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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1915)
WHILE the British Halloween, Its origin and observance Is the common property of every school boy and jrirl, few people are aware that this witches' anniversary Is celebrated, in spirit, at least, in the land of the Teutons. The war undoubt edly -will curtail such celebrations this year, but it is safe to assume that neither country will allow the occa sions to pass entirely unnoticed. While there is no day in the land of tha kaiser which bears the name of the British feast day, me giving over of one might in the rear to witches and divinations is nevertheless as much a part f German life as of Irish or Eng liB Itlk observance'. In tact, the root of this uncanny Sight when ghosts and goblins disport thrown town and country runs deep Inta Horse and Teutonic mythology; and. though it did not blossom In the kaiser's land as Halloween, it Is trace able tn Valpurgisnacht, in Johannistag. in St. Thomas' night and a number of fata and festal days peculiar to cer tain localities. Probably the most picturesque cere mony is the leap of tho newly be trothed through the flame. A lad ap proaches the maiden of his choice and asks her by use of set rhyme to spring with him through the flame. If she accepts, it shows that the suitor is fa vorably received and that the two are as rood as betrothed. They then clasp hands and run toward the flame, at tempting to spring over or through it. A successful spring is a sure sign that the two young people belong to one another; but if one falls or stum bles, it means that something will cause their separation. The flickering or smoking of the Are signifies that trials are in store for the newly formed alliance; but when the flames rise up high and clear during their leap, or crackle as though rejoicing over the agile pair, it is a sign that their future life will be one of un alloyed peace and prosperity and that they may at once enter into wedlock. Another striking bit of ritual on the eve of Si. John Is the carrying out of the old heathen ceremony of the burn ing wheel. However, instead of dedi cating the fiery circle as it dashes down the mountain side to god or goddess, the lovesick youth calls upon the name of his sweetheart. On St. John's night a peculiar act of sorcery may be practiced which goes by the name of Bllwis-Schnltt, and is of very ancient origin. A peasant who wishes to possess his neighbor's corn as it stands makes a compact with the devil, who appears at his door on that night in the shaDe of a rough BT RENE BACH. WASHINGTON. D. C, Oct. 30. Kecjntly there has been placed n view in tho National Museum a series ot lay figures representing the mistresses of the White House under successive Administrations run ning back to Martht. Washington, who appears in a gown she used to wear, seated in one of herown chairs, by the side ot a Mount Vernon table, on which is a stiver platter, formerly her own property, containing a teacup and saucer that were given to her (as part of a set) by admiring officers of the French army. For a modern contrast, Mrs. Grover - Cleveland Is attired in a wonderful frock, (or.ee worn by herself) of white allk sprinkled over with full-blown pink roses, the arm-loops and. upper dge of the corsage decorated with big butterflies of gold and glittering se uuins about a dozen ot the gorgeous r nit ' i in k- ie lHw black a;oat with fiery eyes. The Neld ing, as the sorcerer Is called, leaps on the demon's baok and becomes like him invisible. On his left foot is fastened a sharp, glittering knife and thus he rides around the fields of those neighbors who have the finest corn. Not only is the corn mown down in the Immediate track, which is only about a foot's breadth, but all that Is inclosed in the wide magic circle must henceforth grow and ripen In the barn of the Bil-wls-Schelnder, while It disappears from the neighbor's fields. Germany is particularly rich in lore of hobgoblin, sprite and elf, and It is small wonder- that elf-haunted anni versary is commemorated on several nights during the year, rather than on one. The same Druidlc tradition which underlies the British Halloween tells of three main festivals during the year. Those festivals were observed on May 1, the time of sowing; June 21, the season of the ripening of the grain, and October 31, the harvest season. The Autumn festival has clung to the life of Britain ln All Hallow Eve, but all of the old Druid festivals may be found In some form or other In Ger man life, with weird rite and ghostly ceremony as component parts of their observance. Valpurgisnacht, which comes on the 1st of May, and is given over to mischief-working fairies and to sport of demons, is practically the same as the old English All Hallow eve. Freya once the goddess of love and beauty, but since the advent of Christianity a witch or demon then comes down from hef haunts in the mountain peaks of Norway, Sweden and Germany, and. with her witches' train, works havoo among the abodes of men. It is well for husbandmen that night to have all tools put away, as the feet of her myriad train may scatter them abroad. The housewife should be careful to remain close within doors, to be out of reach of the malevolent spell cast by the black cat which al ways accompanies the demon goddess. The second Druidlc festival, now de voted to the memory of St. John the Baptist, ami called tfohannlstag, was at Midsummer, the day of the year which marked the turnips of the sun away from the earth and the beginning of the return of cold, dark Winter. The ancient Teutons celebrated this event backsetting fire to a huge wheel and hurling It down the mountain side, to go out with a hiss in a cold stream below, thus symbolising the plunging of the earth Into the darkness of Win ter. This, as well as the ancient custom U il vf Ik, v i - II If I friiriirwfiYitrt'niMiM.kMssa.K. -S---. jw .. r nnitiswir r -.