Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-15
HOW TURKISH WOMEN LIVE.

The Sultan's Harem Divided Into Fou
 Classes-Polygamy Costly Luxury
 The east is but feeting show, an
 the fairy tales of its wonders and d.
 lights which thrilled the hearts of ou
 grandfathers are fast fading, like
 summer mist. Turkey-nay, Islar
 ltself-is waking up, aping wester
 customs, donning Christian garments
 and generally marching with the times
 The picture we used to conjure up of
 Turkish interior, it's soul-stealing al
 mosphere, its exquisite luxury, and tn
 stately enchantress, whose eyes wer
 of unholy blue, toying with a dulcime
 or sWeetly playing on lute, have giv
 ell place to very prosa1c notions whicl are much nearer the reality. To be
 gin with, polygamy is quickly dying out throughout the non-ChristiaI world. In Japan the crown prince has gwen an excellent example in this re spect. In Persia the shah has shown himself favorable to retrenchment all round-even in the sanctum of his ha- remand everywhere inITurkey, except at 1dldiz Kiosk and the houses of a few pashas, monogamy is winning the battle.
 A1ldlz Kiosk Is undoubtedly still the focus of traditions of the days when isla1n was young and wayward. The sultans gorgeous palace is a survival or the fairy-tale period of Turkish his tory. Here awful mysteries, Blue beard tragedies, and, at times, even superb comedies are still enacted, which would seem wildly improbable II represented on the stage. Life and death are sundered by whim, a word, q nod. Heavy sacks now and again dfop into the Bosphorus a few mo- ments after dark-eyed maidens have disappeared from the harem; sudden ana fatal Witnesses follow coffee as rap ldly as coffee succeeds dinner, and Ab- dul Hamid plays the part of fate to the Inmates of the palace prisons. The Ialf partners of the padishah's iovs and sorrows are as numerous as the latter, and are divided into many cbasses. There are no lawful wives, seeing that for over two centuries Turkish rulers have wholly ceased to marry. The highest four ranks-ca- dlnas-take the places of the lawful wives of olden times, enjoy extensive privileges dwell in luxurious apart ments, growing fat and looking young untia 50, or dying of consumption at al most any age. Next come the ilzbals, or favorites- ladies who have glad dened the heart of their imperial mas ter with a child; then the odalisks and others, the lowest rung of the ladder being occupied by the colored slaves, known as djaris, and treated as helots.
 But the ordinary Turk is contented with one spouse and a quiet life. And she is chosen for him by his parents and hers. Although she may surrep- tttiously get a glimpse of him long be- fore the marriage, from behind the window lattice, he never sees more of her than the irrita ting veil and the un- gainly sacklike garment that disfigures her body while hiding her charms. h. dolence is inborn in the Turk, and it comes to the fore in love just as in business. Hence there is no court ship, no flirting, no soul-thrilIing gIances. no soft pressure of the hands, and fervently uttered lovers vows. Jealousy is the serpent in the paradise of the Turk-it is the besetting sin of the husband while cunning is the most effective weapon of the wife, and the mysterious disappearance of many a warm-hearted European in Pera and GallipoH is explicable only as the out come of both. A Christian man is not Al ,%1 FoI~, unless he first embraces Islam, but a Moha ammedan may wed one or more Christian girls if he feels so disposed, and even allow them to remain faith ful to their own denomination.
 When the wedding festivities, which are solemn and wearisome, have come to an end, the betrothed pair are left face to face. It is a dramatic moment The bridegroom offers the lady a pres ent for the favor she is about to |bestow upon hfm-the sight of her comedy or homely countenance. 1t Is then that something in the nature of theatrical coup in a. comedy of errors takes place. The young Husband is often depressed to the deGths of despair when he sees the prize the marriage lottery has giv- en him. Later on, of course, he is free to divorce his spouse, with or without good cause, but not without a substantial sum of money. Dhis pro- viso, which the law very strictly en- forces, acts as a wholesome check on divorce. Polygamy. therefore, is a costly luxury nowadays in Turkey and no more than six per cent of the male population indulge in it. In many cases, when Turk marries, the par ents of the bride insist on his signing a clause in the contract undertaking not to marry a second wife so long as his first is alive and undivorced. And thus the average marriage tends to re- semble that of the west more and more. The husband treats his wife as his equal, and although her apart ments (the harem) and his (the sell amyk) are always separate. he some times comes and takes counsel with her, and sometimes coffee and cigar cites.
 The women, who are but children of a larger growth. are not educated, ac- or skilled in the perform