The daily Alaskan., 1917-01-23
LIFE IN ROUMANIA
A Nation of Peasants, With Curl
 ouS Customs and Beliefs.
RULED BY SIGNS AND 0MENS.

Arc Little Given to Money Thrift.
 The Way a Lad Goes A-eourtIns.
 "The great bulk of RoumanIa's pop ulation belongs to the peasant class, for there are comparatively few cities, and most of them are small" says a bulletin of the National Geographic society on Roumanian folklore and GUS toms, which gives an intimate insight into the home life of that nation. The bulletin, which Is based on a commu- nication to the society from John Oh- Yer LaGOrce, says:
 Many of these peasants live on the great estates, where their forbears for generations have farmed for the ab- sentee landlords. And an interesting class these peasants form, with their peculiar customs, their primitive ways of looking at things in general
 "The evil of race suicide has never invaded rural Roumania. It Is re- garded as worthy of honor to be the head of a large family. AS in all lands where many of the people are more or less initerate, there Is a high death rate, though the fact that the bottle fed baby is almost unknown in peasant Roumania tends to overcome the high infant mortality that would otherwise result.
 "The average Roumanian peasant Is not given to the kind of thrift that leads him often to savings bank. The patrimony of his sons and daugh- ters is more often good will, good health and an honest mind than 1t is land or money or houses. So narrow is the margin upon which a young couple starts out in life that 1t has come to be a proverb among them, Married today and out at the elbows tomorrow for children come apace, and the prices of the things the peas ant has to sell are even lower than the prices of those he has to buy, and not until his own labors are supplemented by those of his sons and daughters has he much chance to prepare for even the shortest of rainy days.
 When a young Roumanian peasant lads thoughts turn to love and his mind begins to incline toward mar rlage he goes to lis mother rather than to his sweetheart with his tale. The mother acts as an ambassador to the father, and if he can be induced to look with favor upon the lovers choice he calls in two of his best friends In the village, tells them of his sons dreams and asks them to accompany the said son to the house of the ob- ! ject of loves young dreams.
 "Mayhap the girl herself has not re- ceived from the youth a single hint of bis love; but, even sO as he and his spokeSmen approach the house she suspects the object of his visit and peeps through any crack or cranny that Is convenient.
 If 1t happens to be winter the fa- | ther of the girl invites the company in and, surmiSing their mission, gives some hint as to his attitude by the way he looks after the fire. If he keeps it burning brightly they know that he Is favorable, if he lets 1t die down a little they understand that he Is only of an open mind on the sub ject. But if he lets 1t go out entirely there Is no use arguing the question.
 "The ROumanian peasant is much given to superstition, and he has sign for everything. If shingles are not nailed on a roof in the proper sign they will turn up at the ends; If pOtR- toes are not planted in the proper sign they will grow on top of the soil and be a failure; if you have money in your pocket when you see the new moon you will not 'go broke" at least not until another new moon has come. On the other hand, 1t Is held to be dan gerOus to announce to those ln the house that the new moon has appear ed, for in that case all the pots and pans in the kitchen will be broken be fore the waning moon passes.
 "When a peasant child is christened all of those present assume the rela- ton of godparentS and 1t is a super stition that there must be no intermar- riagcs between godfathers and god mothers. The result Is that christen- ings are not widely attended, and those with matrimonial ambitions eschew them entirely.
 "The utmost care Is taken by some to prevent a child from seeing Its i'm age in a mirror before 1t is three years old, for If 1t does 1t will become vic tim of the falling sickness which will send 1t stumbling through life.
 "There are many customs which still proclaim the olden time rule and in- fuence of ancient Rome that have per sisted through the centuries since the departure of her glory. For instance, there is the old Pyrrhic dance, the robes with bells on sleeves and girdleS The Roumanians still shout in unison to prevent Saturn from hearing the voice of the infant Jupiter, and even their oxen proclaim the glory that was Rome in their names, for here you may see Caesar and Brutus as yoke fellows and there Cassius and Angus