Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1882 — VISIT TO A HAREM. [ARTICLE]

VISIT TO A HAREM.

The Homo of a Wealthy Algerine. And Description of the Inmates and Their Mode of Life. Hamoud is the name of a handsome middle-aged Moor whose acquaintance we made in the legitimate transactions of trade. He is a distiller of •orange flower water and other perfumes, and the inventor of a superior kind of lemonade and other effervescent beverages. By dint of a thrift and enterprise not generally possessed ■by his countrymen he has acquired a handsome property, and is quite able to keep in regal style the four wives that the korau permits to a man of means. Whether he avails himself of this privilege 1 never found out, feeling a delicacy in introducing the subject. Be that as it may, he has a house big enough for a dozen, as we found out when we accepted his courteous invitation to visit his ‘‘family.” “Us” means a party of ladies. No gentleman is invited into the sacred precincts; and it would be as much as his life were worth to attempt to gam in an’eutrance without it. 1 have been in many MOORISH HOUSES since, both bigger and smaller, better and worse "but as they are all built on the same general plan a description of one is a description of all,making allowance for the variations in size and costliness of materials, according to the means of the owner. The exterior of these dwellings—except in the case of the rural palaces, which are often marvels of architecture and ornamentation—give a very inadequate idea of the elegance and richness of the interior. Presumptively, among these people, a woman’s utter seclusion ana strict surveillance are the only safeguard of her husband’s honor; a home, to be a man’s paradise, must be a woman’s prison. Hence their houses are mere piles of blank whitewashed walls, unbroken by doors or windows or ornamental galleries. Hamoud’s house, though in the ' French quarter, was so shut in and •overtopped by its neighbors and made to look so like a big whitewashed ■barn on the only side that was to be ■seen that it was with some difficulty that we found it. The only entrance was through a great cedar wood door studded with bross nails and set withadeep archway. Through this, preceded by a French female servant, we passed into a vestibule furnished with atone seats. This is where the master of the l ouse receives his male guests. Beyond this a passage led into a large marble paved court, within a fountain of running water in the center, and huge tropical plants set around it in pots. Children weje playing about the court, and within the rooms opening from it a gaily ■dressed negro servants were busied about var ous household occupations. ■One was pounding coffee in a mortar, anottuprisorting oranges, a third Ailing bottles from a cask. The rooms <m the ground floor'Vre not used as tfwellih g rooms, butks kitchens, store rooms, bath rooms, and servants’ rooms. All around the court was

AN ARCADE formed by arches and twisted mar pie columns, which supported a gallery above. A flight of tiled stairs landed us ia this gallery, whioh was pawed and wainscoted with ornamental tiles of many colors and patterns, and protected by a beautifully carved wooden railing joining the pillars and arches which supported another gallery above. Arched niches in the waifs held vases of flowers or potted plants. The whole court was open to the sky, the four walls inclosing it—perhaps some 12 or 14 feet in depth—containing the different apartments of the family. In the summer time an awning is stretched over the top to shut out the rays of the sun. The servantxstopped before the open folding doors of one of the apartments, and pus Ling aside a heavy silken curtain that fell from ceiling to floor, motioned us to enter. Within, seated on the cushions on the floor with a brazier of red-hot charcoal in their midst, was a little GROUP OF MOORISH LADIES, apparently callers, like ourselves, but from motives of friendship rather curiosity. Divested of their outer robes, which make them look in the street like so many white bolsters, they displayed a richness of attire and a blaze of jewelry that can only be seen among orientals—and, which, indeed, can only be worn by orientals. Out from this circle of splendor the lady of the house rose and coming forward greeted the new-comers with an easy grace. We had learned the proper formula on such occasions—the “Salaam Aleicum!” with the right hand pressed upon the hSkrt, and the head gracefuliy inclined—and, after the reciprocal salutation had passed around the circle, we seated ourselves, at the invitation of our hostess, on the silken cushions that were strewn about on the floor, and addressed ouyselves to the business of being entertained. THE ROOM was heavy with aromatic odors and its few furnishings were of the most luxurious order. The only light that was admitted was through the staiued glass of small, deeply recessed,and stoutly barred windows that looked out on the court. The door and windows were bordered with beautifully variegated tiles, and a band of the same decorated the white washed walls, occasional arched niches in the wails displayed some rare treasure of oriental art. quaint pottery, and ivory ohests inlaid with silver. The ceiling was beautifully sculptured and richly frescoed. Against the outer wall were placed luxurious cushioned divans for reclining; and on the tiled floor were laid Turkey rugs, with cushions of different sizes for seats. Not a chair or a table, a mirror or a book, The whole formed a rich setting for the bejeweled central group. Our new acquaintances’ limited French, and our moie limited Arabic, precluded the possibility of much intelligent vocal conversation; but the eastern ladies were easy and unembarrassed, and the western were curious and interested, and by a sort of

