Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-04-21

the valley of the Arva, at the western base |
OF the Tatra mountains; and or this noun
tain-shadowed, forest-fringed, cliff-hting
and cascade-tremulons highway | trnmped
with cartmen and packmen, soldiers and
pilgrims, beggars and gipsies to the Tatra
mountains to know their strange and un-
known peasantry.
Il am thus. explicit regarding the
thoroughfares of Galicia, because without
this, those who travel with me can hardly
know Gall folk and their ways. Their
roads furii the outward seeming of their
lives and al IRIS. Upon these roads every
form of traffic, threading to and from a
score. of countries and sharply defined
peoples, is seen. From them every varia-
ton in outdoor daily life, aspect of quaint
husbandry, ceremonial between classes,
and hint and tint of popularity and color
in national fact ana feeling, comes close
and clear to the traveller upon his legs
And have nowhere else in Europe seen
such variety and wealth of roadside
shrines.
should think that in the two or three
thousand miles of the great stone roads Of
Galicia huge wooden or stone crucifix, or
tiny brick or stone shrine might be
found on the average at the distance of
every half an English mile. Most of the
crucitixes are Of wood hewn out of beech
or oaken logs. Whether of wood or stone,
as If from some great burden, every one
leans, and this very leaning lends
strangely suggestive sadness and loneliness
to the landscape.
They are most frequent in districts
nearest the Carpathians which form the
Hungarian boundary. The Ruthenian
peasants being of Russian stock are all
Greek Catholics, and the Polish Galicians
are without exception Roman Catholics.
They are equally pious, and you can never
pass crucitix or shrine without witnessing
group OF both in rapt devotion, many of
whom are groveiing PROSTATE upon the
earth before the sacred reminders of
Calvary. At Whitsuntide one will see
crowds of these simple and pious deyotees
crawling upon all tours. while trailing
huge wooden crosses from their neclis and
shoulders. around every roadside shrine
i'll all Galicin
AT the little inn where | larry in Cra-
COW made the acquaintance of youth
OF 20 who had tired of Tatras peasant life
and had come 10 the great city TO seek his
fortune as n kelner or seryitor.
He had led the dogs life Of the city inn
long enough to pine for his old mountain
home with an unutterable longing. I
bought his freedom of his landlord master
for so marks, and thus secured the most
devoted guide traveller ever known to the
shepherd hut homes of the wild and
almost untrayersed Tatra mountains.
These comprise q western spur of the
Carpathian range where the latter, between
Galicia and Hungary, are broken by The
great pdAloIaliiic valley OF ArNu, ana reap
pear beyond, i'll lesser ranges such as the
Liptau and Neutra mountains and the
little Garpathian range. The entire region
reminds one strkingly of the wilder and
grander portions of the English Lake dis
trict where the lordly Helvellyn rears his
craggy, mist-crowned crest above the
shadowy vale of st. John; only that the
elevations are vastly higher; the glens and
valleys more dark and shadowy; the cas-.
cades more impressive and sublime; and
the forests more deep, vast and impenetra-
BILE to all save those who know their secret
ways; while the splendid olden sturdy I'm
brian peasantry OF English Wcstmoreland
and Cumberland, who are both shepherds
and agriculturists. have here their con.
gcners in purely shepherd peasautry
whose lives and ways have been changeless
for more than q thousand years
We went by rail to the little village oil
Jordanow, and crossed a northern spur al
the Tara, thus coming directly into til,
valley of the Arva and the great highway
from Cracow to Buda-Pesth. Along thi,
road we tramped for day in company
with every manner of picturesque fellow
traveller, lodged at Arva Varallya and thu
next morning set our faces towards thu
east and the great Tatra heights.
The glories Of this mountain journe,
were unrivalled. Wild, rugged, grant
nature, unchanged from creation by tn,
hand of man, was mine for complete Ell
Joyment. This, too, was entrancingll
varied by occasional simultaneous views 3
marvellous character. Our way lie,
mainly along the southern or Hungarian
slopes. But now and then my guide
Ludwig, who seemed to move Straight a
the flight of mountain bird to his OWL
eerie brought me to the very peaks of TIL
dividing heights.
To the north the country sloped acros
Galicla along the great Polish plain int
Russian Poland. Winter still held all thi
land of and fnta1irla IN cfo ,
grasp. Only in Galicia, and especially Il
some of the sheltered southern valleys be
side the Carpathians were the green's am
gladness OF spring beginning 20 be mani
fest. 10 the south, another cline; in
deed another world. Hungary land q
wine and dance and song, encircled By it
mighty wreath of mountains and, visbl
as far as Buda-P esth, lay spread before on
gaze disk of throbbing green and bloom
That night we came to Ludvigs people
The reunion was touching and joyful. IL
tween 200 and 800 souls comprised this on
mountain side band, Perhaps there ar
100000 folk of the same sort in the 'ratr
range. They are all shepherds principal
goatherds, and the number OF animal
thew care for must reach millions. Fn
about four months of the winter they re
tire to such towns as Niedzwiec, Iablonkf
Neumarkt, Thurdorin, Dunaiec Mdgurf
Repisko and Kriwan-although many i,
main in their huts upon the mountain
tpfplltiuS ny WOoucfait IN trapping an
Sharing birds-so filling up and overcrowt
ing the villages that they become white
cities.
They call themselves Podhalians. The
language is II mixture or dialect OF tn
ancient Magyar and the tiermanic tongue
Their food is simply oats, either b0ilc
into thick porridge or made into Il Till
bread of oatmeal and salt, baked betor
the Goals like the Scotch hammock goa
milk whey, the wild mountain fruits an
such small game as they can secure in 4
mountain forests. They neither have n,
wish any other. Unlike the Galicin
peasant who is a slave to brandy, and 4
hungarian peasant, who loves and ca
secure good and cheap wine. they drink n
bouor OF any sort whatever, and are hul
III frame, handsome In face and physiQni
robust and powerful, and live to an extr
ordinary old age.
The band which visited was a fair @,
ample of them all. II had just come mo
tine southern slopes of the mountains frol
the valleys with its herds but its men
bers bad already built mountain villas
OF 80 hnts These were of tree limbs bal
and leaves large and cOmfOrtable but u
opening to the south. All the band, il
Guiding women, were dressed iii the vi
tanned skins of the goat with hoods All
sandals of the same material. They ,
not remain long in these sylvan huts bu
as the summer advances leave theI
never to return to the same structures Il
the higher grazing lands, where ne
ton. Each band really comprises OF
immense family, patriarcial in syster
and, Us nearly as could judge To i gre
extent communal in regard To their lit
ganings. By nature they are full of SEN
nent, and are rude poets and artists Of