Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-03-29
HAREM is literally the fam
lily Of some person in the east
who can afford such an ex-
pensive luxury-generally q

r peus1Ve 1uAury-SeueIdAy u
maharajah or prince in In
Ola. A po;ygamist he may be, but
often this is a matter of Inheritance
rather than choice. A harem is will
ed to him by his father. just the same
as are his title, his estates and his
jewels. Much as he would like to-.
oftentimes, the new prince cannot
weed out the undesirable women of
this inheritance. He is forced by GUS
tom and law to take them as they
are, good. bad and Indifferent. and sup
port them in idleness and extrava-
gance, getting what consolation he
can from the charms of those in the
squad who are really pretty. He may
acquire new women, II he chooses,
but he cannot rid himself Of the old
ones.
Not all women of a harem are
wives, as popularity supposed. Fee
male relatives are provided for in the
harem. A mans mother, grandmoth-
er. aunt, or any woman dependent up
on him, is kept within the walls Of
his harem along with his wives. They
are served by the same enunchs, fore
ed to live under the same stern rules
and shown the same respect It Is
not uncommon for a harem to be
made up of 300 women, ranging from
grandmothers to girls Of tender
years. Some are hideously ugly and
others radiantly beautiful. In num-
bers they simply represent the i'm
portance Of their master; individual
ly they are pitiable slaves, kept in
luxury, as rule, but with no hope
full future before them. They have
no education or social life. Ambition
is dead within them. They merely ex-
list from day to day, for all the world
like so many animals being fattened
for market.
The daily life experienced in one
of these harems was recently describ-
ed by an American woman who
sought and obtained the privilege Of
spending two weeks in the harem
Of a native prince Of great wealth. Her
narration, therefore, is authentic az
well as interesting. Speaking Of the
women she says:
"They simply formed part of the
possessions which gave this particu.
lar prince prestige. The scores of
them he had never vouchsafed a word
or a glance. His favorite wife, to
whom he was devoted, was Circas-
sian girl of rare beauty. Her skin
was the most wonderful white I have
ever seen. Her lips were the scarlet
which cosmetics can never give. Her
eyes were black and smouldering.
Her hair was a perfect Titan shade.
But she was neither hated nor envied
by the other women. They seemed
devoid of emotions Of this sort.
THE Maharajah led two distinct
lives. Neither of these brought him
in contact with the women Of his
harem. As native prince, he lived
in a luxurious suite, with he favorite
wife in attendance. As the vassal of
King Edward. Emperor Of India, he
maintained what might be termed a
small court, in which he entertained
visitors of all sorts. men and women
Of title, English and foreign army Oh.
GERS, diplomats. travellers Of note, and
many Americans interested in devol,
oping Industrial, transportation or
banking facilities in his country.
"As the native prince, he was the
dreamer, the sybarite, the student of
Oriental lore and traditions. As the
representative of his British ruler. he
was the polished man Of the world.
the diplomat, the student Of politics
and craftsmanship. And. always. a..
erywhere, he was the suave courtier.
the latent lover.
Part of the Mahara1ahs palace NAV
be filled with English and American
guests. The sound of music and
feasting may rise. Oriental PLAYERS
and magicians and dancers may en-.
terrain. But the women of the harem
see nothing Of this. They live a life
apart.
Every day was like unto its prede-
cessor. Tea was served to us at &
IN the morning, when life in the har.
EN- seemed to stir slightly. Early rts-
Ing Is not due to energy, but to the
intense heat later on, which drives the
Orientals back to shelter. Breakfast
comes little later and, all told, six
meals are served daily.
The event Of the morning is the
bath. It occupies about an hour and
q half and is a ceremony, rite. The
care OF her body-that is the one
pleasure fully appreciated BY the wom-
an OF the harem. And she appreci-
HISS It, not because By faithful obser-
vance Of the rite she will find favor
IN the eyes Of her lord and master. but