St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-20

children was to make toys for them, and
they make the most grotesque-leoking
dogs, lions, cows, rabbits, elephants,
camelS and doll babies out of rags for
their amusement. They never nurse
their babies for fear of spelling the
shape of the bust. They are very poor
mothers, as they are too ignorant them
selves to understand their responsible
ties or to teach their children. They
alternately slap them or caress ana in
dulge them just as their own humor
happens to be good or bad.
The little girls are taught how to sew
and emDToider, how to walk gracefully
and reciine in the most negligent nan
ner upon the divanS, how to play by ear
a little on lutte, and to sing their in
terminable love songs. Their songs are
like barbara Allen" "Lovely Young
Caroline of Edinboro Town." ''Hhe
Brown Girl" or Gypsy Dave"-all
long and telling whole romance to a
plaintive chant.
never learned to speak Turkish. but
| got so that l could seize upon the
meaning of these songs. The singer al
ways puts all the lite and sentiment she
can into her music, and often sheds
tears as she sings, as do her listeners. L
have even seen one or two of them
This is a very common trait among
Turkish women, and | have not yet
been able to decide whether it is the re-
suit of weak will or extreme SenSl-
bilitv, but they faint on every possible
occasion.
The Turkish women love music pas
Sionately, 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
plaintive, and often full of such pierre
ing sorrow that it is no wonder
1t Brings Tears.
They love flowers, too, and you rare
ly see one without flower in her hand
when it is possible to get them, and
they are fond of birds, and raise great
many themselves. Many of the Turk
ish 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 fort
innate 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. Ii
| they were educated they would be the
| equal of any women in Europe.
1t does not seem to me that they are
unhappy in their peculiar marriage re-
| lations.
They reminded me of a lot of ire
| SponSible young girls i'll boarding
school. and the only 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.
Idon't think the Turkish women are
really lazy or INDECENT, but for many
reasons they appear so. The husband
| considers his wife as an irresponsible
| being, prone to mischief (and he is
rarely mistaken, and all he expects or
| requires of her is to look pretty, be
| cheerful and pleasant when he Is near,
and it would be mark OF dlSreSpect Tor
| her to do anything in the way OF work
! while he is present. SO these women
are early taught to be
Gracefully Idle.
Girls reach their majority at nine and
are frequently married a year later.
though not usually until fifteen. BY that
time all the education they get is ac-
Quired. Instead of beng taught all the
| abStruSe sciences, she is taught all the
| careS5ing words and gestures possible
to imagine-hOw to walk, sit, look and
| speak so as TO appear the most seductive
IN the eyes of the husband who gets
| her. E.s
No Turkish wife of the better class is
ever expected to do any domestic labor
Whatever, nor to make any of the house
hold linen, nor to make any garments
for herself or member of the household,
nor to sew any buttons on, nor, above
all, to make her husbands shirts; there
fore it can be seen at once that almost
| every source of domestic disagreement
Is done away with, and the Turkish
husband never expects his wife to gel
on her knees and hunt for his coIiaI
button. nor scold her if the dinner i;
badly cooked; SO that in many respects
life in a harem is not so very bad after
all. and one-tenth of good husband is
better than the whole of a bad one.
But the women can decorate. EN-
broider and sew pearls and turquolseS
all over anthing they want to, and they
do it as labor of love with exquisite
| care anu uGllCdCN vi ldSlC tuu uuioI'
Their own garments are such an odo
incongruity-bare feet and legs. OF sock:
and slippers, pantaloons OF common
gaudy chintz, shalvar OF skirt OF
which the breadths are not sewed up,
great wad of shawl tied about WaiS
guiltless of corsets, jacket covered
with gold and pearl embroidery, Jewels
necklaces of coral, pearls, diamonds
and other precious jewels, mingled witt
strings of common beads, earrings. ring:
and bracelets four inches wide, thu
brilliant Sorvotch above their forehead
stuck full of gay flowers and jewels
and over all the feridiee, with its shape
less folds, and the beauty-giVing. rein
ing ana mysterious veil or yashmak
which makes of a Turkish woman a
once the most ravishing and ridiculon
creature in the world. Beautiful i'll til,
face as an angel, ugly and awkward
| INOL q