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About A Friend of the family. (Savannah, Ga.) 1849-1??? | View Entire Issue (July 6, 1850)
Til FIBIB Os THE raiwii r VOLUME 11. frirrfffc. A Visit to the Harem. I Qjthc Pacha of W.d. ii.o t <f the principal and most populous t ovms in Bclgaria. A. doctor who was on board had, I it seems, some interest with this powerful Pacha, and exerted it on this occasion, to obtain permission ! for the lady to visit the sultana in 1 harem. Accordingly she pro- I ceeded from the palace, accom panied by the doctor, through a court, in the midst of which a foun tain was playing, to what seemed to be a separate building ; and there the latter stopped, not even daring to cross the threshold, telling the la dy at the same time that two ne groes, who presented themselves, were to be her guides :-**■ “ I did not half like being left alone in this strange-looking place, and would have remonstrated against his leaving me, but he looked perfectly terrified when 1 proposed it, and disappeared the moment the door was opened.— The two slaves walked before me ia silence, their eyes bent on the ground, through several passages, till we reached the foot of a stair, where they in their turn consigned me to two women who were wai ting for me. One of them was the interpreter, a remarkably pretty woman, though immensely fat; and the other was, without exception, the most hideous old woman 1 ever beheld, whom I rightly guessed to be the duenna of the harem. They received me with the highest delight and as though I were conferring a great honor upon them,- fervently kissing my hands and the hem of my dress, in return for which 1 could only wish that they might live athousand years, and never see a ‘bad hour*. Seizing me by the hands, they dragged me in triumph up the stairs and through several rooms to the audience-chamber of her Highness the Sultana. Like that ofthe pacha, it was furnished with a long divan, over which were spread two of the most splendid cashmere shawls I ever saw ; sever al cushions were ranged on the floor, and the windows were all her metically closed by the fatal screens of which we had heard so much. They are a sort of wooden lattice, but the open spaces are so very small that one can scarcely discern anything without. “The women made me sit down ; and when I placed myself in the usual European manner, they begg ed mein a deprecating tone, not to remain in that constrained position, but to put myself quite at my ease as if I were in my own house. How far 1 was at my ease, installed cl la Tarque on an immense pile of cushions, Ileave to be imagined bv any one who ever tried to remain five minutes in that posture. The interpreter now left me alone with the old woman, who crouched down on a cushion at my feet,and with the help of a few words of Turkish with which I was acquainted, she managed to give me quite as much information as I wished for, on the domestic life of Eirdeen Pasha’s large family. “We were interrupted by the ar rival of some fifteen or sixteen young slaves, who came running into the room, laughing and talk ing like a party of school girls, each one pausing at the door to make me the usual salutation, and then clustering together in groups to gaze at me with the most eager interest. They all wore the same dress, and certainly it looked on them most singularly graceful, as they stood in a sort of languishing, indolent atti lltiicttii la iittratnrt, gritntt nnii art, tjit gina af Ctmpwim, <£>bii /WlntMjri,, Statin) anil (gtntrnl Snttlligrart. tude, with their arms folded, and their long almond-shaped eyes half closed. It consisted of a loose silk jacket, reaching to the waist, anoth er underneath of a different color, falling below the knee, and finally, a pair ofenormouslv wide trousers, either wholly red, or a mixture of gay colors, which almost covered their little yellow slippers. A silk handkerchief and various olher or naments were twisted in their hair, with quite as much genuine coque try as is to be found in more civili zed countries. Os all the number only three struck me as having any great claim to beauty : but certain ly creatures more lovely than they were could nowhere have been seen. Two of them were Circassians, with long fair hair,and soft brown eyes; the other was, I think, a Geor gian very dark with beautiful feat ures, and the most haughty ex pression of countenance. It was evident lhat she was held in great respect, as the mother of a fine little boy whom she had in her arms. All of them had their nails dyed with lhat odious henna, with which they disfigure their hands and feet. “Presently there was a strange shuffling noise heard without, a pro digious rustling of silk and satin, and th 2 interpreter hurrying in,an nounced the sultana. The slaves fell back, and ranged themselves ir. order. I rose up, and her highness entered, preceded by two negro boys, and followed by half-a-dozen women. She was a tall, dignified w C 5 looking person, of some five-and thirty, and far from haudsome. Nothing could be more splendid