San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-11
TURKISH WOMEN.
They Do Work, but Accomplish
Very Little at il.

They Do Work, but Accomplish
Very Little at it.
People in general have an idea that
Turkish women absolutely do moth
ing that is either useful or ornamen-
tai, aside from the decoration of their
own persons; but this Is not altogether
true, says writer in the Pittsburg
Bulletin, as my residence of. over q
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, or that of the wives of the
feudal noblemen of olden times.
The faverite pastime Of the Turkish
women is the bath, which brings
together the wives and slaves of all
the well-to-do Turks, and is like a
picnic of school children.
These wives, most of them very
young-some, indeed, not over twelve
and fourteen 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 tear of an angry husband haunts
their minds, for they are not expected
to do anything, and their husbands
very raj ely enter the harems before
o'clock. By this time they are all
back, rosy and sweet, from their bath.
At the baths there is often all old
woman who has the faculty of rela-
ting stories, and she is eagerly listen
ed to by the grown-up children; and
the stories are generally of the Ara
bian Nights" order, full of gentle,
beautiful ladies and charming
youths, and jealous hus bands. Many
a lesson is given as to how to outwit
the most jealous Of men-a lessen
they are neither slow to learn nor
practice.
The way they were watched and
confined always made me think of
the woman who cautioned her lnno-
cent children not to put blue beans
in their noses while she was out.
The magic lantern entertainments
amuse these ignorant Gagged birds.
Dancing girls, singing and playing
the lutte; playing with the babies ..snd
occasionally quarreling with each
other, take up some of their time; a
weekly tour of the baZaars and once
in a while q visit to the harem of
some other. Turk still leaves 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 some
times decorate them deliberately after
others have made them.
They have frames made on which
their embroidery is worked, and on
velvet satin or that beautiful and
durable Broussa gauze they embroid-
er with exquisite fineness and taste.
The most of their embroidery is done
in durable AMI admirably arranged
colors in subdued tones, which seem
10 me remarkable in women who are
so found of brilliant primary colors
and ill-assorted con trasts. They
have no patterns, but work out beau
tiful and graceful fantasies, and all
done with the most extreme care and
fineness, requiring patience and ex-
ira good sight.
They work in gold and silver
threads to great extent and they
make cushions for their divans which
are stiff with the finest gold and sill
yer needlework. Their Jackets are
worked SO thickly over with gold and
silver arabesques and other patterns
that they are almost as stiff as our
corsets.
Their slippers are Ornamented as
we'll with gold and silver embroidery
over velvet or satin, and seed pearls
and fine coral and turquoise beads are
lavishly used with beautiful effect.
They also work gold borders to their
bathing wraps. This is done in out
line work in chain stitch. The little
Broussa neck ties are worked in the
same manner, only that the tourah
or national cOat-of-armS, is always
placed at the end, with a verse from
the Koran worked in gold thread al
the bottom.
They make very beautiful and dur
able lace out of silk thread, which re-
sembles no lace ever saw. The
mesh is thick, but not heavy, and
different flowers are frequently made
in relief upon it. 1 have seen a piece
of this lace three yards in length and
CrrowNar nfo uarH rrfda