AN EASTERN STORY-TELLER.
"The amusements of the ladies of the harem consist of music and story-telling, and for this there are professional narrators and performers who go from house to house, and are paid for their services. Of course these are women, as no man except the master of the house can enter the harem. Their visits are always welcome, as they greatly assist in passing away the time. When a story-teller is present the women gather about her, and sometimes the master of the house is seated in a balcony, where he can hear the performance and look upon the assemblage below. For the musical entertainments there are generally two or more performers, one of them playing on the flute and the other on the guitar. Then there are women who sing in addition to playing, or, if singers cannot play, they bring their own accompanists.
"A lady in Moslem countries gives a party very much like one in New York, with the difference that all the visitors are ladies. Generally these parties are in the afternoon, though they sometimes take place in the evening. In either case the guests come at an appointed hour and are received by the hostess, who is in evening costume and without a veil. Her visitors having come through the streets on their way to the house are of course veiled when they arrive, but the veil is laid aside with the shawls and cloaks, and the guests make themselves at home, very much as in Christian countries.
"If the hostess is the wife of an official, or merchant having business with foreigners, she sends invitations to their wives or sisters—in fact, to any ladies she knows, whether they are of her religion or not. In this way European ladies are introduced to the harems, and it often happens that warm friendships are formed between women of different religions, just as they are formed among men.
A RECEPTION IN A HAREM.
"When there is a large party, some are seated on the divans and others on the carpet. Coffee and cigarettes are served, and those who desire pipes to smoke can be accommodated, as the long-stemmed nargileh abounds in every harem, and is very much in use. Conversation is very brisk, and it is said that the ladies of the East are quite as fluent with their tongues as their Western sisters.