-. - ntlJ I Crown c55 insects in all, one of them adorning the bosom. Recent visitors to the Museum, as might be expected, xind tuts exhibit remarkably Interesting. But some- THE SUNDAY of building bonfires on mountain peaks, is still carried out by the peasants in South Germany. As many as 37 bon fires have been counted on the summits of the mountains which en circle the Chiem-See, while along the Rhine, In the Harz mountains, and in Bavarian highlands mid-Summer fires cast a picturesque glow against the Summer sky. The sorcery of the night centers about the flame of the Sonnwend fire, it has unusual powers of prophecy and healing, and acts as a charm against witchcraft, accident and pestilence. However, counter charms exist against the black magic of the Bllwls-rlder. Any one who can find a cuckoo's nest, or the skin of an adder, or else an old mole hill, and lays It on his head and sits on a boundary stone will become invisible and will recognise the unholy rider. If he is called by name the goat vanishes with a howl, the sorcerer is thrown to the ground and sickens from that moment. Within a year and a day the devil carries him off, and the mischief may be remedied and the bewitched ears of corn recovered by, their rightful owner, provided the first harvest wagon is driven backwards into the barn. Singularly, the last of the Druldlo festivals which has lingered in Britain merged with Tuletide observances in Germany, December 21, commemorated by the heathen Teuton to Fro, as it marked the return to the season of frultfulness, is today dedicated to St. Thomas; but probably because Fro was also the god of love there still survive love practices, mystio spells and the divination, which in other countries Is characteristic of the list of October. The following tricks are closely simi lar to our own Halloween practices. Lead or the yolk of an egg is poured into water on this night, and from the shape it assumes may be predicted whether the girl will marry, die or re main single during the ensuing year; whether she will espouse an old or young man, citizen or peasant, rich or poor. If the tip of a shoe, thrown over the shoulder, points to the door, the bride groom will be a stranger; if the con trary, he will be some one in the vil lage. The maiden who wishes to see her future husband mounts a stool, just beforo going to bed, and entreats St. Thomas to let her future husband ap pear in a dream. She also believes that the first person whom she meets the next morning on her way to mass will eventually marry her. According to Irish tradition, the dead arise on the night of the (let of Oc faS&fc fWA z jr times they are critical of the likenesses of the White House ladies. While ad- mittlng that many of them are good, they think toat ethers are not first- rate. Mostly, tkey approve of Martha OREGOX1AX, PORTLAND, tober, for then Saman. the cod er death, passes Judgment. In Germany the date for this day of judgment is Christmas eve, when the dead hold a solemn mass in the church. On this same night hidden treasure may be dug up, and the poacher casts charmed bullets. On Christmas eve animals have the gift of human speech, and anybody who as a child slept in a cradle made out of the wood of a cherry tree which grew round a stone dropped by a spar row on a wall can understand the dis course of the oxen and sheep in those hours. There is a strange custom through out Bavaria and. Swabia called cutting the kletzen or scherzel. A maiden gives her betrothed the kletzen. which is made of black bread, almonds, dried fruits and figs. Then she cuts off the round end, called the scherzel, and they eat it together. This signifies that they have solemnly plighted troth for the ensuing year and will share Joy and sorrow. The manufacturer of the cake is most important, and the family fear illness or death should it get burnt or be otherwise unsuccessful. Another quaint custom prevails in the Lech Valley, on the feast of the Holy Innocents. The young men give the girls cake, receiving in return bread and brandy after which the maidens allow themselves to be beaten by their lovers, with willow rods, on their hands, arms and necks. This is called kindeln. If the skin does not become thoroughly red. it is a sign that the love of the couple is weak and waver ing. On this day also the children pa rade the village streets, and are per mitted to beat up the grown-up peo ple, for which escapades they receive fruit and kletzen. The feature of these witchlike times, which is as interesting as any other, is the custom of the country folk to gath er about the family hearth and recount well-known tales of ghosts and goblins One of the best liked stories is that of the specter barber, who for many years haunted a castle in a little town of Rummelsburg. Through his practice of shaving from the shoulders up, any mortal who happened to come within Uni que Collection oRrj-t LadleTLaHishe Tashinton and Dolly Madison. Mrs. Cleveland is esteemed not bad, but might be better. Likewise Mrs. Taft. Their views differ, of course. Faces Are the Si Back of all this there is a real Joke. For. be It understood, the faces of the White House mistresses are not meant to be likenesses at alL In tact, their faces are all the same face, the original of which is the face of. a classical statue. So far as features are con cerned, Martha Washington. Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Taft, and all the rest are one woman. The important dif ference is in the arrangement of the hair. It was found Impracticable to obtain a veritable dress of-Mrs. James Monroe who by the way, was In her maiden days a famous beauty. On that so- OCTOBER 31, 1915. vei, tvV jltSs - bis power finally drove every one away from the place. A yung stranger happening in the town and not finding room in the tav ern, sought out one of the empty bed rooms in the castle, wheih was just as the owner had left it. Unaware of the character of the place, he prepared to spend the night in it. The barber, ac cording to his wont, appeared at mid night and ishaved the man most thor oughly. Just as he was about to de part, with shaving tools nicely put . away in a bag, the young man thought he sensed an unexpressed wish, and motioning the barber to a seat which ha had just vacated, he proceeded to shave him as himself had been shaved. As soon as he had finished the ghost found power of speech and thanked the young man fervently, explaining that such services was all that was neces sary to liberate him from an age-old penance, which had compelled him to stay in the castle and shave every man who came within its wall. As tor the stranger he was acclaimed the savior of the town, and generously rewarded by the owner of the seat, who immed diately resumed possession. Another tale is that of the collier's family. A young merchant on his way to a distant seaport, laden with valu ables, lost his way and was taken Into the humble cot of a forester for the night. The evening merriment was at its height, when a gentle tap was heard at the door, and an uncanny little man in black stealthily entered, taking his seat In the circle about the Are. Although he appeared to be well known to th family, the conversation count the lay-figure representing her husband's administration stands for her youngest daughter, Maria Hester, who was the first White House bride. She married at IS years of age, Samuel Lawrence Gouvorneur. and her bridal gown (attired In which her effigy ap pears) was in the empire style, im ported from France, of pale blue silk, with short sleeves of blue tulle. But there is another cause of eye deception. In each instance the pose ot the hand is different; likewise the pose of the shoulders. These poses are copied from photographs (or other por traits) of the individual women. They are lidividually characteristic The hair arrangements are copied from the same portraits. One realizes. In view- lng tha aasemblasre of Whit Hmim mistresses, that In the general effect of what if called "likeness." the faea name MMtrejmj immediately subsided, and the rest of the evening was passed in constraint. He joined the family in prayers, but just as be was about to lift the latch of the door to go out into the night he shot back into the room and glared wildly and ferociously upon the family group. In the middle of the night, the young merchant roused from his slumber by some one walking about his rr om. saw the little man sitting upon the saddle bags which contained his valuables, and when he asked him what he want ed, the creature replied that he wished to show him hidden treasure in the for est. Thinking that in this way he might easily increase his riches, the merchant sprang out of bed and pre pared to go out with his strange guide. When he looked toward the man. however, he saw not the cowering per son of the evening, but an apparition, immoderately tall and thin, with a scarlet mantle thrown over his shoul der and his belt bristling with weapons. Not daring to disobey the commands which now came from such a frightful personality, the younger man hastened out into the depth of the forest. Finally the specter halted, and point ing to a spot told the young man to dig. He himself Joined in. and wher ever his bony fingers touched the earth phosphorous and ill-smelling vapor arose. At last they reached some copper urns, which, as soon as they struck the air, crumbled into dust. The search continued for Borne time, with equally fruitless results in each spot where they dug. At last tho goblin declared that his Mujeum, plays a much less predominating part than is commonly supposed. Face Is Classic. This Idea of using a single classic face for all the Presidents' wives was suggested by Professor W. H. Holmes, who is the Government's chief author ity in all matters relating to the fine arts. Apart from that, credit for the creation of the remarkable exhibit here described must be given to two Washington women of social promi nence. Mrs. Julian James and Mrs. R. R. Hoes, the latter a granddaughter of the aforementioned first bride of the White House. Marie Hester Monroe. The labor they undertook in getting together the costumes and incidental materials all of which were required to be the veritable apparel, etc, of the distinguished women concerned was almost beyond belief. For, be it under stood, it was not merely the dresses that were collected. To lend