26 Matters of Principle

Like many another wealthy Moor, French Morocco's deposed Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Youssef had enjoyed himself in two worlds. He liked fine automobiles, often wore European dress, sent his sons to French schools. But he also took full advantage of a standard Moslem privilege--plenty of women. He had two wives and 41 concubines, none of whom (according to a close friend) was long neglected.

When the French bustled Ben Youssef off to exile in Corsica last month (TIME, Aug. 31), they allowed him to take along the two wives and one favorite concubine. Last week 26 of the girls he left behind cooled their heels in a spacious villa in the hills behind Rabat. Fourteen third-stringers had been sent back to their families, free to look for other mates if they chose. On Corsica, meanwhile, Ben Youssef had to move out of the house of the frantic governor and install himself in a hotel before moving on, probably to a resort in the French Pyrenees. There, the broad-minded French indicated, the 26 remaining concubines will be allowed to rejoin the bereft ex-Sultan. "We are adhering to our principles," explained a Quai d'Orsay spokesman. "He is in exile with all the honors due his rank."

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