Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-10-16


d real love, Is also shown TO the foster
mother. The title is never lost Thus,
the foster mothers take rank. as we'll as
their sons and daughters, in the families
of those whom they have nursed. The
sultan mother is the Isupreme head in
the hierarchy of the harem, and has the
right Of life and death over all the
women under her orders. Immediately
after her comes the grand mistress of
the treasury; next the Bache-k adine, or
third and fourth kadines; afterward
the Bache-lkbaI, or first favorite
of his majesty; tken the second, third,
fourth, etc, ikbals; mex in rank are the
guieuzdes, or young slaves whom the sui
tan has distinguished by a glance or
word, who are waiting to pass to the
dignity of favorite; then comes the
kadines -effendis, or mothers of imperial
princes or princesses; finally the sultanas
or unmarried prinCesses OF the Flood,
Each one of these women have a special
household, which is called daira, or
court, and consists of dozen great ladies',
all having the title of kaIfas, or mistresses.
Each one of the kalfas has from six to ten
young pupils, so that the court Of the first
wife of the Sultan, to cite an example,
has more than seyenty-hve women. Ihe
other dairas are only little less import
ant in the number Of their women. There
art about twenty of these courts. and their
attendants count at least 800 women, near
ly all young and pretty, and all waiting
for the moment when the within If their
master will enable them to scale the
hierarchical ladder conducting to the pos
session of his favors.
The harem is not, as might he supposed,
community. 1t is a union of small, dis
tinCt states, each one having its admins
tatl0n and forming confederation I'M
der the all-powerful direction of the sui
tan S mother. There is quite a ceremonial
for everything relating to thu grand mis-
tress Of the harem. No one can call upon
her without first having made the request
or received an invitation. 1t Is not per-
mitted to sit in her presence; the person
received must remain standing, the hands
crossed upon the breast, the head more or
less inclined, and thus wait until the
august parsonage deigns to ask a question
or authorizes the caller to speak. Every
reply must he accompanied by profound
reverence and by the sacram,atal words:
YES, your LADY," or No, your Lady,"
All visitors are Obliged to wear full dress,
would net venture to call upon the soye-
reign's mother except il IOw neck toilet
such as is worn at European courts.
Among her privileges the most envied
is her right to remain near the sultan
when he goes into the harem and her
duty of conducting to the monarch
the favorlte whom he selects at
the time of his visit. This cermony Is Il
curious one. The young person dlstln-
guished 10y the commander of the Faithful
is introduced by the Hasnadar Ousta,
deckea out III her most brilliant attire
and wearing her most voluptuOus smile.
She is introduced into the nuptial chamber
where the master has already preceded
her, she bows profoundly before him,
and remains with her arms crossed upon
her breast, awaiting his maJaSty's p as
ure. Then the Hasnadar Ousta retires,
leaving the "hon" and the "gazelle' to-
gether. The young woman, whether she
be a simple slave or not, passes to the rank
of favorite and may become Il kadine or
the mother of a future sultan.
The kadines are not, properly speaking
by the laws and ceremony of marriage. In
reality, the Ottoman rulers have never had
any legitimate wives such as are prescribed
by the Koran. As Wears and successors OF
the prophet they have always dispensed
with the marriage contracts, witnesses and
other legal forms of Mussulmau theology
A legal marriage not existing, a divorce Is
Uy this fact rendered impossible. On the
other hand, the custom of the Ottoman
court does not allow marriage between a
simple mortal AMI woman who has been
the wife of the paii5chah. 1t Is IN this
absolute principle that lies the difference
between the women who have been favor
ties and those who are called kadlnes. The
kadines have more permanent situation at
the palace than the other women; they are
sure of remaining there throughout the
reign. Even after the deathof their master
they continue to have the prestige which
renders their person sacred and forbldS
them to contract new alliance. They are
then transferred to apartments in the old
palace, where they end their days rather
sadly. In their new existence they are
strictly watched, and are only allowed to
go outside the palace when 1T l. absolutely
necessary.
While their master was living they were
to his Jealousy; after his death
they remain faithful to his memory and
obedient to his successor, whose duty It IS
to watch over the conduct of his
predecessors widows. Under the weight
of this double jealousy their existence is
spent in secusion all the more severe
according to their youth and their beauty.
They recover a little freedom only at the
age of so. At that epoch of their life the
reigning sultan sometimes gives them one
of his kiosks and allows them to live as
they please,
The kadines who become mothers are
not obliged to undergo this seclusion.
They continue to live at the palace with
their arsIanun, or little lion. Naturally
they are carefully and constantly watched.
The existence of the kadines during the
life of their master is not so monotonous
as might be supposed; they are allowed to
90 out frequently, and occasionally
obtain permission from the sultan 5
mother to spend a few days IN one OF
the imperial kiosks on the Bosphorus,
where they amuse themselves 10y receiving
their friends
WISCONSIN NEWS.
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