Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-21
R0UMAN|AN PEASANTS
Hold Tremendously to Native Co.'S
tune but Speak French.
work ArduousIy During the summer
nut Have No Employment During
winter and spend All Their
savings

a vivid picture of the Roumanian
peasantry, whose country has been
urawn into the destructive vortex of the
European war after many months OF
VaciIlation. is presented in a commrnica-
ton to the National Geographic society
IRON James Howard Gore The society
issues part Of Mr. Cores article as
war geography bulletin which SAYS.
"A Roumanian village looks its best
! IN the spring, when nature, AWAKENED
from the sleep Of winter, is green and
fresh. At Easter the cottages have been
| White-washed and the doors AMI win
dow frames freshly painted in bright
colors. The matched roof has been put
In order, and in its entirety the cottage
calls to mind the back-eyed girls. with
their glistening strings of multi .colored
beads around their necks.
The Roumanian peasant women one
meets by the roadside are the fairest
among their Balkan neighbors, AID this
natural gift is most apparent under con
ditions best calculated for it's pr .eerva-
ton. The dress is varied and elaborate
The foundation is sort Of shift reach
ing TO the ankle, the upper part en-
! broidered with colored cotton, usually
red or black. over this is a pet:icoat,
which, in its material and detail re-
Fleets the taste and buying power If the
Wearer. ON her head the peasant voman
wears a scarf of cotton tissue with silk
STRIPES II her means permit. and - gala
occasions puts ON brighter kcrChicf
ornamented with n fringe or .Cw OF
| spanSleS. Both men and women seem
partlai to having their heads covered
| even in the house; but it is not regarded
| proper to eat without removing the hat
I'm no part Of Europe do the peasants
| hold so tenaciously to their distinctive
| costume as in the uplands Of Roumania
. 1t is. in fact, almost an asset In ma
tionalism, and its unifying influence was
! emphasized some years ago by late
! DowaEer Queen, widely known rs Car
men sylvia when she herself put - the
| native dress.
While wheat is the greatest OF this
/ agricultural country the soil is equally
! adapted to corn tmaize) and would he
I called upon for greater crops If the de
mand should Justify it. The ease with
which corn can be converted int sub
Stantial food tempts the people to give
! II is prepared for consumption. Palcnta.
sort Of mush, can be made of corn
meal and water and if time or mercy
be lacking. 1t will be placed on the table
insufficiently cooked Although many
greater part of the pellagra so common
| in Roumania, IT is difficult to persuade
the peasant to exercise greater care In
| "a Of
for it some of the many palatable dishes
! that can be made from corn.
Cooking, unfortunately is not cult
! waited as it should be, and the reople
seem to be content with simple fare ana
a samencss that yields but little TO the
seasons. Gardening is looked upon as
petty farming and not worthy of sHe at
tenton of man who calls him self II
farmer; in fact, so few Roumanans have
/ gardens that they are called 'bulgarii,
since the greater part of the vcgcta bles
grown are in the hands of immigrant
( Bulgarians. The soil and climate OF the
, country are adapted to as wide n range
as can be found in our Middle Atlantic
states, however.
"fhe climate Of Roumania is rot 50
mild as might be expected from tNs low
latitude of the land. it being the same
as that of northern italy. Cominc I'M
/ der the Influence Of the Mediterranean
on the west and mountains to the north
and east the kingdom is subject to the
extremes of subtropical summer and
a winter Of the Hungarian plains 'Rou-
mania. says Carmen sylvia. has only
three seasons and of these one alone
autumn-is fine; in these parts there is
| no spring
"Thc Eoumanian is not n tradesman,
and his main interest lies in fa,ning.
I Even the selling of the surplus grain
usually takes place at his farm :. the
I itlncrant buyers for he seems to be wary
b Of the town merchant, and rarely trus $
himself to the wilcs of the city. except
on the occasions Of the annual fan
'The higher classes in Roumaria- the
descendants of the Royars, the landed
| aristoCracY and the rich citizens use in
general the French language in their
daily intercourse, rescrving the Rou-
manian tongue for those cases where II
is prescribed by LAWN the parliament
and in the law courts. AS this restric-
ton does not affect the women those Of
| higher rank take but little interest in
| the native mclodious Roumanian ana
would not deiGn to write the leas, inn
portant note in the language The
proximity to Austria, and tho influence
of the liohenzollern rulers have hrough,
! the German language to the Roumanians
as n second competitor
| The propaganda in behalf If the use
and development of the native Language
is making Roadway, however. as evil
| dcnced by the forcible INTERRUPTION by
! Roumanian students of play given in
French by a ladies' charitable org MIA
ton in Bucharest not long ago The
outburSt resulted in roting which kept
the city,in a state Of seigc for foui days
zone of the great economic veal nesses
of Roumania arises from the fact that
the rural population which works SC
arduously during the summer, has m-aC-
tcally nothing to do in winter. ru"ing
the idle months they spend for da,ly
necessities all they earned when work
was plentiful"