The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-12
QUAINT OLD DUTCH PEOPLE.
Curious Manners and Customs Among
Early settlers Of pennsylvania.


From the Washington Star.
Many interesting things respecting the
Pennsylvania Dutch have been raked I'D
and put together by the bureau of ethnol-
ogy. In reality they are not Dutch at all.
but Germans, who came over from Rhenish
Bavaria mostly, being invited by Queen
Anne for purposes of colonization. They
arrived by way OF England and II
CHANGED that large part Of them settle in
the neighborhoods Of Philadelphia, Chester,
Allentown and other places which are at
present centers of a population supplied by
their descendantJ During their early DAYS
in America many of them lived under very
primitive conditions, often lodging in
the forests aud caves, and even in
hollow trees. Later on small houses
with Two rooms, the windows being merely
square openings with sliding boards on the
inslde for shutters Furniture of all kinds
was homemade, and every description Of
garment was manufactured by the women.
Squirrel skin mOccasinS were considered a
luxury and young girls whe1 they went to
church on Sunday in order to make them
last as long as possible walked barefoot
until within sight of the building before
putting them or Nearly every farmer
raised lax and hemp for the consumption
OF his own family. Dyes were proiu ced from
tae bark Of trees and from plants From
the loose skins of old onions a light yellow
was obtained. As a substitute for alum
urine was employed, and chs was carefully
poured iato large vessels until enough had
accumulated for the ilSsnded Dutp So
SOME ORIGINAL CUSTOMS.
Among these primitive people many very
original and surprising customs existed.
none OF which were more curious than
those which related to the process of court
ing. No young man was considered a de-
slrable beau unless he owned horse and
buggy, SO as to be able to take his sweet
heart to church and to local gatherings on
holidays. Saturday evening was thought
the proper time for making love, though tho
delightful pastiine was apt to extend over
the whole of Sunday. Inasmuch as the dis
lance Travelled by the lover was often TOO
great for him 70 return home the same
night, the matter was frequently compro-
missed by his remaining over until the next
day, 30 as to be at the service Of his inamo-
rata for the Sabbath. Owing TO the fact
that room was scanty. it was customary for
him on such occasions to inn0cantlv share
her couch No thought of improperly was
connected with this, a1d the same fashion
IS said to prevail even to the present day in
remote localities, being known as "buu-
ding"
THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
The marriage ceremony was usually per-
formed at the clergyman's residence, aud 1T
was he who furnished the refreshments. All
household linen and bedding were supplied
by the bride, the husband providing the
house. Care was taken never to carry an
Old broom into new house, lest bad luck
follow; the broom must be new, and it was
necessary tbat it should first be conveyed
across a meadow. At wedding feasts and
on other occasions of festivity it was cus~
tom lry to dance for fax" the notion beV
ing that the higher the kicking the higher
would be the hosts crop of that staple at
the next harvest. In parts of Germany n
bride puts fax in her shoes that she NAV
never come to want, or ties a string of fax
around her left leg tor happiness in
the married state. 1t was usual for the
wife to devote much attention from,
spring until autumn to the gathering of
herbs, barks aud roots supposed to possess
medicinal properties. Garden seeds were
also selected for the next years planting.
and the packages and bags Of these CONF
modities, suspended from the rafters.
formed quite an interesting collection
W hatever was purchased at the country
stores was paid for with butter and eggs.
II the housewife found difficulty In her
butter making the spell" was believed Ia
be the work Of witch, every locality boast.
Ing tie possession Of some such necromancer
IN pet6coats. The remedy was to plunge n
red-hot poker into the contents of the
churn. 1t was among these peaceful and
vrtuous folk that "huskiug partiesn were
hrst IN vogue, the custom being that the
hnder of red ear could kiss any girl pres.
ent. If girl found such an ear and wished
TO AVOID being kissed she would hide IL
quickly, though, il discovered. the firss
young man to reach her was entitled to the
oScuistory privilege
LONG TIME BABIES.
Among these old-time "Dutchn children
were permitted to nurse ct the mothers
breast for surprisingly long period. One
instance familiar to DR.. ". J. Hoffman,
who compiled this information, was that OF
a boy OF years OF age, who daily earned
this privilege 10y splitting the amount of
Ending wood necessary for the family use
They believed that Nightmares. mIght he
caught IL the person afflicted were sufficiently
active and ingenious. A hostler employed bv
DR.. Hoifman's father secured one in a bottle
and destroyed it by burning. He believed
1t to have been the spirit OF a black car
which was under the control of a hostile
witch. Will-o'~the-wisps vera Rhostlv do
mons which haunted marshy ground Of
damp woods, and numerous narrow esceDas
from them have been recorded. There lie
record OF widow who, obtaining no ra.
Spouse from peddler upon whom she had
determined to bestow her affections. scrane6
her knee until she had secured a sliohi
quantity OF the cuticle, bakeS il in a cake
and sent 10 to him, with conadsace that il