The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-12-28

which amount the bandits received !
over S65, 1000.
shall now come to the most inter-
esting part of the Mohammedan home
question, to the harem. While Allah
permits polygamy, he neither recon-
mends nor advocates it. The Koran
says expressly: "You may marry a
wife, and you may marry second and
third wife; but you can only do SO, If
you can afford to maintain them and
their children properly. Every wife
has to be treated alike in the matter
of keeping her, of presents, of clothes,
and Of all other necessities and luxuries.
Also, they have to be provided for
alike in case of your death. Every
child born to any of your wives is your
child, and has the same right as all or
any other children you may have" AS
the average Mohammedan lives up
strictly to his religion, only the rich
and prosperous can afford to indulge
in multi-marriage; and the consequence
is that the large majority of the people
live in single blessedness.
Unless it so happens by chance that,
as children the man has played with
his wife, he has never seen her face be-
fore marriage; does not even know her.
Not he, but his mother, or, if she is
dead, some other female relative, chooses
the wife for him and makes all neces-
sary arrangements. Marriage with him
is lottery. 1t is so with us, tco, to a
certain extent; but we, at least have
the pleasure of the courtship, one of
our greatest enjoyments, and can choose
with open eyes whom we please; while
the Turk actually buys the cat in the
sack
This whole business appears extreme
ly repugnant and unnatural to us. But
the educated Mussulman who has
travelled, or who has derived his
knowledge principally from the read
ing of modern French authors and
other periodicals, views with adherence
the sometimes frivolous social inter-
course between our sexes. He reads
of the frequent unhappy marriages, of
the divorces, and of the social evil,
and cannot understand how we can be
so base and degenerate as to treat our
| women in such manner. In spite of
polygamy, women are greatly respected
by the Mohammedans. Not so much
the young women, who are considered
"giddy things" who do not know their
own mind, as the ripe woman, the
mother. The Koran says: Paradise
is at the feet of the mother!" And
this sentiment pervades the whole life
of the true believer.
From the age of twelve or thirteen on,
when the young girl commences to de-
velOp into womanhood, the face of the
girl is always covered with a veil
which is taken off only in the seclusion
of her room, or in the society of other
females. The veil is worn throughout
her whole life; it is lifted only to he1
husband after marriage; she remains
invisible to all other males. 1t is, how
ever, erroneous to suppose that they
are kept in seclusion, or are guarded, OF
that their movements are interfereC
with in any way. She has the right te
leave her home at any time during tht
, day and night, and women can bt
found at all times in the streets, in tht
bazaars, in the mosques, and in places
of amusement; only they are yelled
/ She receives the visits of her female
7 friends, who, when they come to her
| leave their slippers outside her door
, which is the sign that then even th'
) husband burst not enter the room.
Ali this, of course, necessitates, tina
f the men, also, are dependent almos
; exclusively on their own society, an,
t this may be one of the reasons VIII
. the Mohammedans spend more time ii
0 the society of their wives than do tn
/; Christians. When men come togethe
: to converse, they always smoke, genel
Q ally altogether out Of one big pip.
Q which stands on carpet in the middl
o of the floor. Every man has a kind Q
!, rubber hose with amber mouthpiec'
b which he can lead through vesse
/ filled with spiced water Ito make th
o smoke cooly to the lighted pipe bow
8 IF stranger comes ina new rubbe
J, hose is presented to him, SO he can joi
+ in the smoking. Chairsl are offere