Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-29
HAD A GRAND FEST
Legends Of Wurtenburg Enact
ed Upon a Stage.
DER SUABENFEST A SUCCESS
Fearless and True arc the Saubians and
TheY Celebrate the Susbenfest
With Great Beat.

'sFurehtoss aud Treu'' Fearless
and True, the herAldic device Of tne
kingdom OF Wnrtenburg adorned the
buildings Al the North park fair
grounds yesterday, and the German
population aud rs friends were out N
full force 10 celebrate der suaben-
fest" The interior Of the prosalc fair
grounds presented an enlyened spec
neal Hundreds were surging around
the booths trying to get a plate filled
with sauer kraut, speck, oloodwerst,
switzercase, hmberger and other deli
lcac.es relIshed by the average German.
Then too. hundreds more were surglng
around tue lmproyIsed bars, each try
ing 10 head otf ms neighbOr IN the
effort 10 trade of the little red ticket
Tor u large glass or the German beyer-
age.
Men Herr and ms sons, clad IN genu-
me cOstumesOi anclentW urteuberg were
trying TO accommodate the multitude,
and handsome frauleins showing their
dainty ankles under their abbreviated
skirts of many colOrs and the oldest
little caps imaginable perched on top OF
their heads were, from their positions be-
hlnd the booths, smiling alike on the
just ana the unjust, and ali the while
using their dimpled hands TO rake in
the good coin. But for some reason OF
other the fTauleins seemed TO be scarce
and some Of the hght-naIred German
boys had been thrust rudely into skirts,
the management OF which they knew
or Ia 4 a h..l
ing their fraus and fraulelns IN Their
efforts 10 gather 10 the ducats for the
Sehauben Nerein.
Celebrated ReligiousIy.
In the old country the suabenfest OF
Constant Nolksfest, is celebrated almost
reLgiously, and In Wurtemberg be
meath the shadows of the SchWarzwald
the day has been celebrated for cen.
turies, anu its celebration is u historic
event.
Ii legends are to be believed, the
suabenfest grew from local episode
which was plain almost to quaint
ness. 1t grew out of the test of the
honesty OF n poor shepherd, by q
knight and The subsequent learning 10y
the employer that the employed wa:
abso utely honest. The legend that j:
still told by German parents to theil
! Youngsters Is that in the Olden time
the count of Markgroeningen thought
that the numbers of his tlOcks wai
/ being lessened by the dishonesty of {
! shepherd, and for the purpose of test
ing his honesty. disguised himself as
| shepherd and preached, to the objec
OF his dlstrust, the proposition tina
they dispose of certain number O.
sheep and divide the profits. There
upon the wight who was ION TO hi
I job" spat upon his calloused hands anC
/ proceeded to give the pseudo driver {
/ chastlslng, and the knight was theI
and there satisfied with the honesty
and ability of the shepherd.
In these legendary times acknowl
edgments of duty well performed wer,
| Oftlmes made IN different manner thar
that of the present day, and from thu
date of the proving of the honesty o
the shepherd. the count decreed tina
| the latest ram and best sheep shoulC
be given 10 the herr or frauline who a
an annual exhibition would run thu
! fastest, and in celebration of this even
! the COnstatt NOlksfest modernized anC
/ revised, was celebrated at Comstocl
park yesterday This is the story 0
"FurchtlOs and Treu." Saubians al
| over the different countries where thes
simple yet thrifty and honest person
have settled, yesterday celebrated tn
fest.