ROUMANIA, THE PIVOTAL STATE 



369 



elm his first cousin. In passing, it might be 

 said that lumber in various forms ranks 

 fourth in the list of Roumanian exports. 



Of equal importance has been the sys- 

 tematic endeavor to have the peasants 

 properly housed. Beginning in the Crown 

 lands, a decree has fixed the type of 

 houses that can be built ; it prescribes 

 the minimum amount of light and air, 

 and the officials charged with the enforce- 

 ment of these regulations are required to 

 give advice to neighboring peasants who 

 desire to build. Many of the large land 

 owners are emulating the example of the 

 directors of the Crown lands, and in 

 various sections of Roumania one may 

 find villages of peasant farmers that can- 

 not be surpassed for comfort and neat 

 appearance. 



A Roumanian village looks its best 

 in the spring, when nature, awakened 

 from the sleep of winter, is green and 

 fresh. At Easter the cottages have been 

 whitewashed and the door and window 

 frames freshly painted in bright colors. 

 The thatched roof has been put in order, 

 and in its entirety the cottage calls to 

 mind the black-eyed country girls, with 

 their glistening strings of multi-colored 

 beads around their necks. 



ROUMANIAN PEASANT WOMEN 



This rudely drawn picture will bring 

 to the minds of all who have visited Rou- 

 mania the vision of some of the peasant 

 women met by the roadside. It will be 

 recalled that they are the fairest among 

 their neighbors, and that this natural gift 

 is most apparent under conditions best 

 calculated for its preservation. Their 

 dress is varied and elaborate. The foun- 

 dation is a sort of shift, reaching to the 

 ankle, the upper part embroidered with 

 colored cotton, usually red or black. 

 Over this is a petticoat, which, in its ma- 

 terial and detail, reflects the taste and 

 buying power of the wearer. 



On her head the peasant woman wears 

 a scarf of cotton tissue with silk stripes, 

 if her means permit, and on gala occa- 

 sions she puts on a brighter kerchief, 

 ornamented with a fringe or a row of 

 spangles. 



Both men and women seem partial to 

 having their heads covered, even in the 



house ; but it is not regarded proper to 

 eat without removing the hat. 



The most important thing about the 

 costume is the fact that it is entirely 

 made at home by hand, so that the dress 

 exemplifies both the taste and the skill of 

 its owner, and gives to the mate -hunting 

 swain an index to these all-important 

 qualities. 



In no part of Europe do the peasants 

 hold so tenaciously to their distinctive 

 costume as in the uplands of Roumania. 

 It is, in fact, almost an asset in national- 

 ism, and its unifying influence was em- 

 phasized some years ago by the present 

 Dowager Queen, when she herself put on 

 the native dress. 



ESSENTIALLY AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY 



Roumania is essentially an agricultural 

 State, and for the peasant no work is so 

 attractive as farming. The rich soil in- 

 sures a good return for his labor, and crop 

 follows crop without demanding repeated 

 fertilizing. It is confidently asserted that 

 there are estates which, although long 

 under cultivation without a single manur- 

 ing, continue to yield twenty-five bushels 

 of wheat per acre, while other tracts, 

 more scientifically handled, produce as 

 much as thirty-six bushels to the acre. 

 It is because of this fertility that the 

 Danubian States rank with Russia, Ar- 

 gentina, and the United States as the 

 chief wheat-growing countries on the 

 globe. 



On the other hand, since 86 per cent 

 of the population reside on the land, crop 

 failures occasion general distress, and 

 Roumania will continue to suffer from 

 economic depressions as long as she re- 

 mains exclusively dependent upon each 

 recurrent harvest, and looks to foreign 

 countries for even the most trifling prod- 

 ucts of the manufacturing industries. 



The soil is equally adapted to corn 

 (maize) and would be called upon for 

 greater crops if the demand should jus- 

 tify it. The ease with which corn can be 

 converted into sustaining food tempts the 

 people to give but little attention to the 

 form in which it is prepared for con- 

 sumption. 



Polenta, a sort of mush, can be made 

 of corn-meal and w T ater, and if time or 



