The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-09-30

uN HAS tttu uluNh lhAo AN
destructive vortex of the Eu-
rOpean war, is presented in a commu-
nication to the National Geographic
society from James Howard Gore. He
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 whitewashed and the doors and
window frames freshly painted in
bright cOlOrs. The matched roof has
been put in order, and in its entirety
the cottage calls to mind the black-eyed
country 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 the Balkan peoples, and this
natural gift is most apparent under
conditions which are calculated to EN-
nance it. Their dress is varied and
elaborate. The foundation is a sort of
shift reaching to the ankle, the upper
part embroidered with cOlored cotton,
usually red or black. Over this is q
petticoat which, in its material and de-
tail, reflects the taste and buying pow
er of the wearer. On her head the
peasant IN wear a scarf of cotton
tissue with silk stripes if her means
permit, and on gala occasions she puts
on a brighter kerchief, ornamented
with Il fringe or a row of spangles.
Both men and women seem partial to
having their heads covered, even in
the house but it is not regarded prop
er to eat without removing the aat.
In no part of Europe do the peasants
hold 50 tenaciously to their distinctive
costume as in the uplands of Rouma-
MIA. 1t is, in fact, almost an asset in
n%ationalism, and its unifying influence
was emphasized some years ago by the
late dOwager queen, widely known as
Carmen Sylvia, when she herself put
on the native dress.
What they Grow and Eat.
While wheat is the great staple of
this agricultural country, the soil is
equally adapted to corr (maize), and
would be called upon for greater crops
if the demand should justify it. The
ease with which corn can be converted
into substantial food tempts the people
to give but little attention TO the form
in which II is prepared for consump-
ton. POlenta, a sort of mush, can be
made of cornmeal and water, and if
time or energy be lacking, it will be
placed on the table insufficiently
cooked. Although many believe that
this is the cause of the greater part of
the pellagra so common in Roumania,
it is difficult to persuade the peasant
to exercise greater care in the prep
aratiOn of pOlenta or substitute for ii
some of the many palatable dishes that
can be made from corn.
Cooking, unfortunately, is not devel-
Oped as IL should be, and the people
seem to be content with simple fare
and a sameness that yields but little
to the seasons. Gardening is looked
upon as petty farming and not worthy
of the attention of u man who calls
himself a farmer; in fact, so few Rou
manlans have gardens that they are
called %"bulgarii," since the greater
part of the vegetables grown are il
the hands of immigrant Bulgarians
The soil and climate of the country
are adapted to as wide u range as car
be found in our middle Atlantic states
however.
a succinct description of Roumania'l
boundaries is given in a bulletin is
sued by the National Geographic soci
ETY.. The two big western jaws of Rou
mania-the provinces of MoIdavia ant
Wallachia-lOok as if they had beer
set with gigantic, jagged teeth by som,
titan deity of war. And these grea
mOlars, the towering Carpathians
seem ready to close down upon an,