The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-17
A Moorish
Marriage
It Took Place In Con-
stantinOple
By r. A. mitchell

! III Constantinople is not the most In
teresting city In the world its situation
: Is certainly the most beautiful. Tn
Roman emperor Constantine built 1
; some fourteen centuries ago and mad
1t the capital Of what was called tn,
Eastern Roman Empire. A THOUSAND
years later it was conquered by tn,
Turks. who have remained In posses
sion ever since. It remains to be seer
whether during the next ten or twenty
years the banner Of the cross win no,
dfSpiace the crescent, floating again
after five centuries on the cathedral
Of st. Sophia.
In woman's struggle for a proper
place In the world there is a vast DIFF.
ference between what she has accom-.
plished in the western and eastern
nations. Turkish women, while they
have gained much, are still far behind
their western sisters. Among certain
Mohammedan sects they are still load
ed with the customs of antiquity. This
Is noticeable in the union of the sexes
by marriage. The Turk is not sup.
posed to see his brides face till he lifts
her ven Immediately after the wedding
ceremony. But the most curious bird.
al among any Mohammedan people is
that Of the Moors.
A marriage between a Moorish girl
and man having been arranged by the
parents the bride is carried to her hus-
band at night. The street through
which she will pass is lined with peo-
pie waiting to see the wedding process
sion. The bride is at home with her
parents and the nurse who has had
the care of her from the time of her
birth. She steps into box and It is
carried out of the house to a mule
standing at the door. Then to the
sounds of weird music the animal with
Its burden is led down the street by
the nurse between the lines of those
looking on. On arriving at her hus-
bands home she leaves the box and
enters the house. When in the room
where her husband, alone, Is waiting
for her she throws herself at his feet
He raises her and lifts her veil. There
is no formal ceremony, no mutual
pledges. The fact of their being
brought together and the door shut
behind them constitutes a marriage.
In Constantinople there are NOLAN.
medans from many quarters of the
globe. There is Moorish quarter
where the denizens practice such cere-
m0ntaG q ofl
ern coast of Africa.
There is little stream flowing into
the Bosporus called the sweet waters
OF Asia. Turkish ladies' In summer
time make excursions to its banks In
rowboats. Leaving the boats. thew
scatter themselves on the land, and It
is pretty sight to see them, clad as
they are in their brightly colored man
ties. They carry rugs and cushions
with them, which they place on the
ground, often at the base of trees.
which furnish a convenient support
There they chatter and eat candy.
turkish men are near. but do not min. |
gle with the women.
One afternoon party of Moors were
thus enjoying the cool breezes from
the Bosporus There were women and
children, but no men. One of the chill. |
dren, little boy of four years, took II
into his head to toddle away. He was /
followed by a young girl and found
being petted by a young man sitting
on the ground against a tree with a
book. The girl drew back, but the
young man, seeing that she had come /
for the child, arose, dotted his fez and
led the boy to her.
Why the souls of this man and this
girl should have rushed together upon
this meeting which lasted but a few
minutes Is one Of the many mysteries
that pertain to the universe. The
young man read his book no more that
day. He arose from his seat and went
where he could peer upon the girl
through an opening in the foliage. He
was not noticeable, and any one told
that he was near would have had diff
cuky In finding him. Not so the girl
His face was as plain to her as the
sun In heaven. On first seeing him
she dropped her eyes. but in a few min
utes she raised them, dropped them
again, raising and dropping them till
1t last responsive look of love darted
from them.
When the party to which the girl be-
Ionged returned to their home in the |
Moorish quarter the young man fol
owed them to see where they lived.
1t was not long after this that the |
mother of this girl-Ahesha was her
1ame-received proposition for her
iaughter's hand The family to which
he young man belonged was an ex- I
client one, and he would have double
he amount of property that would be
'ettled upon the girl A contract was (
'igned, and the young persons were
)etrothed.
Had this betrothal taken place before
he meeting by the sweet waters of {
ASIA Ahesha would likely have re-
eived it with indifference. All Moham-
nedan maidens expect to be married.
md they are aware OF the fact that
hey have nothing to say in the choice 1
4 husband. But the announcement {
made her by her mother, since love
lad stolen unbidden into her heart. [
lad a crushing effect. She received II l
comment but its blighting eff I
ect showed itself in the pallor that I
Yerspread her countenance. Her moth