But no such privileges cheer the hearts, and soften the toils of women in less highly favoured climes. The hard-worked Eastern peasant, and the fine lady who spends most of her time on her embroidery, are both alike dark and ignorant, for it would be accounted a folly, if not a sin, to teach them even to read. Some there are so bold as to affirm, that women have no souls ! and all seem to believe it practically; for few women comparatively frequent a place of worship, or are seen to pray in private (though the men are diligent in both duties), and so they pursue their round of daily toil or frivolous amusement, apparently unconscious that there is anything which concerns them more deeply than the trivial interests of the passing moment.

Among God's chosen people, it is true, women were in a better state; they were not deprived of spiritual knowledge and privileges; and we read of some "holy and godly matrons" whose followers we are taught to be. But these were few in number; "the condition of women among the Jews was very far from that which Christianity has established." Among the Jews we read of the wife rather as a servant than a friend; and among them also, as well as among the present nations of the East, the custom of having more than one wife gave rise to endless divisions and family quarrels—and domestic peace and love were very rare. Nor should we forget that Jewish women were not admitted to full participation in religious blessings, and that when worshipping in the Temple they were not allowed to go beyond their own court, which was one of the outermost.

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How different is our state in this happy, highly favoured country! The Gospel of Jesus Christ has restored family peace, by requiring of his disciples that every man should have his own wife, and every woman her own husband." Woman becomes once more what her Maker designed her to be, 66 an help meet for man ;" and now "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there

is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

These remarks may perhaps make the following extracts more intelligible to some of our readers.

The word harem is applied both to the house, or apartments occupied by the females of a family, as also to the occupants themselves. "The harem, or the females of the house," writes Mr. Lane, when describing domestic life in Egypt, "have distinct apartments allotted to them; and into these apartments no males are allowed to enter, excepting the master of the family, and certain other near relations and children."

The harems of the rich are often guarded by black slaves, whose office it is to see that no male visitor enters the harem, unless by special permission from its

master.

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Arabians, in circumstances which admit not of their having separate apartments for the females of the family, are careful, whenever they carry a stranger into the house, to enter before him, and cry Tarik, "Retire." Upon this notice, given by the master of the house, the women instantly disappear, and even his best friends see not one of them."

"The harem may consist, first, of a wife or wives, to the number of four; secondly, of female slaves, some of whom are generally concubines,* and others kept merely for cooking, waiting upon the ladies, &c. ; thirdly, of female free servants. Of male servants, the master of a family keeps, if he can afford to do so, one or more to wait upon him and his male guests; another, who is called watercarrier, but who is particularly a servant of the harem, and attends the ladies when they go out; a door-keeper, who constantly sits at the door of the house; and a groom. Very few of the Egyptians have four wives, and the greater number only one. When

* Wives of second rank, inferior to the chief wife, who is mistress of the family.

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there are two or more, they are seldom kept in the same house; if they be, they generally have distinct apartments. The one first married enjoys the highest rank, and is called the great lady.' The quarrels of fellowwives are often talked of; if the chief lady be without children, and an inferior, either wife or slave, bear a child to her husband or master, it commonly results that the latter becomes a favourite, and that the chief wife, or mistress, is despised in her eyes, as Abraham's wife was in the eyes of Hagar."

"The care of their children is the primary occupation of the ladies of Egypt; they are also charged with the superintendence of domestic affairs; but in most families the husband alone attends to the household expenses. Their leisure hours are mostly spent in working with

the needle, particularly in embroidering handkerchiefs, head-veils, &c., upon a frame called men-seg, with coloured silks and gold."

"The visit of one harem to another often occupies nearly a whole day. Eating, smoking, drinking coffee and sherbet (a sweet drink), gossiping, and displaying their finery, are sufficient amusements to the company. On such occasions, the master of the house is never allowed to enter the harem unless on some particular and unavoidable business; and in this case he must give notice of his approach, and let the visitors have sufficient time to veil themselves, or to retire to an adjoining room When the women of the higher or middle classes go out, they generally ride upon asses, and never walk abroad, unless they have to go but a very short distance."

"The women of the lower orders seldom pass a life of inactivity. Some of them are even condemned to greater drudgery than the men. Their chief occupations are the preparing of the husband's food, fetching water, spinning cotton, linen, or woollen yarn, and making the fuel, which is composed of the dung of cattle, kneaded with chopped straw, and formed into round flat cakes.* When a poor woman goes out with her husband, she generally walks behind him, and if there be anything for either of them to carry, it is usually borne by the wife.” -See LANE'S Modern Egyptians, vol. i. cc. 5, 6, 7.

"Women are regarded as beings much inferior to men, and although seldom treated with neglect or indifference, they are always taught to consider that their sole business is cooking and working. ... A Bedouin (wife) becomes a mere servant, busily occupied the whole day, whilst her husband lies stretched out in his own apartment, comfortably smoking his pipe. This ar rangement he justifies by saying, that his wife should work at home, as he undergoes so much fatigue on journeys."-BURCKHARDT's Notes on the Bedouins, &c., vol. i. pp. 350, 351.

*See "Fuel."

"The Bedouin women seeing a man pass on the road, sit down and turn their backs towards him; nor will they ever receive anything from the hands of a stranger (who is not a relation) into their own hands, unless some friend be present. I have frequently passed women on the road who asked for biscuit or flour to make bread : this was set near them upon the ground, while their backs were turned towards us; and they took it up when we had retired a few paces. It has always appeared to me that the more a tribe is connected with the inhabitants of towns, the stricter they are with respect to the seclusion of women. In the Mekka and Sinai mountains, a woman, if addressed by any stranger, will seldom return an answer; on the contrary, in the distant plains, I have freely conversed with the women (of several tribes)."-BURCKHARDT's Notes on the Bedouins, &c., vol. i. pp. 352, 353.

"The wives, as well as the female slaves, are not only often debarred from the privilege of eating with the master of the family, but also required to wait upon him when he dines or sups, or even takes his pipe and coffee in the harem. They frequently serve him as menials; fill and light his pipe, make coffee for him, and prepare his food."-LANE's Modern Egyptians, vol. i. pp. 236, 237.

"When we had finished our meals, in the family in which I resided at Deir el Kamr, and were risen, the mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law, who had been waiting at the door, came in, and partook of what remained. Thus it is in Syria, and thus it has been, probably, ever since Abraham, a Syrian ready to perish, traversed these regions, dwelling in tents; when Sarah, having prepared an entertainment for three divine strangers, did not present it, that being Abraham's office, but stood at the tent door which was behind him. So Rebekah prepared food for her husband, and sent it in by the hand of Jacob."-JOWETT's Researches in Syria, p. 281.