Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-08-14
LIFE IN A HAREM.



that is either useful or ornamental
aside from the decoration of their
own persons but that is not altogether
true, as my residence of over a year
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.
Tie 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
II 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 naunts
their minds, for they are not expected
to do anything, and their husband.
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
0ns husbands. Many lesson is given
as t. how to outwit the most jealous Of
men-e lesson they are neither slow to
learn nor pr2otice.
The way they we're 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 ig-
norant Gagged birds. Dancing girls,
singing and playing the lutte, playing
with the babies, and occasionally
quarrelling with each other, take up
some of their time; a weekly tour of the
bazaars. and once in while visit to
the harenl 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 Tor them,
and they make the most grotesque-
looking dogs, lions, cows, rabbits, ele-
plants, camels, and doll babies out of
rags 1or their amusement. They never
nurse their babies, for fear of spelling
the shape OF the bust. They are very
poor mothers, rs 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 rs their
own humor happens TO be good or bad.
The little gIrls are taught how to
sew aud emhroider, how 10 walk grace
fully and recline in the most negligent
manner upon the diyans, how to play
by ear Il llttle on lutte. and TO sing
their interminable hove songs. Their
songs are like barbara Allen.' Love
~ Dung Caroline OF Edinboro' Town.
The Brown Girl, or Gypsy Dave"
ali long aud telling u whole romance
to IA pIaiutive chant.
never learned to speak Turkish,
but | got 50 that | could seize upon the
meaning of these songs. The singer
always puts all the lie and sentiment
size can into her music, aud often sheds
tears as she sings, rs do her listeners.
have even seen one or two of them
faint away at the most pathetic part.
Ihis Is a very common trait among
Turkish women, and | have not YET been
aole 10 decide whether it is tue result of
a weak will or extreme scusibility bat
they faint on every possible occasHn.
The Turkish women love music
passionatsly, and nearly all of them
can play some inst umeBt with taste
and feeling, though almost always by
ear. Their native music is always sad
and plaiutiye, and often full of such
piercing sorrow that it is no wonder
il brings tears. They love flowers.
too, and You rarely see one without
flower in her hand when it is possible
to get them, and they are fond of
birds. and raise great many them
selves. Many of the Turkish women
show considerable talent in drawing
aud painting though the poor things
never have any chance to learn. They
simply pick it up"
As | found the Turkish women-and
| happened to have obtained, by a for
tunate circumstance. chance to know
them in their homes accorded to very
few foreign women, and 10 absolutely
no foreign man-they are gentle, sub
missive, loving aud with many natural
gifts in addition TO their beauty. Ii
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-
tons. They reminded me of lot OF
irresponsible young girls in boarding
school, aud the only jealousy such as
might be felt Of the teachers pet. :"
Instead Of the poisoned and vindicti!e