than her dress, or more perfectly ungraceful. She wore a pair of light-blue silk trousers, so excessive ly large and wide, that it was with the greatest difficulty she could walk ; over these, a narrow robe of red cashmere, covered with gold embroidery, with a border of flow ers, also worked in gold, at least six inches wide. This garment was about five yards long, and open at the two sides as far as the knee, so that it swept on the ground in all directions. Her waist was bound by a cashmere scarf, of great value; and from her shoulders hung an ample pe’isse, of brown satin, fined with the most beautiful zibeline fur, Her head-dress was a silk handkerchief, embroidered with gold ; and to complete her costume, she was literally covered with dia monds. “She received me in the most amiable manner, though with great stateliness and diginity ; and when 1 begged the interpreter to tell her highness bow greatly I felt the honor she had done me in inviting me to visit her, her features relaxed into a smile, and dragging herself and her load of finery to the divan, she placed herself upon it, and desired me to sit beside her. I obeyed, and had then to recommence all the compliment and salutations 1 had gone through at the pasha’s, with still greater energy ; for 1 could see plainly that both herself and her slaves, who stood in a semicir cle round us, were very tenacious of her dignity, and that they watched most critically every movement I made. “I was determined, therefore, to omit nothing that should give them a high idea of my ‘savoir vivre,’ ac cording to their own notions, and began by once more gravely accep ting a pipe. At the pasha’s, I had managed merely to hold it in my hand, occasionally touching it with my lips, without really using it; but I soon saw that, with some twenty pairs of eyes fixed jealously upon me, I must smoke here— posi- SAVANNAH, GA.. SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1850. tively and actually smoke—or be considered a violator of all the laws of good breeding. The tobacco was so mild and fragrant, that the penance was not so great as might have been expected ; but I could scarcely help laughing at the ludi crous position T was placed in, seat ed in state on a large square cush ion, smoking a long pipe, the other end of which was supported by a kneeling slaves, and bowing so lemnly to the sultana between almost every whiff. “Coffee, sweetmeats, and sherbet (the most delighiful of all pleasant draughts,) were brought to me in constant succession bv the two little negroes and a prettv voting girl, whose duly it was to present me the rirhlv-emhroidered napkin, the cor ner of which T was expected to mnkp use of as it lav on her should er. as she knelt before me. These refreshments wfre offered to me in beautiful crystal vases, little gold cup, and silver travs, of which, for mv misfortune, ihev seemed to po sers a large stipplv, as T was oblig ed to go through a never-ending course of dainties, in order that they might have an opportunity of dis playing thpm all. “One arduous duty T felt it was quite necessary I should perform, and this was to bestow as much ad miration on the sultana’s dress as T knew she would expect me to feel ; I therefore exhausted all mv elo quence in praise of it; to which she listened with a pleased smile, and then to my surprise, rose up and left the room. I was afraid I had offeneded her; but a few minutes after she returned, in anew costume equally splendid and unbecoming, and I once more had to express tnv enthusiasm and delight, which seemed greatly to gratify her. She then returned the compliment, by minutely inspecting mv own dress; and the slaves, forgetting all cere mony in their curiosity, crowded eagerly round me. “My bonnet sadly puzzled them ; and when to please them, I took it off, they were most dreadfully scandalized to see me with my hair uncovered, and could scarcely be lieve that 1 was not ashamed to sit all day without a veil or handker chief; they could nut conceive, eith er, why 1 should wear gloves, un less it were to hide the want of hen na, with which they offered to sup pl\ me.—They then proceeded to ask me the most extraordinary ques tions —many of which 1 really found it very difficult to answer. My whole existence was as incompre hensible to this poor princess, vege tating from day today within her four wa 11s, as that ofa bird in the a r must be to a mole burrowing in the earth. Her life consisted, as she me, of sleeping, eating, dressing, and bathing. She never walked further than from one room to another ; and lean answer for her not having an idea beyond the narrow limits of her prison. It is a strange and most unnatural state to which these poor women are brought, nor do I wonder that the Turks, whose own detestable ego tism alone causes it, should declare that they have no souls. Her highness now sent for her children, to show them to me, which proved that I was rapidly advan cing in her good graces ; and, as I luckily knew well that I must not look at them without pronouncing the wish lhat