The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-12-05
AMONG TIE euTcH eoEas.
solao very Queer Costumes DIotIicine and

"
the 0fsnGe Free state. a farm house
may have one field of forage and a stone
lzrassi. otherwise the farm Is open coun-
try He win not of saddle his horse
without receiying pei mission: this having
been asked for and granted. the farmer
leads him through the half doors into the
main parnnent. Thtfe is home made
furniture. numerous pink and white
paper flowers, and painted on the
walls vases of frui. like those seen
depicted on the London pavements.
The visitor viii proceed to shake hands,
commencing with the stout vrauw
and ending. with the baby in arms This
is not the English '.handshalie." but a
resting Of palm within palm The coffee.
| which smade from sunrise to sunset. Is
then brought in in bowls. tobacco
pouclies are exchanged. and conversa=
ton, Which seldorn varies, commences.
The visitor and the farmer answer or re,
slly NY much as follows: The yeld is
Rgreen. sfne clouds are heavy; there VIII
| be thunderstorm tomorrow. i have
very fine red horse running. NachtnaaI
(commauionl Will be next month. My
vrailw has cold. TIE president is a
! fine man. Japie de Villiers (pronounced
| Vile, and minus the prctiX) has had Il
ram born with five heads. THE English
are thieves The l.andshaking cere-
rnony is then repeated, the horse, fed
! and rested, is brought round; the trav-
cler mounts, sInacEs his sjambock, shows
off his Steed and proceeds on his Journey.
The farmers have trained ponies to
special pace called '.tripple. and a
good .stripplerr is always prize1. With
this pace no porting of the saddle is
required, and on q long journey the trip
| pier will arrive each night without turn
ing hair, while the trorting horse. his
companion, may be done up. Distance
is rcckoned by time-siS miles to the
hour. If an Englislnnan near the hour
Of sunset asks Dutchmau where such
| village lies. he will be answered by a
raised land and "a little way over that
| hill. y You tile:I ride ten miles and sleep
ont i'll thunder storm. perhaps. You
Superstition and fear of contagious dis
cases are great among this people.
T.le Dutch are accomplished herbal
lists, doub. less obtaining the knowledge
of the Iio;lcntots and Bushmen; they
lave herb brandies for colics and plants
for sores. They arc often the prey of
quick doctors: the more as genuine prac-
titioners, who have To go long distances,
charge Heavily. a Dutciiman Is satisfied
with the treatment long as his medical
adviser brings 10 the house quart bottle
Of phvsic; if lie present l.:.l with small
vial he doubts his skill and sends for an
other I.lail. The dead are buried On thc.
farms, and over them travelling 1nasons
erect naIsoleuns of brick. Dutch wo-
men are enormous in size, good cooks in
their style, Eobi.le sweets and cakes all
day and take little exercise. But HOW
and t.ieli i Dutch wife and ller daughters
may be seen lsraalipg the sheep q: even
ing. A Boer Likes his wife's company,
and will leave passengers by his wagon
stuck in tl!c mud and half starved while
| he tracks OF fifty miles with another
vehicle to ply visit to- the vrauw.
Feather beds arc greatly priced 10y this
people; they gencr.lly carry their beds
with theal ON journeys.
The l.cl.liug6 of the Boers are re-
/ mGr!.ahle. Annually the farmhouse on
the '.low weld is shut up, and the sheep
anl cattle are taken scores of miles up
! to the nigh veli'' for mountain pas
ture. Beside some rushing stream the
wagons are canped. perhaps tents are
pitched, and domestic hfe goes on as
usual. Fowls cluclF among the wild
| grasses. and the cows arc MIXED beneath
the shadows of mighty mountains. The
shooting is no del;lsiol.
Tho people are excessively fond of
music ard dancing; concertina, Larmo-
mum and fiddle are their delight. A
withcrcd Hottentot dwarf will draw n
strain FROM the sole of an old shoe strung
with sincw, AID men and maidens will
vigorously dance to it for hours. For
dancing there is 10 touching the English
| Afri!;nder, and his measures seem quite
original. The Beers have bad
character for pilfering. When the
men and the women enter
an up country store they are allowed to
carry or small goods like sweets or rib
bons, which they unconsciously pay for
il the bill. The f:IinerS are not often
rich i'll money, their wool crops being
mortgaged sometimes to the stores for
two sea.ons ahead. Young bloods'' are
i,npudent and wild 4 smart curveting
| hose and lat with white ostrich plume
usually denote this species. When u
| Doer drinks he is an entire fooi. In
order to l;eePa firm hand over the young
men riding transport, the elders OF the
free state recently passed Il bill prohibit
ing the sale of liquor at wayside can
teens, and thereby lost q large revence
| However, there are ssnugglers.
/ IG iJOG4S SSib 4SIIs4GllStSo
| and ;.t certain times they and their fam
! ilics ride iltoNhe- villages from great dis
| ta0ces to-ceIebrate the Nlclltinaci (night
meal or conlInunion), their wagons loaded
with produce-presents for the parsons.
! At this time business is brisk and the
streets are like fair. Yet. where natives
and land are concerned, the Beers con-
slant violation of the Co4nman .lInonts
does not need pointing out. The Beers
are Ey no means modest, and their family
conversations 80 st times boistcrously
indecent Household arrangements, save
on rich farms. crc necessarily rleager,
| and the traveller must be prepared tosleep
on the floor in Tie midst Of fo;,r or Eve
si1ters and tiieiE three or four brothers,
all grown up, while the head couple sncre
on an elevated ard ponderoUs feather bed
III curtaiIed corner of tberooTn. When
sleeisiEg - :. superior Irsnsvaal farm
house, it IS well to to-e--2nine the mattress:
! if il rests on s!ieepsl;ius, throw the skins
out.-St James Gazette.
Net Injurious to I1cr Health.
In the face OF facts like these ard of
many moro tlI:lt might be adduced. we
cannot believe that nature has placed
before woman any constitutional barrier
to the colSsiate life, Lut that so far as
| physical reasons arc concerned, she rTlay
enter upon it with no moro fear than q
man may. That an increasing number
of women viii do this, and that it is best
=