The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-02-06
FLIRTING IN PERSIA.
WITH THE PERSIAN YOU MUST
NOT DISCUSS HIS wOMENFOLK.
The Noat You Can DO Is TO Ash
About the "Mother OF Ills SON.
II He Has Only Daughters He
VIII Not Mention Them

with the Persian one cannot dis
euss his womenfolk. To ask Per-
sian about his wife Is grave breach
OF etiquette. The most you can do
Is to ask about the mother OF his
son" II he has only daughters he
docs not mention them; they are
misfortune to be suffered in silence.
While tho sexes remain separated
rs at present there can be but little
real advance. The man does not see
his wife after the marriage ceremony;
the woman still lives the secluded
stupefyng life Of the harem. "She
grows up like a wild flower; nothing
which Europeans generally keep out
of their children's sight Is concealed
from her; she is left to the dictates
OF her instincts. which as
she sees very little society
but that of servants and
slaves, are not very elevatlng. Her
religion Is drowned in the lowest SUI
perstitions, and as she is seldom
taught to read uni write, the only
means she has of learning Is from
tales which would hardly have any
meaning for us because they arc so
stupid.
she is kept secluded that she may
remain faithful, and the Inevitable
result is that intrigue forms hall the
lie of Persia. M. de Lorey rolatc5
an adventure he had with we'll
% I,l ly 80 AI,,h ', i,x
er's shop. He attracted her alton
ton, she lowered her veil. no gazei
one hazards the guess-ado
she dropped her jasmine. he picked
IT up. The next day thoy met again
In the same shop. We could have
wished for the conclusion OF that
story, but the author tantallzes US
by breaking of In the middle. II II
had no conclusion-the sad state of
too many love affairs-we would al
most have forgiven him. says the
London Globe. hal he done what a
Persian surely would have done and
Invented the rest.
II will come as u surprise to many
that divorce is as easy in the un-
changing East as II Is In the strenu-
ous West 1t depends entirely on
the will OF the husband, who, under
the pretext that his wife is bad tenn
pered, barren. extravagant. excessive
ly lean. invalid or blind. can repud-
late her. The only drawback for the
husband Ia that he must pay the dow
~ II the action is his. For this rea-
son husbands are found who In or
der to avoid this nuisance ill-treat
and beat their wives till they them
selves move for divorce-since in
that case there Is no necessity to pay
anything.
In another way Persia reminds one
dlmly OF the West, for there are such
things as difficulties With servants,
even in Teheran. The author dis
missed one of his servants who, as he
had been tailor. was incompetent
to do anything but sew on buttons.
The man protested What will be-
come of me now that / have been
eating your salt for such long time
and am driven out into the streets?"
He was reminded that he had only
been employed for a fortnight; he
answered that he felt 1t had been for
years. He was told that he was 70
coed; but his volubility only in
creased. How can | be no good af-
ter having stayed with you? Can
you forget what Sa'di said: "A piece
ofclay having fallen In the Hammam
from my beloved's hand into mine
said to 1t. Art thou musk or amber
girls that l am drank with thy per-
fIme. which catches at the hearts?
1t answered: i was but worthless
piece OF clay, butI was in the company
OF the rose for a moment.