Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/437

 SOCIAL USAGES. 855 alphabet. But if they ore now Arabs in religion and speech, the Egyptians have become Turks in their political organisation, administration, and absence of a hereditary aristocracy. Social Usages. In their social institutions they have also to a large extent assimilated them- eelvos to their Arab and Turkish rulers. More readily even than by the Turks polygamy has been adopted, especially amongst the governing classes ; while mono- gamy is still universal among the peasjintry. Divorce is more generally practised than in any other Mussulman country, and nearly half of the marriages are said to be followed sooner or later by repudiation. In certain Coptic circles it is customary to contract temporary alliances even for so short a period as a few weeks. Yet the priests bless these unions with the same solemnity as those of a permanent character. At the same time such temporary marriages may be made binding, should the contracting parties so desire. Cousins are frequently betrothed from the cradle, and marry on arriving at the age of puberty. Adul- tery is of rare occurrence in the Egyptian family. A curious account is given by Mr. Lawrence Oliphant of a Coptic wedding witnessed by him. " The ecclesiastic who performed the ceremony occupied evidently a very subordinate position in the Church, and his principal object seemed to be to finish the operation as speedily as possible, and get paid for it. He seated himself on a low chair in front of the happy couple, pulled a Coptic prayer-book out of his breast, and gave the signal to his attendants to commence operations, on which a man squatting on his heels behind the chair clashed a huge pair of cymbals, and half-a-dozen others in a like attitude set up a lugubrious chant in a loud nasal voice. Whenever they paused the women ranged on the benches burst forth in a shrill scream, with a quaver or ululation resembling the note of the screech-owl. It had a wild barbaric e£fect, as from time to time it broke in upon the uncouth chanting and dunging cymbals of the choir. Then the priest took up his part and read the service at a racing speed. All this time the men were talking and laughing loudly, babies were crying, and every now and then the priest would stop, apiwrently to hold a little conversation with those nearest to him on the topics of the day. Anything more irreverent or less like a religious ceremony it would be difficult to imagine. In the midst of it all the priest seized the bridegroom's left hand and put a ring on his little flnger. After some more chanting, reading, screeching, and general conversation he took a phial, which I presumed contained holy water, and crossecl the foreheads of the bride and bridegroom with its contents. Again after an interval he produced a black cord which he bound round the body of the brideg^room under his outer garment, and tied a piece of scarlet thread round his head, and did the same to the bride, who must long since have been nearly 8tifle<l. In spite of the rapidity with which the service was read, what with chanting and talking at least an hour elapsed before the priest seized the heads of the bride and bridegroom, pressing them