Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-11-13
ABOUT EASTERN WIVES.
or Interest to the Women OF This FREQ
Uestern v arld.

notions as the 0o"f0e or authority and
influence exercised by the regularly
married women, says the Saturday
Evening Post. especially among the
Turks and Perslans.
OF thousand Persians. for instance,
not dozen have more than two wives;
not thirty have more tan one; and
where this is the case the best-infOrmed
travellers agree that the routine OF do
mestic life does not differ very mater
tally from that which we behold in
every Well-regulated family at home
that is TO say, the real substantial head
of the administration is the lady of the
mansion. The Persian word NADER,
for mother, sounds not unlike our own.
She Is throughout the East the object
of the most sacred and beautiful aitec-
ton from the prince to the peasant;
she almost invariably directs the mar
riage of her children.
Ii n woman has property of her
own, the Koran secures to ner full
command OF it during her life, and that
control is in no way affected by her
marriage. The Mohammeidu wife,
moreover has similar con,roi over her
dover. At her death her husband is
only entitled to half her property, in
GLIDING her dover, If there be no
children II there be he only takes
one-fourth, the remainder being equal
ly divided among the children, males
and females sharing alike.
Even among the Tartars the po-
sition of the wife differs not very ma
terially from that which she enjoys
here, although she is treated on some
points in manner that would lead
stranger TO think otherwise. She is
purchased from her father according
TO priritive custom But though the
father mcy sell his daughter, the hus-
band cannot disT.oGe OF his wife after
that fashion. If she proves faithless
he may send her home and obtain
what he paid for her back again. But
if she e we'll conducted and becomes
the parent of children, she may 60
through life as happy as any woman
in this country.
1t is true that among some nations
OF Tartars she is not permitted to eat
at the same table as her husband and
she is compelled to go through all the
drudgery of the family, while her lord
sits at his ease. Generally speaking,
the Tartar wives, contrary to the i'm
port of the proverbial expression, are
far from being Tartars
They are hospitable TO strangers af-
fectionate to their husbands and chill
dren, they dress on their festival days
splendidly they 90 to see their friends
and relations when they choose, and
have their meetings for social enjoy
ment tittle-tattle and scandal. Their
gala costume differs from that of the
Turkish ladies chiefly in the number
OF their gold and silver ornaments of
which they make a prodigal show.
Their earrings are immense, often
hanging down to the shoulders; their
gold neck chains and armlets are re-
markably sumptuous; and in addition
to these, they even decorate their nose
with rings They wear trousers OF
light yellow or ruby color red slippers
long silk gowns. braided in front with
silver twist, and fastened with silver
buttons, and cinctures of leather, en-
broidered with the same material and
confined by a splendid golden clasp.
Like the Turkish women, they dye
their finger nails red, aad they seldom
go out unveiled. The unmarried fe-
males are distinguished from the ma
irons by a high round cap of red cloth,
ornamented with Turkish gold and sill
yer coins and polished shells. Bands
OF coral are wound round the forehead
and the hair to which great attention
is paid, falls behind in long thick
plaits tied at the end by silver cords.
The Circassian men are remarkably
attentive TO the preservation of the
superiority Of their females over the
other Caucasian tribes in personal APP
pearance. They (the men) never in
termarry with any tribe but their own.
They will not allow the race TO be
tainted at its source by any mixture OF
the Calmucl or Turcoman blood. 1t
is peculiar feature in their manners,
that married persons seldom see each
other in the course Of the day. They
have feeling that the habit Of con-
slant intercourse would be effeminate,
and unfavorable to the continuance of
that mutual affection which they think
is preserved in stronger odor by sys-
tematic separation during the working
hours Of the dag. So much is this the
case, that the woman who does not
conceal herself from a stranger will
instantly hasten to her apartment TO
hide from her husband, if she happens
TO see him returning home before the
usual hour of meeting.
The Circassian wives are reputed TO
be generally characterised by the most
moral conduct When an exception
occurs, the husband often satisfies his
honor by giving the lady sound beat
:ng. II her Irregularities be scandal
Gus, he Sits her nose and ears, and
sends her home in that mutilated con-
dition TO her friends. If Le Stays her
seducer, as sometimes happens he is
arraigned before the tribunal elders.
and fined in an amount sufficient TO
compensate for the loss OF the de-