Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-03-23
Simple Folk of the Carpathians
BewiIdered by Passing OF
Giant Armies.
BOAST OF ROMAN ANCESTRY
Picturesque Scenes In Roumania De-
seribed by correspondent-chil-
dren Are Genuinely Handsome,
But Cleanliness Is an
Unknown Virtue.
BY OSWALD r. scHUETTE.


With Gen. Won 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 wear the loudest
Of red skirts. Above the waist there
is little more individuality, but not
less cOlor-blue, white, green, yellow
and few black. Some are richly en-
brOidered, others are cheap print
cloths. But all 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 day
Only a few of the women between IF.
teen and forty years revealed traces OF
the beauty of their daughters. AS fol
children, there seemed to be plenty OF
them.
oarb Of Old Romany.
The men all wore the typical Rouma
MAN garb-tight-fitting trousers of cot
ton or wooden goods that had once beer
white, but probably laundered only in
frequently; q white shirtlike affair thai
hung outside the trousers, halfway t.
the knees, like kilt, and little tigh
jacket. Few Of the men showed an!
traces Of Roman ancestry. Cleanli
ness would have hurt none, although
it might have lessened the picturesque
All about the big churchyard wer
gathered families and "neighbOrhOOds,
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
fire sat II weather-beaten patri
archs, grave almost to silence. AS W
came up their deliberations stopped al
ruptly. They arose, took off their dirt
sheepskin caps, bowed and stood silen
with an air almost Of servility. 1t
a typical ROumanian expression. Fo
not even excepting Russia, ROumani
still seems to have the most serflik
peasant folk.
All arose but one. He was an oil
man, though not the oldest there. II
stead Of wearing dirty sheepskin cal
he had one Of black. His feature
were well cut, his eyes and nose r.
vealed at least the possibilities Of il
telligent ancestry. He had the air {
a man Of Importance. On the stage /
might we'll have been the chief Of
mountain tribe. Finally, he, too, arO'
and greeted us, though sullenly. Lat
we learned that he was one Of Il
wealthiest men Of Rucar, but cou
neither read nor write.
No Interpreter to Tell Story.
We could not understand their la
guage, and they made little effort
get into q conversation with us.
, woman from a neighbOring campfi
came over to say something, but v
had no interpreter and her story vi
, lost. But as an chronological exhif
the picture belonged in the SmithsOni;
institution at Washington.
In the church the scene was just
picturesque, but the air was too thi
,