, 1901-01-21
EASTERN BEAUTIES.
SOCIALLY. PERSIA is A Easel
MATING COUNTRY.
The Persian Woman Untroubled by tho
Nerves" and Fads OF tho New Woman
On he Street She ConccaIs Her
Face from the Vulgar Gaze.

The visit of the shah of Persia to
the continent, and his interesting say
ings and doings, while there, have very
naturally directed more than usual
public attention to the land over which
he rules. Considered politically, his
torically or socially, Persia ia in many
respects one of the most fascinating of
all Oriental countries. It Is the last
running barrier between Russia and
the Persian Gulf; its history teens
with lofty names and great dynastic
changes, and its social life piqdes Eu-
ropean interest by It's mystery and its
novelty. And yet little is known of
Persia, even by intelligent Europeans:
While to the great mass it remains
terra incognita. Bit by bit, however.
we are breaking through the exclu-
s~iveness of Persian etiquette, and are
learning how fascinating the people OF
Persia are. In no phase of Persian
life do we Il more to charm, to sur
prise. and to fasCinate than we do in
studying the lives and manners of Per-
sian The mystery that sur
rounds them, taeir own fatalistia So
renity, the limitations which are plac-
ed upon their lives, in a word. the COM
plete dissimilitude TO feminine life in
Europe, lend a peculiar and unfailing
interest to all that concerns them. 1t
Is well to sweep away some Of the
cobwebs of prejudice in considering
the character and status OF the wo-
men Of Persia. They are not ill-used,
they are not unwilling prisoners, they
do not resent the restraints of the ha-
rem, and they do not regard them
selves as victims Of misfortune.
Strange as 1t may seem to us. the
Persian m is a happy woman:
she is content, placid and %untroublsd
by either nerves" or fads of the new
woman" A distinguished Frenchman,
in describing them says: THE regu-
lar life which the women Of Persia
lead is the potent cause Of their beau
ty; they neither gamble nor sit up
late; they drink no wine, and but rare
ly expose themselves to the atmos-
phere. 1t must be acknowledged that
life in the seraglio is more conducive
to health than to pleasure; it is a calm,
untroubled life; everything in it is
connected with subordination and
duty; even its pleasures are serious
and It's joys austere, and are all IN
themselves significant Of authority and
dependence" The dress of Persian Ia
dies Is more snowy than tasteful, more
picturesque than modest, according to
European ideas. 1t should. however,
be remembered at one that what
might seem immodest in the western
world. is regarded as quite natural in
the east. The "char-kadd" Cor head
dress) is, in the cas- of the rich, very
pretty and costly; Kashmir shawls
and embroidered gauze, ~bespangled
with golden coins and enriched with
precious stones, are used for this pur-
pose: while the end of the Char
kadd" droop gracefully over the shout
ders. and a "jika." or bejeweled feath-
er ornament, is worn on the side of the
head. producing a very jaunty effect.
Ornaments of jewelry are much af-
fected. scent caskets are suspended
from the neck by golden chains. and
the arms are covered, often from the
wrist to above the elbow-with ban
giles, which vie in quantity and quail
ity with the coin bangles so often worn
by ladies Of fashion in Europe. AS
In India. the poor wear silver orna-
ments as anklets and bracelets, and
the negress slaves adorn their ebony
skins with the bright pink of coral.
The Persian ladies outdoor dress is
far from attractive, consisting, as a
rule, Of a large blue drapery, which
envelops the entire person, and quite
conceals the wearer's identity. The
head is covered with a perforated linen
veil, which enables the wearer to look
upon the outer world, but does not dis
close her features. A man may pass
his own wife in the streets of Teheran
and not know her, but she may see
him. Now and then the veil will be
slightly lowered, and a pair of laugh
ing, roguish, bewitching brown eyes
revealed. For a pretty woman, even
in the east, does not care to conceal
her attractions beneath a veil, and the
daughters Of Eve in Persia are not In
different to admiration. There are only
eight or ten thousand Parsees left in
Persia, the original home OF Zoroas-
trianism, but the Parsee women are
daintily attractive in dress and quietly
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