The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-11-27
The J" Habitants - OF Canada.

A correspondent of the Boston Common
pedlth. writing from st. Marie-de-Monnoir,
Quebec, gives the following graphic de-
scription of the manners and customs OF
the French Canadian or "habitant' as he
is called:
Did ever tell you of the Canadian par
crceLlencs, the "habitant," or well-to-do
farmer? If not, you shall make his &C
quaintance. He is about fifty years old,
(the one that ! know about five feet SIX
inches in height has black hair. and dark.
soft eyes; wears side whiskers, pAH-
glaise, and is always smoking the most
villainous tobacco of his own raising. In
summer he wears blue jean shirt, white
duck pants. moccasins made of one piece
of leather and turned up at the toes a
broad-brimmed straw hat crowns his head ,
ct ''le roila.'
He doesn't like to work, and if il were
not for the richness of the soil, am afraid
he would starye. He lives in little house,
whitewashed, with red shutters, red roof,
and red door; the windows are case
ments. and are curtained with papers. We
20 up the steps and go right into big
room an immense stove, three-stories,
stands in the center; there are big Bullets
for the dishes and cloths, and stand for
the buckets of water; a picture OF the Nir-
gin hangs on the wall, and a crucitix is on
the table. There are two little rooms leading
from this big one, and can see the tall
wartlrobes and high beds-one with pink
sheets and pillow slips and the other with
green. They are so high | know they
must have little steps TO get into bed.
The wife of the "habitant'' is very pleas
ant, but has no beauty; she has TO work
too hard ant has too many children to
attend TO herself. She il is vino makes
her garden and does her homework,
spins and weaves. and twice a year
looks after the grand wash by the
river bank. She works out of doors. and
her husband goes TO the village store,
drinks with his companions, and spins
long-winded stories for the pleasure OF the
storekeeper and his grinning clerks. She,
too. wears the moccasns and the broad
brimmed hat, skirt OF gray flannel. just
reaching TO her ankles, a calico sack and
apron; and. behold her She Is very dark,
and her voice will be harsh and heavy.
Perhaps, too, she will have an enormous
goitre.
These good people are good Catholics.
and paw 70 the priests willingly the tax OF
one twenty-seventh part of their grain,
besides giving to every beggar and nun,
and also paying to the lord of their coun-
try the 1.-THE that has come down since the
settling of Canada. If some one of their
family has died, and they want masses
said, they will bring a pig or some chick
ems. and after church the beadle will sell
them on the green in front of the church.
In the winter the dress of the woman is
changed only by sack of flannel, and a
little wooden bonnet; bat the man dons
high soft boots of buff or brown leather,
made like his moccasins. flannel shirt,
gray flannel pants and there he rests,
close by the stove, unless business calls
him out. Then comes from the stable a
pretty low sleigh. anda spirited horse. He
pulls pointed, knit cap over his head,
puts on his Capuchn coat, pulls the point
ed hood with its scarlet tassels over his
knit cap, ties a scarlet scarf about his waist,
springs into his sleigh, and away he goes
down the long, white straight. road, We
watch him out Of sight, and come back to
more mundane things. This is but n speci-
men. Some are richer, some are poorer,
but they all have warm hearts. and touch
their hats with politeness TO the De1notsellc
AmericaiHe, although they belong to an
other class and another religion. These
'habitants" are the farmers and small
landed pr0prietors.