twelve; that is reserved for her lord and husband. "I observed
that the ladies looked at me with a certain confusion, and after
they had glanced into my face, lowered their eyes, ashamed. On
making inquiries, I found that my uncovered face was indecent, as
a naked person would be to us. They begged me to assume a mask,
and when a waiting-woman had bound a splendidly decorated one
round my head, they all exclaimed: 'Tahip! tahip!'--beautiful,
beautiful." (J.W. Helfer, _Reisen in Vorderasian und Indien_,
vol. ii, p. 12.)

In Algeria--in the provinces of Constantine, in Biskra, even
Aures,--"among the women especially, not one is restrained by any
modesty in unfastening her girdle to any comer" (when a search
was being made for tattoo-marks on the lower extremities). "In
spite of the great licentiousness of the manners," the same
writer continues, "the Arab and the Kabyle possess great personal
modesty, and with difficulty are persuaded to exhibit the body
nude; is it the result of real modesty, or of their inveterate
habits of active pederasty? Whatever the cause, they always hide
the sexual organs with their hands or their handkerchiefs, and
are disagreeably affected even by the slightest touch of the
doctor." (Batut, _Archives d'Anthropologie Criminelle_, January
15, 1893.)

"Moslem modesty," remarks Wellhausen, "was carried to great
lengths, insufficient clothing being forbidden. It was marked
even among the heathen Arabs, as among Semites and old
civilizations generally; we must not be deceived by the
occasional examples of immodesty in individual cases. The Sunna
prescribes that a man shall not uncover himself even to himself,
and shall not wash naked--from fear of God and of spirits; Job
did so, and atoned for it heavily. When in Arab antiquity
grown-up persons showed themselves naked, it was only under
extraordinary circumstances, and to attain unusual ends.... Women
when mourning uncovered not only the face and bosom, but also
tore all their garments. The messenger who brought bad news tore
his garments. A mother desiring to bring pressure to bear on her
son took off her clothes. A man to whom vengeance is forbidden
showed his despair and disapproval by uncovering his posterior
and strewing earth on his head, or by raising his garment behind
and covering hi