The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04

women and men, who make 1t their bust
ness 10 travel throughout the interior pick
Ing up pretty women and buying them or
their parents on speculation. Similar peo-
pie carry on a similar business In Constan-
tinople. Smyrna and other large cities.
Ihey are known throughout the country,
and when they arrive in a town or a VII
lage their presence becomes advertised and
they are waited upon at the khan Cor inn)
by fathers who have daughters for sale or
local spectators who know where choice
human merchandise may be obtained The
procurer, having obtained a collection. for
Wnlcn ne has paid larger or lesser sums,
according TO their personal attractions, re-
turns TO Damascus with his camel cara
van and places the girls in his OWN house,
where they are attended by dressmakers,
milIiners, hairdressers and other grooms;
who enhance their beauty by artificial
methods and dress them according 10 the
Men who desire to make purchases of this
kind always know, or can easily ascertain
where to apply. and when the procurer sat
ishes himself that they mean business and
are able 10 pay his prices the negotiations
begin. When they have reached a certain
point the customer is admitted to the house
where the girls are kept and allowed 10 IN
spect their charms. When he makes a Sc
lection the price is agreed upon and the
money is paid, usually from $500 up TO 500,
and l I'm informed that last winter a girl
of marvellous beauty was sold in Damascus
for 5000. She was a Circassian. Most OF
the girls are Circassians. 1t is the custom
in that country for fathers to sell their
daughters, and the Circassian women are
considered the most beautiful in all the OF
toran empire.
Men engaged in this business have a GER
tain degree of conscientiousness They Will
not deal with Christians and always exact
a pledge from the customer that the victim
and her children, if she ever has any. shall
be brought Up IN the true faith" Some
people say this is a matter of policy rather
than conscience, because If the officials
Moslem girls to Christians he would not be
allowed to continue in the business and
would be punished severely. The Moslem
moulahs, or priests, would look after that.
Some months ago a Italian nobleman
from Naples appeared in COnStantlnopIe IN
search of a Circassian girl. By some means
or another he had obtained one fifteen
years previous, having purchased her of a
dealer in Asia Minor. He took her TO Ma
plies, where she lived as his mistress and
had proved faithful, amiable and affection
ate, but her health had failed and he
wanted TO get another Of the same sort, but
was unable to do so. Everywhere that he
applied he was informed that the custom
of buying and selling human flesh had been
abolished.
GOSSIP IN CEMETERIES.
Women are not allowed in some of the
mosques. In others during certain hours
and days they can worship God. Friday,
the Sabbath Of the Moslems, when all true
believers of the masculine gender make a
point of going to church.. their wives, sis
tiers and daughters resort TO the oeme-
teries and wall for the dead. But all their
time is not spent in weeping, and sorrow Is
not the only emotion they display on these
occasions. They tax with them punches
and garlands of flowers and decorate the
graves of their relatives and pray and weep
over the dead for a time. Then, when this
pious duty is performed, they gather in
little groups and have a good time gossip
ing about the living. Thus the day Of
mourning is very popular among the Mos
lem women. 1t gives them almost the only
opportunity they have of cultivating the
acquaintance Of their ~neighbors. because
it is not customary to exchange visits as in
our country.
There are a few large harems in Damas-
Gus, but polygamy is general among those
who can afford the luxury. In fact, a mans
social position among hts fellow-men is
regulated somewhat by the number OF his
wives, just as 1T is in our country by the
horses he keeps or his membership in clubs.
A Damascene business man who has four
or five wives is considered about as much
Of a swell as a Chicagoan who sports an
automobile. Divorce is easy. however. All
a man has to do is to say to his wife.
Cover thy face and return to thy fathers
house. l am done with thee" That is the
end OF 1t, except the cuisines transaction
that must follow, for, as l have explained,
she Is allowed TO keep her dowry and the
price that her husband paid for her.
L notice that the Damascus women who
carry water upon their heads like the maid
ems you see in the pictures of the illus
trated Bible, do not use beautifully shaped
jars and urns like the ancients. but old
petroleum InS, some OF ln6m bearing the
stamp Of the Standard Oil Company and
others those of Russian manufacturers at
Batoum.
The dogs of Damascus are not as numer-
Gus as those of Constantinople. but are
quite as lazy, NANCY and wretched. They
are regarded as sacred and are allowed TO
live and die without interference. Nobody
owns them, nobody cares for them in par
ticular. but collectively they are the wards
of the city and live on the scraps that are
thrown into the street They bark all night
and sleep all day stretched in the sunshine,
occupying the roadway or the sidewalk. or
the most comfortable spot they can find.
Hackmen and teamsters drive around them,
and pedestrians step over them, being care
full not to wake them UP.
Any one whO goes into a Damascus
market, and the same applies to all the
cities OF Syria. will be reminded Of the
rows sold for two farthings, and not one Of
them is forgotten before God. Fear not.
therefore,; we are OF more value than many
~spaTrows."
These pestilential little birds are even
more numerous and troublesome in Syria
than in the United States, and always have
been ever since the time of David, who
complained that they appropriated the
affairs OF God for their nests; but they af-
ford a cheap and unfailing supply Of food
for the poor, and you see large baskets
full of them in the market places, where
they are sold for about the same price
that they brought in the Savior's time.
They are generally served every day at the
hotel for dinner.
Pigeons are almost as numerous, but are
never killed. They are sacred in all Mo-
hammedan countries. Some people say
that the Mohammedans are afraid of ex-
terminating the Holy Spirit. which inhabits
a dove; others that they remember the dove
which brought the olive branch back TO the
ark.