The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-03-19
PRIMITIVE SWISS
They Live In a Queen Valley, Have
Four or Five Houses Apiece and
Keep Going From One to Another
All Year-Hard Natural Conditions
Overcome

All Year-Hard Natural Conditions
Overcome.
The most primitive and peculiar
people in the western part of Europe
may perhaps be found in a little
Swiss valley leading steeply down
from the glacier of the Dent Blanche
to the Rhone River. 1t is known as
the Vel d'Anniviers. 1t is only thirteen
miles long and it's character is indi-
Gated by the fact that in the distance
it rises $500 feet.
One fact distinguishes the 1900
peasants living there from all other
inhabitants of the Swiss Alps. Ev-
cry man, woman and child accom-.
panies the herds and focks wherever
there is land to till, hay to cut or
grazing for the live stock, and each
group is as empty of population as a
last years birds nest whenever there
is work to be done in some other
part of the valley. At any season of
the year entire families may be seen
either ascending or descending with
their herds and household utensils as
though they were quitting the country
forever.
AT the head of each little caravan
is a mule carrying the father of the
family. The mother and the chill
dren follow on foot and behind them
come the cattle, goats, sheep and
pigs, driven by an old woman.
This is the way they divide the
year along thirteen miles of the val
ley: In December and January the
peasants and their live stock are
grouped in the lower pastures. In
February they are living in their viii
lagos where the largest amount or
hay is stored.
Down the valley they travel In
March TO attend to their VINEYARDS
near the Rhone and in April they are
back in their villages planting the
fields and gardens. In May and
part of June all are gathered at the
lower pastures.
From June nearly to October the
peasants are separated into two
groups, one of them tending the live
stock at the various Alpine pastures
and the other dividing their time be-.
tween their vineyards in the Rhone
valley and the cultivation and har-
Vesting of their crops around their
mountain villages. Everybody goes
down to the Rhone in October and a
part Of November to harvest the
grapes and make wine, and then back
they go to the lower pastures again
The geographical conditions fully
account for the habits of the Ami
Wards and the multiplicity of their
dwelling places. Their manner of life
simply responds to their ecoromfc
necessities.
They are increasing in number and
must utilize every acre of their cul-
tivated hay and grazing lands. The
productive elements of the soil would
soon be exhausted if the land were
not richly fertilized, and so they must
needs remove their live stock from
place to place at frequent intervals.
They prefer TO have homes where
ever their labors require them to re-
main few weeks. Thus each family
has four or five dwelling places. and
to one or another of them they are
continually removing their modest
household equipment.
The villages proper are the largest
agglomerations of houses and the
only settlements in which they build
small churches with steeples rising
above the other structures. Around
the villages are nearly all the tillable
areas that the valley affords, and ev-
cry square foot is made to yield all
the grain and vegetables it will pro
duce.
At each Of the stations outside of
the villages proper each family has
a house, barn, with stable under
it, a granary and a cellar. AS the
family moves from one home to an
other it takes comfort in the fact
that it will there find hay for the
beasts, grain to be crushed into
coarse flour, and wine, the product
of the vineyards. There are timber
and stone in abundance and the
primitive buildings are erected at lit
tie or no expense.
The Anniviards do not mingle with
other people, their homes are closed
to outside influences. they import
nothing, they live in isolation, dis
trust everything new and are closely
attached Ia the lives their fathers
led before them. Sufficient unto them
selves, they buy scarcely anything ex-
cepting raw cotton. Their lands sup
ply them with bread, fruit and wine.
they build their houses, make their
own furniture. spin yarn. weave the
cloth that they turn into clothing and
provide their own footgear from the
aides OF their cattle. In summer the
women participate IN all the labors