River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-03-15

money on his harem, l. e., on his
wives, children and servants. His
own part of his house-in Turkey
called selamlik and in Persia called
biroun-is fitted up with severe SIM
plicisy. But he begrudges NO expense
to his women. Relatively speaking,
too, the dry goods bills and the jewell
ers' bills and the sums expended on
sweets are much larger than they are
for the American husband.
Even the shah of Persia, misery as
he is In his habits, finds no fault with
the enormous waste of his good gold
that is going on in his anderoun or
harem. Since the intellect of the
oriental women lies fallow and has
never been trained their education
consisting merely in acquiring ac-
complishments such as emoroidering,
music, singing and dancing, none of
which tax their brain power, they arc
quite childish in their views and have
no correct appreciation of the value of
money. Their whims and caprices,
therefore, are sometimes quite IRA
tional and extremely expensive. Their
husbands, though, bear with them.
The favorite wife of the shah of Per
STA (the one he took with him on his
first European trip in 1879 after her
pcturn home once saw the wife of the
Russian ambassador play the piano
So she insisted on having one. If you
know anything of the roads in Persia
and OF the absence of railroads and
navigable rivers you will appreciate
the difficulty of bringing big concert
piano from Paris to Teheran. When
it arrived, some three months later, it
was SO completely damaged as to be
fit only for kindling wood. Besides,
there was not single piano teacher
in Persia and Yulda Khanum, the ia
vorite wife, knew absolutely nothing
about manipulating piano anyway.
But q second piano was ordered at
once. That fell down a precipice
while being transported over the
kharsan pass on the way to the Per-
sian capital, and third one was or
dered That at last arrived in pretty
sound condition. But by that time
Yulda Khanum didn't care for a piano,
and thus 1t was relegated to the mu-
These three pianos had cost his
majesty some $3.50, 900. On another oc-
casion the same lady noticed a new
Paris gown on the wife of the Austrian
ambassador, and she insisted on hav
ing one exactly like 1t. When it came
she put it on and off during an entire
day, just like child with a new toy,
and then threw 1t away.
These, however, are extravagancies
such as are inseparable from pampered
females the world over. Under nor
NAL conditions the oriental woman is
a very amiable, nice kind of person.
She is very fond of her children and
nearly always good-tempered, jolly and
full of life and fun. She is strong and
healthy, has the digestion of an os-
trich, and likes a drive above all
things. In the large cities where there
has been more or less contact with the
occident and loosening of the old
customs in consequence of that, the
oriental woman is not so good nor so
amiable as in the interior. Cities
which bear a very bad reputation in
that respect among Moslems all over
the east are Constantinople, Cairo,
Alexandria, Smyrna and Tiflis The
intrigues which the wives and favor
ties of wealthy and high-placed Turks
permit themselves during their excur-
sions to the great pleasure resorts-the
Sweet Waters near Stamboul-have
become proverbial, and Smyrna is
cited among them as veritable hot
bed OF vice. In Cairo morals among
the Moslem wives have SO much
sunk under par that the case of Nazli
Hanum, wife of great pasta there,
who is said to have murdered $50 dis
carded admirers-mostly handsome
Greeks or other "Ferenghi'-in her
house, did not excite great deal of
comment.
WOLF Won ScHIERBRAND.