FEMININE FREE-MASONRY, a mutual understanding was soon established and a good deal of information was got and given on bcth sides. We were introduced to the sixmonths’ bride of one of Hammond’s sons, a rather heavy-featured, sleepyeyed lady, who was heavily loaded with gold and silver ornaments, and who wore above her white trousers a green brocaded jacket trimmed with gold lace, a brilliant-hued silken robe over her shoulders, and a gold-work-ed scarf twisted among her black tresses, No wonder she looked sleepy and heavy, for since the day when Hamoud ben Hamoud brought her home to his father’s patriarchal establishment she had never seen the ight of day, or breathed the fresh air, excpt as she got it in the open court- For a year after marriage the Moorish woman keeps strictly within doors, excluded even from appearing on the terrace, the favorite evening resort of the women in summer time. A sprightly, black eyed little girl of nine or ten years of age. whe wore a coquettish little suit of white cloth trimmed with blue velvet, was ALREADY BETROTHED. we were told and was to be married in two years. Poor little wife! married to a man she never saw and old enough to be her grandfather; a mother before her own baby days are over; the slave of brutal lust and caprice; a thing to be scorned and crushed and heaten; a woman, drilled in the arts of cunning and deceit and intrigue,when she should be only gxileless romping child; did she have any foreshaaowings, I wonder, of the future that was before her? But while we mused and moralized a huge negress, black as the ace of spaias, and arrayed in gorgeous apparel, came in, bearing a silver, tray of c »flee and sweetmeats. Among these people however ignorant they may be on points if western etiquette the ancient rite of. HOSPITALITY is never neglected. The negress set the tray down on the floor before her mistress, who proceeded to pour the aromatic fluid into the little delicate china cups set in small silver stands like an egg cup and to pass them with her own bauds to her guests. This Moorish c< flee, sweeteiied, but drunk without milk, dark, and thick like chocolate, is of exquisite flavor and aroma. The Moor is very fastidit us about his coffee, be ing forbidden wine and strong drinks he concentrates his epicurean tastes on coffee. He drinks only the finest Mocha. The various processes of prep-aration-roasting, grinding and distilling—are conducted with the greatest care; while he would as soon think of reviling the Prophet as he would of introducing chichry, or even a baser grade of coffee into the decoction.. In the meanest and dirti-

