Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-10-02

AA
like the Servian men and ]
think should like the servian wo-
men II they would stand still and
be talked to. The real servian
country lady wears red or yellow
FOR blue shawl about her head, a
waist of some equally as modest
color. skirt which comes to above
where her shoe tops would be If she
wore shoes, with a slit up the side
that reveals gaily embroidered white
consider this costume an especially
pleasing one, bnt 1t Is one the Serb
goods; and reveals a plenty. Her
feet are bare when at home but she
has leather shoes and embroidered
stockings when she comes to town
to see the soldiers.
The Servian woman is In demand
for she is worker. When young
man marries he takes the girl to
his family's farm where he has con-
structed a two-room cottage. They
work for his father and mother but
have an actual legal interest in the
property, making the family own
! ership ! have spoken of. If Serv-
ian has five sons, and he generally
does, they all marry and come to
their own little houses on the home
place. The women work in the
fields and are given all the rights
that men have along that line but
not the right to vote at the cleo
tions. Also If a man has company
the woman is not expected to show
Iup, except to wait on the table. This
has been fighting country for so
many generations that the sex which
goes to battle also has the best seats
at home. When the fighting age
is passed in Servia and the talking
age has come, then man will go
back and sit down where he belongs.
The men folks of the family
meet every evening in the large
parental house to discuss the af.
fairs of the country, while the wo-
men are given embroidery work to
do. Women have not had much OPP
portunity for education but that is
coming in Servia, and before long
the good old customs will probably
be given a vigorous twist.
OF course the customs of the
country are changing. Here in Bel
grade there are many Servians who
wear the same clothes that are worn
in Paris and Hutchinson. The COM
Portable and attractive fez cap is
being replaced by the derby and the
silk tile. The gaily colored skirt
of the peasant girl is giving way in
the city to the stove pipe model
now used in the west.
When the people here speak of
''the vest they mean Germany,
France and England. The Servians
are modelling after the civilization
of this west. They have not chang
ed their calendar and when it is the
26th of August according to our
calendar it is the 18th of August by
theirs. A Roman Catholic pope
fixed our calendar and the Greek
Catholic will have none of it. They
never had leap year. Perhaps
leap year with its incidental ad-
vantages is not needed in Servfa. A
girl here does not take a doWry but
Is considered a prize to be paid for.
Marriages are not made for love
but because the man needs help. 1t
is no trick at all for a woman to get
married If she is stout and healthy,
and in fact she will be snapped up
first and ahead OF pretty girl by
the wise Servian father who selects
the help-mate for his son. On al
little farm there is NO use for ma
chinery and NO call for hired hands.
The family does all the work and
does not have to strain its hacks
very much in the doing. Where the
wants are little the supplying oil
them is not difficult. The Servian
gents have time for war and the
women for embroidery. All are
happy and comfortable and do not
worry about pure food laws and I'm
dividual drinking cups. They never
have appendicitis or operations and
they live more contentedly and
longer than many who do.
w. Y. MORGAN. i