ETHNOLOGY OF THE PRESENT DAY. I45 



In the house of an Alteiiburg peasant great neatness and order usually 

 prevail. In the sitting-room we find for the most part tables, bcnehes, 

 and chairs, "which are scoured to -whiteness, and a rich, neatly- decked 

 kitchen rack. The copper boilers placed in the tiled stove arc highly 

 polished. There arc no true popular festivals in this part of the country ; 

 besides the three high holidays, church-ales, betrothals, -weddings, movings 

 of new married people, and christening festivals, only small family parties, 

 cherry-gatherings, harvest-homes, (fee, are held in taverns. There is nmch 

 dancing indeed at these festivals, but the peculiar national dances have 

 gone out of fashion, Card playing is a favorite amusement, and high play, 

 we are sorry to say, often occurs. Altenburg peasants know how to live 

 well, and, especially when they pay a visit to town, spend a great deal of 

 money. The country people of Altenburg are divided into three classes. 

 At the head, as the most opulent, stand the large farmers, and farmers on a 

 smaller scale but who still keep houses. The second class are farmers who 

 cultivate rented land, gardeners, and cattle-breeders ; and the third class are 

 cottao-ers who neither own nor rent land, but have the use of a cottage and a 

 plot of ground on the farm of a first class peasant, paying an equivalent in the 

 shape of labor. 



• The Silesian. In very ancient times Silesia became inhabited by the 

 Lygines and Quadi, who in the sixth century were dispossessed by the 

 Slavonians, in consequence of which the country afterwards fell to the 

 Poles. The name Silesia, is derived from the Slavonic w^ord " jsrZe," vrhicli 

 is the Polish translation of the word quad (bad). Under the Polish rule 

 Christioiiity, and also the Polish language and customs, were introduced. 

 The present inhabitants are partly Germans, partly Slavonians of the 

 Polish stock ; in Lusatia, however, also Wendes. The Slavonians on the 

 right side of the Oder are more fully germanized, those living on the 

 confines of Poland and in upper Silesia the least so. Here, as every- 

 where, the Germans are distinguished above the Slavonians by industry 

 and greater civilization. To proceed : Silesia consists of the Duchy of 

 Silesia, the County of Glatz, the Prussian portion of Upper Lusatia, and 

 an unimportant part of New Mark. The Duchy of Silesia is usually 

 divided, in ordinary acceptation, into Upper and Lower Silesia. Lower 

 Silesia extends from Brieg, upon both sides of the Oder, as far down as 

 the borders of Brandenburg ; Upper Silesia, on the other hand, forms 

 the south-eastern part of Silesia, on the confines of Moravia. The 

 principalities of Troppau, Jiigerndorf, and Neisse, and some other small 

 principalities of Upper Silesia, belong to Austria. The inhabitants of the 

 Riesengebirge (Giant Mountains) are strong, slender, and hale ; temperate, 

 industrious ; pure in morals, benevolent, and religious, but credulous and 

 superstitious also. The rural population still attach credit to the legend of 

 Number Nip. The dress of the men is a blue, green, or gre\' cloth coat, 

 reaching to the thigh or to the knee ; a cloth waistcoat, short black or 

 yellow breeches, grey or white woollen stockings, and a triangular felt 

 hat. To these are added shoes with nails ; and in snow, snow hoops : on 

 glazed frost, ice-spurs. The snow hoops are mostly made of tough 



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