The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-20
Dresses and Headwear Of Women
Who Live in tho Low
Countries.
The Picturesque Peasant Survives
and II Abroad in the
Land
Bellies Of McAllistervills in Swiss Bodies
Hair Ormaments That are Like
Bed Springs.

OF the Wlndmlll1 ZlQ-Zag ACROSS the lAn0-
scape, their huge sails turning with Glow
dignity, the thatch and tiles Of their roofs
blending in black and grey tones. Here the
narrow fronts and quaint gables Of village
hang upon the waters edge and children
bend over the waited, twiR. woven banks
floating for boats their wooden shoes; there
a.long-legged stork rises from among the
feeding cattle and solitary farmhouse
lifting its high black top above thicket of
willows is the only sign Of human activity
70 break the monotonous scene.
The draw-boat (treksohuit) has not many
passengers, and the tow rope lazily Says in
the PUSHES. The horse ON the tow-path joys
along leisurely; the short, square-set, stolid
fellow who rides him sits sidewise, woman
fashion, pipe in mouth, white painted shoes
dangling. But now We passed barge like
our own, round-shouldered skipper at the
tiller, peasant woman and young girl
drawing.
A fellow voyager unfolds her lunch from
handkerchief. The little round white
She takes scissors. from her pocket and
clips from one and then another the fms
and the tail. Then she removes the skins,
small black dog Watching anxiously for
each waste particle. '.Als Il belieft,
sss Offering you p ss..s Of sss a.
most transparent Dutch dainties. I
blush for having shown so plainly my curl
osity. She has bread with her and bottle
Of beer. I take her to be a Frieslander
her temples and shines with the CLEAN
Of silver-Rilt through the meshes of the lace
cap that covers it. Above each ear projects
a large spiral ornament of gold. AS We
drift through the hazy October sunshine
compare the great twists mentally with the
IF nod Mt kho 20
scmblance. She wears a short dark blue
skirt and black apron. She has shoulder
shawl in black and purple, folded across
her bosom. She belongs very evidently,
in spite of her headdress to the peasantry.
and to its well-to-do section. remember
hearing that ornaments of considerable
cost are still handed down among the more
primitive country people from mother to
daughter as heirlooms. Vaguely I resolve
when the lotus eating spell Of canal; boat life
In few spots east of Russia, outside of the
Black Forest and especially Of Holland, are
the picturesque peasants' costumes still
worn simply and without self conscious
cosmopolitan. The Italian peasant looks at
life from the models standpoint, and the
Swiss has an eye to tourists and the profits
TO be made from them. just as the Scotch
Highlander covers his knees with trousers
unless he happens to be looking for employ
ment as guide or sees some way in which,
with the autumn visitors, kits may advant-
age him, 30 the pension-keeper at Lauter-
brunnen, or even in the remoter Alpine
valleys, is clothed much like the wife of
out the winter, but when the SHOWS melt
and dollars won in Chicago pork or Nevada
silver loom up in immediate and glorious
perspective, then she brings out cheerily
her black velvet laced bodice and her
snowy-white chemisette with it's stiffly
starched wing sleeves. From their hidden
recesses she fetches silver chains to clasp IN
front and behind, dangling under each arm.
Then she takes her lace cushions or her bob
bins and sits in the doorway Of her chalet
maid and Philadelphia matron say 'Behold
here is local COLOR" and the pension is
filled.
There are few Swiss villages 80 destitute of
enterprise as not to include the studio of q
photographer who supplies "gratuitement"
can or Englishwoman can have herself pic
tured. SO violent is the craze when it seizes
a Bostonian that several parties of usually
correct and conventional young women from
the Hub have been making all their noun
tain ascents this summer Glad in the garb
of Cantons valais and Uri. Miss schreiner,
too. who was reigning belle Of McAllis
terville last winter, was seen on
the Right at sunset one day in
September leaning on an alpenstock
duu WOdIluX uu0 ur6SB OF CA0GOu Lu1s
But if Swiss costume is taking the char
acter OF a stage property" it is different
in the Schwarzwald. Among the fragrant
pine woods of the Black Forest few of the
younger women wear the dress Of their
foremothers. but the middle-aged and
elderly DANES to whom it has still . dignity
almost pathetic, in view of its approaching
disappearance, put on their black petticoats.
their short WASTED green bodices and their
broad brimmed etraw hats adorned with
black and red rosettes or their quaint black
holidays or whom they 90 to funeral. It
% their best and to them has como no
thought OF disloyalty.
wonder can any philosopher answer me
Why, since women are reputed the creatures
with every season, the old costumes survive
in 30 many instances with them, while the
corresponding dress of the men has entirely
disappeared. One still sees now and then
wasser or in some Of the Black Forest vii
lages, but in German Lorraine, whore even
In Strassburg and Metz tho market women
have not abandoned their tapping head
dresses Of broad black ribbons, there 10
nothing to distinguish their husbands and
brothers from Frenchmen and Britons.
So it is in Holland. In the northern
provinces, outside of the cities, women of the
seventeenth century walk by the canal sides
with men Of the year Of our Lord 1880.
Even CQ13 1HuV Oh Qualutu608 OlO GuluHB
are passing away. At The Hague last week
I rummaRed in vain to find q child's book
with pictures Of Dutch boys and girls. The
roly-poly little Netherlanders learn their
nonsense verses oat of picture books illus
trated with figures of small Parisians. Yet
the little Netherlanders themselves arc
much more interesting. II was ON the |
island of Aarken in the Zuiderzee that I
asked one day for brood On kaas' dread
and cheese) at the door Of q fisherman's
cottage. In the shining little kitchen .
woman was hushing child of three or four
years.
TX sei or tot Jaap,
X sei er tot JAap.
y sci er tot JaApie 'sta still!'
I'm waarOm won il stille gtan2
II heb van me leven geen kwaad gedaaa.
IL sci or tot Jaapje; sta still'"
So she sang. and the little figure in q |
gray skirt that covered its little fest lay
still - Jaapje, so admonished. A funnel
pap Of white lawn covered the daxen head, |
coming down over tho forehead and the |
earA From each side escaped in front ono |
long odd looking curl, the rest Of her hair |
blowing short behind. The child wore = |
lowered red toiies and beside il on the |
1oor lay two wooden shoss. The mothsr's |
1ress vas like il, except in color, to |
The smallest detail Her cap vas !
starched stifay and projected b. |
hind, Her skirt vas black and over har rad |