The Arizona champion., 1891-03-14
WOMEN OF TURKESTAN.
What Russian Artist and
 Traveller Says.
A CHARAIEG WOMAN FOR i5O HORSES.
Life Among tn. Kirguis Tribes Of Gen.
 tral Asia.

Among the collection of pictures of the famous Russian artist and traveller, Vasilli Verestchagin, are large number of reproductions of his former works and albums of sketches in Turkestan, which country is becoming more connected with Europe every day. Speaking of Turkes- tan recently, MT. Verestchagin said:
 "Wben you pass the Ural mountains, the frontier between Europe and Asia, you enter upon the steppes, which in the spring are beautifully green, covered with grass and flowers, which in autumn are made quite barren by the sun. Fur ther on begins the real desert, moving sands, kept more or less together by the only thing which grows in such places, a running bush or tree called saksaul, which serves for burning Cooking and heating purposes) as well as to keep the sands in tbeir place.
 1.-The steppes during spring are cov- cred with the tents of the Kirguis, very large collection of tribes occupying the whole of Central Asia. The Kirguis are a mixture of the Mongol and Turks and number few millions. They are very good hearted people and are Moham- medans, but not very fanatic. The posi- tiOn of the women is not so bad as the position of the women of the settled pop ulation (meaning the tribes residing per manently in the cities) of Central Asia.
 HOW THEY BUY WIVES.
 Naturally, however, their position is not to be compared to that of European women. The KirgIliS woman is always bought from her parents by her future husband. As a rule the payments are made in cattle, as money is scarce among these people.
 A charming and good natured girl can be purchased for, say one hundred horses, ten or twenty camels and few hundred sheep, in addition to a large tent, some cloth and some money, if the man has any. Once the price of the girl is settled upon and One-half or one-third of the amount is paid the future husband can come to the tent of the girls father, and Is even allowed to remain there with her in the absence of the girls parents, but only for a short time
 ''When the whole amount is paid the husband can take his wife to his own tent. There in that country, as in Europe, it is not wise to let the future husband take his wife without getting from him all that he has promised to give for her.
 ''lremembeT charming young woman who was bought by her husband for 150 horses. As the husband was very old and she was the third wife, and more over as she bore him no children, she was beaten nearly every day and finally came to me for consolation. 1 have a sketch of her in one of my albums, and you will see that she is most beautiful woman. Unfortunately, l could not change her position, and fear that if her husband is not dead she is still beaten every day.
 CHIEF DISCUSSES MARRIAGE.
 "The Kirguis look on their women, as 1 learned from actual conversation with a Kirglis chief, who introduced me to his young and pretty wife, as having no other object in life than to vie each with other wives in their efforts to please the head of the family.
 ''As the Kirguis woman I refer to was speaking of the fact that the tribe con- templated moving to fresh pasturages and showed her joy at the prospects of a change, asked her if she did not want to go still further, and I would take her with me, far, far, very far She laughed and answered.:
 "'Not yet; but I see that my husband has the intention to take another wife. Should he do so, then, yes; will ask you to take me away, far, far, very far
 ''I said all right; find it is quite cor rect
 "'How correctY asked the husband. Do you mean to say that your custom to have only one woman is better than ours, which is to have many of them?
 Certainly answered.
 But do you not understand he con- tinued, that when there are many they get along much better? Every one of them understands that if she ceases to please me, or if she Is capricious, shall leave her tent and go to the tent of an- other wife and live with the other wife. So they strive one against the other to be kind to me-
 ''I did not approve of this reasoning, and l said: Tn our opinion there is some thing more in the woman than her per son. Our women,' added, are united to their husbands not only by the body, but by the mind, heart and soul.'
 "'Whatr he exclaimed. But if my wife by accident should lose an eye, and be blind in one eye for life? Do you mean to say that l must remain with her for the rest of my life?
 Certainly answered.
 "Then the Kirguis chief spat in dis gust on the floor of the tent, and ex- claimed: What a miserable lawp"- New York Herald.
 The Good Natured Japanese.