The times., 1898-03-06
MARRIAGE IN TURKEY
The Privileges and Restrictions of
Brides in Asia Minor.

4
Brides in Asia Minor.
In some Of the smaller villages Of Asia
Minor. remote from enlightening inlu-
ences. children are engaged to each
other while literally in the cradle, 4
boy not year old being chosen as the
husband Of a newly born girl. And if
both babies live these contracts made
by the parents are absolutely binding.
Indeed, it IS universally true in Turkey
that a marriage engagement once made
is seldom broken. the bride sometimes
showing her confidence in her lovers
plighted word to the extent of handing
over her d0wry TO him before the cere-
| mony.
fear this use of the word lover as
applied TO the prospective husband is
still a misnomer in most parts of the
country. 1t IS true things are impIov-
ing in some parts so that the young
man, if he be a Greek or an Armenian.
IS allowed TO see something OF his be-
trothed before the wedding day, but in
many places he never sees her at all
until she comes forward as his bride
and this is nearly always the case If he
be a Moslem.
Besides, the practice Of early mar
riages makes love rather an aftergrowth
requisite. What can q husband of sew
enteen and wife OF thirteen know about
love? Yet those are distinctly marriage
able ages according TO Turkish notions,
and when / say Turkish ] include the
three races Of the country that speak the
| Turkish language, the Armenians, the
Greeks and the Moslems. When ] was
in Caesarea I saw an Armenian woman
| of forty-fiye whose granddaughter had
1 just borne her first child and II Is no
uncommon thing TO see mothers of twen-
! ty-eight or thirty with married children.
! This practice, Of course. is sapping the
| vigor Of The people. ali doctors know
Another feature OF Turkish marriages
! f. the mcrcenary spirit shown by the
young men, or the young mems parents,
/ IN selecting the brides: and 1t must be
/ said that Christians display this spirit
! even more than Moslems. In the ewes
! OF Turk marriage is of no great i'm
! portance, anyway; If he does not like one
/ Wife he can divorce her with a word and
! get another but divorce is not easy
/ among Greeks and Armenians They look
| upon a wedding as an important trans
action. in which IL bch0Oves the man to
/ get the best Of it.
COnstantnOple is full of young women,
! beautiful and accomplished who can
/ not find husbands because the young men
! demand wives with dowers. and they
/ have no UOWcFS- To such an extent is
this carried out that you will hear young
/ men say. with the utmost SeIf-satisf;c-
ton, that they will not marry q girl un-
/ less she has so many iiras And a friend
! Of mine had an Armenian servant quite
an intelligent fellow, who said To him one
day; What j want to do Is TO marry
4 "A rich girl. Then / could study at the
MarsoVan College. and go TO America and
be man.. Many Armcuians have a
similar idea of being man"
Coming now 10 the wedding forrnaIi-
tics, IL is fact that q Moslem NAV be
"A married man for ten or twelve hours
! without ever having seen his wife. The
MOslem marriage ceremony is as simple
as possible, and may take place without
the presence OF either Of the contracting
Moslems one representing the bride and
he other the bridegroom, To go to 2
mosque together and say their prayers
and make certain pledge or union fol
the thing 10 be done. II is not even nee.
oSsary that an imam (priesD be present
I When this detail has been attended to The
| serious business of the wedding begins
that is, the feasting and merry-making
al the houses Of the bride and bride,
groom.
This is continued until well into tn,
| night, but the men and the women are
I kept apart each celebrating the event il
their own house. The men eat and drinI
together, and the women do likewise. anf
II IS not until the rejoicing is over tha
| the bride is led to her husbands house