The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-16
DESPOT i.

in an abrupt and angry tone: That's not
the one; send her away
Trembling, burning with shame, and
hurt to the inmost recess of her dawning
pride, raised one moment so high to fall
again so low, and in such a brutal man
ner, the poor girl was taken back to the
Princess Zekkie. She became melancholy,
pined away and soon died.
No Mussulman may marry more than
four legitimate wives according to the
religious law of the Mohammedans. In
addition to these four wives he may have
as many slaves, djarie as his means per-
mit-concubines, whose children are as
legitimate as those born by his wives.
FOLLOWING an ancient custom the sultan
never takes for wife a girl of high
rank. but selects his four wives only
among his slaves.
If 1T happens that among all his slaves
the sultan takes fancy to one in par
ucular the latter becomes gueuzde,
literally, she who has struck his eye. The
gueuzde is promoted to the rank of ikbal,
glorifed. If the ikbal gives birth to a
child she becomes kadine, or lady, and
takes rank as princess in the harem. She
then occupies a special apartment and
has large suite of slaves and eunuchs
attached to her person.
But the kadine is not yet wife and can
only become so If a vacancy occurs by the
death of one of the first 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 we'll 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 thirteen.
Above all the kadineS Is the valide sui
tana, who Is a sort of feminine reflection
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 odalsque
or a mere ikbal who has no children. The
latter may be presented by the sultan to
a favorite or to some great parsonage, and
in this case naturally occupies the first
place in the harem of her new master.
Often the Padishah makes gift Of this
kind to get rid of a woman Of whom he
is tired, or whose presence in the palace
seems useless to him; sometimes, how
ever, more sinister design is hidden
under this gracious favor.
Oftener still, these women are dis
tributed among the harems Of suspected
persons and charged with the wretched
duty of spying. If 1t happens that the
woman becomes attached to her new
master and does not carry out her in
structions she loses the right to re-enter
the imperial harem. To be able to return
into 1.-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"
Abdul Hamid prefers pretty and grace
full women to those Of regular and strik-
ing beauty. In this his taste differs from
that of most Orientals, who have a pre-
objection for majestic and heavy forms.
The sultan is feared rather than loved by
his odalisques. He is, however, kind and
attractive to them when his mind Is tenn
porarily free from its usual anxieties
and worries, and at such times he has
even succeeded in inspiring some Of them
with feelings of affection.
At times he condescends to enter into
conversation with his favorites, with
whom he has no difficulty In passing for
man Of great brilliancy. They are all
sdensely ignorant women, and the superb