1 { ITO .)
2 •»
3 CHAP. m.
4 JCABUAOSS. — CONDITION OP WOMXN.^FUNUULSy &&
5 THE Aig^iwmii pprdune ihgfcr wiyet. lliepnctioe 10 xeeogDlsed
6 'by the Mahometan linr, and ia followed ih moat parts of Aaia^
7 even among nafeiona IBoe tihe CSunew^ wfaeielihe Maaaufananteii^on
8 -ia unknown. The price variea among the A^haimg, accowKng i»
9 the qrcumalMMiea of the hrideggoomir The eAcC of thepracttoe ia,
10 ibat .womeOf tboa|^ genernQj well treated, are in some meaanie
11 ooaisidered as prapeity; A husband vm divorce his wife wHhont
12 . niinigning anj leaMXDi but the wife cannot divorce her huisband ; - ahe
13 may sue for a divorce on good grounds before the Cauzj, but even
14 thia ia little practised. If the husband dies befiMre his "wi^ his rehp-
15 tions receive the price that is paid fiir her, in case of a second mar-
16 riage; but among the A%hauns, as among the Jews, it is thought in-
17 'combent on the brother of the deceased to marry his widow, and it is
18 a mortal affiront to the brother, for any other person to marry her
19 without his consent. The widow, however, is not compelled to take
20 , a husband against her will, and if she have children, it 18 thoog^
21 most becoming to l emain sinrrle.
22 The common age i'or marriage throughout the Afirhaiin conntry
23 is tweJiLy for the man, and fifteen or sixteen for the woman. Men
24 vmable to pay the price of a wife, are otien mimarried till forty, and
25 women are sometimes single till twenty-five. On the other liand,
26 the rich soinetimes marry before the age of puberty ; people in towns
27 also marry earlv, and the eastern Afghauns marry boys of fifteen to
28 . giik of tweh o, and even ertrlier when they can afford the expense.
29 The western Aigiiauua iieicloin marry till tiie maii lia^ attaiued his
30 A A 2
31 Digitized by Google