Newspaper Page Text
COLONY KEEPS UP
ANCIENT CUSTOMS
Russians Have Unique Settle
ment in the Catskills.
CRANKS FLOOD LEAGUE
SPURNS MODERN FACILITIES
Show Curious Interest in Opera
tions at Geneva.
Deeply Devout Inhabitants Wear Peas
ant Garb and Observe Strict Rules—
Looks Like Volga Peasant Village
Transplanted Bodily From Russia to
the United States—Has One Tele
phone, but No Gas or Electricity—
No Class Distinction.
Except for Its one telephone wire
and two automobiles, Little York, X.
I., might be a Volga peasant village [
transplanted uodily front Itussia to the •
United States, writes Eula MeClnry,
Jn the Xew York World.
It has neither gas nor electricity;
neither bathtubs nor sewers; no wa
ter supply except n spring.
In fact, Little York Isn’t even on the
map or in the post office guide. None
the less it is a place to know about, If
not to live in.
It is a village of pistachio and choco
late eclair houses, sheltering 50 peas
ant families with a total population of
600. Modern inventions are luxuries
beyond the purse of most of the in
habitants and the desire of the rest.
Covering less than a square mile of
fertile meadow and farm land, Little
York lies nt the foot of Mount Adam
and Mount Eve, beautiful (tills of the
Lower Catskills.
The inhabitants, Itusslan-Germnn
Lutherans from tin* Volga river valley,
are descendants of those who fol
lowed Catherine II from Prussia into
Itussia when the German princess be
came the wife of the future czar.
They have brought with them to
Little York the traditions and customs
as well its the language and religion
of their ancestors. Unlike American
farmers, ;he peasants live in commu
nities and work their individual plots
of land. The village is situated on
the hilKlde and overlooks the fertile
meadow land, divided Into various- ]
sized “farms,” according to the afflu
ence of tlie owner. The largest farm
lius ten acres and the smallest one.
Start Work at Six o'clock.
At six o’clock each morning Little
York gets up and goes to work. Dur
ing the planting t nison and at the
harvest the women in overalls accom
pany the men to the fields. They
work until an hour before meal time,
return to the house to jirepare the
dinner, then, after clearing up the
dishes, return to work beside their
husbands until time to return to the
kitchen to prepare supper. As the vil
lage goes forth to its work it sings the
simple folk songs brought from Ger
many Into Itussia by its great-grent-
grandpurents almost two centuries
ago.
When the spring planting is fin
ished the thrifty villagers hire out by
the day to farmers of the surrounding
country. After tbe harvest the men
gather wood for the winter. In winter
they cut down the trees in the frozen
swamps and work for the ice com
panies, thus augmenting their small In
comes.
Onions are their principal crops.
After the onions have been gathered,
lettuce is planted. In addition to these
market crons, each family produces
enough vegetables and fruits for Its
own use. Some own cows and sell
milk to tbe others. Two inhabitants
who own land on tbe very edge of tbe
village are dairy farmers.
Tbe life Is community life, with each
family a distinct economic unit, The
community sots tbe styles of dress,
conduct, architecture and living. Little
York Is like a big family in wliich*all
th« adult children are married.
There are no bachelors. A girl of
eighteen looks forward to being mar-
,flad soon. A girl of twenty-five is an'
Mi maid. There are a few widows,
(but no widowers. Only rarely do vil
lagers marry outside the community.
{Indeed, Intermarrying has been prac-
(Weed to such an extent that fi’J years
after the founding of Little York
everybody is related iu some way to
everybody else.
No Claes Distinctions.
There are no social distinctions.
Each la the equal of tbe other. Finan
cially, a good year means comfort for
nil; a bad year, suffering. A normal
aaason means n return of $50,000 for
the onion crop. A very good season
.will bring $75,OtN>. A rainy, dark,
anion-rolling season means general
Buffering.
The old people are the dictators of
the village. Just aa in Europe chil
dren are brought up to respect their
Barents and follow their leuat wish.
Peasant women In shawls and capes
brought from tbe beloved fatherland,
peasant men In heavy boots and hand-
woven shirts say wluit the younger
generations shall do. Here is one
place the Haimer could not rtap.
The social lif^of tlie women is con
fined to work, rearing children, caring
for the sick and visiting from one
house to the other on Sundays or when
the long work hours are over. Tlie
men meet at the one store and sit on
boxes and hags ns they discuss t urely
village subjects. Sunday mornings all
go to church.
The village does not countenance
bant dances or bushings or sleigh
rides a few members own phono
graphs.
The church life Is Interesting. In
Jlgrj rfip congregation tied u disagree
ment. The more conservative element
felt that the others were not strict
enough In observing Die dictates of
the church. The result was a split it
tbe congregation, n new church nn<l
bitter feeling. Tbe bitterness has
passed away, but two small, white
church buildings testify that the
schism endures.
