Veiled Women of Damascus and Queer Marriage Customs
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frft V
We women 2ra
doing uu&jr xi&i fhe.-pvH -
""opyrlTht. If in, by Krnnk C1. Carpontcr.)
r rw.t-; A .MAt'Cl'H -- S;pi'(i;!l Col nsiomlencc of Th
'tT"4 y i: ''.) --Ho: Yo brlht-oyol, fair-skinned
Kil ls df Anioih a! Iro) for tlio moment
1 1 v'l :i'h1 tak- a 1- ok at your sisters of Da-
Cv'iuJ :, asia3 i faraway Syria! How would
you like to e(liuif;e your life for theirs? How would
yi ii lilve to spend your days without showing your
fui'e to the lilit of tho sun? How would you like
to f;o aho;it in n reat haR of black silk which is tied
in ui the waist so that it covers your form from tho
head to the feet, except for a short thick veil of black
wl'ih cnal)l s' you to feel your way along the street?
llow would you liko to be penned up in the back of
your house, or to have your front windows so latticed
that you could see out only through holes as big
around aa a lead pencil? Aye, more, how would you
like to never talk to any man but one of your own
family, and worse, never to have any other man or
boy talk to or see you?
Tills in the conditidn of the girls of this fanatical
city of Damascus. It is the fate of millions of other
women in Turkey, and of the female Mohammedans
throughout the whole world.
Among the Yelled Women.
Within the last thirty years I have visited every
Moslem country on earth, and have worn out my
eyes trying to see through the veils which hide the
fair sex. In Morocco their faces are covered with
cotton, and they peep out through a crack ns big as
your linger, made by pulling the cloth slightly apart
in front of the face. In Kairou ui the girls cover their
faces with black crepe so thick that you cannot tell
whether they are negroes or whites; and in Tunis
they are so shrouded that they have to lift up their
cloaks a few feet in order to pick their way through
tho streets. In Zanzibar the girls wear bags which
(over them to the feet, and their only view of the
world Is through peepholes as big as a ."iO-cent piece,
which are hedged across with lace netting, so that a
man cannot see In. In Egypt the headdress comes
down to the eyebrows, and a veil extends from there
to the knees, with the exception of a crack for the
eyes, the crack being Kept open by a gold or brass
spool which rests on the bridge of the nose. In Con
stantinople the fashionable Turks are doing away with
the veil or using thin white gauze th:ough which the
face can be plainly seen. It Is thus that the harem
of the sultan Is dressed, and thus the wives of all
the rich men.
Ill 1'aiHUMUS.
Here in Damascus the women stick to veils of
flowered muslin or black crepe and they wrap them
selves in gr at balloon like cloaks of black silK or
failed. These bulge out nUne and below where tiny
are tied at the waist, makin.; e;ch maiden look like
wo huge lumps of sau.-ages
see hundreds of them every
city. They throng the bazaar
and forth as they tislk with tin
as they waddle alonir.
li.me I o tlu oui'h I lie
i, where they bob b i U
merchant s. They may
lie seen picking their way
or sitting on the floors of
through the side streets
the mosques reading the
Koran and watching the men go through their pray
ers. Many of the veiled figures are those of small
iitls. They take the veil nt 11 or 12, r.nd the veils
are kept on after marriage, until death.
And then the houses! All of the Mohammedans
have honies so latticed that the women cannot be
Been from the streets. lit toiin eases the windows
Hie built out over the sidewalks, hanging out like
boxes of wooden network. This is so In the new
apartment houses which are now goin?, up. and also
,n the huts of the poor, although the latter seldom
save windows except at the back. The ordinary lat
lire is made of eauekiko rushes or sticks, and pre
paring them is a special trade followed by many. The
rushes are brought in to Damascus already trimmed
Oil 'he backs of donkeys, which as they go fill the
s;t ets with their loads.
Vueer Divorce l.au.v
It behooves the Mohummedau woman to be strict
in her conduct. The husband here has most of the
rights, and he can divorce his wife, or wives, when
ever he will. He sometimes does so without thinking,
and that to his sorrow. I 1 c ;ij d of sm ii a ease yes
terday. According to the laws of Da mu.-e u. if a
man wishes to cet rid of his wife he has only to ssy,
"1 divorce you! I divorce you' 1 divorce you!" and
the woman must leave. After she has gone, however,
the cannot come buck as a wife until after she has
ci'cii married to some one else. To get around this
an angry husband, relenting and los ing for the dear
departed, arrr.nscs to marry her to a friend, a dervish,
or to torn half-enuty man, who tor a sum will go
through the ceremony of a wedding and then immedi
ately divorce the woman, who can then be married
again to her old husband. In the ease referred to
the man had a quarrel with his wife and angrily mut
tered the words of divorce. Immediately she had gone
he repented, and thereupon brought about her mar
riage with an alleged friend, upon the understanding
that a divorce was to follow the ceremony. The
friend, however, refused to utter the words ot divorce,
saying, "I like the woman and will keep her myself,"
and so it is at this writing.
