Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-10-01
OLD POLISH CAPITAL
CORRESPONDENT WRITES OF THE
CHARMS OF cRAcoW.
City Has Many Beauties, and Its Citi-
zens Are Refined and Gentle
Scenes in the Market Held in
the Great Square.

Is it not true that cities, like houses,
reflect the characters of their inhabi-
tants? Somebody said that Berlin has
the air of rich, well-fed woman who
is dressed by the most expensive mod
istes and has everything that money
can buy but never the unpurchasable
quality of charm. Now, Cracow is her
opposite; she is like lady Of ancient
but unhappy race conscious but un-
complaining of her great sorrows; she
is fascinating, distinguished. simple.
Cracow, small as it is, is the heart of
Poland. and in Po1and's days of free
dom, long ago, was its capital.
But the object of this little article
is not to relate the tragic history of
Poland, but Just to give brief
sketch of the simple life in beautiful
Cracow, before the war began.
In the middle of the town is the
great square where stands the splen-
did church of Our Lady. There is
a covered market, where the stalls
are mostly kept by Jews, but in the
open are the peasants from the coun-
try with their milk and cheese, vege-
tables and poultry The peasant
women wear gay-colcred clothes and
carry huge burdens on their backs
a dozen milk cans, bundle of brush
wood, a bu-hel of bread baked in
great loaves nearly two yards long.
In their high clumsy boots they tramp
sturdily along, quite able and willing
to do a mans work in the world as
we'll as to bear woman's burden.
A lady who visited Cracow shortly
| before the outbreak of the war was
greatly impressed by the burdens
borne by people of little higher rank
than the peasant These burdens
were mostly geese-white, long
necked, squawking geese. Every 9TH
er man, woman and child seemed to
be carrying a goose. Sometimes they
were carried under the arm of the
purchaser Often under each arm
sometimes in carpet bag with long
neck protruding and the bright eyes
eagerly searching the passers-by as
though enjoying the novel ride. Some
times a basket contained as many as
three geese and sometimes they were
slung unceremoniously over the shoul
der of the owner, their legs tied to
gether and their necks eraned up tc
prevent rush of blood to the head
Now and then a stout lady would pass
with a goose in the ample bosom o
her dress or coat. only the head O
the fowl showing under her chin. Ths
geese were generally treated witt
consideration and respect, children
stopping to caress their snaky necks
It was hard to believe that these pet
were destined for the pot on the NOR
row. To be sure there were othel
things for sale besides geese; rolls o
golden butter and leaves of chess
folded together in way that you nev
er see outside Poland.
In another part of the great squar'
is the vegetable market, with it
green and purple eabbages, cauli
flowers and Brussels sprouts; satisfy
onions, and dried mushrooms on loni
strings worn like necklace over tn
necks of the vendors.
! But on goose market day in Crs
COW the center of the stage belong
to the goose. A few abashed hen
were offered for sale or a lonesom
turkey, but they seemed to feel the
had no right there, and were ready t
J hide their heads.
In the center of the square sat tn
public weigher with his scales.
an old lady felt that she had bee
given short weight for half poun
tof butter she brought it to him t
weigh, and he even took hand i
the disputes about the size and qua
ity of the geese.
The people that you see in tn
streets of Cracow are beautiful to loo
upon. They do not look rich, bu
they know how to wear worn clothe
: with a kind of natural elegance The
their faces are expressive, clean CT
and fine; they know how to walk an
!. how to stand, they are not rude, br
gentle. What is to be the destiny {
these clever, refined, unfortunat
Poles age do not yet know.--Exchang,
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