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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1878)
December, 1878. THE WEST SHORE. ,a5 taught and fostered by the sanctimoni ous expounders of the Koran them selves. The Turk, naturally enough, looks upon himself as the paragon of God's sentient creation, wiuie tie re gards woman as his slave in this world, and the toy and cateress to his pleasures in the world to come. On the other hand, u Turkish woman, ot average in telligence and culture, willingly, and almost as naturally, looks upon her husband as a superior being, and upon herself as an animated bauhlc, created to be content in debasing herself for the sake of enhancing her lord's sum total of listless pleasure. While there is, doubtless, a vast deal of negligence and consequent suffering among the poor, yet in the middle and higher walks of life, Turkish mothers and daughters, with all their forced ob sequiousness to the opposite sex, are, by no means, the persecuted and sor rowful creatures we are often wont to regard them as being. As we have in timated, they are certainly content; and, perhaps, ever tilled to repletion with such a species of happiness as our best judgment could award to them. Though sternly kept at bay in the household, and complete!) disguised upon the street, they discover a hun dred times as much vivacity as the men, either at home or in the bazaars. True to the instincts of their sex, Turk ish ladies do their own shopping; they exercise their own taste in the selection of their cosmetics, their laces and jew elry. The repeated seclusion and exclusive ness of women in Turkey has been highly exaggerated. A foreigner, do ing business at the bazaar of a mer chant, by judiciously courting his favor, finds little difficulty in sharing the social amenities of the Moslem's house hold. Diplomatic etiquette allows the resident ministers and envoys from other countries to be presented to the wives of Turkish officials and noble men ; and through these avenues, a cul tivated civilian of any nationality finds no difficulty in obtaining a similar re cognition, and even private audience at the houses of the most opulent fam ilies. During all seasons of festivity, a spe cies of masquerade or localized carnival is very common in Constantinople. These evening parties are of every possible grade and quality. Those held at common cafentts arc open to all, strangers and foreigners not ex cepted. A masquerade at the residence of an ambassador is a magnificent af- tair. At these evening parties, card playing and dancing are the chief amusements. At the supper-taMe, it is no uncommon thing for ladies of wealth and qualify to be seen wrapping up in their handkerchiefs dainty tid-bits of pastry or roasted birds, while confec tionery is carried off by the pocket- full and nothing thought of it. While the amusements already men tioned are going on in spacious drawing rooms, in another apartment the visitor finds a party of )raonien bartering an ancient medal, a fragment of stat uary or gems from the stall of a street- sweeper; a valuable shawl may be of fered for sale or specimens of costly lace displayed. In an out-of-the-way corner, two (Jrcek physicians arc dis cussing the merits of diffident forms of practice in the treatment of various diseases. Ranged upon the sofas are elderly (ireek women engrossed in noisy conversation, not forgetting to display their showy tresses of false or dyed hair, their jewelry, their em broidered handkerchiefs and flowing robes. The description of one of these assemblies will amply suffice, for they arc all alike in the main points. Those gatherings held at public eating-houses and lodging-places, arc, of course, in fested with dissolute characters of both sexes who do not scruple to openly dis play the grossest instincts. I'nlike similar gatherings, however, in com munities much more civilized and en lightened, Turkish evening entertain ments arc rarely disgraced by uproarou conduct or drunken quarreling. Hut, again I am compiled by time and space to bring this letter to a close, so once more adieu. Ohiknt. SAUNTKKINIJS IN HRITIHll COU'MHIA. On our first page will be found a beautifully lithographed view of the towns of Yale and Nanaimo, in Hritisli Columbia. The former i named after one of the Hudson's Hay Company officers, and nctles at the foot of the Cascade mountains, on a gravel bench at the head of steamboat navigation on the Frascr river. The surrounding scenery diversified, forming a grand panoramic view of picturesque beauty. Previous to the gold discovery in 1858 it was a mere post of the Hudson's Hay Company, who here bartered with In dians for furs of all kind. The gold excitement, however, brought thou- t. sands of people of all colors and pro fessions from Oregon, California and other parts of the Pacific Coast, to woe fickle fortune on the banks and bars of the Prater, and thttl the town of Vale had its birth, and soon grew into an important village. Since placer mining has ceased to be remunerative, the town hudecreMed in population, numbering at present only about 300. Heing, how ever, at the head of steamboat naviga tion, from whence all freight for the Cariboo country lias to lie transferred from steamboat'' to mule-hack, it still retains considerable hustle, ami will, perhaps, always remain a place of im portance. Several .iai Itlin mountain streams empty into the Prater near this place. They fairly awarm with the very finest of mountain Itoul, and afford rare sport to the angler during the months of July, August and Sep tember. Yale boasts of several sub stantial brick stoics mid a most excel lent hotel, and as a summer resort has few equals on the voast, combining at once the fresh Invigorating mountain climate with the comforts of city life The result of the Canadian I'acllic Kailroad survey has confirmed the Fracr Valley route, ihercf'oie hopes arc entertained that next summer the people of Yale will see the first sod broken for the construction of the Canadian Pacific railroad, which, when completed, will mid greatly towards advancing the industries of the BfQ vince. Nanaimo is u beautiful, thriving lillle seajiort town, about eighty mile north of Victoria, and is the shipping Hiut for the extensive coal fields in that dis trict. It contains a population of utwuit 1 (xx), and lias regular stcamlMiat com munication with Victoria. The Kitka steamer also stop here ! coal. Nan aimo iMiast of a most excel lent newsy semi-weekly pajier, the Frtt t'ren, and i the general trading Min! for a large extent of mining country. I'n 1 irate female: "I'd bate to be in your hoe!" Second Ditto: Yon couldn't get in them!" A correspondent of Tkt Crueiilt, evidently a piou man too, in describing the early Rogue River maaaacrea,ay: "Thej were ncautiful tragedies!"