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

a MHNEa1h OE ASOIESI
spots. Seaside resorts are the same the
world over. with their dressing. dane
ing, flirting, gambling, stuffing and
snoozing. ~
But in the interior, away from tht.
circle of the fashionable migrants, be
gins the genuine life of old Brittany
Bretagne, as the French say. And the
province really did get its name from
| Britain. As far back as the third Ger,
fury certainly, probably much earlier
than that, painted, half naked Britons
sailed from their soggy isle and settled
In sunny western France. They took
with them their weird superstitions
and awful religious rites. Here in Brit.
tany to this day are the menhirs and
dolmens of that prehistoric folk among
whom savage Druid priests made hsi.
man sacrifice. Here in Brittany arc
still the circles of upright rough stones
inclosing the fiat affairs on which the
victims blood was spilled The menhir.
meaning in the Celtic tongue ''long
stone" IL a great upright rough stonh
slab. These stones are found in Britain.
sometimes solitary, again In groups
They are believed TO be monuments
Later than the time of the Druid PEG
pie. SO late as the fifth century, was
another British migration to western
France. The barbarian Saxons had In
vaded and oyerrun Britain. and tht
aristocratic old families of the island
would not stand for the rule of Hen
gist and Horsa. so they fled hither and
called the region Brittany. and thus il
stands among English speaking neo
pies to this day. i
There was yet another revolution for
the land. 1t came with the Norman
conquest of the British isles. Filled
with pride, stuffed with the spoils of
Saxon and Saracen, knights who had
shared In the crusades filled northern I
and western France with their castles
and estates. The church gave them its
blessing and shared their spoils, for |
were not these won from infidel Turks:
Norman knights erected strong AMI I
magnificent castles; churcbmen erect
ed cathedral seats and houses of wor-
ship the most splendid. Feudalism and
ecclesiasticism were alike in their Clio
ry. There remain In Brittany notable
traces of this thriving union of church
and state. There are old Norman fen.
dial castles still in Brittany, one, the
Chateau de la Hunadaye being one OF
the finest in Europe As for the old
of Brittany recent English
writer says truly: Its ecclesiastical
architecture. such as the eathedrals of
Quimper. Guingamp and st. Pol de
Leon, are all evidences of past glory
wealth and artistic power which have
now with passing centuries degener,
ated."
Americans, however, do not share
he British propensity for running all
,yer creation after old churches. No Fl
ioubt they are artistic. but your live
american In foreign land cares ten
lines more for the people of today III
hat land than for forty old castles.
That daily life which is most different
rom his own interests him most on Il !
Quincy For this reason a trip in the
Interior of Brittany would suit him to
Z.
The climate at this season is delight. /
ul. Violent winds and storms at nil /
lines Of the year mostly come from the !
vest on the coast of western Europe. /
ut the shores Of Brittany are protect. e
q from these by great cliffs high as ,
Ills. Here and there, embraced nearly Fl
y around by these great cliffs, lies 4 i
eautiful little bay or cove. In such d 4 t
owe are kept the boats Of the fisher i
len OF brittany The sardine fisheries i
ccupy q large number Of the men of 4 t
ne province. The bold and dangerous 4
osst, the high winds and frequent 4 !
terms exercise all the strength and