The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-03
HAREM OF THE SULTAN.
THE DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE DIES
 POTIC RULER OF TURKEY.

l About Two Thousand Persons Occup a the Harem of the SuIta n-He H. : Only Four Wives, but Many Attend < nnfs.
 General inquiry does not develol l much information about the sultan'' z harem. What one person tells you i apt to be contradicted by another. Tht fact is that very little is really known , Last winter, however, l met Miss Gar : nett, the authoress of the very interest.
 ing book, "The Women of Turkey (published by David Mutt, London,) and in conversation with her. from her book
 and talk with. various friends. submit ftle following as being fairly accurat te:
 In the sultan's harem there are, per-
 haps, two thousand females--sultanas
 wives, daughters, favorites servants
 etc. The organization of this large body
 is perfect, and the greatest order and
 system prevail. (The Daughters of the
 American Revolution might avoid their
 yearly wrangle by taking few lessons
 from their Turkish sisters.) Ordinarily
 the head Of the harem, the Valide sul-
 tara, would be the mother of the sultan,
 but she having died many years ago.
 in the sultans babyhood-his foster
 mother is supposed to be the nominal
 head. I do not know if she is actually
 so. Perhaps not, as she is a very old
 lady. The Valide sultana wields in the
 harem the most absolute authority and
 is addressed as the Grown of Yelled
 Heads" The Valide is assisted by a
 cabinet, or court, of twelve lady officials
 called Kalfas.
 Under the Mcslem law the sultan,
 like other Mohammedans, may have
 four wives. and these ladies are next in
 rank-the first known as Bash Kaduff
 Effendi and the three others as Kadin
 Effendis.
 1 Next come the mothers of other chill
 dren, called Hanum Effendis. l The unmarried daughters of the sul- i tan-called sultanas-come next. These l princegses cut but little figure in palace life, as they are generally richly dow cred when about fifteen years of age and given a husband, palace, slaves etc.
 Following the sultanas are the sul- tan's favorites-Ikbals-- very import tant clement in harem life.
 To each of the above ladies-including the Kalfas-is assigned daraa suite of apartments hnoney allowance, ser want, slaves, eukufh, etc. S3 Next come the Guezdes, ~"young la dies upon whom the sultan has cast an eye" but not positively selected as an Ikbal a
 The harem of the sultan is composed entirely of slaves or women of slave ori- gin. The reason for this is that a Mos lem free woman may not unveil herself in the presence of a man not of her blood, nor permit q man to enter the harem. Ard in the sLltans harem they are understood to unveil themselves pretty considerably.
 Palace slaves are usually purchased very young, and those who develop per- sonal charms are placed under the tu- telage of the Kalfas, and are taught de- partment, dancing singing, music, etc. The others are brought up as servants cooks housemaids, bath attendants, etc. |
 The sultan's wives and favorites are generally presented to him by the Va Hide or some official, who thus attempts his majesty's favor. But any slave in the palace may aspire to the highest dignity. In fact, the wife of Mahmoud | IT., the mother ofyAbdul Aziz was a l Aziz, was a menial when she attracted | attention No formal contract is en- tered into between the sultan and his wives, but the union is indissouble un- | til both are dead. A sutan's widow may not marry again.
 When the sultan visits the harem there is Q big time! Everybody dons | her best and looks her prettiest. The of ceremonies ushers him in and conducts him to the divan. Under the superintendence of the Kalfas the slave girls serve coffee sherbet, sweets etc Should any one of them take his fancy he asks a casual question about her of the Valide, when, by sign, the girl is commanded to approach and kiss the fringe of the divan. She then leaves the service of the Kalfa and has become a Guezde--"one of the eyed" As such she is given separate aptrt- ment. If on further acquaintance she proves acceptable, she becomes favor- te or Ikbal, and should she become a mother, Hanum or Kasir Effendi-ac- ,ording to the number of wifely prede- ,ossors in the sultans affections Should, however, the sultan tire of her and wish her removal, doweTis given ler and she is married to some palace official,
 On the accession of new suNan the yarious ladies of the deceased and their immediate attendants are removed to ;ome other palace and the household of he new monarch installed.
 The position of the sultan's slave girls must in no sense be confounded with he conditions that surround slavery in ther countries. These women are ared for-or properly married all the lays of their lives. When married they ,ecome free women. Their labors, even ls nenials, are light, and the women of he sultan's harem consider themselves c an ayppn1in e1y fortunate snt | ,