Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-05-13
A GERMAN MARKET FAIR.
the Ancient Teu,onic Custom as It 81
EIcurixhex af Hnnover

The Ancient Teu,onic Custom as 1t Stin
F1ourishes at Hanover.
This week there has been an opportunity to
see a market fair in Hanover, which occurs
only thrice year, and lasts but two or three
DAYS In fact, am just returned from wan
dering about town in a drizzling rain, bump
ing umbrellas in the crowd of chaffering and
cbattering Hanoverians, and receiving an oc-
casional curse from some booth owner be-
cause of the unintentional but none the less
wet stream Of water which my umbrella tip
pumped down upon her cakes or candy. The
stalls and booths for the display of the wares
were to be found in various parts of the town,
according to the nature of the sales; thus live
stock was to be had in one section, books in
another, motions in the third, and so on.
Today l spent my time in the old portion
OF the city, and here the center of hustle and
interest was the ancient Market church.
From the square upon which this church
stands the lines of booths stretched up the
streets, radiating right and left from the
Market square These booths were hastily
rugged affairs, built of boards, with their
tops covered with canvas against the rain, so
that they looked like row of Indian wig
vans. Every conceivable article, and some
ncolceivable, were to be purchased along
these rows, behind which stood men and
women crying up.their wares or doing out
small portions to the peasant buyer.
Before O'Clock of this rainy afternoon the
oil lamps We're lighted and flared picturesque
ly in the wind. Through the middle of the
streets surged the crowd of buyers, many Of
them country folk, who had come in solely
for the fair. They clattered over the cobbie-
stones il their sabots and beat down prices
with high heart and volubility Above rose
the gray old houses and high over all the
venerable and massive church, under whose
walls for five centuries humanity was bought
and sold, lived and died. 1t was a scene for a
Dickens, and | sighed for his insight and his
graphic power of description.
At some of the booths foreigner was es-
pecially tempted to rid himself of few PEN
MES or marks. For example, here hung by
the score those long, porcelain bowled pipes
which are so typical of that country, and
hard by We're all manner of blue earthen-
ware drinking jugs, mugs and tankards,
with bibulous notices in German script and
metal covers that were joy to see. In some
eases some magic sign like Aus Italien"
was hung in front of the booth, and there
you were sure to find cheap jewelry, tawdry
paintings OF bizarre house ornaments, those
behind the improvised counter being dark,
ballow and melancholy eyed, and wearing
large rings in their oars after the manner of
their race.
There seemed to be no congruity here in
the arrangement of the successive stands; be-
side one exclusively devoted to worsteds
would be another where the succulent sausage
and the malodorous but beloved limburger
reigned supreme, and u little farther on the
toys of childhood hobnobbed with a murder
Gus array of knives, big and little, ranging
from the tiny nail trimmer To the long, keen
blade of the hog killer The motley of sales
| and sights only made the scene richer and a
characteristic picture of foreign street life.
| am told that the articles to be bought at
these fairs, though cheap, are shoddy and I'M
| reliable, and are avoided by the willy citizen.
the chief profit accruing from the open
| mouthed country pumpkins who judge by
outside show and the oily assurances of the
prpprietors.- Hartford Courant.