The record-union., 1895-08-19
IN A HAREM.
An EngIishwoman's Description Of
What She Saw.
Performances of Dancing Girls the
Only ent-EvcrlaStfng
Coffee and Cigarettes.

/ the uelernllnallOil 70 tFy anu uHUoi se"hU
the harem lady. This | thought possible
| by making "calls" on certain pashas'
wives whom | knew in and around Cairo
/ but | soon discovered. if | really was to
know and understand the harem woman
as she vertably is, l must live with her
! as she herself lived in the harem. Having
come to this conclusion, l discussed the
! ways and means with a Turkish pasha OF
my acquaintance, who got me the neces-
sary ntrod uction, and in less than a
mouth | obtained the post of governess to
four little children in the harem OF one
OF the best-natured Egyptians in the in
terror of Egypt
| The word "harem," which has, to Eng
| lish ears, such an ominous sound, simply
means in Arabic ''iemales, "or "women."
! believe the original meaning was 'for-
! bidden.' For au Eastern person to speak
OF women, as women, Is considered
| highly improper. lie must call them
| hareema. The harem of man is, there
fore, the apartments set apart Tor the
sole use Of the women and their children.
| These are usually the whole OF the flrst
| floor.
No man may enter but the husband
and sometimes certain of the male reis-
| ;ives; but have known a case where the
| head OF ID harem would admit none OF his
male relatives into his harem. The
| harem usually consists of the wives. to
the mum Der Of four; female slaves (these
| speak of were black, and female free
| women, who were natives OF Lower
Egypt. The slaves are the husband S
property, and he may use them as con-
cubines or not, as he desires.
1t is considered indelicate for lady to
allow any one but her hus sOand to see her
| hair, and unclean for any TO grow upon
her face or body. Indoors, therefore, if
she respect herself, she wears a head
| dress which hides the hair, and is by no
means unbecOming. When out III the
carriage she allows only the eyes to be
| seen.
The harem lady is bound to be, from
her bringing up, of low type. Her only
education is the idea to be the plaything
of some rich man-that rich man, OF
course, being her legal husband. From
pabyhood she is taught certain exercises
of her body, which, to any pure-minded
| European, are disgusting. She has no
life outside of her bath. her body, the
visits OF her husband, and. in a very mild
| way. her children. Fer recreation a
eunuch will take her for drive, TO call
on another harem in the harem closed
carriage, and for amusement dancing
girl viii be brought into the harem. or, ii
the house is in mourning, sheikh will
chant the Koran in the mems quarters,
| when the women gather on the harem
! terrace to listen.
The room in which the dancing took
place was a large entrance room in the
harem, about seventy feet by sixty. Off
this room were all the bedrooms. Each
bedroom opened into this room, and
| there was no communication to the bed
rooms except through this room. 1t was
furnished in the usual Oriental style
| heavy silk carpets and curtains, divans
round the walls, floor cushions OH the
floors aud a marble table i'll the center.
The Ghawazee, or dancing girls, would
be sent for, and with much clatter OF
shoes, would waddle into this room, re-
moving their outer clothing. Coffee,
cigarettes and cognac would be handed
them-the latter. as they say, 10 remove
the veil of modesty from their eyes We
would all then recline on the divaus, with
cigarettes and coffee to hand, and the
slaves would fan us. An EXCHANGING
woman, who had grown too old to dance,
would begin to beat the darabukeh, or
drum, another would produce a most
monotonous discord in excellent time on
the kemengeh, stringed instrument,
while third would blow through a sort
of flute. The great point to each OF them,
so it seemed to me, was the time, which
the performer on the darabukeh seemed
TO have at her own disposal. When they
had fairly warmed to their work. Cha
waZee would get up, and, with cigarette
in her mouth, begin to dance.
What this dance is like it would be
difficult for me to describe. y series OF
wriggles of the body TO the time of the
music which begins slowly, gradually
getting faster and faster; till one is fairly
daZed, when the dancer suddenly throws
herself on her back on floor cushion, all
the while wriggliug to the music, which
gets slower anu slower till ii stops The
dance usually lasts about half an hour,
but | have seen one GhawaZee who kept
it up for an hour and half, ouly stop
ping to wipe the perSplraLiOn from her
face. One Of these exhibitions is quite
enough do disgust any European woman,
no matter how broad minded, but, whom
ever the dancing girls come to the harem
it is one or the duties OF the governess to
he present with her pupils, that the little
girls may learn 10 initiate the move
ments.
Should one of the ladies be indisposed
she remains in her room. a slave
places her ship-Sllp (the satin slippers
worn in the house) outside her door.
Then we would all go into her room, sit
upon divans or floor cushions, drink the
tiny cups OF black coffee, and smoke I'm
limited cigarettes, and discuss the good
| Qualities Oh Lue pdtleht III low tOHOs. IL
she were suffering pain one OF the ladies'
wou Id say: God, who sent it you, help
you to bear itP' when we would all re-
spond: "By the prophet, your talk Is
good" Then another silence would be
broken by someone remarking: suffer
ing was made by God, all praise TO his
name but it was meant for giants. But
God also made death. Death is the finer
work of the two" This latter saying
was very common one, and my pupils
oIteu made use of it TO me if had a tooth
ache or headache. 1t was always quoted
as though it were quito original.
The calm way they would leave the
sick room, after assuring the occupant
that .'if she died the world would be a
perfec. blank to them" and then stolidiy
walk into the next room and abuse her
roundly, and with tierceness which was
horrible, rather aStonIsned me, anC
showed me how little real sympathy they
had one with another. Their jealousy ol
one another was fendish III its in-
tensity, and | sympathized with the
pasna V hen he said to me how happy
Enulishmen must be with no wives tc
quarrel over them!
The great saving clause to the life ir
the haren for d European is the children
, They are the most perfectly charming
aud straightforward little beings imagin-
able. How can tell you OF ali their liz.
! tie tendernesses and politenesses? There
was no acting or coQuetry with them
they simply did not understand il. From
the youngest 10 the eldest, too, their sense
OF logic WIS acute. Request one OF tnese
, little darlings TO do anything out of ths
ordinary routine and he will at once ask
the logic for it. II you can give him
logical reason you may rest assured tha
ihat particular request viii be Obeyec
without further comment