322 SOCIAL STATE OF THE ARABS. 



he who possesses sixty is rich. The annual expend- 

 iture for an Arab possessed of moderate affluence 

 is calculated by Burckhardt at between 35/. and 40/. 

 sterling. The lower classes spend less in propor- 

 tion. Wealth in such a fluctuating state of society 

 is extremely precarious, and the most rapid changes 

 of fortune are daily experienced. 



Domestic industry is little known among the Be- 

 douins ; the husband enjoys his amusements, w^hile 

 all the household cares devolve on his females. This 

 degradation of the weaker sex is common to the 

 Arabs with most other Asiatic nations. Women 

 are regarded as beings much inferior to men, and to 

 them exclusively all the labour and menial offices in 

 the tent are assigned. In these employments there 

 is sometimes a curious inversion of character, — 

 women work at the loom, while the men milk the 

 cattle and handle the distaff, without regarding 

 these effeminate duties as in the least derogatory to 

 their masculine dignity. The loom, called nutou, is 

 extremely simple, being merely two sticks fixed into 

 the ground with a third placed across them. 



The Arabs practise polygamy in common with 

 most other Eastern nations ; but in general they are 

 content with one wife, and rarely avail themselves 

 of the legal privilege of marrying four. The rich 

 espouse as many wives and keep as many concu- 

 bines as they can maintain ; though this luxury is 

 too expensive to be generally adopted. But those 

 who restrict themselves to one wife make amends 

 for this self-denial by indulging in variety, or enter- 

 taining at the same time a number of female slaves. 



In courtship the Arabs often display a great deal 

 of gallantry ; for the constraint to which their 

 women are subjected does not altogether prevent 

 intrigues. But the opportunities of the lover's meet- 

 ing or seeing his mistress are more rare ; and the 

 youth who is bold enough to trespass on the sanc- 

 tuary of the meharrem finds his path encompassed 



