Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-10-10

but have seen one GhaHaZee who
| kept it up for an hour and a half. only
. stopping to wipe the perspira ton from
her face. One of these exhibitions is
quite enough to disgust any European
| woman, no matter how broad minded.
put whenever the dancing girls come
/ 10 the harem, it is one of the duties
OF the governess to be present with
her pupils, chat the little girls may
learn to initiate the movements.
Should one of the ladies be indis-
posed she remains in her room. A
slave places her ship-sip the satin
| slippers Worn in the house, outside
her door. Then we would all go into
her room, sit upon divars or floor
cushions, drink the tiny cups of black
coffee and smoke unlimited cigarettes,
and discuss the good qualities of the
patient in low tones. If she were suf-
ferl0g pain one of the ladies would
say. God. who sent it you. help you
to bear it!' when we would all re-
spond. by the Prophet. your talk is
good" Then another silence would be
broken by some one remarking, "Suf-
fering was made by God. all praise to
his name! but it was meant for 81
ants. But God also made death.
Death is the finer work of the two"
This latter saying was very common
one, and my pupils often made use of
it to me if had a toothache or head
ache 1t was always quoted AS though
it were quite original. The calm way
they would leave the sick room. after
assuring the occupant that ''if she died
the world would be a perfect blank
to them" and then stolidly walk into
the next room and abuse her roundly.
and with a fierceness which was hor.
rible rather astonished me, and
showed me how little real sympathy
they had one with another Their jeal
ousy Of one another was fiendish in
it's intensity, and I sympathized with
the pasta when he said to me how
happy EngliShmen must be with nc
wives to quarrel over them.
The great saving clause to the life
in the harem for a European is the
children. They are the most perfectly
charming and straightforward little
beings imaginable. How can l tell
Of all their little tendernesses and pc
litenesses? There was no acting or
coquetry with them-they simply did
not understand it. From the young
est to the eldest, too, their sense of
logic was acute. Request one Of these
little darlings to do anything out of
the ordinary routine and he will at
once ask the logic of it. If you can
give him a logical reason you may rest
assured that that particular request
will be obeyed always, without fur
Their comment.
What strikes me is, what could we
not make Of these little men and
women if we had them from baby |
hood? How can we expect great
things of a nation Of men who are
brought up and pass the most impress /
sionable time of their lives with the
harem women and their interests? 1t |
is easier for a camel to pass through ,
the eye of a needle Let me finish by !
telling you a little incident Of harem
child life Which happened to me.
l was seated in my room one even |
ing weeping, when one of my pupils,
a lad of about 9 years, came in, and,
looking at me intently, said: ''Why
weepest thou?"
I replied: For no reason"
He continued to look at me for
second or two in a puzzled manner,
and then a look of comprehension
came into his wonderful black eyes, |
and, mounting on a chair, he began |
carefully to remove the portraits of
a dead relative of mine, placing them !!
out of sight in my writing-desk. |
When he had finished he came to me, |!
and, embracing me warmly, said: |
Madam, come into my room and see |
me dance'-London Sketch.