The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1917-05-17
Simple Folk Of the Carpathians
BewiIdered by Passing Of
Giant Armies.
BOAST OF ROMAN ANCESTRY
Picturesque Scenes In Roumania De.
scribed by correspondent-chiI-
dren Are Genuinely Handsome,
But Cleanliness Is an
Unknown Virtue.
BY OSWALD F. scHUETTE.

BY OSWALD r. CHU TE.
Especial Correspondent of Daily News,
Chicago.)
With Gen. o Falkenhayn's Army in
Roumania.-If a stage director could
put this picture into the smugglers'
scene in Carmen" he would have q
fortune.
But nobody would believe it to be
real. 1t is the temporary internment
camp for civilians into which the Ger.
mans have converted a spacious Greek
church of Rucar, in the heart of the
Roumanian Carpathians. Most of the
city has been burned. All men of mil.
itary age are gone. But the houseless
inhabitants that remained had to be
concentrated where they could be
watched, for this city is an important
base for mountain operations.
And such a camp. Such colors and
types. The stained glass windows of
the church fade before the gaudy ap.
parel of these Roumanian women.
Young and old alike veal the loudest
Of red skirts. Above the waist there
is a little more individuality, but not
less color-blue, white, green, yellow
and a few black. Some are richly EN-.
b%roidered, others r cheap print
cloths. But oil are garish.
We found the original slit skirt here
as though the skirt were but an out
growth of "blanket" days. Yet these
are not an aboriginal type, like our In
dams. Clothes are no civilized after
thought for them. Their proudest
boast is that they are descendants of
the Romans.
Many of them reveal the Roman pro-
file. Some Of them are genuinely hand
some, especially the children! but they
seem to age quickly. Apparently there
is no summer in their lives. They jump
from spring to fall and winter in a day.
Only a few of the women between if-
teen and forty years revealed traces of
the beauty Of their daughters. AS for
children, there seemed to be plenty of
them.
.Garb of Old Romany.
The men all wore the typical Rouma-
MAN garb-tight-titting trousers of cot
ton or wooden goods that had once been
white, but probably Numbered only in
frequently a white shirtlike affair that
hung outside the trousers, halfway to
the knees, like a kilt, and a little tight
jacket. Few of the men showed any
traces of Roman ancestry. Cleanli-
ness would have hurt none, although
it might have lessened the picturesque.
All about the big c%hurchyard were
gathered families and "neighborhoods,'
cooking primitive meals by open fires.
One group was particularly worth OBJ.
serving. 1t might have been the city
council of Rucar, for all l know. Around
a fire sat IL weather-beaten patri-
archs, grave almost to silence. AS we
came up their deliberations stopped alb
rurtly. They arose, took off their dirty
sheepskin caps, bowed and stood silent
with an air almost of servility. 1t is
a typical Roumanian expression. For
not even excepting Russia, Roumania
SELL seems to have the most serflike
peasant folk.
All arose but one. He was an ole
man, though not the oldest there. In.
stead Of wearing a dirty %sheepskin cap
he had one of black. His features
were well cut, his eyes and nose re
vealed at least the possibilities of in
telligent ancestry. He had the air OF
q ma of Importance. On the stage he
might well have been the chief Of
mountain tribe. Finally, he, too, arose
and greeted us, though %sullenly. Later
we learned that he was one of tn.
wealthiest men Of Rucar, but coult
neither read nor write.
No Interpreter to Tell Story.
We could not understand their Ian
guage, and they made little effort t,
get into a conversation with us. /
woman from a neighboring campfire
! came over to say something, but W,
had no interpreter and her story wa
lost. But as an chronological exhibi