Churches Are Pretty.
Itev. John Mayer, twenty-eight, has
the old or East End church, a quaint
wooden structure, with rough, stone i
foundation. Itev. Albert Menkins is |
minister at the new or West End j
church, tin equally attractive wooden
building, stainless white with a green
steeple.
Each congregation supports its min
ister, who receives about $100 u month
and the use of a lmme. with enough
land for a garden. Ministers do not
farm. "It’s against principle," agreed
the store club of males. "We’re sup
posed to support him and we do.”
Weddings lire usually celebrated In
tlie elaborate Itussian way. The mar
riage ceremony Is performed In the
church at two o'clock in tlie afternoon,
according to Lutheran ritual. A din
ner is given at seven and the festivi
ties last three days.
Death is accepted in true pioneer
fasliion. Each church owns a ceme
tery for tlie use of the congregation.
Adults are buried in one row. and
children in another. Plain, white
wooden crosses mark the graves. Hem
lock and pine trees shelter the ceme
teries which are on tlie hillsides above
the village. A few maples add n touch
of color to the wild beauty of the
places.
livery color in the rainbow was
chosen for the bouses by the color-
loving peasants who left the Volga val
ley lands of their forefathers to settle
in “the land of tlie free where ail is
good and there Is money for all." The
most pretentious house in tlie village
belongs to tlie Onion King of Little
York. II is an attractive, simple, one-
storied, wooden structure with u
porch half-way around it and high
steps leading to the porch. Tlie house
Itself is white, the roof of slate color,
the shutters and window trimmings n
restful green, tlie steps purplish-gray
and the ceiling of the porch a wonder
ful blue quite Indescribable.
Introducing tlie Onion King.
Tlie onion king, George Yotingmnn,
is the only speculator in the village
He buys the crops from Ids follow-vil
lagers and soils, them to the whole
salers. Youngnmn In about sixty. Ills
wife wears peasant costumes and car
ries her bull to tlie Village well to get
the drinking wnter. The water supply
of the village, a natural spring, walled
up on three sides with hrleks. Is on
h, r land. There the women of the vil
lage come several times each day.
They must bend to dip the water front
the shallow pool.
The overflow from the spring forms
n narrow, shallow, cool stream In
which the women place the milk palls
and butter to keep cool. Little York
is iceless ns well ns ‘without modern
plumbing within the houses. No one
ever takes the jinll of milk or disli of
butter that belongs to another. Hon
esty is one of tlie strongest virtues of
tlie community.
Kerosene is used for lighting. Tlie | ~~ "~ ~
one street Which forms the thorough- I
fare of the village Is in utter darkness | fo Cure x Cold in One Day
after sunset. The people can y lan- I Take LAXATIVE BROMO QUININE (Tat.WO Ii
«Cl Is ,,.|„ I the Ooujth or. ,t,-mlnc-lic and worU olT tin
Tims. June IS Hot even one elm till Colll u w. GROVE'S signature ua each hex. :10c
flush. i ,
The sclioolhouse stands midway lie- I
IOZ
[OESOl
Americans Lead in Bombarding Secre
tariat of League of Nations With
All Kinds of Impossible
Proposition*.
Geneva.—The general offices of the
League of Nations receive dally nn
enormous number of letters from nil
over the world. Tlie mall clerks are
busy individuals, for theirs is tlie duty
of sorting and redirecting.
Countries outside the league pro
duce the largest number of correspon
dents. Tbe United States is far In the
leinl, and tbe crunks in America who
feel called on to tell the league wliat
it should do ure seemingly without
number. Hut Germany and soviet ltus-
sin also nid generously In keeping the
mull clerks occupied.
Africuns and Asiatics, us well as
Europeans and Americans, find the
most extraordinary excuses for com
municating with the league, allowing
there Is a world-wide misconception
as to what the league Is, and wliat It
was set up to do.
The secretariat gets a vast uinount
of mail matter that ought to go to the
foreign offices of different govern
ments. and It receives also a greater
number of suggestions, applications
and petitions that ought to go no
where. Men and women bring to the
league In all languages of tlie world,
their heartaches, their headaches and
tlie aching voids in their pockethooks.
Tht secretariat is asked for the aid-
dresses of reliable doctors; begged to
find lost husbands and appealed to to
settle domestic as well as other quar
rels. The requests for funds come
along in a steady stream. The league
lias not even been immune from tlie
boguiloments of the confidence men,
several Americans of this species hav
ing tried to use tlie secretariat to help
them out with their passport troubles.
