The Republican journal., 1901-12-05
handing that the female guests be

strictly secluded in an apartment by
themselves. while the men remain in
another. At a certain point in the sub
sequent proceedings the time arrives
for the groom to claim his bride, and
he announces the fact by a mighty
pounding with the hilt of his dagger
upon the door of the women's apart
ment. Then a shrieking and scramb-
ing ensues, as each unveiled female
hastens to hide her face in the accus
toned folds, for to be seen by men, even
for moment in crowd, is disgrace IT.
radicable, like that of the scarlet WO-
men. Having taken the door by as
sault, as it were, the men retire to the
room they came from, the yelled wo-
men crowd around like company of
sheeted ghosts and the poor little bride,
still closely wrapped like package of
goods, is placed on chair in the center
of the room. The expectant groom
takes his seat beside her, her mother
! removes her wells and wrappings, one
| by one, until at last the pair behold
each others faces, for the first time
He does not kiss her, as Yankee lover
would, or say word about love; that
would be very bad form in Morocco.
He merely stares at her, with the eye
of connoisseur in horse-hesh; and if
satisfied with the inspection, he mods
approval and leads the way to his
harem, she dutifully following at his
heels. If not pleased with her looks,
he may refuse her then and there,
though to d~so gives mortal offense to
her relatives and involves the two
families in an undying feud.
When the presumably happy pair
have departed to light the domestic
torch on Hymen's altar, the guests go
back to their feasting-the women be-
hind locked doors and the men in their
separate apartment; and festivities are
continued two or three days, OF as long
as provisions hold out. Meanwhile the
poor little bride, who has escaped one
prison only to enter another, with prob
ably less gentle jailors than her own
father and mother, is getting acquaint-
ed with her new surroundings. She
has had no girlhood-that tleeting but
happy season, as we know it-but has
made a sudden leap from childhood to
womanhood. Being married, she is
practically the servant Of her mother
in-law and all the older wives of her
fractional spouse and the nurse of his
many children. She is probably not
more than twelve years of age,-ten
years being considered quite old enough
to be married in Morocco, and girl of
fifteen is passe, if still on the parent
STEM For such an ancient maiden as
one of twenty-five the only hope is in
excessive fat, female beauty being
gagged according to quantity, To this
end she is regularly dosed with pellets
of wheaton bread, made by taking the
soft parts of the loaf between the palms
of the hand and rolling it into long,
round masses, the size and shape Of a
chalk-crayon. After each meal she
must cram down several of these, grad
ually increasing the obesity encouraging
dose until she can manage to stow away
fifty or sixty of the bread-crayons in a
day. The result is most satisfactory,
in Moorish eyes, the patient in a few
months acquiring the desired contour
of a sack of feathers. After marriage,
the Moorish wife may receive visits
from her female friends, unless her
husband proves to be a regular Blue
beard but from her cradle to her grave
she sees no men, except through her
veil. When women are calling upon
those of another harem, the fact is in
dictated by leaving red slipper on the
threshold; and as long as it remains
there the lord thereof may not enter
If the wife succeeds in making her
self favorite, she may sometimes in
dulge in the wild dissipation of going
out riding with her lord and master.
Passing along the narrow streets, you
frequently hear voice shouting Ba-
leuh, Baheuk! Look out" or make
ROOM" Obeying it, you hug the nearest
wall, while fierce looking man-servant,
generally a half-naked Nubian, leads by
the crimson bridled horse or mule that
represents the family carriage of some
wealthy Moor. In the capacious saddle
sits an imposing figure, clad in volumi-
nous robes of snowy white, topped by
an enormous green turban, with bare
feet in yellow slippers dangling straight
down on either side; while behind him,
pillion- wise, nestles his closely-veiled
wife, like small white bundle.