WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 217, 12 March 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(Conducted by "Eileen.") THE GIRLS OF TRIPOLI. ] Like most Musselman peoples, the var- 6 ious tribes of Tripoli profess a profound , contempt for women, although even the ( most conservative of them are slowly \ giving their women a wider education, a j hitherto unknown deference, and a stron- ; ger position in their respective families, j But old customs die hard, and it is a ] curiously cramped and monotonous exis- | tence that the maid of this picturesque j African region knows. No thrill of pleasure greets her birth, for the first j question a wealthy father asks his wife and medical attendant is: "Is it a boy?" And if the answer be: "Soccahet! It is a son,and Aallah is almighty!" the joyful news spreads rapidly, guns are fired, i drums beaten, and neighbors hasten to j congratulate the young mother and do justice to a rich feast of syrups, sweets and unlimited quantities of the coarse native wine, which, fermented in goatskins, is so very unpleasing to a foreign palate. But should the doctor humbly answer: "May Allah pity you! It is only a girl!" things pass very differently. No cries of joy, no throb of drums or crack of liJie, no harrying of women to the darkened room where the mother lies alone, bitterly ashamed of the fruit of her travail. For the silence of disappointment hangs over the household and the few guests who call speak words of symJ pathy, to the father and are offered the poor refreshment of raisins and water. But as the first five years pass the baby, coldly welcomed, usually grows into a wonderfully pretty child with, fine feature? and a wealth of black hair that would make the average American woman envious. Half-clad anil wholly happy she scampers with other girls and boys of her own age in the wide plains where her father's goats pick a tecanty pasture. Her smooth skin glows like copper in the sunshine and sunshine glints in the beauty of her dark almond f eyes; yet, all too soon, her pleasure is curtailed and she is taken from freedom into the seclusion of the women's apart- , ment of the house. I " Then her education begins. In extremely advanced families she will perhaps be given an English or a French governess, perferably the latter, because of the close proximity of the French J colonies of Tunis and Algeria, but in nine cases of of ten her days are spent in learning the mysteries of intricate and w strangely beautiful embroideries, the * rather primitive cookery of her tribe, and ' .the art of complicated aids for beauty. ' A tunic of white woollen goods, the hall--mark of her parents fortune, covers her ( from throat to ankles, while a wide sash of gorgeous-hued silk is wound many ' times round her slender waist and with scarlet slippers on her hitherto bare feet and a heavy veil over her face, she renounces the innocent fun that children of of her age should know. Never again may she raise her unveiled face for the sun's caress, never again, until she marries, may she go out unattended, and even the refuge of a private room is denied her, for her sleeping place is but a curtained recess in the room where the serving women lie 'on the floor.

When she is about twelve years old her father begins to look out for a suitable husband for her, fpr .the Tripoli girl considers herself an old maid if she is not married before her fourteenth birthday. Marriage is the one hope, the sale ambition of her life, and it brings to her, as it does to French women of the upper class, a certain amount of personal liberty. Indeed, in some of the mors advanced tribes a married woman may go out unveiled and freely meet men in social and business life. Everv self-respecting Mussulman buys his bride—for even the daughter of a ▼ery rich man receives her fortune only :it her father's death—but it is an unflattering fact that this bargain is sometimes made in camels and goats. When the suitor and the girl's father are agreed the fiancee is presented to her future husband, and as this first meeting takes place to the accompaniment of deafening shouts, songs, cries, and the shrill music of the flute so dear to Oriental ears, her first impression is apt to be a rather confused one. Yet love and romance gild as many of these curious betrothals as they do in every country where man woes woman, and the chosen lover knows how to gallop proudly past his lady's window-, to send her ardent notes,i bon-bons and bouquets in much the same way as men do in other lands. It is well to remember, however, even if the girl's birth was greeted with ,the silence required by etiquette, it is more than probable that with the passing years she has become very dear to her father's heart, that he is anxious beyond all else for her happiness, and that she is quite prepared to love and honor the man that her father (whom she counts an infallible judge) selects for her.

Immediately after the formal presentation, which means acceptance, is over, she begins her preparations for the wedding. Iter trousseau is simplicity itself for, as most of her garments are shawllike affairs that she drapes artistically about her, they depend mainly on color and texture for elegance. The pre-n.up-tial tatooing is, however, a matter of the highest importance and a woman skilled in this unsightly form of decoration engaged for the purpose. With a paste made from crushed henna leaves and lemon juice she paints symbolic designs on the girl's forehead, arms, and finger-tips, but as this mixture takes a couple of days to dry, the young victim to fashion scarcely moves (hirill« that time, so her friends take turns to amuse her. They must even feed her for her hands are useless, and it is .it this time that she first sees her wedding persent. A necklet of solid golden beads and a pair of long pearl ear-rings are the usual gifts of fond parents, but the groom is supposed to send a jewelled pendant, which is an unfailing charm against the evil genius which is supposed to hover over newly-married people.

When the henna is completely dry the happy maid starts off on a 'round of visits, and wherever she goes she is greeted with joy, laden with presents, and feasted on rice, candies, and coffee. Then home again in the chill silence of the topic night to sleep for the last time in the alcove that will know her no more.

As her wedding morning dawns in streaks of amethyst and rose across a sky where stars still tremble, she is awakened by ■!ior mother, who alone shares her breakfast of goat's milk and corn cakes. Then her friends arrive and she is robed in white, decked with her new jewels, her lips are rouged, a fine line of khel is drawn round her eyes to increase tlieir apparent size, perfume is brushed into her hair and she is veiled in gold tissue—a valued heirloom of the family—which on this occasion covers her face. Seated in a covered chair she is borne by servants on a gailv-harnessed mule's back to meet Ihe groom. Half way between their respective dwellings and accompanied by his friends, he awaits her; then, with every sign of pleasure, he leads the way to the new home, where a wedding feast, for men only, is spread. The° bride spends the day in her own apartment, where she entertains her girl friends, and the hours slip by in music, eating, and much laughter until sunset, when the door opens, the bridegroom enters, greets his bride affectionately, and,after a short stay, returns to his companions. The insignificant religious ceremony place the following morning, and for six days after it the young couple are attended by their friends. On the

seventh day the bride makes her debut as a housekeeper, for she then gives a farewell banquet to the departing guests. For this she spares neither time nor trouble, for the tribesmen are great eaters, and if they left the table unsatisfied they might wish ill to the young husband and wife.

When the last reveller has left, when all her friends have bidden her a farewell that may last all her life, then, and then only does the little wife of fourteen begin to know the man who is now her lord, the absolute owner of her soul and body, whose work must be her future law, and who she also prays may be more than all things to her, the kindly, splendid lover of her timid childish heart.