Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-05


soon ~ IL is boarded in it is hung with
wreaths The family of the owner assemblies
with other friends, an address is made, and
the prosperity of the new home is pro.
posed in toast and drank with cheers
The glass of the proposer OF the toast is then
shivered TO atoms, there being an old super
stition that misfortune will come to the
house II the glass be used again. A supper
and dance for the workmeu follow Ia the
evening.
THE HARVEST FESTIVAL.
The harvest festival, or " Erntedankfest,"
Is another of the straws which show the po-
etical direction of the wind in this curious
old land. This festival takes place only out
in the country ON the large estates. 1t is not
a general festival. Each nobemau arranges
the matter for his own retinue OF servants
when the harvest is at an end. 1t is really a
feast for the especial benefit of the servants.
These estates are often very extensive, and
require hundreds of people to carry them
on. Not far from the castle of the noblemsn
is usually little village, where the people
live who cultivate the land and take care of
the castle and Its belongings. Although
there are no serfs in Germany. the external
arrangement of things remains something as
1t was in feudal days. The land is all owned
by the lord, and there IL the same csntring of
everything i'll him, and the same devotion t.
him and his family on the part of servants,
the family for generations, and who are as
proud OF the family name as II they bore II
themselves. When the grain has been cut, a
day and often two are given la the servants
for ieastiug. large cart Is trimmed with
wreaths and feStoOus OF flowers, and taken to
the field, where it is loaded with sheaves of
golden grain, aud crowned with wreath
suspended from pole This is drawn
through the village by six or eight horses,
all likewise I" btkranZL" The pastor comes
on
turns thanks for, the rich gifts OF the good
Father, and then the cart is taken to the barn
and unlOaded. The whole day il spent in
feasting, and the scene of the revel is usually
some large airy barn, which has been nicely
swept, trimmed with linden and osk-lesf
trimming, and plentifully adorned with the
uniailing wreath hung about on the sides of
the haymO~s aud posts of the stalls. In the
evening the dancing begins. The peasants
are dressed in their best, aud some of the
costumes are so pretty that they give A very
picturesque appearance to the scene. The
nooleman aud his sons dance with the peas.
ant girls. and his daughters dance with the
overseer or director, who is generally "A man
OF some cultivation he is, however, not no.
bic, and 1t is looked upon as a IN ,rk ot con-
descension on the part of the lady to dance
with him.
WOMEN IN THE HARVEST FIELD,
While staying upon one of these large es-
tates we once saw another very pretty bar
vest custom. All the ladies were invited to
drive ont one lovely July morning to see the
grain helds shOrn OF their glory. As we
drove to the busy scene We found thirty or
thirty-hve women at work, some turning the
grain, others laying it IN heaps, or binding
1t, as the case might be. They all wore short
skirts, many OF them of bright cOlors. light
linen waists made with low uecks and short
sleeves, and white linen bonnets, something
like the American "cape bonnet" These
picturesque costumes among the graceful
sbeaves, and the still uncut treasures wav-
ing IN the background, made US long for the
skill OF painter to perpetuate the scene, and
led us Tor moment to forget the hard lot OF
the common German woman. O. strong.
minded women of America, YOU who adyo-
cate women carrying on farms alone, mar
ketlng the produce themselves, aud doing
out-oi-uOOr WORK in rain or shine come Ia
GerInany and look for while into the faces
OF women who have done that thing for gem
erations, and you Will go home hum bled and
astonished that you have ever sought such a
calamity Tor your sisters But to return TO
our description. As soon as we drove on To
the held the women dropped their work and
made us their best courtesies The gentle.
man motioned for the carriages to stop and
iour OF Inc nlcest-looklng girls came forward
anu TOOK from their aprons pretty little
bralds made OF straw and bright ribbons
plated together. At the end of each braid
was bow OF the ribbon with heads of wheat
hanging out rom between the loops. The
girls came To the sides of the carriages and
bound one OF the braids round the arm of
eacn LADY, repeating As they did so pieces OF
poetry oil several verses in length, in which
they wished US long lite, happiness, and,
most heartily OF all, good husbands. Each
girl went away with something of more in
trlnsic value IN her apron than the braid she
had taken from 1t, aud We drove of with our
Huttering ribbons, delighted with the fanci-
iul little ceremony. The custom is called
9 Das Binden," and has probably been prac-
tIced upon the grain fields of Germany for
hundreds OF years. These are only few OF
the many customs which prove that, in spite
OF an unideal exterior, the German mind
holds strong solution OF poetry, aud that ii
needs only be stirred 10y the finger Of genius
to crystalliZe into an exquisite lyric or a
mighty Faust