New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
QUAINT FOLK ON THE PLAINS


,,cr,rprsor,r HOME LIFE AND SOCIAL CUsToMs-A
PATRrARcu,L sYsTEM-MEDLEvAL GARD AMI
uANNrps-scENEs AT A wEDDING-FEAsT
,rnoM AN SoccAsIoSAL CORRESPONDENT OF The lhp' VOL
urRzoG. Kansas. April 15-Within the las' h''
or six wears there have been moving ih.o 'l.9 '
try forming new settlements OH 'ho
plains numerous small colonies oi "o ~ ..,
onts from Russia These people III ''oi' wy
living in dress and manners ana ch'rao'ei'
different from any immigrants 10 DC seo" :" Va
Eastern States that a view OF thch - " nv
nositiye point in the always changing p'noi' 49,
American life About one hundred years ago 'no
r,....S~a Co,ho,iro collected these people from
vorious parts of Germany and settled 'henn :"
s,ou farming colonies in the region OF the Nois"
1 hr,ldino their Russian homes they iouo"ou 'no
orclone rlan common among the small farmers VI
Eurone clustering their houses closely III n'.o
TOWNS each with its church and SCHOOL, anu ~
common pasture. The plough lands stre'chou ou' '
miles from the towns, divided ihto P"'oi'
,-oriors size among the farmers by tins arrange
mont much time and labor are lost III going 'o anu
from the tillage Sometimes farmer has TO ha"i '''
harvest forty miles to his barns and store-houS,'
which are all in the town beside the HOUSES :"
rotnrn tbev have n more social lite than would be
nossible if the houses were isolated. lhcy Pio'''
tbc life of the bee reporting daily to popuiouS
for its own nest Their common pasture W "n,"
one herd boy daily drives the gathered cattle OF 'he
,vbole c,lony is a saving OF labor anu oil lchc'hR
which offsets in part the loss from the distance o
the tillage Among the inducements 10 se''io i"
Russia the colonists were eXemp'eu Ho" "i'"'
service for a period OF years when Is just ho" "a
pirino and the same period limits ther lrceuo'i Va
emigration 1t is on this account that they nave
left their homes in such large numbers anu si~o
their object was to escape the draft IL Is ha,u'"
that they should seek their new fortunes IN
America. Here, in Kansas and MINNESOTA anu
rerbans in other States and Territories. they have
al,ood,. hrut rnucrous colonies The homestead
laws have so far changed their way of living as to
co,,eI them TO build houses their separate
farms but they carry out the old plan by making
town bopses also. gathered in close neighborhood
ahout ths church. These their winter MONIES
and their resorts on Sundays and thei1 II any hon-
davs and Willie the able-bodcd men and women
and larger children are busy on the tarins' INC
grandmothers keep house in town ior lhe very oiu
men and the young school children.
There are doubtless marked points OF difference
between the several colonies OF German huss'lii'
for they went into Russia from different parts Oh
Germany forming separate colonies oi Ca'hoI.cS
MennOnies and Lutherans. Inc COLONIES III rii''
Corrtv Kansas are Catholic and it is OF them
81
observer. The largest of these is lierzog standing
less than mile from the Victoria station OF the
Kansas Pacific Railroad The town, conspicuous on
the brown and treeless prairie. gives at little
distance n general tint Of creamy white. monoto-
mons but not UNPLEASANT This is ihe color alike OF
the few stone buildings and of the fifty or sixty Sod
houses and pens and stables appehhaht' inc SOU
houses are of story. long and low snearcd WIN
clav and pastered without and within. Inc 10"
stone houses are made of the beautiful hghtcoIoe'
limestone abundant in this region, and some OF
them show curious carving OF window caps anu
other simple decoration Here and there frame
house stands high above its nelghbors Doasting us
superiority by a finely perforated and scalloped
cornlce. suggestive of bodkins and the rich edgings
Of pettlcoats The village store is brilliant with
nainted decoration. strange in color and form.
neat stone church. with good house Tor the priest
adjoining stands in the centre and is the undisPutcC
head of the town-indeed its chief excuse Tor eX-
istcnce curious fashion OF fencing with sort OF
basket work, woven of thick saplinGs' adds TO the
foreign look of the place Two or three wells
supply all tie houses and the constant carrying oil
water helps to keep NJ the social element even lh
tho most quiet times. stranger walking INTO
Herzog on Il Sunday. when all are on hahu LOT
church and dressed in their brightest coorS, would
be startled by the ancient look Of things Men and
ont of some former century Women and girls and
small children shine iii striking combinations Of red
and blue and green grown boys wear loose oouses
of black or blue and their fathers are sOlennly
tespectabe in black frock coats which, from waist
ND fit tight as a bodice, the long skirts gathered at
the belt and hanging loose and ample. i he caps OF
men and boys all alike. broad al the top gath
cred to a band. and with visor. The hair Is
brushed back straight over the head and cut OIL
with one inerciless chop on level with the mlddlc
of the ears. The girls and women cover their heads
closely with kerchlcfs varying in color but
usually brilliant with red. The faces OF the men,
especially when observed in church. have
strangely ancient look of superstitions solemnity.
which have seen only in old German OF Flemish
pictures. 1t is likely that the soourn in Russia.
where they lived in isolation from the advance
of German fc and had little intercourse with their
Russian neighbors has helped 10 Keep up the old
look of their faces and dress.
The housekeeping Of the Herzog people deserves
attention for its economy An impO tant part in
the house building is the making Of the This.
built of domestic clay bricks. smeared and pas-
tered neatly like the wall, of the house, stands be-
tween the living rooms and an outef anteroom or
vestibule The bread and other edibies enter the
oven from the living roonl The fuel goes IN from
the vesibulc by another opening leaving the large
room tree from litter; important point. when it
is seen what the fuel is. No costly coal eXhausts
the Russians pnrsc. nor does lac seek the scanty
growth of stuntcd wood along the creeks. His iuel
is of the waste products OF the farm and is of two
SORTS The first and best is the dried dung of cattle
and buffalo, gathered from the prairie by indus
trous girls who 20 about like rag-pickcrs with
sacks on their backs. carrying home their loads TO
heap the growing store. This is labor always
ready. a sort of outdoor knitting WORK, for days
when farm labor is slack. The other cheaper fuel
is refuse straw and the tough stems of hay. rejected
by the CATTLE dry corns:alks and whatever rubbish