The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-07-16
Magyar Costume.

|. Not little amusing is it to the unin-
itiated eye of stranger, to watch these
stout and sturdy Magyar matrons. hag-
Cling and chaffering over their pur-
chases as they stand at the stalls, on
which repose whole yards of bread and
miles OF sausage; or to see them turn
ing over the contents of the baskets of
vegetables arranged on the ground.
Equipped in their top.boots extending
above the knee, and which are well
creased to resist the manifold vicissl-
tudes of Hungarian roads, these Mag
var females resemble groups of Anna
IONS rather than peaceful housewives.
There is much greater variety of cos
tune among the male portion of the
community than the female, while each
costume has some distinguishing mark
to denote the town or village to which
the wearer belongs; but, whatever be
the nature of the dress, the sleeves of
the outer garment are a purely Orna-
mental arrangement, the arms being
seldom or never put through them. the
garment in question merely hanging
loosely from the shoulder. The gradual
extinction of the National costumes is
source of great regret to the Hungarians
of the old school, who regard it rs a
sign of coming evil, attributing it to
German influence The one fear that
possesses the mind of the true Magyar,
the very bette noire of his existence, is
lest his country should become German
lied. The Magyar is strongly conserve
tive; he does noG object to civilization
so long as it "wears Hungarian garb,
speaks the Hungarian language. thinks
the Hungarian thoughts" as Mr.. Pat
terson expresses it in his interesting
book on the Magyars; but the smallest
sympathy with Western Europe he
looks upon as an evidence of something
far more serious even than National de-
cadence. On first being set down at
Pesth, the traveller, who has naturally
heard so much of the beautiful Hum
garian costumes-unless he happen to
arrive, as we did, on one of the fair
days-will, in all probability, feel not a
little disappointed, for the railroads
which have done so much to rob Swift
erland and the Tyrel of so great part
of their charm. are slowly but surely
doing their work here. There was a
time within my memory" remarked
mein Herr Mahalek, who liked to have a
quiet talk with the Angoloks, much as he
disliked to speak in the hated German
tongue-the only possible medium of
communication betw cen us, for he knew
neither French nor Italian" there was
a time when even the mobiles wore the
gatya, and distinctive dress, and Pesth
was vastly different in those days. Now.
even the servants affect the German
dress and wear hauben and schleppen
forsooth (bonnets and trains,) and the
Magyars, who used to be so sought after
as servants, are now avoided, and we
have to get them from Bohemia and
Poland, and goodness knows where be-
Sides" And the old man sighed heavily
as he thought Of the good old times.
Not lass. however, of the sort he had
been describing, who wore haube and
schleppe, was our chamber-maid of
Hotel Mahalek. with her modest head
gear, a clean checked handkerchief
crossed over her neat hair, and tied
under her chin. What deft little
woman she was!-married, or she would
not have worn the kerchief, unmarried
girls always going bareheaded, even
under the hottest sun.-Isnlple Bar.