Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-10-24
EGYPTS SLAVE GIRLS.
THEIR LIFE COMPARED WITH THAT
or THE ENGLISH DRUDGE.

Niie-The Fair cireas.ian's Usual Fate.
No sense Of Degradation.
The English drudge rises early and goes TO
| bel late, working eight or twelve hours
| dav, either IN her miserable garnet or IN
huge manufacturing hive. Punched with
hunger and cold worn cut with labor, ex-
| posed 20 temptation and degradation, her
| joyless life stretches bchind her and before
| her, with no pleasures % look back upon, no
hope 10 look forward 70 The wages she earns,
those wages which proudly separates her
from the slave, are barely sufficient to keep
body and soul together, till at last the body
gives way or the soul reyults. Then comes
the inevitable emil, and verdict Of Death
from starvation or ..Found drownesin closes
the scene.
The soudani girl is taken from her parental
hut Of sticks and mud and sold 10 a respect
able family or perhaps very rich one. In
the first case, she will probably be alone; in
the second she will find others like herself
She represents 80 much capital invested and
is looked after with equivalent care She is
a servant whose wages have been paid twenty
years in advance Ii is trtse they have not
been paid 10 her, but that is all the better for
the girl She Is we'll housed and well fesl and
wants for nothing She Is Immediately pro-
yidasl with decent clothes and set 10 house
work She has charge of the family wash
ing and cleaning, and of the kitchen and
generally fultllls these duties much better
than IA native paid servant would do She is
under no special restraint accompanies her
mistress shopping or dots the marketing her
self, and ga-sips her I'LL with tho neighlors as
she hangs out the linen ON the house top, or
sweeps the front door step.
Her work IL by means hard, and after
the fashion Of Egypt, whore every man il "A
brother and every woman a sister, she Ii
looked upon by the family quite as one of
themselves. Speaking from personal olserva-
tion, we may affirm that the black women
are almost invariably treated with the utmost
kindness and indulgence, and are often spoiled
like children by the too great good nature of
their masters or mstresses. They constitute
very merry, happy portion of the popula-
tion. and 1T is seldom one can find a black girl
without an infectious broad grin on her poll
ished face. II she chooses to marry, as sho
often does, with her owners consent, she re-
ceiyes a dover, and goes forth a .free'' woman
In the letter, though often, as she finds 10 her
cost, "A greater bond slave in the spirit than
In the days of her scrvitude
Now let ns go step higher In the social
scale, and place the middle class English girl,
compelled 10 work for her living, side by side
with the Circassian, and We shall find again
that all material advantages, of which alone
We speak, are not ON the side OF the free The
Circassian is little fair haired lass from n
Tar village In Turkestan pace DR. Tanner.
tier father Is IA robber or n herdsman, and
| she will perhaps be IA princess, The Prince
Charming, whom the governess is always
looking for, but who never comes, il a very
strong potentiality in the future Of the white
slave girl.
One day a bearded and venerable old Turk
arrives from STEAMBOAT and picks out our
| little girl. She is not carried away by force.
| but gold Is counted out, and she is perched
on mule, ard bids good-by forever to bar
barism. The purchaser takes every imapin-
able pains with her education and appear
| ance. She Is taught 10 read and write, To
dance and sing, 10 embroider in silk and play
the guitar, and further initiated into all the
mysteries OF the toilet When she has
| grown into budding womanhood the dealer
lets his best customers know that he possesses
q treasure almost priceless, aud all her vir.
tues and beauties are detailed with the usual
/ Oriental exaggeration. Finally, some royal
| princess or rich pasha's wife expresses wish
10 see her, and extra care having been taken
4
inspection. She gives Samples of her accom-.
plishments, musical, gymnastic and other.
| wise Accepted, she is al once clothed with
a rich silk dress, aud receives present of o
| necklace or bracelet as an earnest OF favor
before she joins her fellow slaves. Beyond
assisting her mistress in the toilet, nc
| campaigning her In her drives. AMI
handing her coffee and cigarettes sho hai
little TO do. She IL nm ornamental append
age rather than servant 4 household
such as one of These Circassians would enter
would contain crowd OF men servants AM
black women 30 do the work. and perhaps
ten to twenty other girls like herself, and
very gay time they have together. TIL,
j great Indies are very fond Of exchanging
visits and giving musical entertainments, a
all of which some of the slave girls attend
When she goes out with her mistress in tn
natty little broughnni, almost the only differ
enee between the laly and the maid lies ii
the former taking the right hand seat Tn
girl Is dresssd in n way TO do credit To tn
house she belongs TO- and often sparkles will
jewels, chatting freely with everybody a
tho places SHE visits. and enjoying herself a
fully rs any Of the elnancipated
When the time comes for her to be mar
ried, her owner chooses a suitable hushani
and gives rich dover, and many of tli
marriages of slave girls eclipse in magnif
cenee those of even tho Weather cnsses
The erstwhile harefonted ragged little Circas
sian from Tnrcomau's Land is now a prir
cess or paShas wife, with slaves of her own
but she would laugh II Yen suggested 10 he
that there WINS anything degrading in thel
position or Ind beon IN her own.-fondo
Saturday Review.