The favorite pastime of the Turkish
women is the bath, which brings to-
gether the wives and slaves of all the
well-to-do Turks, and is like picnic OF
school children.
These wives, most of them very
young-some. indeed. not over II and
IA years old-take their lunch along,
and they eat and steam, plunge and
splash, and play pranks upon each
other in the widest glee the whole day
long.
No fear of an angry husband haunts
their minds, for they are not expected
to do anything, and their husbands
very rarely enter the harem before 6
o'clock. By this time they are all back.
rosy and sweet from their bath.
At the baths there is often an old
woman who has the faculty of relating
stories, and she is eagerly listened to
by the grown-up children; and the
stories are generally of the arabian
Nights order, full OF genii, beautiful
ladies, and charming youths, and jeal.
Gus husbands. Many a lesson is given
as to how to outwit the most jealous of
men-a lesson they are neither slow to
learn nor practice.
The way they were watched and con-
fined always made me think of the wo-
man who cautioned her innocent child
rem not to put blue beans in their
noses while she was out. The magic
lantern entertainments amuse these TO-
norant Gagged birds. Dancing girls,
singing and playing the lutte, playing
with the babies, and occasionally
some of their time; a weekly tour of the
bazaars. and once in a while a visit to
the harem of some other Turk still leave
much time on their hands that the rare
calls of their husbands, the eating of
sweetmeats or smoking of cigarettes
cannot fill, and SO they give their poor
little minds to fancy work. They very
seldom learn how to read, or perhaps
books would help them through, and
they never make their own clothes,
though they do sometimes decorate
them deliberately after others have
made them.
About the only thing [ ever noticed
the Turkish women do for their little
children was to make toys for them,
and they make the most grotesque-
looking dogs, lions, cows, rabbits, ele-
plants, camels and doll babies out of
fOr
nurse their babies, for fear of spelling
the shape of the bust. They are very
poor mothers, as they are too ignorant
themselves to understand their re-
sponsibilities or to teach their child
rem. They alternately slap them or
caress and indulge them, just as their
own humor happens to be good or bad.
The little girls are taught how to
sew and emDrOider how to walk grace
fully and recline in the most negligent
manner upon the divans, how to play
by ear Il little on lutte, and to sing
their interminable love songs. Their
songs are like Barbara Allen Love
ly Young Caroline Of Edinboro' Town"
The Brown Girl" or Gypsy Dave"
all long and telling a whole romance
to plaintive chant.
| never learned to speak Turkish,
but | got so that [ could seize upon the
meaning OF these songs. The singer
always puts all the life and sentiment
she can into her music, and often sheds
tears as she sings, as do her listeners. |
have even seen one or two of them
faint away at the most pathetic part.
This is II very common trait among
T l.,
able to decide whether it is the result of
a weak will or extreme sensibility, but
they faint on every possible occasiI a.
The Turkish women love music
passionately. and nearly all of them
can play some instrument with taste
and feeling. though almost always by
ear. Their native music is always sad
and plantive and often full of such a
piercing sorrow that it is no wonder
it brings tears. They love flowers,
too, and you rarely see one without a
flower in her hand when it is possible
to get them, and they are fond of
selves. Many of the Turkish women
show considerable talent in drawing
and painting, though the poor things
never have any chance to learn. They
simply pick it up
As | found the Turkish wonderland
| happened to have obtained, by for
tunate circumstance, a chance to know
them in their homes accorded to very
few foreign women, and to absolutely
no foreign man-they are gentle. sub
missive, loving, and with many natural
gifts in addition to their beauty. If
they were educated they would be the
equals of any women in Europe. 1t
does not seem to me that they are I'M
happy in their peculiar marriage rela-
tions. They reminded me of lot of
irresponsible young girls in boarding
school, and the on y jealousy such as
might be felt of the teachers pet"
Instead of the poisoned and vindictive
murder supposed always ready to be
inflicted upon each other, the worst
they ever do is to pull each others hair
occasionally or box each others ears.
don't think the Turkish women are
really lazy or indolent, but for many
reasons they appear so. The husband
considers his wife as an irresponsible
being, prone to mischief (and he is
rarely mistakenly, and all he expects or
requires of her is to look pretty. be
cheerful and pleasant when he is near,
and it would be a mark Of disreSpect
for her to do anything in the way of
work when he is present. So these
women are early taught to be grace
fully idle.
Girls reach their majority at and
are frequently married year later,
though not usually until ID. By that
time all the education they Get is ac-