St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-06-23
WOMEN OF CAPRI.
They Are the Builders IS Well rs tn
Farmers OF Their Native ISLE.

They Are the Builders as Wen rs tho
Farmers OF Their Native Isle.
The native inhabitants of Capri, as
we see them to-day, are simple and 8
gentle people. When irritated or
aroused, the fierce anger and jealousy
of the Italian character will sometimes
show themselves, but their usual atti-
tude is that of admiring wonder and
patient subseryience toward the we'll
dressed strangers who have chosen to
make the island their home. Capri is
in some degree one of the Happy
Islands, All classes of society are
represented, but there is mingling Of
ranks and grades that seems strange to
the dwellers in large cities. The island
has no native aristocracy, the people
belonging nearly all to the peasant or
shop-keeping class. But there have
been marriages by which the peasant
maids of Capri are entitled to rank
themselves among ladies of birth and
station. One of the handsomest private
residences on the island boasts of
Prince for its master, and the fair lady
that he has made his wife is the
daughter of an employe of the telegraph
company, which, by means OF optical
signals, enables the inhabitants of
Capri to communicate, in the case OF
an emergency, with the mainland.
Artists have frequently been drawn
into the tolls of 'matrimony by the
soft chances of their fair models. A
beautiful villa. built in Pompeiian
style, and not far from the Grand Ma
rina, is ruled over by Caprian girl,
wife of the celebrated artist Cherubino,
Of Rome. Here and there about the
island new and handsome villas APP
pear. and one and another is pointed
out to the stranger as the house where
German or an Italian or an English
signor dwells with his Caprian wife.
There is very little of mystery in
these marriages when one comes to
know we'll these fair Caprian girls
They have the rich beauty of the South.
the soft, lustrous eyes and glowing col
or, the languor and the swaying grace.
At the same time, their constant jour
neys over the mountain roa S of their
native island at the heels of their pa
tient donkeys make them 1.-THE and
strong. They are quick and appreci-
alive. and itrequires little imagination
to realize that world-wearied man
might find it sweet to make his home
on this fair island, with one of these
gentle girls to share his life There
seems to be no evidence to show that
any of these marriages have resulted
unhappily or brought disappointment
in their train.
Nearly all the laborious work. such
as is performed by men elsewhere. is
done in Capri by women. The men
are on the sea as mariuari or fisher
men, or they have been conscripted in
to the Italian army. Women are the
masons and the builders, the farmers,
and in some instances the mechanics.
1t seems strange to an American from
the land of machinery to observe the
awkward and primitive fashion in
which work of all kinds is done here.
Fields are cultivated and houses are
built with implements such as were
familiar to our grandfathers. but of
which we have almost forgotten the
use. The houses of Capri constructed
now of the same material and in the
same manner as were the dwelling OF
buried Pompeii in the FIRST century of
the Christian era, are built of stone
and plaster. Rough stones are piled
together after the manner in which
farmers build fences to divide their
fields in our country, and which is al
so common here The ecrevices are
filled in with sand and coarse cement,
over which is laid plaster, and thus the
walls and arched roofs # the dwellings
1 the form err sometimes two to three feet
in thickness-are constructed. Every
part of the work is dome in the most
primitive and laborious manner. The
| earth. for instance, that lis dug from
the proposed site of some new wall is
scratched with rude hoe. gathered
up by the hands and thrown into a
basket, which, when filled, is carried
away upon the head AL this will be
done by women. assisted occasionally
By, some youth who has escaped con-
scription through mental or physical
ineapacity, or by graybeard too old
for military service and unfit for life
upon the sea. All the stone from the
quarries upon the naountaiR-side is
carried to the building site upon the
head, and we have frequently seen girl
children Of not more than ten years
Itcarsying in this way stones that must
haYe sweighed twenty to thirty posnds.
The head is protected by a coarse tur-
ban, upon which the load is amounted.
ThefCaprians seem to hare no ideaahat
any. thing can be carried any distance
in the hand.-M Mary r. .VamdJ'se, nm
Ls9rpefs MagGzi'ae.9a t a@
#a' Ma,ted City convensenoes.
/ A Detrsitertwho returned from'Cel-
orado. the. other day was asked ihs
<,>;vsos, Of <h caaInf1y. II gtE I{tss&$a