Such divorces are always on the part of the hus
band. As for the women, they have more difficulty
In getting rid of the marriage tie, although they can
do so, provided the husband does not perform his
duty to them or give them an equal amount of atten
tion with the other wives of the family. According
to Mohammed every man had the right to four wives,
but the Koran provides that he must spend an equal
time with each of them and in some places he is re
quired to give each a separate establishment.
Marriage in the Holy l4Wi(l.
During my travels in the Holy Land I have picked
up some Interesting stories of marriage and divorce.
Every sect has its own customs. The Jews can di
vorce easily, and after that they can marry again.
The orthodox Greeks can only marry three times, and
some of the Christians ere not allowed a divorce with
out cause. jt
In all of the Jewish weddings the girl brings a
dowry, the amount of the dot being mentioned in the
contract of marriage. This contract is ahvays signed
in the presence of the rabbi, and the wedding cere
mony takes place under a tent In the court of the
synagogue. Hefore marriage the bride Is shaved from
her head to her feet, and after that her head is always
kept covered. At the ceremony -and after It they have
music, with drums, cymbals and harps, and many of
the old-fashioned customs of bible times are pre
served. The Jews marry young, and 4 girl is an old
maid at 20. ,
Tli-.' Peasant Mohammedans.
The Mdhamnit (tans of the villages usually ta'.ic
wives when they are entering their teens, and mar
riages at '2 ycais are not uncommon. Tho man Is
usually older, and it is custocirry for matured men
to marry young girls and lo add theta to their harems
::s the first wives grow older. In su.'h cases the
gtoon: pays money to the father of the bride. THiu
is the rexeise of t lie Jewish n:nrriages, where the
leoHi;. f ma to the j;rcoa The price for a Moham
medan wife rt. ne. st itccording to the financial condi
tio!' of the contra'-tin; pat ties. The contracts are
made by the elder people of the family. If there
l: a lather he decides upon the marriage. If the
Irrigating
the
K11UASKA and Iowa land owners a'.ong
the MU-tcuri liver will be it tens'el in
pome projects now being worked out on
the upi'tr reaches of the treacherous
stream by the 1'rited Stutcs government
in (he line of irruatiou. From recent
leports it appeals that, among the many
wonders accomplished by government engineers in tiie
redemption of u'id lands under the reclamation act,
there is nothing me re unie.ue than the group of pump
ing projects iti North Dakota by which means the
hitherto uncontrollable. Missouri Is harnessed and
made to iriigate thousands of aires of land that have
iiee-.ied only the touch of Wi'er to make the m f. rtile.
Stece the eat!:e-.t da;-s of western hutery the ' l!ig
Muddy" has been looked up ;n ai the most uiican rol
Ip'.le of streams, fays a writer in the New York
TriVuoe. The keel boatmen who poled many adventurer-
t;t the sfer:rs in the das of the fur hurt -is
had countless thri'ling experiences with the ei ratio
strep. it. Mt:;y 3 stn csf'il trapper, floating his fui i
back .o the St. I.ou's matke t, struck a snag in the
hoilinr, muddy river or was thrown p.galnst a sand
bar by a i lute-hing ee'dy :nd w ts heard of no mon
In later yeais the ranchers who have settled along
the Missouri have had their troubles with this giant
among streams. Sudden floods have come, wreaking
untold damage. Then, too, the channel of the stream
has constantly shifted. Owing to its winding course
and the sandy nature of the soil through which it
travels the Missouri is constantly changing Us bed.
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father is dead the eldest brother may act, or in some
cases tlie mother.
The customs aa to the right of the la :nily to dic
tate tl'.e marriage are rigid. T!n-1hcr d,jy a peasant
living near Jerusalem had a sister who run away with
her lover and married him. This v.;'S alter the family
had objected to any union of the two. The peasant
took a revolver and went after the bridal couple. He
met his brother-in-law in Jerusalem and shot him
dead on the street. When arrested lie justified the
crime and he is now imprisoned awaiting trial. I
am told he will get off with a slight punishment, as
he has acted within his rigiito according to the Koran,
Hi ides of the Cities.
