The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-05

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 responsibilities or
to teach their children. 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
enbroidsr, how to walk gracefully and re-
! cline IN the most negligent manner upon
the divans, how to play by ear little on
Lutte, and to sing their interminable love
songs. Their songs are like barbara
Allen, Lovely Young Caroline of Eiin-
boro Town" THE Brown Grip or Gypsy
Dave"-al long and telling a whole ro-
nance 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. l have even seen one or
two of them faint away at the most pathetic
part This is very common trait among
Turkish women, and l have not yet been
able to decide whether it is the result OF a
weak will or extreme sensibi'ity, but they
faint on every possible occasion.
The Turkish women love music passion
ately, 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 piercing
sorrow that it is no wonder that 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 birds and raise a great many
| themselves. 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 I
happened to have obtained, by fortunate
circumstance, a chance to know them in
their homes accorded to very few foreign
women, and to absolutely no foreign man
they are gentle, submissive, loving, aud
with many natural gifts in addition to their
beauty. If they We're educated they would
be the equals of any women in Europe 1t
does not seem to me that they are unhappy
in their peculiar marriage relations. They
| reminded me of lot of irresponsible young
girls in a 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 and box each others ears.
/ don't think the Turkish women are
| really lazy or indolent, but for many rea-
sons they appear SO. The husband consid-
| ers his wife an irresponsible being, prone to
mischief land he is rarely mistakeD) and ell
\ he requires of her is to look pretty, be
cheerful and pleasant when he is near, aud
| it would be 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 gracefully idle.
Girls reach their majority at 9, and are
| freq uently married year later, though
not usually until Is. By that time all the
! education they get is acquired. Instead of
being taught all the abstruse sciences, she is
taught all the caressing words and gestures
possible to imagine-how to walk, sit, look
and speak, so as to appear the most seduct-
| i've in the eyes of the husband who gets
| her.
No Turkish wife of the better class is ever
expected to do any domestic labor what
ever, nor to make any of the household
linen, nor to make any garments for her.
| self or members of the household, nor TO
sew any buttons on, nor, above all, to make
her husbands shirts; therefore 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 get on her knees and hunt for his
collar button, nor scold her if the dinner is
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 bad one.
! But the women can decorate, embroider,
and sew pearls and turquoises all over any
thing they want to, and they do it as a
labor of love, with exquisite care and deli
| cacy of taste.
| Their own garments are such an odd in
congruity-bare feet and legs, or socks and
| slippers, pantaloons of common gaudy
chintz, shalvar or skirt, of which the
breadths are notsewn up, great wad OF
shawl tied about waist guiltless of corsets,
| jacket covered with gold and pearl en-
broidery. jewels necklaces of coral, pearl,
diamonds, and other precious jewels,
mingled with strings of common beads, ear
rings, rings, and bracelets four inches wide,
| the brilliant sorvotch above their fore
heads stuck full of gay flowers and jewels,
and owes all the ferldjee. with its shapeless
folds. and the beGuty-giving, refining, and
| mysterious veil or yashmak, which makes
| of Turkish woman at once most ravish-
ing and ridiculous creature in the world.
Beautiful in the face as an angel, ugly, and
awkward, seen from behind, as a hippo
potamus.
The total catch of seals by schooners fitted
| out at Victoria, B. c., up to April 1, is reported
| ar