El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-22
Ids" and the equals" of their

bands" and the equals" of their
| brother.
! Only two women did I meet who
could speak any language save thtir
own. and those two belonged to the
Ouled Nail tribes. who fill the office
J of licensed courtezans and dance every
/ evening in the dance halls, described
| by Robert Kitchens in his wonderful
prose epic, "The Garden of Allah
| Education Is Difficult.
It is almost impossible for any wo-
man to become educated in the Orient
| (where Mohammedism reigns), unless
| she breaks free from all conventions
and lives the life OF the "Ouled Nails
and her kind. Every Mohammedan man
with whom I talked regarding the
questions, expressed his belief that wo-
mans best interests necessitated her
being kept in strict seclusion.
My wives never go out" said one
of our guides. II have two, and they
live in separate houses because they
have in some way heard of the foolish
ideas Of Christian people regarding our
old customs. But they keep at home
and never step outside the harem
walls. So, soon as a woman begins to
CAD about, she becomes restless; so long
as she stays at home she is satisfied"
Afterward the man took me TO call
upon both wives and acted as inter-
prefer while 1 talked with them. One
wife lived in the house with his moth
er, sister and aunt, a large square
structure built about an open court
with the separate apartments for the
women opening from each side.
All the women came out to meet
me, and all examined my apparel with
the freedom of small children, mingled
with the curiosity OF kittens. The
WIFE, a woman of 2s or 80, was par
ticularly interested in my bronze Slip
per.
Later. to amuse the women, 1 read
their palms. and found a line In the
hand of the wife indicating that some
wish of ambition would be gratified
near the age of 40.
When the husband translated my re-
mark, the wife looked -pensive, then
replied that she had no wish or am
bition that She could recall. save to
possess my slippers. and she feared
she would be too old at 40 to enjoy
them.
This gives very clear expression
of the order of mind possessed by the
average Mohammedan woman. She
thinks only of what she eats, drinks
and wears, and mentally. she is a COM
bination of a domestic animal and
child.
Our guide spoke three languages and
had travelled extensively. / said to
him, after visiting the second wife.
These wives you keep in seclusion can
be no companions to you; they know
nothing of the world as you know
it; they are little children mentally"
I'VE do not want women to be our
companions" he replied. Their place
is at home with the family It is
they want to be gadding about the
world"
In another larger and more preten-
tious home I met three of the four
wives of a rich merchant tailor. One
had her apartments on the west side
of the court; one on the east; the other
on the south. A French woman whose
mother was an Algerian. accompanied
me and acted as interpreter. She told
me many things regarding the lives of
these women.
The husband was well educated; the
wives wholly uneducated. The girls
rarely attend school after the age of
10 years; and as soon as they are
married, their lives are restricted to !
the house and garden. The middle and |
higher classes never go out, even to |
the shops; but servants bring goods |
to the harem for their inspection; or
to the closed carriage where when !
they at rare intervals attended by |
many servants, take a drive. 1 saw |
these hearse like carriages with cur |
tains closely drawn. and realized that |
the inmates could obtain no more than |
a breath Of air through wells and |
screens. and did not wonder that the |
drive was not a daily recreation.
Better the open court of the harem |
and the unveiled face and free air. |
In Chetma 1 visited house and met |
eight women, varying in age from |
16 TO 35, the youngest being the beau
tiful Zorah. wife of the young attorney |
of the little aristocratic city of the !
Desert of Sahara, which takes pride |
In having no European residents. 70
rah was the only wife. her husband |
being but % years Of age. With her