Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-10-13

moning him to arms. Even now the
melody has a haunting sound that
seems to speak of martial deeds. mo
wonder the sound of the alpenhorn
was forbidden during the days when
the Swiss served as mercenaries to
France and Italy and other countries"
says writer. Its sound would
cause hundreds of otherwise faithful
soldiers to desert for their Alps. And
the songs with which Alpine herders
call their companions from hill to hill
and from csag to crag are of the same
nature"
There is a very practical relation
slip between good singing and good
dairying, and this was proved at a
farmers congress at Interlaken, where
in milking contest three days long,
the same COWS, milked in songless
silence, yielded zoe quarts of milk;
MIXED by maids with fair voices, shey
yielded 220 quarts; MIXED by maids
with the finest voices they yielded 240
quarts. This proof of fact that had
long been suspected at once set a pre-
MUM on the milkmaids who could
sing we'll They that could rot sing
well began Immediately to study vo-
callzatlon, and hence Switzerland has
many good singing milkmaids. Milk
ing time in the mountain is easily
| known by the tourist on account of
the enormous volume of song that
then scars UP. silent milking is a
crime, and the dairymaid who milks
! in silence is certain to lose her DO.
sltlon. Swiss maids who apply for
places in dairies are examined as
strictly in singing as in milking and
butter-making. But dairying is only
one of the Swiss peasants occupa.
TONS
All over the sides of the mountains
are seen the pretty chalets, with their
patches of cultivated ground, and
every peasant seems to own some
land, even though it may be not more
IMAM few square feet, but it is diyid-
ed Off into little plats for the different
vegetables like pieces in crazy quilt
In the valleys are the orchards and
pasture land. The mountain farms are
steep and rocky and cannot be plowed
but are dug up with spades and hoes
py women and girls. The women also
occasionally cut the grass on the al.
most perpendicular mountain stones.
| bind 1t into bundles and carry # To
the barns on their backs.
| There is scarcely anything so mic.
turesque as Swiss haymaker with
curiously pointed hat his loose blouse
OF dark hue and his knee breecLes, as
ne moves about with his rake over his
shoulder. That self-same swain
swinging his broad-bladed. straight.
handled scythe, while with swish.
swash he mows the grass laid before
MN, makes another graceful figure
me round. rosy cheeks and the simnla
costume OF basque, full short skirt
and bright head-dress Of the buxom
maldens who rake after him render
the picture complete.
The costumes of these still ,dvll;o
peasants are as picturesque as nature
Tbs f'sf1ase peasant girls costume !. /.
beautiful, with It's snow-white shirt.
sleeves rolled up to the shoulder OF.
posing to view a plump. sunburnt arm
me lie Of the people. active and in.
tensely human, is filed up with manv
iestlve occasions, full Of ceremonia,
traaiuons. In these they exhibit their
national customs and costumes and
tne most interesting Of them concern.
analls nearest the heart Betrothal.
marriage, christening. as well a. the
]! ]! many Ioik affairs, furnish socc alone M,
, s..sI ne festive dence Ii gleeYulIy
| INDUCED .. Many hard days x e,ru.
y ended ~ such 1 festiva -..s .-, -
~ tnen u y that the soul a. m
~ = ~Fousht forth IL his tius,y 81,