est case maure one may be always sure of getting g * , f A bayaluup of coffee. He vsejAea, also, a mild infusion of the heib, with a slighted opt unpleasant tincture of nutmeg init, Dut coffee Is the main staple and joy of his existence. The delicacies which were passed with the coffee were also of home manufacture —some sort of canded fruits flavored with rose water and very pleasant to the palate. About the time that we had finished our coffee another fantastically dressed negress appeared on the scene to announce the arrival of the Moorish visitors’ carriage (a Moorish lady of high degree is seldom or never seen in the streets on foot,) where upon the ladies speedily transformed themselves into bolsters by means of baiks. adjars and yashmaks, adroitly adjusted v\ ith silver pins and brooch; donned their slippers,which they had left on the mat outside when they cama in, made their parting saluta tions and rolled off, foilawed by their black servant, her glory hidden under a long blue checked robe. Where - ever these negresses come from they are certainly the MOST INTENSELY UGLY and monstrously ill-shapen beings I have ever seen. The Ethiopian orour southern states, in his worst type, is angel of light beside them. We remained to be shown over other apartments, and to be introduced to other branches of the family. The rooms occupied by the sons’ wives were furnished much «»s the reception room, with the exception that a bed stood in a sort of alcove at one end of the room, curtained off with rich silken hangings. In one of these rooms a young woman, with the face of a madonna, and the great, mournful pathetic eyes jhat belong to some dumb animals, sat on the floor nursing a baby, while a black-eyed boy of five or six years of age frisked and capered about her. She seemed rather glad to see strangers, and was disposed to be communicative. How many children had she? Only one, Mohammed, here. It had pleased Allah to take the other one to himself. The baby? Oh, yes, there was the baby; but that was ONLY A GIRL, that didn’t count—her explanations being interpolated with sundry mild adjurations to the youthful Mohammed, which, being interpreted, would be, I suppose, “Now, Mohammed, do be a good boy. Don’t you see the ladies are looking at you ? I shall have to tell your father if you don’t behave yourself.” In spite of which Mohammed kept on teasing the baby and pounding the floor, and making camels of the cushions, after the same fashion as our American Johnnies and Charlies do when “company” comes and they are expected to be on their good behavior. And in the meantime the baby laughed and crowed and kicked as babies will, happily unconscious of its misfortune in not being born a boy, aud held out its chubby little hands to be taken, and won all our hearts by its pretty wiles and ways. For a baby is a baby the world over, thank God! whether it be a mohammedan Fatima or a Christian Grace. And this baby’s smiles and kisses, and the soft touch of the little hands were sweet to me for the sake of my sunny haired baby so many thousand miles away, and for the sake of that other fair haired baby that sleeps in "Woodmere. • •

THE TERRACE, or flat roof of the house, as of all Moorish houses, is one of its pleasantest features. It commands a magnificent view of the harbor and shipping, the town and country, and the mountains in the distance. 'Under the Turkish rule these terraces were reserved for the women alone. Who used to visit each other by climbing over the parapets that separated the houses. These Moorish houses are evidently built on the same general plan that Syrian houses were 2,000 years ago. Standing here on the terrace and looking down into the court below, it is very easy to understand the scripture story that used to puzzle some of us as children, of how, when the palsied man could not be taken into the court where Jesus was preaching through the house, on account of th# crowd, his bearers took him to the top of the house —a thing which could be easily done through a neighboring house —and “uncovering the roof,” let him down “into the

midst.”

E. B. S.

Gallantry: A New Yorker took his friend, an Irishman, to the theater. Immediately In front of tnem sat a young lady with a hat' on that measured several feet from tip to tip. When the curtain rose and the play began the two men could only get ocy casional glimpses of the stage bt. dodging round the corners of the hasFioally the New Yorker observed tes. tily: “Confound a woman who ha* no more sense than to J wear such a Swiss cottage roof at a place of public amusement!” “Go aisy,” said the gallant Celt; “a moighty convainyance she’d be in a hot climate where there Were n<x trees.”—Brooklyn Eagl A story of a button: “Rosalind, my dear,” said her mother who was sweeping out the front hallway. “Does this button belong to your father’s overcoat ?” “Let me see it. Oh, deai, no, ma! It comes from George’s overcoar. Isn’t it splendid?” “I don’t see anything so very splendid about it.” *'C(h, why, ma! If you were only young and such a very nice young man like George should — should—” “Well, I shan’t have any more sucli work in this house. I’ve no objection to a little moderate hugging in the house, but young men ckn’t hug their overcoat buttons oft in my ballway, not .Tjapch.” And Rosalind went to her boudoir to indulge in a weep.—New Haven It giater. .