Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-10-24

I'll INC AouI III udy THAT MSSIS 3ltlu
was ushered into the presence of the
Whether his caprice had passed or
the young girl appeared less beautiful
or he no longer recognized her in her
new attire, he frowned on seeing her,
and said in an abrupt and angry tone:
That's not the one; send her away
Trembling, burning with shame and
hurt to the Utmost recesses o. her
dawning pride, raised one moment SO
high TO fall so low and in such a
brutal manner, the poor girl was
taken back to the Princess Zekkie.
She became melancholy, pinned away
and soon died.
According to the religious law no
Mussulman may marry more than four
legitimate wives. In addition to these
four wives he may have as many
SLAYER, djarie, as his means permit
concubines whose children are as
those of the wives. According to very
ancient custom the sultan never mar
ries a girl Of high rank, but selects
his four wives only among his slaves.
If it happens that among all his
slaves the sultan takes a fancy to
one in particular the latter becomes
gueuzde, literally, she who has struck
the eye. The gueuzde is promoted to
the rank Of ikbal, glorifed If the
ikbal gives birth to a child she be-
comes kadine, or lady, and takes rank
as princess in the harem. She then
occupies a special apartment and has
a large suite of slaves and eunuchs
attached 10 her person.
But the kadine is not yet a wife and
can only become Sc if a vacancy
four wives of the sultan, and if the
latter is willing to honor her with the
title of kadine cOnsort. 1t would be
natural to suppose that the sultan
possessing So well populated a
seragliO. would be the father of a large
family. but such is not the case. The
number of his children is relatively
small, being actually only IS.
Imperial Spies.
Above all the kadines is the valide
sultana, who is a sort of feminine re
Election Of the sultan. She reigns
absolutely over the harem. A kadine
may never under any preteXt leave the
imperial Seraglio. This is not so IN
the case of an odalique or mere
ikbal who has had no children. The
latter may be presented by the sultan
to "a favorite or to some great per
sonage, and in this case naturally
of her new master. Often the
Padishah makes a gift of this kind to
get rid of q woman of whom he is tired
or whose presence in the palace seems
useless to him; sometimes, however,
a more sinister design is hidden under
this gracious favor.
More often still these women are
distributed among the harems of sus.
pected persons and charged with the
wretched duty of spying. If it hap
ed to her new master and does not
carry out her instructions she loses
the right to re-enter the imperial
harem. To be able to return into the
garden of felicity and be in favor
there she must render services. This,
in the slang of the harems, is called,
getting your passport"
Sometimes Abdul Hamid discovers
for himself what he desires to know.
For instance, having noticed one day d
young slave who was washing the
handkerchiefs of her mistress, q
kadine, he took sudden fancy to her
and had her brought to his presence.
He promised her the rank of princess
on condition that she reveal to him
what the ladies of the harem thought
of him. Thus encouraged the new
fayorite lid not delay in satisfying
her masters curiosity and told him
that the Kadine, her mistress, thought
him old and foolish. Edited, Abdul
Hamid placed the young slave above
her mistress, now disgraced, saying:
Thus will l act toward all those
who have not in their hearts what
they have On their lips"
The seragliO of the Sultan Mejid
was formerly the theater of indescrib-
able orgies, the women being badly
looked after and having no hand to
restrain them. His successor, Abdul
Aziz, Jealous as a tiger, introduced re-
form, but the imperial harem has
never been conducted so strictly, So
exclusively or so respectfully, So tC
speak, as under the present sultan.
An intrigue in the Yildiz at the present
time is an impossibility. Imprisoned
within double row of high and thick
walls the women of the seraglio live
in an extraordinary world of their
own, to which no man, except the
grand Turk, has even access.
Adults Tastes
Abdul Hamid prefers pretty and
graceful women to those Of regular
and striking beauty. In this his taste
differs from that of most orientals,
who have prediction for majestic
and heavy forms. The sultan is
L.