The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-26
GOSSIP OF PARTS OF EUROPE
NOW IN THE PUBLIC EYE

secular as well as ecclesiastical matters.
and 1t ciings to the old style as 1t would
to some article OF faith. The date dim
Guilty. the problem Of ascertaininB
whether the local football match Is to-
morrow or fortnight later. or II an
important appointment is for to-day or
thirteen days hence, never leaves the
stranger except by taking a train for the
West of Europe. Old style and new
style both have their ardent supporters,
who are ever ready TO defend their re-
spective theories, and when paying a
visit it is just as well to inquire before
hand II you are yenturing into the camp
Of old stylists or new stylists. 'f'
At first sight the RoumRnian language
locks to be some exasperating compound
OF Esperanto Volapuck and reformed
spelling. 1t appears to the Western ear
as though II were a printers IL OF
French and Italian, and that In TINS way
had been fashioned the Vocabulary OF the
Roumanian language. But, despite GER
tain uncouthness, the Latin origin OF the
tongue, and therefore its relationship to
the Indo-European mother language, can
not be denied. It peeps through from
beneath a coating OF Roumanlan varnish.
Any schoolboy familiar with Latin would
translate "Vin alb" (singular) or ''Vinuri
abe" (pluraD without much difficulty.
Take the average Franch or italian
substantive. transpose the final vowel.
add a consonant at the end. for pref
erence IL" and you have good Rou-
manian nouns with the definite article
included. For example. programme, tsat-
Tul. nventatorus, restaurantul, and
| careful. Garaj, for garage. looks
rather Inelegant while coafOr for Golf
feur. bulevard for boulevard. antre-
prenor for entrepreneur seem to imply
want of respect for the French Ian
guage. No one need fear tussle with
a restaurant menu written in Rou-
manian "Rosbif englez," 'Supe," "Om-
let" "Ramster," "Biftec." "Salada''
are all there in simple linguistic attire,
| ready to voice their claims.
Still, the Rcumanian language, what
ever hypercritical foreigners may think
| of fits seeming eccentricities, has en-
riched the literature OF Europe, thanks
principally to the divine spark OF Car
men sylvia, poetess AID queen. BY rea-
soD OF her great service to letters, no
less than by her benevolence, her prac-
| teal sympathy for the poor and the
socially disinherited, she sits securely
| enthroned in the hearts OF her people.
1t is something Of an aphorism to hear
those who lay any claim to culture say
that they have two countrfes-France
| and their own. But Queen Elizabeth is
more fortunate. She declares that she has
three countries-the Germany Of her
| birth, the RoumanIa of her adoption, and
that France, whose brilliant and i'm
pulsive people she loves so we'll, and TO
| whose history and literature she Is pas
| sionately attached.
The Royal Palace is in the heart OF
Bucharest, near the intersection OF the
Bulevard Elizabeth, with the bust Calea
| Vlctroiei. During the day the palace
gates stand wide open. guarded by q SOL
itary policeman, for all may enter the
palace Enclosure without Formally. The
holiday making peasants, bringing with
them punches OF freshly-gathered uow
ers file into the palace courtyard, and
reverentIy deposit their floral offerings
at the door OF the queens apartment,
as II II were some holy shrine. Then
they file out again. What a simple, yet
touching. tribute to womanly valOr.
This may be said to be the golden age
of Roumanian literature. Alexandra Via
hutza, George Cosbuc, OCtavian COCA,
and c. Sadoveanu are lterau whose
names and works are rightly dear TO
| Roumanian hearts. Another author. C.
Dobrogeanu Gherea. the Bernard Shaw"
of Roumania, in his recently published
book, "Neoiobagia," deals with the agra
| rian question. and voices the claims OF
the landless. And last, but not least, the
opera lie Cobzar." now being played
in Paris, which faithfully portrays GER
tain phases OF Roumanian life and senti-
ment, is from the pen of Helene Vaca-
| resco, a gifted countrywOman Of Carmen
Sylvia. FLANEUR.
Copyright, 1917, BY Court Gossip syndicabe-l