Among the city Mohammedans tho bridegroom
makes a present of a dovry sufficient to enable his
bride to purchase her trousseau and household furni
ture. He may give her six or eight hundred dollars,
and the greater part of this will go to her nearest
male relative, being paid before the wedding takea
place. On the other hand, lie and that relative may
buy the outfit together vuk.tnK it?ms of the various
things and their cost.. Often tt.e wh.rle dowry in not
paid, 2.") or "0 per cent bein left until after hta
wejding. Th!" is not demanded, except in case of
divorce, and ii is considered a premium that will In
sure good treatment on the part of the hus'.iund.
The bride seldom sees the p-rooru before the wed
ding, and the groom never meets her before that time
Tim i!ivertii;Ht!on:t of b:ti families are carried on by
the f::t!.ers pnd mothers, independent of the real par
ties to the r.ictrhipe.
l!ow Th y Man y i:i Syi
i
icd a :.lchan'.i.:e(la;i inn:,; of ;,!i;ie lt::-t
n. e how ii'.r.i rk: ; :; w ore artanej
1!'.'.' lit
here.
to tell
Said he:
"Win n a boy Is oU ei.ou dt to have p wife, let us
say at 17, his patents tie-in to look about for a su't
able girl. The mother noes to the hare! :s ? her
acquaintances, and asl.s ?s to the drughti r:. K.h nln.
visits the gills' sch'-ois. and vhcu she h.c:-' lour.d a
maiden when: rhe thinks nay P'.lit, she .nvl'io the
mother of the ;.;iil 10 meet r at the bath. This is
one of the c'.ih f places of foscfilp and pleasure, and it
Is not uncommon for ladies to meet t'ler.'. To fie
bath the rtirl coier v;;U !.er mother, and rV there
has her rirst ii.terview v.it'i her ;.rcs.)(",i ive t.to'.Uir-ln-law.
The t v. ; talk ;:r.'l y.-isfip 'c 'ether, and very
likely go ir.to li.effi- jv rrd ph:nres.
li'h' att'te of two Yiirkif'i tov.'rl.. t'ie
cUkI in the
fa -diiotiubh'
i over Dioy
go t b for t'-e o:-;i.-dor.. Aftc- the hall: is
ha e s o i iic ' i n i; to at .
Tint"- is more lall.'t'v; and the girl !a
,o I
lin
trout r I iy a 'id ph t i ::'! V. 1
i the -hiisY;
3 plea
t le
tit r.f
tt i(i!lS
n eithe r of the rrror.t 'cits Ik r
her investi.atio'is. f.nd if i'e
Ot 1
Waste Land of
It eats swiftly it rough a Meek of lit'.', at:.', pei 'ia;.ws
abandons its old ehtciel i'oi otie w.iU-r a . ay.
To harness suc h a s!r cm is this !ii.s b: en een
Lide re d it.iiio.iEible, ht.t itum rn.itet.t e ii'.in ' I s t.ae
I'.oved the eontiar.v. They laiv t:i;;-ed the fc ro-iouit
"l'lg Muddy," at:d thestt t.i'i whirl1, hi the "to r"!:t wl
edped no master is now iirigatin-? kovk1 t'-.ou.-atid
iicres of land in North Dakota fun it1.;; birg s in
th.e stream send a steady of v.-ut-. - to h.ue f-et-
tling hasirs, an 1 from those basit.s ti!.. ,'.y if iua' in,;
canals are fille d when water Is needed on t no farms
that are springing up on the bench land . The ., va
ries of the river mt-r.es no jit;Yrenec ia ;'! ork. lor
the barges rise and lall with the sir av.i. Ilv n if tho
river saw lit to chan-e its channel it would t"'t eso-ipe
these mot'st"rs th.at have broug':; it to s,;' lion.
'I he government lias : c letai
a .'. j.;owee ts in
: ' .' r 1 . om the
v, lil. i e niiieit b:
x ill. io:i and Mu-
western North Dakota v. hich ruh
Micseuri to irrigate betn a I tM-h-;
rc ae heel by gravity s;. sten t;. T u-
ford-Ti eiiloti projects ate t.ie oic
i: I kif the
uniiio feati'ie.i tnetitlone'i:. The ia -ids l'n hr'' d in
these iioj-c t.-; are idei 1 for farftl-ig. br.f It has b on
initios: ible t; ."( V.M.U r theni on a-' OUtil c f the!.'
height above the eliHtiiiel of the rivec The general
elevation of the land is about 2. eon feet above sea
level. The soil of the bottom lands is a heavy elav,
but the desirable bench lands are a rich, sandy loaia.
requiring about two acre-feet of water per annum.
