JEALOUSY OF THE HAREM.

Western Star, Issue 1300, 27 March 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

JEALOUSY OF THE HAREM.

The following sketch is by an Englishwoman who held the post of governess to four little children in the harem of one of the best-natnred Egyptians in the interior of Egypt. The word " harem," which has to English ears, such an ominous sound, simply means in Arabic " females "or ''women/' I believe the original meaning was "forbidden." The harem of a man is, therefore, the apartments set apart for the sole use of the women and their children. These arn usually the whole of the first floor of the palace. No man may enter but the husband, and sometimes certain of the male relatives; but I have known a case where the head of the harem would admit none of his male relatives into his- harem. The harem usually consists of the wives, to the number of four, female slaves, and female free women. The slaves are the husband's property, and he may use them as concubines or not, as he desires. It is considered indelicate for a lady to allow anyone but her husband to see her hair, and unclean for any to grow upon her face or body. Indoors, therefore, if she respects herself, she wears a head dress which hides the hair, and is by no means unbecoming. When out in the carriage she allows only the eyes to be seen. The harem lady is bound to be, from her bringing up, of a low type. Her only education is the idea to be the plaything of some rich innn—that rich man, of course, being her legal husband. From babyhood she is taught certain exercises, which, to any pure-minded European, ure disgusting. She has no life outside of her bath, her body, the visits of her husband, and, in a very mild way, her children. For recreation, a eunuch will take her for a drive to call on another harem in the harem closed carriage, and for amusement a dancing girl will be brought into the harem, or, if the house is in mourning, a sheikh will chant the Koran in the men's quarters, when the women gather on the harem terrace to listen.

The room in which the dancing took place was a large entrance room in the harem, about seventy feet by sixty. Off this room were all the bedrooms. Each bedroom opened into this room, and there was no communication to the bedrooms except through this room. It was furnished in the usual Oriental style—heavy silk carpets and curtains, divans all round the walls, floor cushions un the floors, and marble table in the centre. The Ghawnzee, or dancing girls, would be sent for, and, with much clatter of shoes, would waddle into this room, removing their outdoor clothing. Coffee, cigarettes, and cognac would be banded them—the latter, as they say, to remove the veil of modesty from before their eyes! We would all then recline on the divans, with cigarettes and coffee to hand, and the slaves would fan us. An ex-dancing woman, who had grown too old to danee, would begin to beat the darabukeh, or drum, another would produce a most monotonous discord, in excellent time, on a stringed instrument, while a third would blow through a

sort ot flute. The great point to each of them, so it seemed to me, was the lime which the performer on the darnbukeh seemed to have at her own disposal. Wheu they had fairly warmed to their work, a Ghawazee would get up, and with a cigarette in her month begin to dance. What this dance is like it would be difficult for me to describe. A series of wriggles of the body to the time of the music, which begins slowly, gradually getting fasti r and faster, till one is fairly dazed, when the dancer suddenly throws herself on her back on a floor cushion, all the while wriggling to the music, which gets slower and slower till it stops. The dance usually lasts about half an hour, but I have seen one Ghuwazee who kept it up for an hour and a half, only stopping to wipe the perspiration from her face. One of these exhibitions is quite enough to disgust any European woman, no matter how broad-minded, but, whenever the dancing girls, come to the harem, it is one of the duties of.the governess to be present with her pupils, that the little girls may learn to imitate the movements.

Should one of the ladies be indisposed she remains in her room. A slave places her shipship (the satin slippers worn in the bouse<J|jfc side her door. Then we would all go room, sit upon the divans or floor cu3bl6iifi, drink the tiny cups of black coffee, and smoke unlimited cigarettes, and discuss the gppd quaU. ities of the patient in low tones. If she were suffering pain one of the ladies, would say, "God who sent it you. help you to bear it!" when wc would all respond, " By the Prophet, your talk is good." Then another silence would be broken by some one remarking, "SufJ'jring was made by God, all praise to His name! but it was meant for giants. But God also made death. Death is the finer work of the two.'' This latter saying was a very common one, and my pupils often made use of it to me if I had a toothache or headache. It was always'quoted as though it were quite original. The calm way they would leave the sick room, after assuring the occupant that "if she died the world would be a perfect blank to them," and then stolidly walk into the next room and abuse her roundly, and with a fierceness which was horrible, rather astonished me, and showed me how little real sympathy they had one with another. Their jealousy of one another was fiendish in its intensity, and Isym pathised with the pasha when he said to me how happy Englishmen must be with no wives to quarrel over them! ' ■,";'•. The great saving clause to the lifeVfn the harem for a European is the children; are the most perfectly charming and straightforward little beings imaginable. How can I tell you of all their little tendernesses and politenesses? Thero was no acting or coquetry with them— did not understand it. From the youugest to the eldest,, too, their sense of logic was acute. Request one of these little darlings to do anything out of the ordinary routine and he will at once ask the logic for it. If you can give him a logical reason you may rest assured that that particular request will be obeyed always without further comment. I was seated in my room one evening weeping, when one of my pupils, a lad of years came in, and looking at meinteni; 'itfjP "Why weopest tbou?" I replied, _^ir 1 reason." He continued to look at me ibra second or two in a puzzled manner, and then a look of comprehension came into his wonderful black'eyes, and, mounting on a chair, he began carefully to remove the portraits of a dead relative of mine, placing them out of sight in my writing desk. When he had finished, he came tome, and, embracing me warmly, said, "Madame, come into my room and ■see me dance."