The National tribune., 1891-12-03

ried ont with terrible severity The scourging
aud beating OF wives is one Of the worst fea
tures of Moslem domestic life. 1t is degraded
and degrading practice, and having the sane
tion of the Koran, will DO INDUCED in without
rcbuke SO long as lslamisn rs a system aud a
faith prevails in the world.
Happily for the poor women. the husbands
do not beat them so as 10 imperil their lives. in
case their own relatives reside in the vicinity,
lest the excrnciaiing screams of tire sufferer
should reach the ears Of her parents and bring
the husband into some annoyance. But where
there IS no fear OF interference or discovery,
the blows aud kicks are applied ia a most mer-
ciless and barharous manner. The house is
is closely shnt aud no one can enter. 50 that IL
women arc killed in this way no outsider
knows the cause.
Turks suppose that there will be no place in
the Moslem Paradise for women, as their place
will he taken by the - brght-eycd houris or
damses Of Paradise. MahUmet once said that
when he took view Of paradise he saw the
majority Of iis inhabitants to be the poor, and
when he looked down into hell lie saw the
greater part OF the wreiches confined there To
be women yet he positively promised his fol-
lowers that the moanest man Ia paradise wOuid
have $4,000 servants, aud - wives OF the
houris, besides the wives he had in this
world.
Among the Turks divorce is a mere matter OF
caprice. The Koran says lSura IL: You
may divorce your wife twice and take her back
again, but if you divorce her u third time. II is
not lawful 10 take her again until she shall
have been actually married to another husband
and divorced by him" ! have known many
such instances, and one in particular ] will
give here. a rieh Turk in a Gt Of passion
had divorced his wife for the third time; ac-
cording 20 the law he hired a poor man TO
marry her first and divorce her on the follow
ing morning. For this the rich Turk paid 700
pasters. zone plaster is equal 10 four cents. }
This poor man took the wife and the money,
and the next day refused TO give her up for
less than 5000 piasters, which the rich Turk
was obliged 10 pay, rs the woman had become
the lawful wife Of the POOR man.
No Turk ever walks with his wife on tho
street. The women are closely covered with
10 or l2 yards Of white muslin, called izsr, from
head TO foot, and very closely vailed on the face.
lf a man and his wife have occasion TO 90 any
place together ho walks in advance and she
walks long distance hehind him. No Turkish
woman or girl would dare TO go into the street
without the izaF aud a vail, for the fear Of per-
sOnal chastisemeut from husband or father.
The Armenian, Greek. and other Christian
women in Turkey shrink from exposing their
faces through the fear Of insult from the Turk.
j am sure the reader Of these lines cannot help
sympathiZing with their Christian sisters who
are living in a country toeratng such barbar-
ism aud among such a brutal people
in pure American aud Greek villages the
women enjoy far gfeatcr liberty than in towns
having Turkish element in the population.
il Is worthy Of remark aud grateful recognition
that although civilization in Turkey has al.
most sunk 10 a level with the Turk aud other
socts, there is a striking difference between the
lowest nominal Christian community and the
highest Mahometan in the respect paid 10
women.
Ignorant the Armenian and Greek women
may be, but you fnd upon entering their
houses that the degrading yoke of Turkish
brutality is not on their necks Their hus.
bands may be coarse. yet the lower depths
Of brutality and cruelty are only found among
the Turks
o.. free and good women Of this free aud
beautiful land, work aud push on with your
free thoughts, free expressions aud wise man-
sgement. Fulili your holy mission ia this
land Of liberty; then seek Turkey. the land OF
Ignorance and poverty, aud lend a helping
hand 10 the Christian women there 10 elevate
the Turks, men and women, aud bring them
cot Of the darkness Of ignorance.