The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-01-29
THE cRoFTER At HOME.


THE cR0fTER At HOME.
4 IAfe which 4 sinpss 70 ssmi-Barbarisn
In the 1lsnse-F Field.
tLondon Telsgraphl
The peasantry themselves are Of m
enduring and gentlo-mannered kind.
short in stature, but well formed and
Morse extraction, or some-
thing very like il, it shows in their
faces and heads 40 much - il their su-
perstitions and legends. All over the
territory Of Lord Macdonald, whore
has been rife during the
and up and down tho slopes Of
the long sea lochs, the gray shanties
dot the strath sides, narrow strips Of
cultivation run up the hills, and herds
Of long haired dun and black Highland
cattle graze among tho tufts of cotton
grass and heather.
We venture 20 eutss . wayside cabin,
and the owner, . big -boned woman, and
= widow, ~ We subsequently hear, lays
down the sickle she has been plying out
side in her rod Of barley, and does tho
honors Of her abode. All Is smoke
within--the thin blue smoke Of heat, a.
aromatic to seasoned nostrils % cedar
wood, and every article Of furniture Is
clothed III its tine black polish. In one
corner, the lowest Of the floor, = pig re-
clincs, conscious Of the consideration At
taching to .'the gentleman that pays tho
rent" while chickens mako them
selves at home, perching on
the rafters overhead, among the
dense azuro-gray ''rcek. Our
hostess is = poor woman, even for q
croftcr; the herrings that hang in fes-
toons round her hut are Of waste kind,
the refuse Of the nests, and her store Of
winter potatoes is meagor in the cx-
treme; yet she proffers rs big wooden
bowl Of milk, and puts back the silver
We offer in return. A single pane OF
glass high up, and the embers Of . peat
fire in the middle of the fioor, show ua
her couch, q nondescript, oblong box,
against the wall, her milking-stool and
spinning wheel, her work bench, and
curious trousseau-box, wherein Is stored
all she has Of finery. Such is about ell
the place contains and little enough to
tempt the closest Of taxmen.
Some of the cottages Of the outer
Hebridcs. wherein dwell those peasants
who have given the messenger. at
arms" such rough reception, are bet.
ter found. A hand loom is occasionally
to be seen in the place Of honor, worked
patiently and cleverly by q weaver.
fisherman, who turns out linsey-wool.
seys OF admirable texture; round the
walls arc hung the good wifc's spinning.
wheels, old and new, her stock Of pro
visions, thread, etc. Herrings, split
and dried, glitter in many rows over
head, and chickens mediate about the
boiling of the family porridge in the
three-legged pot that hangs over the
glowing peat turfs of the mid floor fire.
"And when," some one may inquire
stcan we SEQ this brave and modest
people at their bestr' Perhaps no time
Is better than the latter part Of August
on the occasion of the half yearly church
meeting. Every nook and corner o
Stornoway is then filled to overfowin(
with holiday y-mak.ng island folk-wives
mothers, lads, and laases in their gayes
clothing, coming from all parts for th,
double purpose of attending the 6v,
days 0pen-air meeting, and 70 welcom,
the returning husbands and brother
who have been scattered for the pas
eight to twelve weeks among variou,
fishing stations on the northern main
land. Very bright, il motley colors, il
this constantly moving concourse. tn,
women, OF whom none seems middle.
aged, but all appear to Be either buxon
lasses, clear-complexioned and rosy
checked, or old crones, copper-c0lore(
with peat smoke-wear short gowns o.
startling red, blue, green, or purple
tints, made very full and brief, Will
three stripes Of MARROW ribbon velve
round the hem. Over this is : larg,
tartan shawl, worn point downward
and bought for it's gay assortment d
shades, quite irrespective Of the color o.
any accompanying raiment, surmountet
again by fringed silk neckerchief sucl
as our grandmothers wore-gencrall,
Of another gaudy plaid-and crowned
above by the daintiest OF sn0w-whit,
caps, with plated frill round the fac
for married women, q cross between th,
French bonne's headdress of our day
and the nightcaps Of the last genera
ton. II going to meeting, the Gaeli,
Bible and psalm book, carried in clear
handkerchief, distinctly add to til,
brilliancy of the attire.
The men folk do their best to help tn,
general attractiveness, and contribute
largely to the gay scene BY their new
blue jerseys and scarlet wooden comfor
ters, their cheerful. weather-bea
faces shining respondent from recen
active contact with soap and water
Gaelic bc.ng spoken everywhere, th'
English onlooker feels himself in. ,
foreign land. Kcverent attention is /
marked feature Of the meeting" in til.
manse- field: no murmurs or whisper
are to be heard even on the outskirts o
tho thr0ng. Arranged for tho sacra
ment are two long tables, flanked will
benches on either side. These are con
stantly supplied with relays Of men AMI
women, bending as they sit till thei
heads almost meet across the narrow
tables, the women with white caps ant
gaudy colors entirely hidden by sombe
shawls drawn completely over thei
forehead, thus carrying out to the lette
st. Panl's injunction as to the covering
Of female heads.
The mode Of administration is print
tive in the extreme, quite apostolic il
its simplicity, the elements going from
the minister's hands to the elders, an,
from them to the end Of each line Of w0r
shippers, who pass it from hand to ham
down tho long rows; meantime th
whole assembly conjointly arc addrcsse'
BY tho minister, among whose forcibl
Gaelic we now and then recognize th
name Of some we'll known Scriptur
character. Gaelic hymns are sung
verse by verse, after one Of the elders
in curious Grooming" minor.
Curious Formation.