The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-06-14

skill of the Breton fishermen. Bred
thus to contend with wind and wave
on their own rock bound shores, Bre,
ton men take first rank as sailors when
they ship to go away from home.
| But on shore these fine seamen are
| apt to leave most of the hard work tc
their women. Indeed the little isle OF
| Batz, on the coast Of Brittany, might be
called the womens island. The men
are mostly away at the sardine fisher
les, 50 it happens that the women dc
all the agricultural work and even tend
the lighthouse. But Brittany is not the
only region where the men are lazy and
the women Industrious.
Looking at. the inhabitants of Bre-
tagne, one Is convinced they at least
are an exception to the charge that the
French nation Is degenerating physic-
ally. This may be true of the under
sized men Of Paris and of those parts
Of France usually represented among
the common soldiers Of the army. 1t IL
not true of Bretagne. Some Of the an
cient Celtic blood yet runs pure here.
, The men Of the Breton race are tall
strong and healthy. the women equally
tall and strong in their way, with hand
some faces and free stepping, noble
bearing that, peasants though they are
invests them with queenly air.
Breton women and girls sometimes
go to Paris as serving maids and the
can secure one Of them. they are 50
faithful and industrious and not given
to CAB. At home in Brittany the WON
ems dress is the same as it was centu-
ries 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 will
skimp and save for years to buy a Sun
day and holiday gown. tits richly EN-
broidered and is so costly that even in
America working girl would not in
cur so much expense, $50 to 500, but II
lasts the Breton maid perhaps the resi-
of her life If she does not live too long
1t Is 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 o.
eleven gored skirt Happy Breto;,
maid!
In Brittany it is as if an enchanter
had put spell upon the land COO
years ago and the mode of life. the
and customs. the very though:
Of the race. had stood still ever since
The language itself of this fine people
Is not French. Many of the grown up
among them do not even understand |
French, though the children do, for |
now it Is the language taught in tn |
schools. But the native tongue of the |
Breton folk is modification of the |
'peech of the ancient Celts, from whom |
most of the people here are descended /
Their language is very like Welsh and |
he tongue of old Cornwall, showing
common origin for them all.
A long time ago. heaven knows how I
ong, the Breton people got bad name
n iCSpCSl ~ anu STUCK,
10 bad names do. Proverbs were bnilt
lpon this alleged aversion to soap and
vater on the part Of the inhabitants of
Brittany. and they were of this sort
Ninety mine pigs and one Breton make
hundred Bretons." Again: people of
over Brittany and pigs sleep together
would not have believed pigs were So
irty." It is only fair to say that this
barge of dirtiness SO gross is a libe'
n Bretons. They are as clean as the
verage of people-just about. At any
ate. the women's caps and cooking
tensils are clean. l.
The high days of Breton people are
hurch festivals and other occasions of i.
eligious observances Bretons are II
eeply religious folk, like all seafaring
eople who take their lives in their
ands and venture forth upon the wa
RS. One of the most impressive serv-
es of all the year is when the fisher