additional interest to the lay-figures furnishing them, as It were, with something sug gestive of "atmosphere" other belong ings of theirs were obtained. Thus, for example, the hands of Martha Washington, folded In her lap and wearing a pair of her very own silk mitts, hold a work-bag that she commonly used. Sarah Angelica Sin gleton, daughter-in-law of President Van Buren (another White House bride), carries a handkerchief embroid ered with her maMen name; and in her left hand is a fan bearing her mar ried monogram, "A. V. B." A book clasped in Dolly Madison's fingers is a copy of "Paradise Lost." printed in the year ltlJ, Maria Hester Monroe stands by the side of a table and chair which were brought from France by her father In 179s. On the table Is a mirror that was made from a fragment of a larger one broken when the White House was sacked and burned by the British, in 1S14; also a beautiful ivory and silver fan. and a small cup, decorated with an eagle and It stars, which is sup posed to be the only piece of Monroe china now in existence. The arrangement of hair being relied upon "wholly (save for pose of head and shoulders) to differentiate the various White House mistresses, it is interest ing to note lbs styles of coiffure af- fected by these ladles, as shown In the costumed models said style being un C&rct.for fit comrade had discovered the weaitn and surreptitiously hidden it. As he voiced his accusation his wrath grew greater and greater, flames shot out from his ears and nostrils, and. striking his bony hands against the trunks of trees, he made a noise like Summer thunder. The young merchant was beginning to give himself up for lost, when a dis tant cork crowed, and with groan and loud lamentation the spector faded into air. Upon returning to the collier's home and relating the experience the mer chant was told that the ferocious form had been the habitual gulso of tho ghost of the place who haunted burled treasure, but that by piety and con stant prayers he and his family had succeeded in getting the specter to as sume the gentle aspect In which he had been seen early In the evening. Tho. knowledge of treasure in the house had excited his cupidity and caused him to take his old form. Several years later the merchant again had occasion to stay with tho collier, but this time the only evidence of the little man was the soft t'nklo of bells and a gentle radiance which played about the room for a while and then departed. Playing "Crow" for Old Fisher. World s Work. One of the Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, whose rather slipshod dress disguised his real Importance, appeared one day In the Portsmouth dockyard looking for the then superintendent of the yard. Lord Fisher, who Is now Ad miral of the Britisli fleet. He ran against a Jackie stationed outside a shed, sofely pounding the pavement. "Are the lords of the Admiralty this way?" the stranger asked. "Not much." replied the gentleman of leisure, "seeing I'm here doing crow for them." "Crow?" What's that?" "Crow is wot I'm doing of. Inside that shed all the maties are playic cards and takin' it easy like. I'm out here keepln" watch for 'em. When I sees one comin' wot don't matter. I knocks soft. When I sees old Fisher I knocks like hades; and when old Fish er pokes his nose through the shed all the maties are workln' like It, too. Seer deniably accurate, as adopted by there. Inasmuch, as they reproduce actual por traiture of the individuals in life. Mrs. Taft, for example, wears her hair in waves over her forehead and covering the upper parts of the ears, with a coil at the back fastened by a comb. Cleveland Coiffure Simple. Mrs. Cleveland's coiffure is of the simplest kind, suggesting the Greek, with a knot behind, and drawn back from the forehead. Mrs. Benjamin Harrison's hair is drawn up and back Into a twist (fast ened by a comb), with little curls in front. Mrs. McKinley, whose hair was quit short, wears it curled close to hei head. Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant wears collet braids behind and on top ot her head, with elaborate waves in front. Harriet Lane (Buchanan's niece, and mistress of the White House in hii Administration) exhibits perhaps th most elaborate and beautiful coiffur of all. Her hair Is puffed out at th sides from the top of the head, drawn back over the upper ears, and gathered Into a silk-net bag at the back. This arrangement, however, is rival led by that of Van Buren's daughter-in-law, Sarah Angelica, who wears ten big curls at the sides and back of her head, her locks drawn back from the forehead and secured by 'a fillet with a great Jewel In the center. Mrs. Pierce wears her hair In coils around the sides of her head and at the nape of the neck. Dolly Madison, of course, wears her favorite turban. There was a fashion for things Oriental in her day, and this style of headgear became her. Be neath the turban are cunning little curls on the forehead, and at the sides of the head, and sticking out above the turban are more curls, gathered in to a cluster. Mrs. Ablgal Adams wears a veritable pompadour, with a roll of hair at the back of her head, and two gerat curls falling behind the ears. Last or one should rather say, first there is the mother of her country. Martha Washington, whose hair is drawn back from her forehead and built up in a mass behind, the whole coiffure covered with a piece of rare lace secured by a ribbon tied with a bow.