Norwich bulletin., 1915-05-13
WHAT BULGARIA OWES
TO STURDY WoNEANHooD-
Girls of That Country Contrasted With
Those of Other Balkan States.
Gspectal to The Bulletin.)

Those of Other Balkan States.
Especial to The Bulletin)
Washington. D. c.. May 12.-How
much of the strength of Bulgaria,
| whose steady progress during the iast
forty years of troubled existence has
compelled the admiration of onlook-
fling nations, is owing to this nation s
sturdy womanhood, is explained Tor
the National Geographic Society by
Hester Donaldson Jenkins, an Amer
lean educator in the Balkans, in a
monograph upon bulgaria and ats
Women" Contrasting the bulgarian
girls with the other girls of the bal
kans, Miss Jenkins says:
Among the Oriental girls with
whom lived in my nine years resi-
dence in the Near East, none interested
me more than the Bulgarians. They
are perhaps the least Oriental or the
eight or more nationa1fties to be found
in the Constantinople College, Of which
I was a professor. They are 1a1rer
and brighter in coloring than the
Armenians, Greeks or Perslans, rather
taller and larger on an average, and
have far more energy and less languor
than the Turk"
The Bulgarian girls, the writer con-
ttnues, distinguished themselves from
the others by a certain wholesome out
-of-door quality, a sanity which mark
ed them sharply from the fanciful
S0nL1In3nLa1, ana WEAKER S441S
of some of the other nationalities.
Their greater sturdiness was some
times expressed boisterously, and Miss
Jenkins found, the Bulgarian hoyden
was much more common than the
Turkish hoyden. OF the Bulgar girls
physician lovelines, she says:
bulgarian girls incline to round
ness of contour and figure, many of
them having round, full face, ripe, rosy
mouths and dimples. This effect is
heightened by the fashion of wearing
the hair in braids wound about the
head. One sees plenty of dark hair in
Bulgaria, but one also looks with pleas
ure on werm brown tints, chestnut
treSSes, and occasionally auburn heads.
One of the most beautiful girls I ever
saw was a Bulgarian, with q glorious
mass of copper colored waves, clear
pale skin, handsomely set gray eyes, a
delicate mouth, and small white teeth,
and the height and carriage of prin-
cess.
THE bright cheek that so many Of
the Bulgarians have are a pleasant
change from the dark or pale skins
of the Armenians and Greeks. Their
eyes are generally less large and lang
uorous than Oriental eyes, looking you
squarely in the face. with more frank
ness and less education"
Miss Jenkins gives the following
samples of the names of her Bulgarian
pupils: Nadezda, Nadelka, Xarafinka,
Blagoya, Vesselina, Zdravka. The last
names all end in off for the men and
'ova' for the women, meaning son of
or daughter Of. Thus Magthalena Pc
trova is Magdalen, daughter of Peter;
while Stoke Petrom is Stoke, son of
Peter. However, now last names are
coming to remain permanent in fam
lily.
Bulgarian girls are bright dressers.
The village holiday brings out Won
derful array of gaudy costumes,
straight and awkward in line, but
brilliant in color and decoration, the
writer tells. The women's big waists
are usually emphasized by huge sill
Der buckles. When, however, a girl is
young and pretty, her abundant curly
hair, into which is braided bright
threads or ribbons, with often a flower
in her ear, her bright color heightened
by the gay embroideries, and her slen-
der figure, which the straightness of
her dress cannot spoil, make her an
attractive vision. The pleasures of
the girls, Miss Jenkins describes:
"a girl in Bulgarian village is not
without her amusements. AS in the
Bible times all the water for a village
must be drawn from one or two wells
or springs, and these watering places
or fountains are the scene of much So
liability. Hither come all the youths
and maidens of the village to Ioiter
There is coQuetting and counting about
the fountain and home gatherings in
the evenings. Marriages spring from
mutual attraction and choice, rather
than the arrangement of families, as
do the Armenian and Turkish alli-
ances.
There are husking bees and quilting
bees where the young people meet, but
the most popular form of social enter
tainment is the sedanka. Here as
semble the young men and women of
the village and adjoining farms, group
ed about an open fire, singing solos
and choruses. The Bulgarian folk
dances are danced in a row or circle,
the leader generally waving a bright
handkerchief and turning and twisting
about his line of followers, like a nIWf
game Of snap the whip" 1t suggests
health and Astounding spirits and good
fellowship, without the sensuality that
so often marks the Oriental.
Occasionally the sedanka ends in a
dramatic fashion. Some brawny fell
aSs1duouly will seize her in his arms
and carry her to his home. The next
day this marriage by capture is given
legal and religious sanction by the
blessing of the Orthodox priest I once
asked Zarafinka what would happen if
two men wanted the same girl She
replied simply: The stronger would
get herr
The Bulgarian girls are bright and
make eager use of educational advan-
tages, Miss Jenkins says. The col
ege-trained Bulgar maidens become
veritable centers of progress in the
towns and villages throughout their
country, instilling the hunger for
knowledge that, in turn, is to lead Bull
garia to a great future.