The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1878-02-22
THE BEAUTY OF CRETAN
WOMEN.
Ugly Homes Outside Made Pleasant
Iuside by Model Mothers
and Wives.

London Times. -
A Cretan village is a strange
looking place. All the dwellings
are alike in uglincss, oblong in form,
with walls of rough stone and fiat
root destitute of parapets and chim-
neys. One or two arches are thrown
across the length Of the cottages to
support the root, which consists of
tenacious clay a few inches deep,
laid on pieces of bark, snd rolled
fat-let antiquaries shudder-with
the drums of marble columns. In
Askypho the heavy snow storms
which occur there make it unsafe to
carry up the buildings higher than
one story, and they certainly have
a most miserable exterior.
But the comfort within doors de-
pends at Askypho, as everywhere
else. not on the architect, but on
the lady Of the house, and the wives
of Sphakaia rank high among their
sex. They are conspi cuous for their
beauty. Their dark eyes are large
and lustrous, their features are del
icately chiseled, and waving tresses
lall in profusion from beneath their
modest kerchiefs. Their carriage
is as graceful as the does.
Bu', though possessed of uncom-
mon personal charms, their attention
is by no means confined to the
toilet. Everything which their
homes contain is the work of their
own hands. The cloth of the hus.
bands jacket and fez Of the wool
of the sheep he tends is dyed, spun,
and woven by the hands of his faith
ful wife. She it is who makes his
garments from the cotton plant
which grows before the door; the
bright scarf that binds his waist is
from the silkworm which feeds upon
his mulberry trees the mats and
tapestries whose bright designs,
taken from the pattern book CT tra-
dition alone, give his home a cheer
Iul air, are the work OF her indus
triocs loom, and many more objects
that | am incompetent to enumerate
are due to her untiring labors.
Ii was these same Sphakian wo-
men who only ten years ago were,
with their helpless children, hunted
from mountain to mountain, out
ragged, and murdered. In the cot
tage of my guide, though the owner
was by no means chief amoug his
people, the tablecloth, the napkins,
the sheets, all of them home made,
were bordered with Cretan lace
the pillow case was a single piece
OF the same rich material the coun-
terpane was so gorgeous with many
colors, that | did not refrain from
expressing my admiration Of it.
YES" said my host, my vile is of
a very good family, and knows the
old. fashioned ways of weaving,
which her mother taught her."
The cottage itself consisted OF q
moderate sized room, with a gallery
for sleeping in and two very small
ones, of which the larger was tho
kitchen. The walls were not even
whitewasEed, and the floor was of
mud ; yet the spirit that reigned
there reconciled one to oil. dined
with great zest off English plates,
which are priced there as Japanese
crockery is in England but with
put wine, not a drop of which was
% be found in any of the seven
sign ificant fact. The
wife waited on US, for conjugal re-
pect is strictly enforced, while even
infdelity is punished with
leath. 1t is easy to believe how
uch people hate and despise any
ne, be he caimakam or be be mil
rdi," who attempts to introduce =
he vices Of western Europe into
heir mountain retreats.