The Tucson citizen., 1902-09-22


the drop curtain Of stage. Every
thing is minute, compact painted,
spotless and clean. In the houses of
Brock for cleaning purposes you willY
find big broofns, little brooms, tooth
brushes, aqua fortis, whiting for the
window panes, rouge for the forks and
spoons, coal dust for the copper, emery
for the iron utensils, brick powder for |
the floors and e@en small splinters Of |
wood with which to pick out the tiny
bits of straw in the cracks between the |
bricks. Here are some of the rules of |
this wonderful town:
Citizens must leave their shoes at the
door when entering house.
Before or after sunset no one is allowed |
to smoke excepting with pipe having a |
cover, so that the ashes will not be scat
tered upon the street.
Any one crossing the village on horse !
back must get out Of the saddle and lead
the horse.
4 cuspidor shall be kept by the front
door of each house, where it may be ac-
cessible from the window.
It is forbidden to cross the village in
carriage or to drive animals through the
streets
In addition to these established rules
it is the custom for every citizen who
| sees leaf or d bit of straw blown be-
fore his house by the wind to pick 1t
up and throw it into the canal. The
people go 500 PAGES out of the village
to dust their shoes. Dozens of boys
| are paid to blow the dust from be-
tween the bricks in the streets four
times an hour. In certain houses the
guests are carried over the threshold
so as not to soil the pavements. At
one time the mania for cleaning in
Brock reached such point that the
housewives of the village neglected
even their religious duties for scrub
bing and washing. The village pastor,
after trying every sort of persuasion.
preached a long sermon, In which he
declared that every Dutchwoman WHO
had faithfully fulfilled her duties to-
ward God in this world would find in
the next a house packed full of furni-
| ture and stored with the most various
and precious articles Of use and orna-
ment, which, not being distracted by
other occupations, she would be able
to brush. wash and polish for all eteF.
nifty. The promise of this sublime
recompense and the thought Of this
extreme happiness filed the women
with such feryor and piety that for
|, months thereafter the pastor had no
cause for complaint
Around every house in Brock are
buckets, benches. rakes, <hoes and
stakes, all colored red, blue. white or
yellow. The brilliancy and variety OF
colors and the cleanliness. brightness
and miniature. comp of the place are
wonderful At~the windows there are
I embroidered curtains, with rose col
ored ribbons. The blades, bands and
+, nails Of the gayly painted windmills
shine like silver. The houses are
brightly vanished and surrounded
with red and white ratings and fences
t The panes of glass in the windows are
a bordered by many lines Of different
e hues. The trunks Of all the trees are
r painted gray from root to branch
Across the streams are many little
wooden bridges, each painted as white
as snow. The cutters are OrnamenteC
9 with q sort of wooden festoon, per
forated like lace. The pointed ia
J. cades are surmounted with small
e weathercock, q little lance or some
D thing resembling a bunch of flowers
Nearly every house has two doors
one in front and one behind, the las
for everyday entrance and exit ant
3 the former opened only on great occa
Z sions, such as biAths, deaths and mar
- riages.
e The gardens are as peculiar as III
% houses The paths are hardly wild
ID enough to walk in. One could pu
le his arm around the 6owerbeds. Th
u dainty arbors would barely hold tw
1t persons sitting close together. The Iii
D. tie myrtle hedges would scarcely reac
II to the knees Of Il fouryear old chile
IS Between the arbors and the foWe
ls beds run little canals which seem mad
n to float paper boats. They are crosse
by miniature wooden bridges, wit
colored pillars and parapets. Ther
are ponds the size of bath. wbic
n, are almost concealed by lilliputia
10 boats tied with red cords 10 blu
e. stakes, tiny staircases and mjniatuT
OF kitchen gardens. Everything could /
y, measured with the hand, crossed at
ct leap, demolished by blow. Nor
ay over, there are trees cut in the shaI
IS of fans, plumes and disks, with the
n, trunks colored white and blue.
W; every step one discovers a new effec
ne q fresh combination of hues, nov
to caprice, some new absurdty.
y The rooms are very tiny and reseL
III BILE so many bazaars. There are pore
lain figures on the cupboard. Chine
cups and sugar bowls on and nnd
We the tables. plates fastened on II
We walls clocks ostrich eggs, shell
vases, plates. glasses, placed in ever
al corner and concealed in every moo
Il -