Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-02-11
TyroIese aonse.Mottees.

On the house fronts, whether it be in
village, town, or mountain-valley, you
may read some pious prayer, or pithy
sentence, or worldly-wise saw carved in
quaint German for the edification of
those who pass by. The same thing is
common in Switzerland and in many
parts of Germany. But our business
now is with the Tyrolese inscriptions.
been made and published by native
Tyroles. But l have met with no vol
ume in which the inscriptions are cIassi-
fed or commented on. They are simply
iotted down literally, as one might write
them in ones notebook. But even
thus barely and simply presented, they
are full of interest for the observer of
national manners and characteristics.
They are gradually and not very slowly
disappearing. If, by time or accident,
a motto becomes effaced, it is scarcely
ever replaced by the owners of the
house. Such things are old-fashioned
--opfG, rs the Germans have it, (that
is to say, literally, pigtailish, an ex-
preston to which our square toed"
may answer,) aud few persons choose
W bA0ht tAAC vi
minded neighbors by carving again the
old inscription, with its rude spelling
and antique phrase. The inscriptions
dedicating the house to God, to the
Virgin, or to some favorite saint, are
naturally the most numerous. They
frequently consist of two lines roughly
rhymed. Sometimes they extend to
four, or even six lines. In the following
translation care has been taken to give
the measure of the lines, which, as will
be seen, is frequently halting and un-
symmetrical, and to preserve as far as
possible, the rude, unsopisticated sim
plicity of the original. Take this one
from Jochberg:
The Lord this dwelling be about
And bless all who go IN and ont.
Another
Mother Of God. with gracious arm.
Protect our beasts and us from harm.
Here the supplication for the cattle
who are, it will be observed, put before
the inhabitants of the house speaks as
eloquently as a long description could
do, of the pastoral character of the
country of green Alp pastures, and
the Importance to the peasant of his
milky herd. ......... -...
All travellers in the Tyrol will remem-
Der to have seen images of st. Florian
on many a village house and above
many a village well The latter, indeed,
is the favorite position for the figure of
the saint. His especial vocation is to
ward of fire from dwelling-houses, or
to extinggish it should it break out. In
country where so large o proportion
of the dwellings, is built of wood, fire is
frequent and terrible scourge. And
consequently the good offices of st.
Florian are in very general request.
There stands the little wooden image,
painted in haring colors, and. if possi-
BILE, gilded into the bargain, above the
cool well, and looks down maiestically
upon generation after generation of
village damsels washing or drawing
water. st. Florian is represented as a
warrior, with sword and helmet, and
scarlet drapery, and cheeks almost as
scarlet, and a black truculent-looking
beard. Often he is painted in fresco,
on house-front, in the act of pouring
q bucket of water over burning house
which house is usually represented rs
reaching up to the calf of his leg. or
thereabouts. -..r. ~