Hungary and the Hungarians . ber walking to church onthe backs of the peasants, who knelt down in the mudto allow her to pass over them without soiling hershoes. I think it is good that such days are over. In a Wallach village the well is still a good gossiping-spot for maids and matrons. These women have avery pretty custom, that of throwing a small quantityof the water from the full pitcher back again to thewell. This is said to be done in order to appease thespirit of the well. Some of the Wallachs that I havemet were supposed to have been of Szekler are tall, fair-haired, with
Hungary and the Hungarians . ber walking to church onthe backs of the peasants, who knelt down in the mudto allow her to pass over them without soiling hershoes. I think it is good that such days are over. In a Wallach village the well is still a good gossiping-spot for maids and matrons. These women have avery pretty custom, that of throwing a small quantityof the water from the full pitcher back again to thewell. This is said to be done in order to appease thespirit of the well. Some of the Wallachs that I havemet were supposed to have been of Szekler are tall, fair-haired, with long, serious faces; butthey are not lazy : on the other hand, they are plodding,and many of them skilful. Quite a different type maybe found beside the Transylvanian streams. Theseare dark-skinned, with round, happy-looking faces,less industrious perhaps, but not criminal. InHungary proper yet another type is furnished. Arace of short, strong, morose-looking men with broadfaces, bead-like eyes, and rich black hair. Youth is. SZ^KLERS, SAXONS, AND ROUMANIANS 193 the time in which to gaze at a Wallach woman. Agecreeps on these poor creatures apace. On the wholethey do not strike one as having a very strongphysique. But they have finely chiselled faces, and arevery industrious. There is much conservatism aboutthe Wallach nature. They are not fond of learninglanguages, and are not very generously minded tothose of another race. The men are very obstinateand tough customers, given to revenge, and whenangered very destructive. Yet they are patient,content with modest things, and though somewhatindolent regarding mundane affairs, they are such fine abilities as many of them possess, itis amazing that more progress is not made. Unfor-tunately, the priest has too great a hold over them. They have their own language, which is soft andabounding in vowels. Most of its words are derivedfrom the Latin. In pronunciation a similarity tomodern Italian is easily recognisable, and
Size: 1306px × 1913px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyorkmcclure
