Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-04-16

1He Waists ana skirts or the women
are Of white, with much RED embroid-
cry up and down the front, around the
waist and across the apron. Stout
white hose with roll tops and ribbon
carriers fill in the space between the
knee-length skirts and the moccasin-
like slippers OF soft leather. Around
the head is worn the Slavic shawl,
that form Of self-beautifcation which
reduces the high cheek"bones of the
Slav to pleasing oval that would
honor Madonna of Italy.
The women are both vendors and
shoppers But many sturdy wife Is
assisted by the presence of her pic
turesque man, whose costume is just
as colorful as her own His rather full
white trousers are worn loose or
strapped in at the bottom with the
thongs which secure the sandals, and
his heavily embroidered shirt hangs
down outside to truly Slavic length.
The yellow vest, with scores of bright
buttons and gay stitching, is likely to
be worn unbuttoned unless his shirt
lacks ample decoration.
Almost always one is likely to see
some of the gypsies of the region and,
spattered with fire as is the white cos
tune of the Croatian women, they
seem lacking in color when a gypsy
woman strides by. Her head shawl Is
blaze of Turkey red. The massive
red flowers or other designs in her
waist may or may not DE carrying on
silent war with the tone of the head
dress, but If by any chance they har.
monte, the bright colors around the
bottom of the apron surely do not
The gypsy woman's main decoration,
besides the bright rings of base metals
which emphasize the proletarian quail
ity of her hands, is a long necklace Of
the huge silver cart-wheel currency
which bear the head of Francis Joseph
and make him popular throughout the
now defunct empire Of the Hapsburgs.
In Beautiful Setting.
Behind the city there are lovely val
leys reaching into the hills and livened
with singing brooks on their way to
the Save, with peasant houses fianked
by huge haycocks hiding in the trees,
and along the ridges are scattered the
eeries of suburbanites who love the
air.
Here, too, is one Of the finest wild
parks in Europe, It's vegetation I'M
tanned and full of beauty, with benches
pleasantly located to look off across
the city and the valley of the Save.
But perhaps the prevailing impress
sion of the visitor is not concerned
with loneliness which Nature has law
ished on the surroundings, but the way
in which man has kept tie place at
tractive The tables of the coffee
shops are as spotless AS the white
skirts of the women, and as soon as
the market is over, usually at noon,
the cobbles of the square are polished
till they shine. Every bench, lettuce
leaf or plum pit is spirited away so
that It's presence may not add touch
of variety to the great gray square in
which, but a few hours before, a thou
sand gayly-dressed people surged back
and forth in the eternal drama Of bar
ter and sale.
OuI III lHS MlQS pam DcyOuU IuC
cathedral there is an amusement park
or circus ground, where the Croatian
peasant follows his main delights of
eating, drinking, singing and dancing.
But with nightfall these colorful folks
are well out on the white roads which
lead to their farms, the women toiling
along under the large willow basket
with the newly-purchased geese rub
ber-necking from tlseir elevated coign
of vantage, and the man, his brimless
black felt hat, compromise between
dunce-cap and derby, with its bright
band around 1t perched over one ear,
and his yellow vest, studded with
small brass buttons until one can
scarcely see the leather, Tapping idly
beside his care-free bosom. A veri-
table spotless town, Zagreb emphasizes
the labor of women in way which
reminds one Of the electric sign In
which a woman L. aonssantly fighting
dirt.