Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/154

148 have 1,500 women in his harem. By the Mohametan sacred law all the women in the empire belong to the prophet and his successor on the throne. As the majority are not able to support many wives they must be content with a few on this side of the grave, cherishing the hope that they will have many in the future paradise. Some rich men, however, prefer to have only one or two wives, because of the habitual discord, extravagance and crimes in the larger harems, where jealousy, slander and constant quarreling are the daily practice of the "muminehs," the faithful women.

Marriage is regarded a religious necessity, hence every man, even the poorest, the maimed and the crazy, are encouraged to marry, very often the expenses for wedding being paid by a wealthy aga or well-to-do neighbors. Their motto is, "A dog can drag a hide anyhow;" that is, a man can support a wife anyhow. They also say, "When a person is created his supplies also are created with him," and they feel very content with what they may have by working the least. They marry nearer relatives than the Christians do. A man must marry his deceased brother's wife or wives for the sake of preserving the family inheritance.

3. The Situation of Turkish Women. A man may divorce his wife by simply desiring to do so; no reasonable cause is demanded of him. A woman can never demand a divorce, no matter how cruel and unfaithful her husband may be; she may be permitted to live separate if she can afford