Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-13
IN SPREEWALO.
Old Fashioned Town With An
Gent Customs and Speech.
A Visit to Church in Burg and Inter.
esting People Seen.
The German Frau OF Isolated Towns and Me-
Toilsome Life
Spreewald. September A.

II you want To See SprttWdId. as ii
IS the most distinctively unusual spot
in Germany. its winding twisting
river making it seem Il veritable Dutch
Venice. the women wearing the same
costumes and all speaking the old dia-
l-ct Of their ancestors hundreds Of
years ago, don't fail to make the trip
on Sunday"
ON that day only" continued our
capable adviser, "can you see the peo-
pie all together, and gain some idea OF
their ways"
The drawback 10 an ail-day "trip IS
early rising, but checrily up rose the
sun, and sleepily up rose we, everything
depending on that first train which is
the only one insuring Burg" in time
for church at eleven.
The bare recollection of our expert
ence in literally catching" that train
with our four hands. still makes our
head swim. ana our breath fail. Of
course we allowed ample time" that
Is a feminine prculidrity--an over-wean-
ing confidence in time-but when we
reached the station there was sus-
picious stiffness about the place which
BODIED trouble
Tor some ineXplicabl" reason Euro
pean stations abound IN endless Wind
ing stairs with no guiding hand to
tell whence they come or whittier they
go 4 voice did shout after stairs"
but which VAS lost. our only alterna-
tive was t1 Try them all. Rrrathl-ssly
We tumbIed down ana stumbled up
fight after up, till spent ana painting,
We finally clutched the compartment
door of the moving coaches and were
dragged within by friendly hands.
Now We put not our trust in sun nor
time. but SIT III an night NJ meet our
train.
You viii surely get Us there before
the service ends" We questioned the
grim old driver tyoung ones being an
unknown quantity in Spree wald). a.
we clambered TO our places in the
wagonette which met us. after what
seemed an endless three hours cam
ride We received our answer in most
practical form. FOR though the horse
looked as If it would be a physical i'm
possibility to funl his masters con
tract il was instantly made manifest
they were both on business bent Like
modern Gilpins We clattered through
the villages. the people tearing 10 the
doors TO see us vanish in the distance
We tried to hail the passing coach To
secure return places, but before our
lips could frame a word. Bones" had
put half a mile between US. We had
gimpses Of fields and gardens, female
figures in queer costumes. then with
the semblance Of smile which seemed
TO say We've kept our word. our
driver drew rein before the church in
Burg.
We found the building kept impos-
ing. its interior decorations novel, if
not OF strictly ecclesiastical charac-
ter Three slender arches. placed at
intervals down the main aisle, wer"
closely twined with fringed pink and
white tissue paper. many paper roses.
and hanging tinsel The gallery was
occupied entirely by the men, while
the hundreds Of women looking like
ghosts in their stiffly starched white
head -gear. a combination OF AlSatlan
bow and cape bonnet, filled the sentIre
floor While We We're standing late
conner sat down near the door. united
her handkerchief, and dressed her
feet in snowy stockings and black
shoes. then entered in all the glory Of
the most brilliant and varied attire. \
vivid grass green short skirt with
a band of scarlet around the bottom,
short sleeved. low-neCked black velvet
bodice from which protruded skinny
arms. the color OF tanned leather. ana
over her shoulders a gorgeous, many
hued wooden square. the whole
1asa 4 HI a
pie apron. But all these rainbo"
tints are as nothing in COM
harrison with the fulness OF the skirts.
which is the one essential 70 the spree
valid feminine's idea Of proper style.
Petticoat after pettico2t l. worn. each
full breadth gathered and puckered to
the requisite balloon effect. one Such
figure would be memorable, but null
tiplied by three hundred. no two OF
the gowns alike. an animated kaleida-
scope is imprinted on the mind. the.
10 us. wholly unintelligible Wendish
service completed. they all filed out.
standing about in groups, evidently
expecting us all to take notice. one
German frau allowed her curiosity To
utterly vanquish her politeness. Walk
ing up to one woman whose barrel
like proportions far exceeded her COM
panion's. she punched and poked the
fitting skirts finally crying out tn
umphantly. ITS lined with crinoline,
| knew il was"
Such weather beaten women as they
are. They seem 10 leap from child
hood TO middle age. Youth and it
comeliness goes quickly under the
hard unremitting toll. Between
Burg and Lubbenan trom which
latter place the night tram
carried us back to Berlin) lies the
main interest Of the trip-to see these
strange people. who have kept intact
their language and their customs IN
the very midst of a changing. growing,
mighty nation Is in itself impressive.
AT times different rulers have endeaV-
ored TO make them into the regulation
tyne but so far unsucCeSSfulty. Stll.
constant intercourse with the outside
world must show results. and before
many generations have passed. their
striking differences and pecularities
will inevitably disappear
Burg Is an unpretentious little place.
with but two central points OF interest,
the church and the Gasthaus, on the
bank Of the Spree. where the many
a a a CT Xraif