Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-07-28

Wormeldingen is a curious village. Its
trees and houses closely resemble a big lot
of Nuremberg toys just unpacked. Imagine
a double row of dwellings, all squat, all
pretty, all spotlessly clean, all vivi3 colors,
all built exactly in the same way, with the
same materials, placed in two long lines,
symmetrically Intersected by straw colored
woodwork. Before these two lines of
houses plant two rows Of little old trees,
with thick trunks and sparse foliage, all
clipped, shaped and pointed; all of the
same size and forming kind of screen, no
thicker or higher at one end than at the
other, nor in the middle than at the two ex-
tremities- Then in the street-dusted,
cleaned, scraped unremittingly; where the
houses are washed and waxed until you
could not find spot upon them, nor so
much as a straw lying about where the
trees have brushed and combed look, and
not leaf is out of its place; picture pop
ulation of honest folks all dressed after the
same fashion-the son like the father and
the father like the grandfather; the little
girl like the grown up girl and the mamma
like the old grandmother. and you have
Wormeldingen as nearly as l can give an
idea of the place. Be carefult to remembertkat
each little house, taken separately, is pref
ty bonbOn box; and that the costumes.
taken separately, are charming. These
peasants, great and small, dressed entirely
in velvet and black cloth, with their knee
breeches; their coarse stockings, their shoes
with silver buckles, their high waistcoats
with double row of buttons in filigree
.. ,,..A 4la,x a.,to
their belts with silver clasps and their gold
buttons at the neck, look remarkably well.
Complete this costume by a gracefully
shaped felt hat, the brim raised behind and
sloping in front, so that it forms q sort of
visor, and you will have notion of the
dress which is worn in Zuid- -Beveland. This
costume looks pretty on the children, ele-
CANT on the men and picturesque on the
old people, and it is always and every
where most original and characteristic.
The uniform OF the women-for l really
must call it so-is equally curious and equ-
a w tasteful. From their most tender
youth to the pitiless age at which the body,
bent by years, is bowed down toward the
earth soon to be its last resting place, the
form and arrangement of the women's attire
are unvariable. From the cradle to the
tomb all the stout peasants have bare arms,
the bust confined by very tight bodice,
over which les, in graceful folds, a hand
kerchief, fastened by a coral brooch. The
face Is framed in Golf with wide borders,
which resembles veil rather than cap.
A flat piece of gold hangs down on the
forehead; corkscrews of gold adorn the
temples; on the neck is coral necklace;
rings and brooches abound-in a word,
these women wear profusion of valuable
ornaments. So much for the upper part
of the figure, which is highly adorned and
generally slim and delicate, The slender
ness of the women's figures is rendered
more striking by an enormous petticoat,
three yards wide, which is held out by a
monstrous hoop resembling bell the body,
from tine waist up, representing the handle,
and the two slender legs tine clapper. When
seen from a distance thus attired and
standing still, the women might easily be-
taken for large dolls. The ruined houses,
the nutilated buildings, the torn up squares
! transformed into pits and holes al form q