Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-10-03

kindred of the Bretons. eventually he-
came their hereditary enemies. For
centuries the British privateers and
naval vessels ravaged this coast, block
AIDED the harbOrs, bombarded the towns,
landed lighting parties, and the long
continued and deep-seated animosity
thus engendered still abides in this
land. where change in habits and Gus
toms and sentiment occur very slowly.
Several Important Cities.
The present population of Brittany
is about 100000. The principal cities
are BreSt, the great naval port Of
France, beautifully located on one of
the best harbors in all Europe; Rennes,
in the interior, brought prominently
to the worlds notice some years ago
as the scene of Dreyfus' first trial;
and Nantes, on the Loire, the largest
and one of the most interesting places
in all Brittany. Its chief attraction
is its hoary age and romantic history.
1t is mentioned by Caesar, Pliny, and
other writer's Of their time, and was
city of note long before Caesar div
ided all Gaul into three parts. In
the Middle Ages it was one of the
most valuable possessions of the semi
royal dukes Of Brittany, and when, in
1499, Anne Of Brittany here welded
Louie XII it passed to the crown of
France. During the Revolution it was
the scene of the most atrocious mas
sacres, and in 1893 fully 10000 men,
women and children were here butch
cred.
Every observant traveller soon real
ICES that the dominant note in the Bre-
ton character Is the universal and in
eradicable belief in a higher power,
which is not only wOrshiped, but is
regarded as influencing or determining
every incident in their daily lives.
Most peculiar religious superstitions
are current; witch-craft, charms and
antidOtes are believed in, and fairies
and other creatures Of childlike i'm
agination here have very real exist
ence to both young and old. All the
people are now nominally Christians.
Brittany Is small country. Its ex-
IRENE length from north to south is
only $50 miles and its greatest width
Is about the same. The area is 1900
square miles, or little larger than
the state of Maryland.
The peninsula has a backbone of
crystalline rock, and the country
should be classed as semi-mountainous
although there are no noteworthy ele-
vations. 1t bears a strong resemblance
to the peninsula Of Cornwall, the
nearest land toward the north, but
the parts away from the coast are
much inferior to Cornwall in fertility
and attractiveness and contain no min
eral deposits of great value. Some
rather extensive forests still remain.
People Cling to OId-Tlme Dress.
The characteristic dress of the peo-
pie, changing as little as their beliefs
and customs, is practically the same
in every detail as it was generations
ago. Now and then one sees a man or
woman who has been to Paris or Lon
don and affects a modern style; but
the great mass of the population have
no intention or desire to adopt any
new-fangled fashions, and it Is this
fact that gives such a distinctive
charm to city and suburban sights.
For all ordinary purposes and on all
ordinary occasions the women dress
in short skirts and loose waists, Of
some cheap black or dark-colored
fabric, and usually wear a broad
white collar and often a white or COZ
ored apron. White caps, with or with
out lace, are invariably worn out OF
doors, and the hair is usually scrupp
lousy concealed.
In the coastwise districts the dress
of the men usually consists of
coarse blouse, loose trousers and fiat
wooden or cloth cap On special occa-
sions, such as weddings and church
festivals, the men wear a short black
velvet or cloth jacket with large but
tons, and low-crowned, wide-rimmed
hat with long ribbons hanging down
behind.
The dress of both men and women
shows slight peculiarities. depending
on the district or section, so that 1t is
often possible for a foreigner soon to
determine the village or town from
which given persons may have come,
and even adjacent villages will have
slight differences in shape of cap,
style of neckwear or cut of skirt that
are readily appreciated when once
pointed out There are also slight pc
culiarities Of dress dependent on &C
cupatioh