Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-02
.I.nirerinnn nfthe Paat.


I.uiterinas Of the Past
Od STYLES and customs liuger, particularly
Ia those districts where knowledge has not
bad much access On the downs of Suffolk,
while a living line Of "navigstors' were
buying that wonder OF modern times-the
Electric teiegraph-in this wild aud pic.
luIesque land, the shepherd might be seen
playibg on the same simple pipe that had
been carried in those parts for many centu-
s aies.
The use of oxen in the yoke may still be
keep, evea within six mites of the metropolis,
in ,be direction of Bpping Forest. In the
soutbetn districts the men are sowing and
blow ing the fields at this day dressed in the
same costumes as the figures engage1 in the
same pursuits are shown 10 the Anglo.
Saxon illuminatiOns and IN southern ltaly,
In the rural districts, there does lot seem to
have teen che slightest change in the fash
ion Of the materials Of dress since the days
F. Of the Cmsars. The coats OF the men are of
undrts sstd sheepskiDs with the fleece on, aud
Z the resi- Of their attire is made OF tiaX Gull
tiyat, ia their own fields, spun with the
dstsh, ard woven with a loom quite as sim
u Die rs those in use in the days OF Homer
E itCeLt writer on South Italy remarks that
In several parts of the Csmpsgna of Rome
+ The dresses Of both sexes are ideutically the
san as we see represented in bdSSO relievi
aud Other sculptures in the Vatican, ia the
c1eai gallery in Florence, or in the splendid
must um at Naples. This identity OfcOstume
is ICuI d in numerous districts of the Neap-
olit, Il Kioe6om. At Postum, dug up under
The eye Of the author, the workmel disco FER
i ed b q eat many female figures, beautifully
executed in fine clay or terra Gotta; and the
=. costume OF these figures, which must have
been buried in that spot for some 1000
gears, was the same, without the sligh'at
Z ysrla'ion as Nhe present dress Of the female
pesssn'ry Of the district.
IL the Northern parts Of England a sword
dance is performed by the coal miners at
- Christmas time dressed in picturesque
3 costume and gay with ribbons, each armed
with small swords. Bands OF the miners
thus array ed wander throughout the neigh.
boIhood and visit the houses of the gentry
and villagers. This dance is as old as the
time Of the Romans, If not of greater an
+. tiuuity. In The harvest home" and other
ceI.n opies, the antiqu3ry can readily trace
the lingering of costumes Of class origin,
and the bonfire lighting on the hills aud
Other practices at the New Years time,
+ Gust, ms connected with more barbarous
. i6ess
The stone hand. mill for rn-grindiug is
n still in use in many parts of the world; aud
"A in the Holy Land and many other parts of
the East, both young and old may be seen
working with the distaff, weaving at looms,
caIry ing leather wateI-bottles formed OF the
Il stitched skins Of animals, drawing water
q from wells, or thresbing corn with fails in
barns Of the same form as prevailed when
our Savior wandered in that interesting
y land.
Railways are now branching over Egypt;
they have taken root in the ancient land OF
India. How far is the day off when the
whistle Of the locomotive and the progress
which accompanies it will be the means OF
II mulip'y ing the resources of those prolific
lan6s, and rendering their products avail.
r. able in tenfold extent for the uses of man
kind throughout the world
In srt and literature, there are conven
tional ideas which have been retained aud
handed down from one generation OF worker:
10 another. In Gloucestershire, not lonE
ago, we saw the common stone cutter OF {
rural district fashiOning pig-troughs of &
pure Gothic form, and Ornamenting then
:. with SO much skill that those who had wit
messed the operation might mistake thea
for remnants of the old churches.
In the county of Northumberland, where
the blood of the inhabitants is a good dea
mike d with that of the Old Danish naval war
4 rlors, We have often noticed in carvings cor
respobdepce with the ornamentatiou of
Scar dipaVian origin; this is to be noted il
the little liDgerings of carvings in ships an(
boais. We have seen the helms ofsome o.
the small steam vessels on the Tyne fashioned
with he heads of beasts and birds, and coVeIe
With ibterlaced and zgzsg ornament. Tn
caIyeIs who executed these works were
neither aDiiquarians nOr educated artists
and YET, If one of these helms could be 81
exposed TO the weather as TO give it the ap
pearsDce of age, many of the learned would
be il cliJed 10 compare it with the details o
an 81 Gent style of art.
4 The art OF wood cutting, as it was prac
tised in England before Bewick's days, /
still carried forward with wonderful in
legriy. By chance we met with an arts
who executed this description of engraving
= and SO skillful was he in his style, that th
most cunning collector of old broa1sdes an
BALLADS could not well distinguish betwee
t. bis works of yesterday and those of 10
years ago.
IL is remarkable in this metropolis, not
withstanding the changes and Improvement at
OF the public taste, and the entire revolu
IiOn which has taken place in wood engray
ing, to hnd persons who can design, drat
and cut fgurts on the old Tyburn. gallow
type, the milk maid with her pals, the col
tsges and meadows, 1.-The Babes in th
Wood and other decorations of children
books, with all the imperfections, and ab
suTdites Of kind Of art which in thes
days would be disgraceful to a schoolbol
There is, however, a market for such prC
ductions, in the same way as there was f
the parrots and cas- of the Italian image
mans board about thirty years ago, to whlc
we have before referred.
IL should be remarked that the artist ju
mentioned had as good an opinion OF b
artistic ability as might be expected
Michael Angelo or Albert Durer, aud that
had supreme contempt for the modeI
style OF wood engraving, which be demon
mated mere clap trap sir; mere clal
tap