The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-03-15
Simple Folk of the Carpathians
Bewildered by Passing of
Giant Armies.
BOAST OF ROMAN ANCESTRY
Picturesque Scenes in Roumania De-
scribed by correspondent-chii-
dren Are Genuinely Handsome,
But Cleanliness rs an
Unknown Virtue.
By OSWALD r. scHUETTE.

Especial Correspondent of Daily News.
Chicago.)
With Gen. Won Falkenhayn's Army IN
Roumania.--f a stage director could
put this picture into the smugglers'
scene in Carmen" he would have a
fortune.
But nobody would believe it to be
real. 1t is the temporary internment
camp for civilians into which the Ger
mans have converted 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
parel of these Roumanian women.
Young and old alike wear the loudest
of red skirts. Above the waist there
is a little more individuality, but net
less cOlOr-blue, white, green, yellow
and a 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
dians 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 fif-
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-ftting trousers of cot
ton or wooden goods that had once been
white, but probably Numbered only in
frequently; white shirtlike affair that
hung outside the trousers, halfway to
the knees, like kilt, and 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 churchyard 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 know. Around
fire sat II weather-beaten patri-
archs, grave almost TO silence. AS we
came up their deliberations stopped alb
ruptly. 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
still seems to have the most serflike
| peasant folk.
man, though not the oldest there. In
stead of wearing 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
| man of Importance. On the stage he
might well have been the chief of a
mountain tribe. Finally, he, too, arose
and greeted US, though sullenly. Later
we learned that he was one of the
wealthiest men of Rucar, but could
neither read nor write.