Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-16
A Moorish
Marriage
II Took Place In Con-
stantin0ple
By F. A. mitchell :

Roman emperor Constantine built it
some fourteen centuries ago and made
it the capital of what was called the
Eastern Roman Empire. A thousand
years later 1t was conquered by the
Turks, who have remained In posses.
sion ever since. 1t remains to be seen
whether during the next ten or twenty
years the banner of the cross will not
displace 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 veil Immediately after the wedding
ceremony. But the most curious brid-
Ill dllOlS duy tlOuululleudu ptODl6 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 a 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 Moham-
medans from many quarters of the
globe. There Is a Moorish quarter
where the d~enizens practice such cere-
monies as are practiced ON the north
ern coast of Africa.
There is a 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, they
scatter themselves ON the land, and 1t
is a 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 a party of Moors were
thus enjoying the cool breezes from
the Bosporus. There were women and
children, but no One Of the chill
dren, a little boy of four years, took it
into his head to toddle away He was
followed by a young girl and found
being petted by a young mar 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, doffed 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 n told
that he was near would have had diff
Guilty 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 tlem
again, raising and dropping them till
at last a responsive look of love darted
from them.
When the party to which the girl be-
longed returned to their home in the
Moorish quarter the young man fol
lowed them to see where they lived.
1t was not long after this that the
mother of this girl-Ahesha was her
name-received a proposition for her
daughters hand. The family to which
the young man belonged was an ex-
cellent one and he would have double
the amount of property that would be
settled upon the girl. A contract was
signed, and the young persons were
betrothed.
Had this betrothal taken place before
the meeting by the sweet waters of
Asia Ahesha would likely have re-
ceived it with Indifference. All Moham-
medan maidens expect to be married.
and they are aware of the fact that
they have nothing to say in the choice
- - A--Ao~ D.,A A.