The Portland daily press., 1900-10-13
Like Dutch Venice With It's Wind
ing River.
People Dress AS They
Did 100 Years Ago.
Descrip tiOn Of Most Unusual
Spot in Germany.
SnreaMald. Saptember 4.

Spreewald, September 4.
"If you want to see Spreewald. as 1t IS
the most distinctively unusual spnt IN
Germany, it's winding. twisting river
making it seem q veritable Dutch Ven
ice, the women wearing the same cos
TUNES and all speaking the old dialect OF
their ancestors hundreds of years ago,
don t fail to make the trip on Sunday"
On that day only, continued our capa-
BILE adviser, g can you see the people all
together, and gain some idea of their
ways
The drawback to an allday trip is early
rising, but cneerily up rose the sun, and
sIeepily up rose we, everything depend
ing on that first train, which is the only
one insuring Burg in time for church
at eleven.
The bare recollection Of our experience
in literally Catching that train with
our four hands, still makes our head
swim, and our breath fail. OF course we
allowed "ample time that is feminine
peculiarity-an overweening confidence
in time-but when we reached the station
thers was a suspicious stiffness about the
place which DOQeQ trouble.
For some inexplicable reason European
stations abound in endless winding stairs
with no guiding hand to tell whence they
come OF whittier they go. A voice did
shout after stairs but which was
lost. Our only alternative was to try
them all. Breathlessly we tumbled down
and stumbled up flight after flight, till,
-, ,,1
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 up all
night to meet our train.
You Will surely get US there before
th5 service e1ds?'' we questioned the grim
old driver young ones being an unknown
quantity in Sprsewald), as we olambered
to our places in the wagonette which met
us, after what seemed an endless three
hours car ride. We received our answer
in most practical form, for though the
horse looked as If 1t would be physical
impossibiIity to fulfil his master con-
tract, it was Instantly made manifest
they were both on business bent. Like
modern GiIDins we clattsred through the
villages, the people tearing to 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 be-
tween US. We had glimpses of 1elds and
gardens, female figures in queer cos
tunes, then with the ssnblanoe of a
smile which seemed to say ''Weve kept
our word, our driver drew rein before
the church in Burg.
We found the building quite imposing,
its interior decorations novel, if not of a
strictly ecclesiastical character. Three
slender arches, placed at intervals down
the main aisle, were 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 look
ing like ghosts In their stiff1y starched
whits head-gear, a combination of Alsa-
tian bow and cape bonnet, filed the en- |
tire floor. While we were standing a 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 bril-
liant and varied attire. A vivid grass
green short skirt. with band OF scarlet
around the bottom, a short sleeved, low
necked black velvet bodice, from which
protruded skinny arms, the color OF
tanned leather and over her shoulders a !
gorgeous, many-hued woolen square, the
whole completed BY long, full purple |
apron But all these rainbow tints are
as nothing In comparison with the fuIness
O. tie skirts, which Is the one essential
to the Spreewald feminine idea of
p 'oper syle. Petticoat after petticoat is
worn, each full breadth gathered and
puakered to the requisite balloon effect.