Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-15

health. lie runs around as he pleascs,
plays IN the dust Of the road. paddles in
the water or waits until father comes In
with the sardine boat and then rOmps
among the nets and sails.
You mas be sure that his mother after
her days work In the field or on the docks
with the fishing boats IL not going to
bother about his dirty face or soiled hands
He doesn't have to sneak off TO bed Tor
fear she will call out Now, Jean, did you
wash your face? Just look at your feet,
and you were going to bed In that oondi-
toni" His bed is like a clothes press, close
ND against the wall. with a carving on the
front, a hole to let in the air, and q cruel
fix, and he crawls in with the other little
ones and closes the door with never a
thought II his face Is clean or not.
And then, Just think Of all the child lore
and child stories that have come from
Brittany. II he wants to he may play In
the very castle where cruel GILES de Retz,
whom every French boy and girl believes
Is the real Blue Beard, killed his wives and
did many other wicked things. He can
Chamber over the ruins and into the very
dungeon where the monster imprisoned his
victims but, OF course, he would not wish to
20 there at night, for old Gilles's ghost
haunts the ruins, looking for little boys
and girls who would pry into secret places.
He has, too, such great rocks and stones
to play upon, dolmens and lines of menhirs
Of whose origin even antiquarians know
nothing and which FIJI all the grownups
with 30 much awe. There are wonderful
stories told by the old g~randmothers OF al
most every one Of these mysterious relics
OF a forgotten people, II you only know
the right stone to go to you can get al
- -. Ia =. T---s NAaN q that fho
elders say.
II, when father comes home the next
morning after being out all night, and says
that one of these big stones opened and a
giant held him prisoner until daylight and
mother believes him should she not also
believe a little boy whose hair is wet and
his shirt on wrong side front when he says
that a sea nymph grabbed him by the foot
and dragged him in swimming7 And Breton
mothers often do believe both OF these
stories, the fathers and the boys.
The dwarfs that build these menhirs
dance about them on starry nights and
sing a song which runs Monday, Tues
day., wednesday, Thursday, Friday"
but Just what was going to take place on
all these days no little boy or girl ever
found out, since the song must always
COME 10 an " dANCh EAiNoJI NA $3.50
day and Sunday are holy days in Brittany
and must not be named by pagan dwarfs,
The devil, the Loup Guilliu, hides in
lonely woodland paths and chants vespers
80 drearily that any child passing yawns
himself to death-e clever trick Of the
devil. Lonely pools are haunted by kor-
rigans, the wraiths of heather princess
who refused Christianity, and however,
merrily they may be- dancing they have
got to scurry at the sound of a church
bell.
King Arthur and his knights, some
people say, had their adventures in this
part of the world; but the good priest
said that this is a mooted question.
But" he added very seriously as II 70
not deprive Breton childhood of any OF
it's legends, 'thc towers Of Lancelot's
castle, or Joyous Cards, is still to be seen.
as we'll as the islet Of rocks where Tristan
hid from his wicked stepmother, and the
forest Of Broceliands. where Merlin even
to this day lies bound in enchantment.
THE peasants cali the constellation OF
the Dipper Arthur's Chariot. His knights
stii fit through the passes Of the Mon.
tagnes Noires and some day they will
|. come back under Arthur's own leader.
ship to rescue the Bretons from the hated
French rule. His bride sleeps in the Isle
Of the Golden Apples OF the coast. guarded
by lines OF spouting reefs and watched
by the spirits Of Breton maids In cap and
Golf.
The stories OF the pardons, which form
such an important part Of his parents life
he learns with all their mysticism and sym
bolism. He is carried as q babe in arm
to his first pardon, and as soon as he car
walk tramps happily along In the strang,
PROFESSIONS with his playfellows. Next q
the pardons come the great family re
unions. The child goes to the first of thes
as to the pardons. a babe in arms. and ther
he continues going until perhaps he is tn
last Of his generation.
The Breton family reunions seem to ex
press as well as anything the love o
Bretons for large families, and the NOR
; children that attend them the merrier tn
occasion. Not long ago a birthday part
. was celebrated in one of the FinIstere VII
lagos in which 100 direct descendants o
n the woman in whose honor It was give,
a we're present. Almost all OF these descend
ants lived in the same nelghborhood an
|. they made up about a third OF the popula
: ton Of one village. The people early In If
= have a strong family feeling and a Low
r for home.
o the couples that were married q yea
ago last winter in this old church, forty
seven 1 think was the number, all hay
Il homes Of their own, poor even though the
a may be. and 1 may add that not one
q childless; besides In two homes there wer
e twins and in one triplets.
n in face Of this 1 don't see that III
q scheme Of the learned gentleman of Par
TO give a bonus of 800 francs for a seeon
" chld and OF 1000 francs for a third and I
on to help France on to the desired 1,OOO,O
"a additional population yearly had any appl
"a cation to this western province. We Nigh
d though, get a good full share Of II