WOMEN UNDER POLYGAMY
secluded life of the women in the seraglio, and the average home in Turkey, is not the best environment for mothers. It cramps the intelligence, and perpetuates antiquated and often foolish and injurious practices in the rearing of infants. The nurses in the harem are not properly trained, and many children die through their mismanagement.
Women of the haremlik have the chief care of their children during the years up to the marriageable age, and their influence is great during childhood and adolescence. Being imperfectly educated, and inexperienced in all that concerns the larger life of the world, the average Turkish mother, in spite of her parental tenderness, is not often a competent instructress of the young. She is almost always very conservative in her views and her habits, and she accepts all the ideals in which she has been trained from earliest infancy. The spirit of "the unchanging East" fetters and cramps her mind.
Upon this influence of the mothers Halib Halid has some reflections in his interesting "Diary of a Turk," published in 1903.
The mixture of the white and the more pigmented races in Turkey has produced a distinct type of beauty amongst the women. Many Turkish ladies are fair, with grey or blue eyes and light brown hair. Some are handsome brunettes, with luxuriant black hair. The eyebrows are rather heavy and arched.
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