New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-11
PICTURES FROM BRITTANY.

BRETON FOLK. An Arti'tc Tour IN Normandy By
HENRY BiACKhUES WIN 10 n;ns'fq i - a. ~,
good & co.
Into a land of poetic tradition, of quaint customs
and pastoral simplicity, this delightful little vol
ume leads its reader. 10 no other nook OF the
earth are the poet md painter more fortunate than
in Brittany. Like ghosts in the twilight rise the
mysterious Druidical stones the rich harvests are
gathered by lovely girls whose queer caps and great
collars dazzle the eye with whtencss IN field and
garden: the most picturesque OF ruins lend the
shadow of old time romance to the sunny wind
blown landscape Of river and meadow. Nowhere
in France are there finer peasantry; nowhere more
dignity of aspect in field labor, more nobility OF
feature amongst men and women; nowhere such
primitive habitatiOns.-and it must he added, such
dirt Whatever Of beauty and gTotesIuerlc BIlt-
tany possesses MIR. Blackburn and Mr.. Caldccoit
pictnrc or suggest 10 this giOriied grde-boOk. Mr.
Blackburns neat and sober text makes no protein
sion to the higher gtaccs Of description; yet with
a word OF two here and there he paints many plea
SAINT portraits and shy hooks OF country side.
At Ouimpcrle ut the old Hotel du Lion dor, the
comrades fnd the prcttiest of serviors in the per-
son of white capped Augustine, the n AID of the Inn
She lowered about us like fairy. attending to
OnI wants in the most delicate way to outward
seeming ministering angel with pure white wings
Int in truth q drudge, q methodlcal housewife
massive and hard to the touch She did the work
of three Partisan garcOns, and walked upstairs I'M
aided with pOrtmdnteaus which u would require
two men to lift anywhere out of Brittany. She
slept in box in the Kitchen and dressed sonle-
how in five minutes She ate what was left con-
tcntedly the end of the day, and rose at sunrise
to do tile latorious work of the house helping also
at harvest: time in the fields. She had the sweetest
of smiles when SHE liked, uncOnquerable habit
! Of taking snuff, and murderOus way OF killing
! fowls in the early morning which we shall not
How il comes to pass that this girl of nineteen
pttnh on mn IN ba
hold is of those things which arc peculiar to
| brittany. The strong individuality, industry and
Of o. %b be on
smoke, the women are building little fortunes or
propping up old ones All through the land, in
the houses in the factories, sua IN lie heldS' the
work - The land Is full of legends and tales Of
cnOmes and witches, but the reality is white
canned figure, that welcomes the traveller at the
inn door the modern representative of mine
hostn Her brightness and attraction, ana ut the
same time her whole arm0r and coat OF mail, are
her stily starched cap epauets ana apron OF spot
less white. She presides at the fetes and weddings
which are celebrated at the inns, and joins in the
frolics at the end of the day. dancing with the rest
up and down the street, and submitting with
modest but hearty good Will to some rather
demonstrative tokens Of esteem. How IS 1t that
these widespread collars are never crumpled ~
some one asks. "Oh, we just turn them round and
throw them over the shoulder for mnute| is the
quick answer
Mr. CaldecOtts illustrations irresistibly suggest
the delicate insight, the quaint fun OF Ella.
sunny aud lovable humor relgns throughout
Them even tho sadness of old age and beggary is
relieved by some tender hint Of kind womanly OF
childish tendance. The Bretons live ont OF doors,
performing various domestic operations in the road
REGARDLESS OF traffic. This popularity has given
Mr.. Caldecott countless opportunities for sketches
most humorous and yet most genial. Here is many
pretty scene of homely affection drawn with the
pencil of man whose sense Of the comic goes with
warm heart aud generous nature. There is
hardly picture in the volume which docs not give