The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-11-04
THE ARAS WOMAN.
Her Social Condition, Dress, Psstimes and
Love For Jewe ~.

The ARA6 WOMAN.
Her Social Condition, Dress, Pastimes and
Love For Jewe ~.
The Arab woman, save N rare and
pleasant exceptions is hardly what the
poets and painters have shown us. II
she be graceful or beautiful, it is ex-
tremely difficult to discover il: and she
possesses neither of these attractions
after she is twenty-five, for she is a
wife" at from twelve to fourteen years
of age, whatever that station or condi-
ton means among the Arabs. All the Q
is about this being to become ecstat c
over is that subtle prompting Of the
poetic fancy which ever, to the male
mind peculiarly, blooms like the rose in
any soil of apparent coy shness and
rnyDtcry in the gentler sew
The Arab woman is IMPLY vacuous,
inSensate, voiceless and dreamless
human animal, sheeted like the dead in
the streets, and dead TO the world when
within the four windowless walls where
the majestic being who owns her keeps
her penned-
The dress of the Arab woman is all
concealing upon the street and all-re-
vealing in her home. The outer gar
ment is the haik, white. usually of wool,
sometimes OF silk, often OF cotton. Its
frequently twenty feet in length and
nearly two yards wide. Beneath this
are precisely four articles of apparel, a
gauze chemise, an unstiffened corset, or
bodice, frequently massively embroid-
cred and bejeweled, pantaloons reach
ing to me feet and comprising countless
yards of material and the tantalizing
ad jur tied tightly around the face and
falling about twelve inches belos.
Most women not satisfied with this re-
tirement or perhaps more strictly speak
ing, most women whose husbands are
not satisfied with this observation,
further hide the face by bringing the
haik down over one side of the fore
head, so that but one eye, dark eye
brow and tiny patch of the forehead
are visible.
Their feet are usually encased in
brown or yellow slippers: danglets and
banglets of indescrib able. ewclry tinkle
and chime from wrists, ankles and con-
cealed portions of the figure; and in this
swathing of ghostly haik, with bumped
bodies and m ncing steps, those who are
allowed upon the street at all wriggle,
glide and scurry along like bevy of es-
capped wraiths from among the silent
graves upon the heights
But this privilege of wandering about
like lot of sheeted spooks is by no
means a universal one. The young and
fair see the sunlight only through the
open courts of their dwellings or from
+ha white terraces for a brief hour to-
ward sunset. Only the aged and sa1e
are ever permitted to visit the mosques,
with the exception that on Friday, in
company with servants or elders, little
excursions are allowed to the suburban
marabouts, or sacred temples, and the
khoubas at the cemeteries as at Belcour,
there they are allowed the cheering
diversion of fiji ing with water the little
cups resting at the heads of tOmbs; for
the birds drink from these and fly to
Heaven with greetings from the souls
at rest beneath.
Indoors the dress of these women is
ethereal enough for the most fervid
artists fancy. They never see in their
homes any male but their husbands and
their children. The climate, like that
of Cuba in winter, and excessively hot
from May until October, has also much
to do with this. There are really but
two garments for every day home wear.
One is gauze chemise, through which
the olive-hued form is clearly revealed.
The other is the wide, ample trousers,
terminating just below the knees, and
almost as feecy and gauzy in effect
The lowlier women are bare legged,
bare footed and bare headed at home.
Wives of the Weather Arabs will don
pink, yellow or blue gauze silk hose and
dainty yellow babouches or slippers.
Their hair will be coiled in a simple
Grecian knot. and fastened with some
huge jeweled ornament, and perhaps a
tiny skull cap, richly embroidered, will
rest coGuettishly on one side of the
head.
But all are bedecked with jewelry.
The poorer are fond of FURNISHED copper
bands about the arms. wrists and ankles,
or brilliant quartz and glass cubes and
crystals, strung on pack thread, encircle
their necl The rich are ablaze with
Jewels, principally arts, emeralds and
sapphircs. badly set. but always genuine
and of great value. The is legend
in Algiers that the hidden riches Of the
weather. Arabs, principally comprising
Jewels exceeds the sum total in value OF
all coin. plate and jewels otherwise pos
sessed by all nationalit;es in the white
city. e. L. Wakeman. in Cincinnati
Times.
BritOns Opposed To Soldering.
The difficulty OF maintaining a great
standing army in a country where