Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-06-13
,om mlih pnnalng centurles degener.

| now win passNle
ated" 49,. .hac,
| me british propensity for running all
| cver creatlon after old churches, NJ
| doubt they are artistic, but your i've
| American in a foreign land cares ~
| Zines more for the people of today ID
! tbot land than for 40 old castles That
| dnuv NE which Is most different from
| HE own interests him most ON a jour
| nov For this reason q trip IN the
| interior OF Brittany would SUIT nm 10
a r. ,.,,..,.
The climate at this season is delight,
| f1i Violent winds and storms az all
times OF the year mostly come from the
west ON the coast Of western Europe,
| hut the shores Of Brittany are protect
| ed from these by great cliffs high az
hills. Here and there embraced nearly
ali around by these great Gins, Hes
| beautiful little bay or cove IN sueh Il
cove are kept the boats Of the Usher
| men OF BrItteny. The sardlne fisheries
| Occupy a large number OF the men OF
| the proylnce. The bold and dangerous
| coast the high winds and frequent
storms exercise all the strength ana
skim OF the Breton fishermen. Bred
thus 10 contend with wind and wave
on their own rock bound shores, Bfe-
ton men take first rank as sailors wheu
they ship to 20 away from home
But on shore these ME eeanlen are
ant TO leave most of the hard work TO
their women. Indeed the little isle OF
Batz. on the coast Of Brittany might be
called the woman's island. The men
are mostly away at the sardine fisher
les. so 4 happens that the women DO
all the agricultural work ana even tend
the lighthouse But Brittany rs not the
chi yregi0n where the men are lazy ana
the women Industrious.
Looking at the inhabitants OF Bre-
tdgne, one Is convinced they az least
are an exception 10 the charge tnat the
French nation is degenerating physlc-
ally This may be true of the UNDER
sized men of Paris and OF thos parts
o. France usually represented among
the common soldiers Of the army. IL IL
not true OF Bretagne Some of the an
cient Celtic blood yet runs pure here.
The men OF the Breton race are tail
strong and healthy, the women equally
tail and strong In their way, with hand
some faces and a free stepping, noble
bearing that. peasants though they are,
invests them with a queenly air
Breton women and girls sometimes
20 10 Paris as serving maids. and the
lady considers herself fortunate who
car secure one of them, they are so
faithful and Industrious and not given
to CAB. At home in Brittany the wo-
mons dress is the same as 1t was CEN
turtles ago. with It's snowy white cap
and full, short skirt The Breton maiden
Is characterized by one curious piece Of
extravaganza which In the long run Is
after all not an extravaganza, for Bre-
ton fashions do not change. a girl VIII
sklmp and save for years to buy Sun
day aud holiday gown. IL Is richly em-
broidered and is so costly that even IN
America a working girl would not In
cur go much expense $50 TO 500 but II
lasts the Breton maid perhaps the rest
of her life II she does not live too long.
1t Ia cut the same style for each gener-
alton. and the large, handsome Breton
girl never has TO crack her brain over
whether she would have three gored,
FIVE gored. seven gored, nine gored or
eleven gored skirt Happy Breton
maid
In Brittany It Is as II an enchanter
had put spell upon the land 500 years
ago and the mode OF life, the man
nors and customs, the very thought
OF the race had stood still ever since.
Tho language itself Of this fine people
is not French. Many of the grown ups
among them do not even understand
French, though the children do. for
now it is the language taught in the
SCHOOLS. But the native tongue OF the
Breton folk IL a modification OF the
speech Of the ancient Celts, from whom
most OF the people here are descended.
Their language Is very like Welsh and
the tongue Of old Cornwall, showing a
common origin for them all.
A long time ago heaven knows how
long the Breton people got a bad name
In respect TO cleanliness, and II stuck,
as bad names do. Proverbs were built
uTon this alleged aversion to soap and
wqter on the part OF the inhabitants Of
Brittany, and they were of this sort
"Ninety-nine pigs and one Breton make
a hundred Bretons." Again: People Of
lower Brittany and pigs sleep together.
| would not have believed pigs were so
dirty" IL Is only fair to say that this
charge OF dirtness so gross is a libel
on Bretons. They are as clean AS the
average of people-just about. AZ any
rate, the women's caps and cooking
utensils are clean.
The high days OF Breton people are
church festivals and other occasions Of
religious observanCes. Bretons are a
deeply religious folk, like all seafaring
people who take their lives In their
hands and venture forth upon the
waters. one Of the most impressive
services OF all the year Is when the
fishermen depart on their voyage to
Iceland. 10 that far away spot they
sail 10 fish, likewise 90 Newfoundland,
where France still reserves plscatorial
right But the ceremonies attending
the initiation Of the Iceland voyage are
nest solemn and impressive OF ALL for
scarce fleet goes out OF the Breton
harbor that returns with all its ships
and men. So when they leave there are
great goings on and music and prayer
I'm the beautiful old churches and a gall
liant procession down TO the fishing ves-
sells. There the priest passes from ship
10 ship blessing each and invoking safe
" aud success for the bold mariners
Bretons are both social and religious.
on high fete days they dress In their
best and go TO church. nfterward en-
tertaining themselves socially. The wo-
men wear their snowy caps and em-
broldered gowns; the men are trlcked
out In velvet hats and black cloth suits.
with colored waistcoats One Of the
most beautiful cathedrals IN Brittany
Is that Of st. Pol de Leon Awhile ago
the people conferred on the cathedral
the honorary title OF basllica, and the
Bretons were so glad that they assem-.
hled to the number OF $4,000 10 celebrate
nIflra Valffrfgue md "a FaHItfsal