Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 13, 1916, Page 4

o R .4 THE BEMIDJ DATLY PIONERR LIFE IN ROUMANIA A Nation of Peasants, With Curi- ous Customs and Beliefs. RULED BY SIGNS AND OMENS. Many Superstitions Enter Into the Everyday Life of This People, Who Are Little Given to Money Thrift The Way a Lad Goes A-courting. “The great bulk of Roumania’s pop: ulation belongs to the peasant class, for there are comparatively few citles, and most of them are small,” says a bulletin of the National Geographic society on Roumanian folklore and cus- toms, which gives an intimate insight into the home life of that nation. The bulletin, which is based on a commu- nleation to the soclety from John Ol- ver LaGorce, says: “Many of these peasants live on the great estates, where their forbears for generations have farmed for the ab- sentee landlords. And an interesting class these peasants form, with their peculiar customs, their primitive ways of looking at things in general. “The evil of race suicide has never invaded rural Roumania. It is re- garded as worthy of honor to be the head of a large family. As in all lands where many of the people are more or less illiterate, there is a high death rate, though the fact that the bottle fed baby is almost unknown in peasant Roumania tends to overcome the high infant mortality that would otherwise result. “The average Roumanian peasant is not given to the kind of thrift that leads him often to a savings bank. The patrimony of his sons and daugh- tefs 1s more often good will, gdooc health and an honest mind than it is land or money or houses. So narrow is the margin upon which a young couple starts out in life that it has come to be a proverb among them, ‘Married today and out at the elbows tomorrow,” for children come apace, and the prices of the things the peas- ant has to sell are even lower than the prices of those he has to buy, and not until his own labors are supplemented by those of his sons and daughters hag he much chance to prepare for even the shortest of rainy days. “When a young Roumanian peasant lad's thoughts turn to love and his mind begins to Incline toward mar- riage he goes to his mother rather than to his sweetheart with his tale. The mother acts as an ambassador to the father, and if he can be induced to look with favor upon the lover’s cholce he calls in two of his best friends In the village, tells them of his son’s dreams and asks them to accompany the said son to the house of tne oo- Jject of love’s young dreams. “Mayhap the girl herself has not re- ceived from the youth a single hint of his love: but, even so, as he and his spokesmen approach the house she suspects the object of his visit and peeps through any crack or cranny that is convenient. “If it happens to be winter the fa- ther of the girl invites the company in and, surmising their mission, gives some hint as to his attitude by the way he looks after the fire. If he keeps it burning brightly they know that he is favorable; if he lets it die down a little they understand that he is only of an open mind on the sub- Ject. But if he lets it go out entirely there is no use arguing the question. “The Roumanian peasant is much glven to superstition, and he has a sign for everything. If shingles are not nailed on a roof in the proper sign they will turn up at the ends; if pota- tees are not planted in the proper sign they will grow on top of the Soll and be a failure; if you have money in your pocket when you see the new moon you will not “go broke,” at least" not until another new moon has come. On the other hand, it is held to be dan- gerous to announce.to those in the house that the new moon has appear- ed, for in that case all the pots and pans in the kitchen will be broken be- fore the waning moon passes. “When a peasant child is christened all of those present assume the rela- tion of godparents, and it is a super- stition that there must be no intermar- riages between godfathers and god- mothers. The result is that christen- ings are not widely attended, and those With matrimonial ambitions “eschew them entirely. “The utmost care is taken by some to prevent a child from seeing its im- age in a mirror before it is three years old, for if it does it will become a vic- tim of the ‘falling sickness,” which will send