The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-06-25
WHERE WOMEN WEAR TROUSERS.
ny FRANK u cAErw ~xEA
sCosyrxsi 1851
FRANK G.. CARPENTER WHITES
OF THE STRANGE COSTUMES
or THE GIRLS IN NORTH
II

BULKY nrccchcs Of Algerian ladies
and TuniszAn Trousers Which cost
$500 . p~lr-SIuisons Of Welded uo-
men and How They Are kept
Plural Marriages Dyfn~ Out ansonS
the Mohammedans-How tho White
Africans Mnry-Ine ro~hy Jew
e<-es of TunIs and How they arc Fat
tended-othcr strange Customs Pc
Guitar to the Women of North
western Africa
TU$Is
According 10 III Koran. the No
h~asnxnedan has the right 10 four wiN~ 80
upon earth. and. when ne goes 70
heaven. he will receive In addition
.aventy-two black-ese ed hour4s ever
beautiful and ever young. When there.
he Will Eava children or not accord
! ing 10 his wish. and the offspring VII
grow in an hour 10 the stature OF their
parents. MohAmmed himself Is said
10 have had about invent. wives while
on earth. and. when he died. he left
nine, each Of who had her own
house not far from he a.
+ Medina hohammed started out os
marrying a widow. Her name Was
I Cadiiah, and IL was her money which
gave him his first boost into p%roTuln-
ence. He was about twenty-five years
old at the time. and was one OF the
finest looking young beaux Of Arabia
+ Cadiiah Was forty. and. IL IS alleged.
that 1t was she who popped the cues
ton. He lived with her for twenty
Ave years, and. during that time. took
no other wife. a month aftSf she
died. however, he became betrothed
10 a girl OF seven. and he married her
two or three years later. This second
wife was the beautiful Ayesna, whom
he preferred. above all others, 70 he
day of his death.
Mohammcdan Women
These facts form the basis Of the
Mohammedan's idea OF marriage. He
believes that the prophet had the
right to more wives than his follow
ers. because he was favored Of God.
and there was a chance that he might
generate a race OF prophets - sue
ICED him. This chance failed. but
nevertheless he still sticks to the limit
OF only -four wives: and the Arab
Judges OF Tunisia and Algeria will not
recognize as legal any more than that
number
Indeed in Algeria. the French are
now trying to cut down the size OF the
harem; and they will not allow such
Of the Arabs as become natura!ized
to have more than one legal help
mate. ] heard of a young man IN
Oran, the son Of a sheik. who thought
tina 1t would be fine TO be a French
III ClIlZSU. ne LOON odL niS jazz az
shortly thereafter wanted to marry.
He had alreadv one wife, and the
license was therefore refused Upon
this, he was Disguised, and said he
wanted to be q pure Arab once more.
Down in Figuig, on the edge Of
Morocco, | was told that it is the Gus
tom for the Moor OF that region 10
marry at eighteen or twenty years OF
age, taking a wife of thirteen or four
teen. About ten years later he ADDS
another young maiden Of the same
age to his household. When he gets
to be forty he takes a third, and at
fifty a fourth so that heShas Away
one youn- wife to wait upon him
throughout his earthly career. As I G
new wives come on the older ones
step back to the rear and act as thelT
servants.
Plural MARRIAGE Dyir~ Out.
At the present time, owing to the
advancement - modern civilization
these lural marriages. are steadily
decreasing in number. i Is the
rule in all M-ohammedan cities. here
in Tunis most of the natives now nave
but one wife. and such IS the case
in all the cities Of Algeria. The cost
Of living is steadily increasing. and
the women demand more and more
They are ratterning after the frenCf
ladies in their tastes, and II IS only
the rich who can keep up more thar
one household.
Mo-oover. where several wives are
herded together under the same roof
and in the same quarters, there j
sure to be discOrd. and 1t means DOTH
neace and to nave only one
The Arab women OF the better classes
are a dead load on thelr huapan45
for they are seldom more than chi
dren in character. They have no edu-
cation TO sneak Of, and they must
have servants or slaves 10 wait upon
them. The husband Is expected e
furnish q dover for each Wlfe. ana j
to $4,000 to get her. This money
goes to the girls family, and q quartet
Of wives, so paid for, requires a large
sum. With people less rich. the dow
ries are less, but every husband must
nav something for his wife. even down
to the porter, although the latter may
get d bride fo- IS or $40.
In tic Womcn's Quarters.
AS a rule, the Mohammedan hus-
band makes his matrimonial invest
ments after the old fashion Of buying
q pig in a poke. He seldom sees his
bride before he is engaged to her; and,
if he is young. the parents make al
the contracts. There is no place upon
earth where the women are 50 much
secluded: and there are now millions
here who are never seen by any other
men than their husbands. In the city
of Tunis, the ladies never go out or
the street except in closed carriages
They know nothing about shopping,
and never visit baZaars or stores
sThe carriages are brought into tne
courtyard Of their homes. and. after
they have been put in by their ser
wants and the doors tightly closed, thf
grooms come out and hitch IN the
horses. If they are calling upon q
lady friend. the carriage is taken into
the courtyard destricted to the wo-
men of the household. and there thf
horses are embarrassed 80 that the
men take them away before the ladie:
step out.
Every fine Moharnmedan house has
its women's apartments. The rooms
are built around courts and there j!
usually one court for the men and an
other for the ome In the lattel
only the master Of the house - Der.
mitted to enter and in less D~retentoui
homes a male visitor viii always make
himself heard before he comes IN II
order that the women MAY flee. Tht
The women have their own private
staircases to the roof and the roof:
are their special quarters. They ar
usually fiat and form the loafng anc
ssipiny rlaces for the female Of tn
household. They are surrounded b1
walls. and one can not see the girl