The Washington herald., 1912-09-22
Georgians Educate Daughters
for Life in Eastern HQren1s
Despite Efforts of Russian Government, White Slave
Traffic Flourishes in Asiatic Country.
Women All Wear PantaLoons. =

A pretty sixteen-year-old maiden. tod
ding along in her pantaloons with a
fetching air of unconcern, was the en-
trancing spectacle which greeted my
weary eyes soon after / had crossed the
boundary between the Turkish dominions
and Georgia and had made some prog
ress in the latter country. When the
petit little Tartar smiled through her
pretty black eyes, / am sure my jaded
little pony pricked up his ears and stepped
somewhat lively IN spite OF his fatigue.
Pantaloons! They were of green silk,
good people. and all the girls and wom-
en- in Georgia wear them in the most
public places without the slightest con-
Germ. 1t is not inappropriate to say that
Georgia is the land Of pantaloons. They
are the conventional things for women.
Well. for that matter. they are also
well. at any rate, everybody wears 'em
In Georgia. IL / may paraphase GER
tain popular song; and that's all they do
wear except little red silk waist.
Georgia is indeed the land of beautiful
women. I stayed in the country for
nearly three months. and exerted all my
efforts to investigate the education and
care of the young women especially, in
view of the fact that they have become
so famous all over the world for their
beauty. In fact, these beautiful girls
have been the curse of their land. Their
beauty and charm>has been the cause of
what you Americans call white slave
traffic" The Russian government has
deportation Of them by the white
slavers."
Want to Live in Harems.
cannot say without a pang Of regret
that the highest ambition Of most of
these girls is to become inmates of the
harems Of Damascus, Bagdad, Constanti-
nople and the other great Eastern cities
Until recently the pretty little girls were
sold in lots Of dozen or more, and
sent to Paris, London, Vienna and New
York. This traffic had become SO per-
nicious TO the welfare of the country
that the Russian government was COM
PEELED to enact laws against it. In spite
of the law. however, many Of them are
still smuSgled out.
Ever SO many mothers and fathers Of
the poorer rural classes regard a daugh-
ter as financial asset. She is worth so
much TO them in hard cash. Many par
ents educate their daughters so they will
become ornaments to the harems Of the
great Eastern potentates and rajahs.
Money is ungrudgingly spent on these
young beauties. They lead a life of
ease. They are manicured, groomed,
bathed and pampered in every possible
manner. Many parents deem money thus
spent on their daughters a paying invest
ment. because they know when the
white slaver' comes he will give more
for the little maiden II she is carefully
manicured and groomed.
In my own native country, and here
in America, the greatest prize Is put on
male children. How happy is the mother
and the father with their baby boy! It
is just the opposite in Georgia. There
everything is joy and happiness when the
infant is found to be a girl The father
and mother know that they have re-
ceived a great asset, for which some day
they will be paid handsome profit. They
have no doubt that their little Miriam
will be beautiful. They picture her lumi-
nous brown eyes. her long lashes, her