The Education of Women and The Vices of Men: Two Qajar Tracts

Foreword

3 Foreword [After praise of God and the Prophet, the author states:] A friend of mine who was an intimate confidant and a solace to my woes said: “When I was young and the down on my face was just sprouting forth, when the tree of youth was adorned with the fruits of desire, and the time of youth was freshened by the breeze of spring, and my tender face had not yet been wrinkled by life’s vicissitudes, and my youthful condition had not yet suffered from life’s trials, The hue of my cheek was red like a Judas-tree The fortune of youth was smiling upon me. “Not more than eighteen years of my life had passed when in accordance with the custom of that time I asked the hand of one of my relatives in marriage, and so at the beginning of youth I was afflicted with the hardships of wife and children. Eleven years of my dear life were wasted until she died because she did not have a good temper, which is a requirement of womanhood. Despite all this, our love was mutual, and thus for a year I was consumed by grief on account of her death, and I vowed that I would not marry again and take a permanent wife from a distinguished family. I thought that I was the only man who had to cope with a shrewish wife and that no one else had suffered from the same problem. But I did not know that humankind is the same and that this affliction is common to all, except women.” 4 The Education of Women In this valley wasting away alone I am not Because of you, many hands like mine are raised to God.1 Fortunately, one day when I was talking to a friend about such a subject, we discussed the behavior of women. I said, “I believe that no one before me has suffered like me on this account.” He looked at me in a friendly fashion and smiled. I asked him why he smiled. He gave me a few pages that an important person had written about his life so that whenever I am sad, I should read them. I still have those pages. Because this author also was afflicted with the problem [of women], I begged to have his thoughts on the subject and took those pages, and after reading them, I took my pen and made some changes in those pages. I divided them into ten chapters. If this little book pleases the gracious gentlemen, I will be extremely fortunate, and I hope that they will give it to their daughters so that they will read it in the schools. And if they are not pleased with it, I hope that they will not criticize the lady of the house. Apologies are always accepted by the best of men. ...