The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-12
4 PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.
An Arcadian Community in Trans
sylvania.

A correspondent of the London Times
writes from Klauscnburg, in Pennsylvania
If YOU look at the map Seek IS not twenty
miles from the capital, but If you want to go there
you must reckon half day In summer, when tne
direct road Is passable, anu IN winter OF spring,
when you have to make great round, you may
deem Yourself lucky If You get there without &C,
cident towards evening. Where roads IN general
arc 80 good as they are in Tr.nsylyanla TINS
seems surprising, but II finds its explanation III
the natural features OF tlc dlstriGt: INC itc,Ui ~
once the bed OF the sea- In the very centre OF TIE
country, between the course or the rivers Maros
and SZamOs, there rises an undulatlhg plateau oi
late tertiary sandstone and shale, soft and lria-
ble TO Judge from single old trees anu small
patches of forest still remaining scattered, the
greatest part Of this district was wooded but now
II is q succession OF naked downs, narDorlng
small lakes in every depression.
The whole district, known under the name OF
the Pasture Is considered the most productive
of Pennsylvania 1t was the great grazing us
trict Of the country before lS4S, when most ol inc
large herds OF fine cattle and horses were dispers-
etl Every proprietor in the surrounding districts
considered II almost as necessary portion OF MS
farming to have some land III the dlstrlct lor IL
was above ALL through this part tlat nc niaue ms
farming pay. Since the great herds OF cattle
have been dispersed, much OF the lana mas Dccn
broken up. II strikes you that 1t has been done
systematically, for while the slopes facing south
have been left intact, The slopes racing norln
of wheat rape and Indian corn. This Is owing
TO q pcculiarity which you have no trouble Ill dis
covering for while OH the northern slopes you see
fat black SOIL on the southern slopes tnrougn i.c
scanty grass you see yellow sand mixed with
mari. As in the large aluval plains OF hungary,
the material for roads Is wanting on the 'Pas
turen the stone which Is used dec0mp0Slng so
soon that 1t Is dust almost before 1t Is laid OH the
road. With the exception therefore, of the parts
of the road lying close to the river, where grave
NAV be got, they can even with the great labor
bestowed upon them, scarcely be Kept UP, anu
have to he rclaid almost every spring.
Although II boasts OF charter from King Mat
thias COrvinus of the fifteenth century, which III
sures to it all those rights and privileges which
has been granted to Buds, the capital of Hun
gary, the noble town of seek, as 1t Is called III
diplomatic language, is little different in appear
ancc from village. You see the same low, one
storied houses, with their gableends turned to-
wards the street, and separated from each Other
by the courtyard. merging into the garden be-
hind. A wooden verandah runs along the side OF
the building turned towards the courtyard, ana
under the thatched roofs you see the heads OF yel-
low Indian corn and tobacco leaves strung up IN
a row, forming sort OF festoon.
To Judge by the similarity or the houses you
seem to have realized in your journey the land
OF equality nor are you, indeed, far or here see,
ing the dream OF the enthusiasts reallAcu, lor IL
there is not much wealth there Is no great pow
erty either in Seek; proetarlans OF beggars arc
unknown. =, ~
Where no one fs in absolute want, and all are
more or less Oh the same level, the greatest IN
citemcnt to crime is gone and so ii Is in this
Transylvauian Arcadia. Except now and then
n row on Sunday evening. there Is but little Tor
Justice and police to do, and even these rows can
| only be of rare occurrence when IN population
of five thousand souls only half dozen are known
| as drInkaYds. Theft is unhcard Of; not house
has lock- agricultural implements are kept in
the fields household property In the open court
yards, where not even watcn;doss are kept.
There is, indeed, prison remaining but 1t has
i hppn uSnl for wears as lulnUcT-TOOlU.
In the midst of all the political and religious
agtations through which Pennsylvania has gone
| i'm ocn as well rs in more recent times, the place
| has not been disturbed. There Hungarian and
Rouman have been and are living in the best har