The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-08-07
ARMENIAN WOMEN.
Piety and Industry Their Principal
CharacteristiCs.
4blical Traditions Fs1iewed In the Home
Life Which Keeps Successive Gem
erations Under One Roof
Model HousekeepeFs.

The school of the Armenian woman
is the home, aud the first character
istic of the home, after its piety. is its
industry. The households are large,
sons bringing home their wives and
grandsons, theirs making up a family
often of from forty to sixty persons
In the interior villages among the
peasantry, the number Is often much
larger. This condition Is = relic of
Biblical times, and is still necessary in
many parts OF Armenia for mutual
protection and economy Of living In q
country where life is often dependent
upon resistance to barbarous tribes
and money and food products are sub
ject to the justice (?) Of Turkish taxa
ton
With primitive utensils and incon-
venient methods of living 1t may be
seen that industry Is . necessity in
such great establishments, and abso-
Lutte cleanliness goes with It. A
Frenchwoman, Mime. Chantre, who
spent months in Armenia with her
husband. an oculist, and had an un-
usual opportunity to study the ways Of
the people, speaks emphatically Of
this element Of the Armenian home.
THE Armenian women" says she,
'arc perfect housekeepers. Their
houses are marvelously clean"
The servant problem doss not exist
in Armenia All well-tO-do households
employ servants who come from the
peasantry, and are trained in the
service of family and become a part
Of it. They ''know their place." as is
said here, and yield all respect to their
masters and mistresses; on the other
hand, their "place" is known and re-
spected by every member of the
family.
The Armenian women are expert
and slillful cooks A prominent for
eigner who has travelled much through
the country has said: mo one has
eaten a good dinner who has not
eaten one cooked by an Armenian"
The chief meal of the day is eaten In
the evening after the work of the day
is done. At this are served rich cereals
and vegetables cooked with sur
passing delicacy and relish, and
fruits, preserved and In their sea-
son, of the most luscious and tempting
varieties. Meat is used, but not so much
as here. Armenia is a land of fruit and
flowers, and the Armenian woman Is
deeply skilled in the art Of preserving
fruits and making confections from
flowers. The time of such compound
ing and preparation is a sort of holi-
day. The whole household gathers for
the ceremony; the fruit is prepared
and put into great caldrons over which
presides some experienced aunt or
other relative specially secured for the
occasion. The rest of the women as
sist according to the degree Of their
down to the younger
daughters of the home. who can only
earnestly watch and admire the skill
which it is their ambition to emulate
some day. At the critical moments of
the operation, when q drop more or
less of lemon juice or an added degree
of heat too soon or too late may be
fatal, care and watchfulness are in
tensified to the superlative degree.
Silence reigns while tastes and tests
are taken, and the weight OF a nation
can hardly burden its bearer more
than the responsibility OF her on whom
rests the final decisive step.
For the children it is q holiday pure
and simple. Fruits and sweets abound
and saucerfuls of the confections at |
various stages OF the process are gen.
erously dealt out.
These preserves are offered to all
who are guests of the household. |
visits would not be COM
plete without them. Two fine glass |
bowls are set out containing each a |
choice variety Of the sweetmeats, with !
an ample supply OF silver spoons and !
an array OF crystal goblets filled with
water. A spoonful Of the sweet Is
taken by each guest and sip Of wa
ter, then Turkish coffee Is handed
round. IN. Y. Times