A SOCIAL CHAT WITH YUSEF. 
229 
used to these things from infancy. To me, it seems exceed¬ 
ingly strange that the women of America don't cover their 
faces.” 
General (somewhat nettled).—“Why so, pray? They’re 
not ashamed of their faces : why should they cover them?” 
Yusef.— “ Pardon me ! I only meant that to my unedu¬ 
cated and untraveled eyes, it looks a little indiscreet. Beauty, 
0 General, is a rare and precious jewel: it doesn’t do to show 
it too often.” 
General.— “ But what use is it if it he hidden under a 
mask, and never seen at all except by the lady’s husband ? 
Every husband admires the beauty of his wife when other 
people admire it. If other people don’t admire it, what in¬ 
citement is there for admiration on his part ? He must get 
accustomed to it in a month or two, just as the shepherd who 
lives on the mountain-top gets accustomed to the beauty of 
the scenery. To cover a woman’s face up, is what we call 
hiding a light under a bushel.” 
Yusef. —“ This we regard as the philosophy of the thing : 
Every pretty woman is vain of her charms. It is the weak¬ 
ness of the sex. If we don’t keep a sharp look-out, she’ll 
cast them forth as snares to entrap mankind. That’s wo¬ 
man’s nature, when she’s admired. Now, we hold that a 
wife has no right to cast snares upon any body but her hus¬ 
band.” (I quite agreed with Yusef in this, and involuntarily 
thought of his strange dream concerning the lion.) “ Hence, 
not being restrained by reason, because of her vanity, she must 
be restrained by masks, and sometimes by bolts and bars.” 
General. —“ True, very true, Yusef. I must confess that 
there is some foundation for your argument. There are ex¬ 
treme cases when bolts may be necessary.” 
Yusef. —“ It stands to reason, sir ; it arises from the love 
of flattery, which is the great weakness of woman. Have 
you no customs in your country, sir, equally strange and in¬ 
comprehensible at first sight ?” 
General. —“ No, Yusef; thank heaven, we are clear of 
all such absurdities as this. Our most fashionable ladies not 
only keep their faces uncovered in public, but frequently ap- 