Among tiie most frequent appeals
are these: That tlie league make
the world bone dry; that it suppress
tobacco as well ns all drugs and I
drinks; that It institute a universal !
religion; that it reform tlie calendar;
| that it institute a 'universal language,
I and that It give voles to women tbe
' world over.
The suggestions -re mostly for tlie ,
I cure of tlie world's economic and finan- j
I chi I ills, but some correspondents want
j to show the league how universal
peace can lie restored through tlie gen- |
oral adoption of their particular re
ligion. want to design a new world
flag, or make the league til! over again
after their fashion.
The league Is often asked to settle
strikes and also to pacify divided-
families.
Tlie Iciest curious demand was from
a romancer who wanted material to
write an exciting novel about tlie
league; be was referred to tlie Near
East section.
AUCTION!
Building Lots At Your
Own Price
At an early date 1 will put on sale at auc
tion that desirable section of the city of
Milledgeville, Ga., known as
THE HEIGHTS
Facing East Montgomery street and from four
to six blocks of our colleges, or the center of the
city. Watch the papers for date and terms of
sale. In the meantime Air. J. L. Sibley vvil
show the property.
J. H ENNIS
tween the two churches. The curricu
lum conforms to state requirements
and runs through the grammar grades.
There are filKI children in tlie vil
lage, ranging from infancy to fifteen
Hut they do not vary in color. It is n
village of blonde youth, perfect blonde
in skin, eyes and liulr. Though som
ber colors arc preferred by the older
folk, the children wear tlie brightest
liues. There is nothing drab about tin
general lone of Little Y’ork.
Birth Control Unknown.
Needless to say, birth control bar
gained no advocates. Women who look
old enough to he grandmothers, but
are said to be fifty-five, are mothers of
children, nine and ten. Nor lias suf
frage Hny converts In Little York. Not
one woman In the community lias
voted. They do not believe In voting.
Their code says that woman's place is
lit the home with their children or in
the fields with tbe men.
Tbe soviet has ns few friend* as
suffrage. Nearly every Inhabitant Is
seeking to get some relative or deal
friend out of Hussin. "away from tht
soviet and starvation."
Motion pictures have found no opeti-
ing in Little York. There !a no the
ater, although there Is no religious ob
jection to decent motion pictures. Bui
of course the idea of using the chnrcl.
for pictures would be considered dese
elation.
The organ Is the most popular tnu
alcal Instrument. There are no bala
laika. the national Itussian instrument.
A single telephone keeps the vil
lage from being cut off from outside
communication. Little York is one
mile from Pine island and twelve
mites from Goshen.
•Syrup barrcljs, new and second
hand at Emmett L. Hai nes’.
STOP PILING ON
“DIXIE GEM”
COAL
OLDAT300R1
.YOUNG AT 60?
COWS TERRIFIED BY WOMEN
Bachelor’s Hsrd on Lonely Island
Never Get Sight of Dresses.
< Hi a small island in I'uget sound.
Wash., there is a small herd of vows
that becomes te.Titled Ml the sight of
womeu. The cattle are owned by Carl
E. Troy, a bachelor, who lias always
employed men for home work and
farm duties.
Women are unwelcome visitors at
tbe Troy dairy, because of Troy’s shy
ness and because they frighten cows
The choice is largely up
to you. If your blood lacks
red corpuscles, you’re go
ing to be fagged and drag
ged out, you’re going to
lack “pep,” to look sallow
and unhealthy, to grow old
before your time.
DR. MILES’ TONIC
actually increases the num
ber or red corpuscles itt the
blood. It makes the cheeks
plump and rosy, stimulates
the digestive organs, cre
ates a healthy appetite, and j
leads to increased vigor
and vitality. First bcitle
guaranteed to help yon or |
' money refunded.
ASK YOUR DRUGGIST
To Stop a Cough Quick q
lake* HAYES' HEALING HONEY, a
cough medicine which stops the cough by
tealing the inflamed and irritated tissues.
A box of GROVES O-PEN-TRATE
SALVE for Chest Colds, Head Colds and
Croup is enclosed with every bottle of
HAYES' HEALING HONEY. The aalve
should be rubbed on the chest and throat
of children suffering from a Cold or Croup.
The heeling effect of Hayes' Heeling Honey in
side Ihe throat combined with the heeling effect of
Strove'* O-Pen-Trate Salve through the porea of
the skin soon steps a cough.
Both remedies are packed in one cartou and the
an list it Is II week before tlie milk cost of tht combined treatment is 85c. p
nqq.h gets buck to iiormuL ! •Just filth your druggist for HAYES'
HEALING HONEY.
"Remember, Dixie Gem
is not a^common coal but
is so high in heat that one-
.half will give more heat
• *
’'than the usual amount of
common Coal.
Fowler-Flemister Coal Co.
Exclusive Dealers