it stumbling through life. “There are many customs which still proclaim the olden time rule and in- fluence of ancient Rome that have per- sisted through the centuries since the departure of her glory. For instance, there is the old Pyrrhic dance, the robes with bells on sleeves and girdles. The Roumanians still shout in unison to prevent Saturn from hearing the voice of the infant Jupiter, and even their oxen proclaim the ‘glory that was Rome’ in their names, for here you may see Caesar and Brutus as yoke- fellows and there Cassius and Augus- tus.” EXKKEREKKKKK KKK KX * He who forgets to adver- * Kk tise should not complain when & % the buyer forgets that he is & ¥ in business. It is just a case * % of “forget” all around. +* KK KK KKK KKK KKK KN Please Don’t Jiggle the Receiver Hook It Hurts Your Telephone Service When you lift the telephone receiver from the hook, a smalt electric light signal glows in front of the operator. While the hook is up the light burns. If you press it down the light goes out. Move the hook up and down SLOWLY and the light flashes. This little signal on the switchboard is the same as any -other electric lamp, a trifle sluggish in lighting up. You can turn the switch on the electric light over your desk or in your home so fast it will not burn. Try it. When you *‘jiggle’’ the telephone hook rapidly the result is the same, the tiny globe will not light up and consequently the opera- tor does not get your signal. If the operator fails to answer In a'reasonable length of time on your first call, or if you wish to recall her to get another number, move the receiver hook up and down VERY SLOWLY. NORTHWESTERN TELEPHONE EXCHANGE COMPANY | Gomplete Your Toilet from Hat {10 Shoes. “Honest Abe” —— Minnesota Ave. Men's Furnishings Not Only Something forEvery Man, But Everything for Any Man. If you are a man and wear clothing—as all men must— we have the goods to please you. delighted by the bewildering array of all kinds of Men’s Fur- nishings to be found in our store. Any article at less than you are asked to pay elsewhere. The “Refunders” will come here because they not only save their railroad fares, but they save dollars besides. The Hub Clothing Co. “HONEST ABE” GROSSMAN, Prop. You will be surprised and Then why pay it? ~ Buy These at the PIONEER Record Books Sengbusch Inkwells Wedding Announcements Monogram Stationery | SELL CGroceries, 321 Minnesota Ave. TN Business and Professional PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS KRR KK KKK KKK KK x * DRS. GILMORE & McCANN ¥ x * PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS * Office—Miles Block % . * * * KKK KKK KKK KK KKK KEEXKKR KK ¥ DR, E. A, SHANNON, M. D. « PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON * x Office in Mayo Block % Phone 396 Res. Phone 397 KKK KKKK KK KKK KK PR R E R & N4 Office Security Bank Block KKK KKK KK KKK KKK *x * * * * DR, C. R. SANBORN * * PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON x Office—Miles Block * * * KREK KKK KKK KKK KKK KEKKKKK KKK KKK KKK x + * DR. L. A. WARD ok « PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON & * * x Troppman Block * * Bemidji, Minn. * *x * KREKEKKK KKK KKK KKK TREKEKKKKKKK KKK KK « * DR. E. H. SMITH K x L 3 * * *® * PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON & * x x LR SRR RS R R R KKK KKK KKK KKK * * * DR. 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TUOMY * DENTIST * . * Gibbons Block. Tel. 230 & North of Markham Hotel x KK KKK KKK KKK KKK *x * x * * * * #*i*l*****:fi***l DR. H. A. NORTHROP * OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN * AND SURGEON * Suite 10 O'Leary-Bowser Bldg & Office Phone 153 * T EE KK KKK KKK KKK AKX KR KKK KKK KK ST. CECELIA’S STUDIO % PIANO—VOICE VIOLIN * % %k k k Phone 138—Dewey & 9th St. x AR KKK K KKKK KK KK KAKAXA A A A A Ak * k=x * *x Clip consecutive ~ The Bemidji Pioneer Bmil:li:;“ ulplz:,ndwii:llfil% fl‘alrl;l::i—cover stamped in fi;ld, artistic famous singers, and complete dictionary of musical terms. Out of Town Readers Will Add 10c. for Postage M HEART SONGS " ’I‘he::umk with a soul! 400 world in one volume of 500 pages. Four years to 'complgie the book. Every song a gem of melody. rtraits of the world’s most e treasures of the Chosen by 20,000 music lovers. Subscribe for The Pioneer