New Britain herald., 1930-10-21

a bulletin from the Washington, D. C., headquarters of the Natfonaf Geographic Society. ss
 Clothing Denotes Home Areas ~
 "Sardinians wear drab working clothes during the week days but on Sundays they fare forth in their best bib and tucker. Most of the men of the island don a sort Of stocking cap and the women wear shaWls. but only these are noticeable details in which the islanders arse alike. Here one or two colors and a particular fashion predominate; there, another group of colors and another fashion are in vogue. None Of the styles is modern, for the greater portion of Sardinia Is still living in centuries past.
 The cities and villages also. sharply contrast. Stroll down the streets of Alghero situated on the northeast coast and you will imagine yourself in a Spanish town. The Catalans settled in Alghero and left an indelible mark on the archNec.r ture and in the language of the il1-s fabitants That the Pisans settled Sassari, is indicated by the Tuscan blood and language of it's peoples The inhabitants of the northern tip of the island. separated from Cor sica by the -mile-wide Strait of Bonifacio. display decided trend toward Corsican customs. @s Villages Were Clan Strongholds e And nearly all the remaining portions of the island are diversi- fled. There is a conglomeration of languages. Villages but few miles away from one another might be ' thought to be a thousand miles { apart. This individuality is trace- a ble to the centuries when each. Sardinian village was the bailiwick. of an Independent clan. When a traveller steps on the quay at Cagliari, the capital and largest city. he is impressed by thee modern aspect of the islands prin- cipal gateway. Wide streets are 2 | coursed by tram cars; steel frame buildings peer over the waterfront. terrace above terrace; network o, copper wires lead to telegraph of- fices and to electric light bulbs dangling from imported street-cor-ss ner brackets: and automobile horns vie with the grunts of sleepy ox-y cart drivers. ses
 Modern Cagiiari But Thin Mask
 But this modern aspect is but a. thin mask. v From one of the mod-sl ern streets one can throw . stone into a street of Sardinia's past. Hs is a mere slit between struggling rows of two, three, and four-storys- I houses. No automobile horns sound there and the ox-carts have difflcul..s ty in passing. The street noises ars- different from those of tho newers portion of the city. Women sitting in the doorways embroidering and weaving baskets attempt to make themselves heard above the yelling of children at play: Vendors oi snails and sweetmeats have a vocal battle with these and crying babies who seem to protest taking their
 baths in washtubs on the front door,
 step in full view of neighbors and. passersby.
 At 'Cagliari's back door begin the
 mountains that all but make the island inaccessible from the east--- ern shore. Beyond them come the. | plains that end in the blue waters Of the Mediterranean about zoo miles southeast of Barcelona, Spain.s
 ''Busses traverse many Sardinian . roads today. and railroads touch the larger towns. By either convey- t ance, Sardinia looms before theg traveller as an interesting island. 1 Villages staggle along steep hillsides, straddle knolls and nestle in verdant valleys. You pass at the foot of mountain peaks topped by the ruins of castles that once rang with throngs of royal merrymakers. You cross bridges spanning dashinE mountain streams that taxed thees skill of ancient engineers. At Gag liari guides will show you the rea 5 mains of an amphitheater where during Roman times. gay throngs. cheered and booed the performances of men and animals. Even in Cagliari women still
 use their shawled heads to bear their burdens; and here as in the
 smaller villages one day a week l hlindfolded asses still plod around the flour mills tended by sturdy
 housewives as they did in ages past 7:
 and cameras eyes still feast upon the sight of boys and girls sitting
 on their doorsteps munching 15- inch discs made from d batch of
 flour that was milled on their mothers last grinding day'.'
 EAT SLOWER Harrisburg, Pa. - If you'd lives