Descriptive portraiture of Europe in storm and calm; twenty years' experiences and reminiscences of an American journalist, sketches and records of noted events, celebrated persons and places, national and international affairs in France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Turkey-in-Europe, Switzerland and Italy . ty garments, and plunge andlie in uncouth positions in the muddyflood, as their friend the water-buffalodoes. After this simple toilet they willtramp before the sun is hot, breakfast ona crust and a fragment of old cheese,and sing again where
Descriptive portraiture of Europe in storm and calm; twenty years' experiences and reminiscences of an American journalist, sketches and records of noted events, celebrated persons and places, national and international affairs in France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Turkey-in-Europe, Switzerland and Italy . ty garments, and plunge andlie in uncouth positions in the muddyflood, as their friend the water-buffalodoes. After this simple toilet they willtramp before the sun is hot, breakfast ona crust and a fragment of old cheese,and sing again wherever they are per-mitted so to do. The Roumanian common folk have novery definite ideas of amusement andrecreation as compared with those of va-rious other nations. There is :i certainamount of grace and a rude rhythm inthe Hora, — the dance which the peas-ants indulge in at night in rustic caba-rets, or on festal days in the towns, —but there is not much merriment in it. The men and women both act as if they werenot sorry when the dance is over andthey can relapse into their normal condi-tion of slouchiness. Sometimes onechances upon a downright merry com-pany ; but it is the exception. I wentone afternoon to a fair in the outskirtsof Bucharest, having been informed thatit would be a gay spectacle and couldonly be seen once a year. After infi-. ROUMANIAN TYPES. nite difl!iculties in finding the place indi-cated, all that I discovered was a seriesof wooden booths, in which languid andsallow women, none of Avhom were emi-nent for beauty or smartness of attire,were selling cloths,printed handkerchiefs,carpets woven by the industrious wivesof villagers near the capital, and articlesof fantasy imported from the Palaislloyal, in Paris. There were few buyers,and the sellers appeared more anxious toforget the dull Septeinlx-r lieat in sleepthan to dispose of their wares. I fancied 732 EUROPE m STORM AND CALM. tliat the war and its sorrows (for theRoumanians had then just crossed th
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Keywords: ., bo, bookauthorkingedward18481896, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880
