Telegram-herald., 1889-08-31
: GERMAN PEASANT.
ossrsations Ms1s bv q Ysakss
IL the Fathsrl4n1
he Fs4s&ots Hooss @x.e Ckssksl.--s~.
c4<@ sG@t@ IL D1zaineslse E3a1less
Hsaa - AeGta ExtsssES.
boEas 11tA Ciz~At Dxsssr.

ne ps2sA2ts uessr i've IL isslstss
Ag4ses 2oo4l tkslr f4rms. wfltes Carr
b4Aey Hurst Ia tas New Yefk Ma a11
hAptess. T1sy eo1e together au1 forla q
-----e s~;t.er-e4L sometimes -. acre t12E
1-@e2 o~l-~Llgs lr Al - Il l. Eet iaffo.
s-elt - sss sG4l valley t1-ckly oogtod
"-.- t4SsS aeffs. or villages. ~1lch. = pas
i~ae--er. acalc 24ke = slu44 town oniy
t-s ot t1esS villages = Sea - The best a1-
f--l@3e - te-Az1t IL summer. Every
lo~1 = back fron TIE day work in tho
he--s, 4no Ia pace Is n0w as f~A ~ LIE "a
Z. ss-S ~ss9rtoc ~ Eoon Fer then oEiy tns
sr--o1ctleEs eud grandf4thers, whose
ves-Slt - clmIsd Or their jeluts raeu-
--Aes stly q. home. aud tel their Young
Ps~e-1@lts tle wonderful stories of
i.c-es 4a1 1coxobhns. which they heart
Ger similar circumstances frcm their
= a1ct4tners @na granaEot1ers years ana
yeafs9go.
~ d-sA th8 peasants have already eaten
t-eir s-ppet Ite men lie about aud SMOKE
iAef lolx pFes. tie women make their
AnitllnS nee1-es ~ while there is light, and
lhs cnAdre1 slay the identical game that
taelr pareuts played before them. where
lney JON hand, 10 = wide circle, sing and
act TIE pan tOmiae u the csurtship Of = sol
cler ard 4 peas AZ girl
As one walks aver the rough cobble-
stones Of the narrow street he sees tae
hoases' whose tall. peaked roofs are divided
fnto stories Ike pigeons cote, as dirty and
much norS crowded. II you are cour-
tgcons euough - enter and climb the
sleep, r-cSety stairs al the combiuoc
smells Of Cologne ant Bagcad VAL greet
your nostrils. TIE various noors are owned
~ oltcrent people, aud even the rooms
inay De bought or sold Ike a plow or cart.
Two families usually occapy three rooms,
using the middle apartment as a general
kitchen and sittlng-roOm. The poorer peO-
PIE often have only Cne rooia, where t1ey
seep, eat and drag out their entire exist
etce On the bottom floor Of the self-same
house where they dwell are stalled the cows
Esd oxen.
by sunrise the entire population IS up
and out IN the fields. Not only does the
man shoulder a hoe or scythe, but the
woman falls 10 and works as well Entire
families, except only the very aged, 60 out
Children few months old, who have no
decrept relatives in the dorf 10 keep an
eve upon them until evening, are carried
out by the mothers and left under the shade
OF neighboring tree.
Boys and girls are obliged 10 attend
school until they are seventeen, and 4 they
do not, the parents are fined. In the busiest
parts OF the summsr-the season for gath
ering hops, making hay and other stated
times-a vacation is given that the children
may help In the fields. But during any Of
these seasons, If il should set in and rain.
with no prospect Of abating soon, school IS
called again and continued during the wet
weather; then the teacher lays ASIDE his
ferrule until the crops are in. The labOrers
carry out their food for the day with them
Every one has q jug OF cider or beer, which
he drinks in place Of water. The peasants
live almost entirely on grain food and
cheese Milk and butter they exchange for
other more necessary and less luxurious
articles.
A great epoch in every Germans life,
and especially the German peasants, is the
service In the great standing army Every
man who is sound in body and not deformed
must serve three years. Money or influence
viii not exempt man from this iron law
In case he attends the university he short
ems his time To one year. II IS seldom, how
ever, that the peasant lad goes further than
the school, so that three years are taken
from the most active period of his life.
During the winter the peasants are not so
busy as when planting and gathering their
crops When the snow lies thick on the
fields the men thresh out the grain, and the
women spin and weave the fax, which they
grow themselves Out OF the long rolls of
his heavy gray linen they make clothes and
articles necessary for domestic use. A
-reat part Of 1t, too, they store away for
heir children, who, in their turn, preserve
for theirs, so that quantities are handed
own from mother TO daughter, like the
lsual heirlooms Of pewter tankards and
pnnlng wheels.
One Of the customs among the peasantry
,h.ch does not condne itself 10 any special
sason, although in accordance with the
sne-worn law IS more prevalent in spring,
ia wedding. And the preliminary arran ge
: unts are somewhat complicated. Every
81 is expected to have her dowry, con
. sitting IN any case of an entire household
? eIipment, from enormous feather-beds
u knives and forks. The young woman
wo comes without this supply generally
1s fss pretty much ashamed Of herself, and
x N husband does not receive her with such
io!ss il she came ladencd with complete
o hosekeeping outfit When a couple have
ID daded to travel on through life together
70 ths respective parents, in solemn family
ocrlave, arrange the details of the youns
10 lsf's portion.
a Eery village has, OF course, i;s socia
an stta. There Is the aTistocracy. which car
AID the luxury Of several rooms ard bi
80 not Of farming land than the ger eralitv O
=, hspo0r class, who are obliged 20 hire
~ insselves ont as Gay laborers. II happen'
=, occsiorally that a peasant aT1asses wealth
i. saethsn be lives on exactly "a before
- vetng irdustriously in the fields ans
sdaig 10 his pue OF gold pieces Ihes'
seci distinctions are carefully observed
- Ents Is of rare occurrence that person
~ rsnns above or below his own caste.
= "a; OF these peasants lead a hard hand
- ttEi h existence. They earn pitsanc
hn sumner which barely enables then
e h out al existence through IN
we Their hfe seems almost Uneodur
sssLt Il appears so 10 the stranger only
20 TIT are hardy. sunburned men an
VA and tteir close intimacy wit
rs.rr and dependence 90 her give theu
aLesl Ter and happier moral and phvsics
tcsten cores poDding class who live il
easA