The principle crops grown in thi: locality are wheat
flax and oats, with alfalfa aud sugar bee ts growing in
I 1
.7r
ft:
i:.
I .
i
n
m
4
ladies of J)amiscus
are begun with the parents of the bride. If agreeable
:'..p devry is fl::ej r.:td the betrothal Is made. Neither
the marriage nor the betrothal can be consummated
without the consent of 'ho iri This consent is got
ten in connection with the man. or Mohammedan
print who t.ppecrs at the dooi of the harem' of the
bride's :. other. The gill is behind the door and she
is u?kod if she will consent to the match. She has to
nn;-v. or ' I will" three tepittute times, after which the
amount of the tlowiy :i:ay be paid over, in the pres-
et:ce cf
I; MOT' s.
Jip: er Wedding ( ereii.onies.
111 ail oiienlal countries the wedding ceremonies
ore very impoiiant. The marriage is always an oc
casion of protracted festivities, and not to be invited
is r. grave oiTon.-te. Orts of the ptoverbs here Is, "Ho
who do e.i not invite me to his mariiae will not have
:e ;.l iiis lanetal." Among the .Mohammedans the
-e: i'i-vr or rem' nles often la.-t u week, during which
" i fcat'uv. on the ;icrt of ltolh families. The
d.' t'"!..- ; re ?l .i " hefoi e the we dding, and at the time
i !' re ....:;..-;:' );:!". ...-outit:; of if.oney are thrown
lo the Ik ;j i'.p i i. The weddln ; feasis usually be;;in
Mot.day. Tu .;!: y the bride la tak. n to the bath and
North Dakota
favor. Uc c oy.'.tir.in;; posflliilities of this u gleeted area
of hue land, if it iou!d I.e brou,',:ci Uiie.e. wuier. the
gove t i.'t e t:t e't ,Y. era -eking under the' reclamation
ac' clevfitid mtteii time t.) a sci' ntif'o study of the
el i llh ciltic j io Lo ovc i co::,e. finally the: barge pump-
Ian wa. ' decide,! ut.i-.i. Th.e power problem W as
run kly .iked. There a;o thousands cf acres of lig
nite cr.a! indeilylm; the lands sttrrt'tinding Willtsto'i.
A po w r :
coal f th
: :t v.Lo built at Willihton, anil from the
ee-y doots of the plant power ia quicMy
aen: rale .1. 'I lie t h'ctrieity is conveyed
i barif;s which ere nneh ired in the
v u' . : ii! the1 "i:ig Mifldy'' is punipi'd
j-ipr". t ) settling basins above. So
.'...!(' t'.a: i is r.llnvei! to settle before'
into h.- svste r, i f ii ri'a l io:i eanals raeii-
!: 1 .-:.;
' . I o pi, Ii
i Ive r. Thr
th (.:-!-. th -ti.'-ehly
is t;"
U ,:i i.".!
:.t'g etc;:..
c I ' f i I : .' i cl
i'.U w.eihl 1
. !. a r.ln .
)Oe (.' !
tha' il' .-a
the
1 1 :
: I '-isin, II" I lie wafer wore
:il.' el it.-; tly from th'1 rivi-r tho
i cm tatit '. ork in re'iair and
lile feeiiires if this project is
e 'iiTi-tlieg e laetricity is 1 1 1 i i c-il
to the furnaces at the power
r is a e lc
fef
e; a . ;. . it
i. ii i el" ' i . e re d
'', riii? of the Willlr-tot! proje e I in
clude s about s.oiMi hc ios of the bench and valley lands
s'.irrou'x'ii'- Wilii.ioii but the sjstem will be en
larged to inviT about 12. I ai res. There Is a state
experiment I eriri mar Wiliisloii, which Is of assistance
in di'monstn:'ing the- methods of irrigation to settlers
Land has leen res rvi 't f ir a government townsltu
abouteii;ht li i'es north of Williston.
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1
there is a feast there, the bridegroom paying tho ex
penses of the bathing and eating.
