Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-03-01
Simple Folk nj the carpathians
Bemildefei by Passing Of
Giant Armies.
BOAST or ROMAN ANCESTRY
Picturesque Scenes in Rcamaanls ne4
ssrSbsS by c1rewsgeraeat--Ghss
crsn Arc Genuinely Handsome,
Bat Cleanliness IL an
unkfsessn Virtue.
BY OSWALD r. scnuETvE

SsAlIa&asl
With Gen. ven Taikenhgyu's Army ia
Honmania.-- u stage director eaaisi
put thts picture iuto the ssausgfesa'
scene ia Carmen" he would have "
fortune.
But nobody would believe II tn ha
real. II is tie temporary iaiaramanl
camp for civilians into which the Ger~
mans have converted a spacious Greek
church of Rucar. tii the heart Of the
RonAlaninn Carpathiaas. Most of the
city has been burned. All mea Of mls.
itary age arc gone. But the hoaseless
inhabitants that remained had 10 he
concentrated where they could be
watched, for this city is an important
base for niountain operations.
And such camp. Such colors and
types. The stained glass windows OF
the church fade before the gaudy ap-
parel of these Roulnaniun waTneis.
Young aad old alike wear the ioudess
of red skirts. Above: the waist there
Is little more individuality. but NOS
less colorhlue, white, green, yellow
and 81 few black. Some are richly em.
broidered, others are cheap print
cloths. But all are garish.
We found the original slit skirt here
las though the skirt were but aa out.
growth Of blanket days. Yet these
are not an aboriginal type, like our In.
dians. Clothes are no civilized after
thought for them. Their rroudea,
s., ,ts,.x Is
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 jugnI
Only few of the women between hf
teen and forty years revealed traces OF
the beauty OF their daughters. As foi
children, there seemed to be plenty oi
them.
Garb of Old Homany.
The men all wore the typical RouIna
| nian notwithstanding trousers of cot
| ton or wooden goods that had once beer
white, but probably Numbered only In
| freauently;a white shirtlike affair tha
| hung outside the trousers, halfway tx
| the knees, like kilt, and little tigh
4 Jacket. Few of the men showed am
| traces of Roman ancestry Cleanli
ness would have hurt none, although
| 1t might have lessened the picturesque
ALI about the big churchyard wer,
gathered families and tsneighborhoods,
cooking primitive meals by open fires
One group was particularly worth oh
/ serving. 1t might have been the cit,
/ council of Rucar. for all / know. Aroun.
1 fire sat IL weather-beaten patri
/ archs, grave almost to silence. AS w
| came up their deliberations stopped alb
ruptly. They arose, took Off their dirt,
/ sheepskin caps, bowed and stood silen
4 with an air almost of servility. 1t 1
1 typical Roumanian expression. Fol
/ not even excepting Russia, Ronmani
1 still seems to have the most serflik
/ peasant folk.
T All arose but one. He was nm oil
man. though not the oldest there. II
stead of wearing dirty sheepskln car
he had one of black. His feature
were well cut, his eyes and nose Il
vealed at least the possibilities of ii
telligent ancestry. He had the air Q
a man of Importance. On the stage b
might well have been the chief OF
mountain tribe. Finally. he, too. aros
and greeted us. though sullen1y. Late
II we learned that he was one OF til
Wealthiest men OF Rucar, but coul
neither read nor write.
No interpreter to Tell Story.
We could NOT understand their iai
guage, and they made little effort /
& get into a conversation with us.
woman from a neighboring campfii
y, 1,x,<s,. ID. i, corr, t,,,f I.