Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-26

the lowly of European countries | have
never come upon any rustic folk the interior
OF whose habitatioDs were such shining e1-
amples OF homelv com tort and resttuiness.
There are o. course exceptions. Now and
then you will find settlements like Waten-
dlath, hid among the fells between Borrow
dale and Thirlmere, where may be seen all
the sodden squalor occasionally met among
the Scottish westcoast crofters and IN tine
Irish westcoast fishing villages. Ther
houses are dark and dirty, the floors uneven,
the furniture crazy, the men clad in ragged
fustian and the women In coarse wool ana
wooden clogs. These are sheep herdsrs
under later sort of feudalism.
Sold by Their Fathers.
In every such case the history is that their
fathers before them sold their little estates
to the encroaching landgrabbers, and their
children are consequently to- day In pre-
cisely the wretched serfdom wrought by
lordlordisu in the Scottish Highlands and
in Ireland. But with the habitations oi
Statesmen" the interiors are charming.
The floors are usually of the same huge
states as those covering the roof. They are
scrubbed and cleaned until they shine like
dusky mirrors. Frequently you will find
them, particularly near the door and fire.
place, decorated with white, ochre and ver-
million chalk in figures and scrollwork en-
bodying strange fancies in rustic art. The
living room, or "6rehouse" as il is called, is
always very large for cottage, often from
Is to % feet square, low, but with the rich
est of old aud polished beams in the CELL
ing. Indeed, old oak may be found In pro-
fusion.
The long, solid table, with benches at the
side where the Statesman" his family and
ants civ hor of alss
SETTLE" or two-yard long seat, at one side of
the fireplace, and the "sconce," or bench, on
the other, under which the nights fuel,
called can elden," is placed; the chairs,
huge and high, and requiring a strong arm
to move them; the high, narrow, sprawling-
legged bureaus; the many iron or brass
bound chests; the beds, huge and strong
enough to hold giants, for these Cumbrians
are often tremendous In stature-are all OF
oak, curiouslv carved and often wondrously
polished. All this is sometimes varied by
pieces of mahogany almost as unique as can
be found among the peasant homes of Brit
tany. From this large, clean "fre-house.
or living room, there are in all directions
inviting vistas through wide, low doors and
cosy stone "leantos," perhaps each built in
a different century, to tiny-paned windows,
splayed like turret-wiudows, white with
inner curtains, and in summer, ablaze with
outer bud and blossom.
Some Oddities in Dialect.
The dialect of the district which can
only touch upon, is very curious, and con-
tains many pure Celtic, Morse, old English
and foreign words. The afix "ment" is in
constant use, providing added quantity or
emphasis. "Dirtment" thus becomes a COL
lection of dirt, and ''shamement" increased
contempt in the expression of shame. A
III Il ! L
crooked is CANNED" ''Sad" is heavy,
and a "sad-cake" is one made without
rising" and is all its name implies. A
road is "wad;" and a young pig, instead
of boy, is called an "urchin." A "had-
derry" DAY is drizzling day. A dancing
night is ''tansy;" no doubt from the Ger
man tanZ One whose actions make him a
byword is "bvsen," and a short thick-set
man is ''botchy.', ITO few" is to fare, or
to arrange. "Dalp' is the expletive form of
1.-The DevIlP' but "donnet' is the devil
himself, or one no better than the devil.
When one is over-tired from labor he is
"thewed." To "sauuter" is not to strag-
gle or daily, but to mediate; and if you are
"boggart-owned" you are destined or fated
to be given over to some evil spirit. Bad,
lettering boys are "Driving-sneevils;" that
is, of no more account than if driving snails;
and a Door "bandylan" is an unfortunate
lass "banned from the land" or driven
from home fellowship. ga cope" is a
jockey dealing in worthless horses; "bag-
gin" is food, and the "sInging hinny" is a
hot cake baked for tea. Arriving at ones
house is landing hoame." A "scrowmolly
o. eggs" is dish of scrambled eggs. If you
accidentally overheard your peasant host
speaking of you to his wife as terrible"
or fearful sonsy mon," 1t would only mean
=. h,,f s hoe H.
"bonny pistol" you could understand your
self to be regarded as an arrant knave.
Customs of the Communities.
Village and home lite are very simple
and uneventIul. Each little community is
sufficient unto itself because of the uu-
broken custom of never "hiving off," The
younger shoots of the family grow up be-
side the old. Entire valleys are found
peopled bv Statesmen" of the same family
and name, pronounced requirement, physi-
cal peculiarly, or location of habitation,
such as Jock the Russer" (wrestler),
'Padish-tnop (porridge-tub) Ben." or
''Dick O. th' Rigg," providing ample dis
tinction. Courtship is carried on in prim-
modern delicacy, but all manner OF matings
remain firm and true. Marriages provide
extraordinary festivals, and, after the least,
num5erless useful offerings from friends are
made TO the bride vino receives them sitting
in state.
The dead are watched" from decease to
burial, and funerals furnish subdued diver.
sions with heroic feasts. Candlemas, Curl
ing Sunday when friends pelt each other
with peas, Good Friday, "Powsowdy-nieht,"
Christmas time and all christenings are
boisterously celebrated. Leaping, wrest-
ling and running are the principal emuse-
ments of the, youths and men, who excel
those of othet English provincial districts;
while the ancient custom of rush h-bearing,"
which will be described in iuture article,
is still here in vogue. The severely pious
European peasantry seem to be e1traordi-
narily superstitious, and the Cumbrians ere
no exception. Every crag, dale or lake has
its respective demon; while the universal
spook is the boyle"
EnGAR i. w AKEMAN