they might live forever, in case I should have an evil eye, she was well disposed to receive all my praises of them, and to allow me to caress them. She had four fine little children and the eldest of them, a boy of Bix years old, was so perfect a miniature of his father, that it was quite ludicrous. He was dressed exactly in the same way. wearing even a little sword; and he came in bow ing with so pre cisely the same dignified manner, that [ really should as soon have thought of offering bons-bons to the pasha himself, as to thU imposing little personage. “My at’ention to the children quite won the heart of the sultana, and she desired the interpreter to tt*ll me that we were ln-ncoforih to be ‘sisters; ’ and I was obliged to receive this addition to my family connections with becoming delight; she also wished me to be informed thatshe had once seen a Christian at Constantinople, and that she was not at all like me. I thought this very likely ; but I was growing very anxious to terminate my visit, which had lasted, with its interminable ceremonies, nearly two hours.— The sultana was very unwilling to let me go ; but when I insisted, for l thought the patience of my com panions must be quite exhausted, she once more rose and left the room ; in a few minutes the inter preter returned, and kneeling down kissed my hand, and then passed a most beautiful diamond ring on mv finger, which she said the sultana begged me to keep, though it was quite unworthy of her ‘sisters.’ I was much shocked at the idea of taking it, for it was a ring of very great value ; and though I ought to have known that in Turkey it was an insult to refuse a present, I could not help remonstrating. “The sultana came in herself to bid me farewell and I endeavored to return it to her, but she frowned in a way which really frightened me, and commanded the slaves to tell me that doubtless it was not good enough for me, arrd that since 1 wished for something better, a more valuable present should be found. This settled the question, of course and I put on the ring, anti went to take leave. She had sealed herself and received my parting compli ment in great state , her iast speech was to beg that I would tell the people of England alwa3 r s to recol lect that if they came to Widdin, it would suffice lhat they were my countrymen to ensure their having a friend in Eiredeen pasha. I then touched her hand, and passed out of the room without turning m3” back to her, whilst the slaves kiss ed my hands again and again.” The Useful and Ornamental Character of Learning. “ Who can estimate the difference between civilization and savageism —between the refinement of a Eu ropean city and the crepuscular light of an African horde—between the American nation, as it now stands, and the aboriginal inhabi tants of this continent, as the3” gazed with wonder at the appear ance of Columbus ? What is there great or good, elegant or useful, for which mankind are not indebted to the influence of learning? It has reared up cities, and founded em pires. It has conquered the earth, the sea, and the air, and subjected them all to die will of man. It has filled the earth not only with com forts, but with luxuries, not only with needful things, but with an endless variety of pleasures. It has perfected, equally, the art of war, and the arts of Deace. Itregu lates the movements of armies, and controls the destinies of nations. It navigates the ocean, spans the cataract, and reclaims the forest.— It elevates valleys and depresses hills. It introduces nations to teach other, and imparts to all the pecu liar products and commodities of each. It unfolds the of nature, and teaches man to * look through nature up to nature’s God.* It enchains the lightning, converge’ with the stars, and traces comets in their fearful course. It subjects the elements to this power, and rides,* like a conqueror, over earth and sea, by the magic power of resist less steam. It is seen in the ele gant mansion, and the noble ship, in the commanding fortress, and the lofty spire. It is seen in the breath ing canvass and the speaking marble. “It is seen in the wisdom of phi losophy, the usefulness of history, and the elegance of poetr)\ It calls up the spirits of the mighty dead, and makes us acquainted with the master-minds of every age and nation. It travels with the traveller and accompanies the adventurous explorer in his vovage of discoverv. It instructs us in the customs aiui religion, the laws and polity, of every people upon earth. It devel ops the arcana of the human mind, anil the wonderful structure of the human frame. It restores health, and prolongs existence. It ascer tains the cause of disease, applies a remedy to every ill, and vindi cates the divinity of the healing art. It expounds the tenets and enforces the sanctions of religion. It is seen in the power of eloquence over the passions of the multitude, as it now rouses them to fury, and now subdues them into calmness. It is felt in the magic influence of poetry, as it animates to war or melts to love, as it nerves the pat riot in his country’s cause, or 4 takes the captive soul, and laps it in Elysium.’ But who can describe the power, or the domain of learn ing! Extending over all nature, its power is every thing in the ma terial world, and in the human heart. It is the peculiar and dis tinguishing attribute of man. It is the pride of youth, and the com panion of old age, the grace of prosperity, and the consolation of misfortune. It conducts man with dignity through the checquered scenes of life, and teaches him how he may enter, finally, through the gloomy portals of the grave, into the blissful mansions of eternal rest. “ Such, and so great, are the uses, and advantages of knowledge : of which it may be truly said, that like the decorated pillars of a temple, it constitutes equally the strength and beauty of the great structure of society.”— Hon, Henry L, Pinck ney. Economy is due to our Employers. “ Waste not, want not,” is a good old proverb. “He that is faithful in little is faithful also in much.”— A person who takes no care of the materials committed to his bands by his employer, will never duly hus band his own property. Economy and wastefulnessare habits that will influence us in ali things, both when we are engaged about our own sub stance or that of another. To waste another's goods is the same as to rob him. The loss in both cases is equal, and the principles whence they spring very much alike. The man who takes care of his employ er’s goods is sure to look after his own, and thus is on the road to prosperity. It would be difficult to calculate the immense loss of pro perly that every year occurs from carelessness and want of economy. Some persons are worth nearly half their wages more than others, be cause they never injure or waste any thing. The employer being wealthy, or the stock abundant, is no excuse for carelessness. A Joss is a loss,and a robbery is a robbery, whether taken from the heap of the miser or the smaller store of the indigent. “Gather up the frag ments, that nothing may be lo t,” is a divine command. Heaven allows nothing to be destroyed. There has not been a single drop of water wasted from the creation until now. The decomposed elements of last autumn are the aliment of our pres entspring. Economy, rigid econo my, is one of the laws of nature: and we shall not realize “the good time coming” until we have a care ful and economical world. Let this spirit prevail, and not only will the master be saved from loss, but, in many instances, the servant will rescue himself from the union. The Acted Charade. Avery fashionable game, and one played by grown people as well as children, is a charade put into action, like a little drama. You chose a word of two or more sylla bles, of which each syllable is a word in itself; and the actors must so perform their parts that the au dience may be able to spell the word by the import of the several scenes. Thus if you select the word “Innocent,” the first scene maybe an Inn; the second some excitement which causes a frequent repetition of the exclamation “O!” the third may draw the attention to the word “cent” —either the Ameri can fraction of a dollar, or the En glish per cent.; and the forth must give the word “Innocent.” In the Acted Charade the business and bustle must never flag; everybody must play with spirit; and there should be one or two clever per formers to sustain the principal parts. As to the plot or story of the piece, the simpler that it is the better. A few minutes of consul tation will determine what it is to be; and then each person engaged must dash through his part in the best way he can, saying anyihing ihat comes uppermost. I have often seen a good deal of natural humor thrown into scenes of this kind ; and even when some of the performers have no talent at all— why, we laugh at their awkward ness, and that answers the purpose as well. Respect to Mr. Calhoun.—M r. Cal* houu’s deatli was feelingly intro duced at the meeting of the N. Y. Historical Society on Tuesday evening by Dr. Stevens, who was his classmate at Yale. Among oth er things he said— Asa medical man, I take the lib erty to suggest his opinion. Mr. Calhoun’s death—l speak not of the occasion but of the cause— was an intellectual death ; an overworked mind, dwelling too long, too anxi ously on one object. His one thought was on his country, the strength of his intellect was ever running, in one narrow channel, which deepened itself until its banks caved. The hate Extraordinary Trance.— The daughter of James Cromer, of Farrington, England, spoke on Tuesday the 14th, for the first time for upwards of 13 years : her first inquiry was for her aunt Killen, and when her aunt came trie girl imme diately repeated the Lord’s Prayer. Extreme weakness prevented her from articulating many words in succession; cramps and convul sions are supposed to have unlock ed her jaw for the time. She ex perienced a great deal of pain for many days; the jaw is again set as firm as before. Ihe girl seemed to apprehend that death would sooo terminate her existence. NUMBER 18