Wednesday the bridegi oom's lady friends go to the
I . r t U c. ...i.. i .. ...... . I , : ..
nouse oi iiio iiniii', w acre nicy nave a conceii anei en.
nor. At this time the linger nails and toe nails of the
bride are stained red with henna and they begin to
.l.w.l' v.. ,. ,.,.e ea,.. el,., ,w,.l.li,. 'l,hi.r,luv elw. I.fl.l.,
mil, in I I'cic i ji i'i L niuniiih i inn Mia j 1111 w.,,,..
Is taken to the groom's house in a great procession
and there the two oat candy, exchanging niouthfuls
or bites, the idea being that nothing but sweetness is
hereafter to pass from the lips of one to the other.
The bridegroom has not seen the bride until this time.
He here saH a prayer in the presence of the bride,
kneeling on her bridal veil as he does so.
Mohammedans of Palestine.
Among the Mohammedans of Palestine, so says my
guide Shanimas, the wedding usually takes place at
the mosque, and the bridegroom meets his bride whe'a
she is on the way thither although she is so veiled
that he cannot see her. She is dressed all in white
und is carried under a canopy on the shoulders of four
men. At the mosque the wedding sermon Is given,
and at the end ot this the bride goes to the house of
her husband. As she steps over the threshold she
bends down and passes under two crossed swords up
held by his friends; this means that if she is not true
to her husband he will kill her. She is taken first to
the women's apartment or harem, over the door of
which has been placed a piece of leavened dough w ith
a green leaf lying upon it; she presses the palm of y
her hand on the leaf and into the dough, thus signer
tying that the home into which she has come w "'
Ilourish. In some cases the bride breaks a piece oi
leavened bread and gives to the young people to eat.
After she has tutored her own apartment In the
groom's house there is n feast, the guests sitting on
the floor and eating coutse after course of meats and
vegetables, interspersed with candies and syrups. In
some cases the groom has to make the bride speak
before the dinner will be served, and it is a virtue
with her to keep silent just as long as she can.
Woman's Uiglits In Syria,
It i3 the general idea among Christians that Mo
hammedan wives have no rights which their husbands
are bound to respect. 1 am told this is not so, ami
that the women here not infrequently rule their hus
bands. The cost of living has increased greatly within
recent years and it Is only a rich Mohammedan who
can own several wives. Public sentiment as'lo the
rights of women has rise n and the man who abuses
his wives is no! tonsltYie d respectable. No man dares
address a strange woian on the streets of any Turk
ish city, and in the t st regulated houses the husband
does not enter the woman's apartments when he
knows he is not wanted, although he has the legal
right to go theio at any time.
The Mohammedan wife has the entire right and
control of her own property, anel if she- brings the
money Into the family she docs not hesitate to say so.
She has about as much power In the courts as our
women have; she can sue and bo sued, anel can even
enter a suit against her husband In regard to her owji
proptry; she can make a will and leave her property
as she phases anil she can force him to pay the dowry
agiced upi n. When she- marries he litis to buy th
wedding gown, and if he divoiees her she gets back
her lioinseau.
Slave Man luges.
It is saiei thai women are still bought and sold In
the Turkish possessions. Not long ago there was a
regular trade1 in the black girls who were brought
across the Sahara from Central Africa and shipped
through Tripoli into Syria and other pails of Turkey
l.efoio the lOiiiilifah took hold of Kgypt this trtiff! was
curried on thro'n"h tir: Nile valley and It was winked
at by tho oMiciab. It Is laid to be still in voyuo In
Voi-ooco. and slaves are brought in from p.nts of the
('uucai'siis to 'ota-la nt inople-
.Vroielitig t: tho lav. of the Koran m; rriie - h with
slaves an' haul. The wives o! the niliati are laiydv
.l.r.is who tire brought iti from tlioria .imI ( ir. assia.
a plump, bright-eyed, red-lie tele d w bite -skint, imI girl
I ei n i' woilli as much i s a half deen w'nil" horses.
I sin told thai Cil ( a:-.-ian I iil.i e'fo .el to be' sold out
of the haidsiiiips which Hey arc sure to liml in thflr
own country; they aie bou'ht .voting and are trained
up I' i wives; such a ' an play on the zither and other
miisaal i e.s: i v tin . t s 1-rinn lime ll ten thee ignorant
and tin- blonde Is worth more than the brunette. in
tho past $.".,01(0 was not a high price for a Circassian
girl, anel any good-looking (Jeorgian maiden of 12
would bring $2n anil upward. Ac-cording to lai
children of such slaves arc legitimate.
r'KANK G. CARPENTER.
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