Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-05-28

| and he sought in every way to con-
! serve all such native elements as
would make for happiness and patri-
otism, for race expression and for in
dividual glory.
| The herdsman Of the Carmague is
picturesque figure. Living a lonely
! life among herds OF black cattle and
half wild horses, he has developed
the same manly traits that distinguish
| the western cowboy. Courage, chival-
ry, determination, endurance-all are
his. But individualism and self-reli-
ance left small place for patriotism,
and it was here that the poet hoped
to round out the character of the fear
less rider
Hence the rodeo, or roundup has
become cultural conference, during
which the freedom-loving guardians, or
herdsmen, impress upon themselves
the mark of Provence while they brand
their cattle with the initial or heraldic
emblem which distinguishes their live
stock.
Women and Home Life.
The women have not been neglected
in this plan to unite the people Of
Provence into happy family of fam
lilies. Their lovely dress has been re
vived and the fashion dictates of Paris
repudiated in favor of costume which
was not only the costume of their
mothers but which is beautiful in it's
own right.
The interest Of the Provencal herds
man is in his ranch and herds, but
home means the more to him for all
that. Nor is he ashamed to live under
the same roof with his animals or har-
vest. The flavor of the soil permeates
the very home life of the Camargue
peasant.
Near the house one is sure to note
the tree or trees which add distinc-
ton to the spot Trees are few and
far between in the Camargue. The
graceful poplars, which add charm to
more sheltered parts of Provence, are
seldom found between the two main
mouths of the phone, for such tower
ing stateliness cannot withstand the
unrelenting blasts of the mistral; but
a clump of stout, low trees or somber
expresses is fostered by the farmers of
the Camargue much as the solitary
trees of Palestine are protected by
the guardians of the holy tombs of
the saints.
The rude well without sweep, the
creaking grindstone, the clutter of out
worn tools, the peculiar spindle for
making the seden, or horsehair lariat,
the rickety ladder, the small stacks Of
coarse fodder-these are the homely
features that surrounds the mas.
To an extent that is not common in
cities, the mas is the true home of the
people. In an inhospitable land, the
home is the welcome retreat of host
as well as stranger. The warm hearts
and hearths of Camargue are ample
compensation for the desolation of the
outer world.
The gardian Of Camargue can be
likened not only to the American cow
puncher, but also to the vaquero Of
Spain, the gaucho of South American
pampas, and to the rough riders of
Australian stations or the South At
rican veldt. He is, however, a special
type, having more to do than protect
cattle or horses. More than all else,
the gardian is preserving the old ira
ditions of the Camargue peasant, his
customs, his melodious Provencal Ian
guage, and something of his old-fash-
toned dress.
The gardian still wears a bright
colored shirt and black coat lined
with velvet. His trousers are of brown
cloth, resembling leather, and are sup
ported by a taiolo. a kind of large
wollen belt several yards long.
The righthand man of the gardian
Is the Camargue pony. Light gray in
color and with a shaggy coat, the
steed has hang-dog air and an I'M
kempt appearance. His low-hanging
head, big and square, has sleepy eyes
and quiet expression. But never did
a more disarming appearance camou-
flage more satanic spirit. When
mounted. this Rip Van Wrinkle among
| horses becomes spirited and full of
the devil, half wild and with a savage
temper.
Scientific men have searched in vain
for an explanation of the origin of
the Camargue pony. Some say he Is
descended from Numidian horses
brought over by the Romaa cavalry !;
others ascribe his ancestry to the
horses left in the Rhone delta by the
Saracens. He resembles the long
haired horse of Tibet and the Siberian
pony.