NUMBER FOUR I-Tae NATIONAL § GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE APRIL, 1934 CONTENTS SIXTEEN PAGES OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN FULL COLOR The Spell of Romania With 38 IMlustrations HENRIETTA ALLEN HOLMES Romania, Land of Color and Contrast 15 Natural Color Photographs Palaces and Peasants in Rome's Old Colony 14 Natural Color Photographs WILHELM TOBIEN Around Our Inland Seas ‘With $1 TMlustrations MAYNARD OWEN WILLIAMS Freighters of Foruane on Our Great Lakes 8 IMustrations in Duotone Changing Palestine With 44 Mustrations: MAJOR EDWARD KEITH-ROACH ‘The Geographic’s Stratosphere Expedition With 1 Mlustration PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY HUBBARD MEMORIAL HALL WASHINGTON, D.C,VoL, LXV, No.4 WASHINGTON ApRIL, 1934 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Taye oo THE SPELL OF ROMANIA An American Woman’s Narrative of Her Wanderings Among Colorful People and Long-Hidden Shrines By Henrierra Auten HoLMEs HAH! Chaht Chah!" All throuzh my first night in Ro- mania, as we sat in the car, hope- lessly bogged down in a bottomless mud- hole, these weird falsetto cries, oriental in their cadence, rang through our ears, They were uttered by peasants, who were urging their sleepy oxen on ta begin work before dawn in their distant fields. ‘Some hours earlier, on our way to Sibiu, nur night's objective, we har gotten off the main rad and become completely lost. At midnight, not having eaten since noon, we entered an obscure village, Obviously, everyone had gone to bed except the nue merous canine population, which loudly re= sented our intrusion, Gut of the darkness emerged the figure ofa man, We explained our plight,-and he tried to take us over a short cut to the main road. Halfway there, unskillfully guided, we suddenly dropped into a mudhole. With ‘the aid of some passing peasants and thei six oxen, we worked for many hours to ¢x- tricate the ear, Finally we gave up and tried to sleep in the cramped quarters. of ‘our roadster, At diwn our friend, feeling responsible for the situation, arrived with more help, After five hours of fruitless effort, we learned of a near-by Saxon farmer who owned a tretor, When we found him it was only to hear the sad news that the machine was out of commission! He gave us, however, at his house a breakfast af freshly baked black bread and honey, which was manna from beaven to us After a sofourn of some twenty hots in the mud, with the help of four horses and a dowen men, we Were finally on our way’ A day later, entering Bucharest, T ex- perienced a great disappointment. ‘Te was during the dry, hot month of July. On every side intense waves of heat from the flat Danubian plain engulfed us, and the green of the trees and grass was hidden be- neath @ thick coating of dust Driving down the Chanssée, we passed the now: dik Plaster omphe, built for the coronation of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, ‘Two years! residence in the country has changed this first, unfortunate impression. Great charm, T have learned, often Ties under a dusty and shabby surface. In fact, T have fallen under the spell of Romania, MANY INVASIONS HAVE LEPT THERE IMPRINT ‘Ta Romania, East and West are so Inter- woven it is difficult to see where one leaves off and the other begins. Perhaps the countless Invasions which have swept her land may partly account for this strange blending of Orient and Each invader, whether be be Roman, Hun, Pole, or Turk, has left his strong imprint on the nature of the people.400 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINETHE SPELL OF ROMANIA 40L Couatnn Aa tankers [nde op Newman FROM THE BLUE DANUBE 10 THE GREEN MILLS OF BUCOVINA THY AUTHOR ROAMED buy: mn tities and lonely rural bees ay Psy camps, and cavinr sited the reslo Her travels amon fianeriey, manatain fuunte of loggers nd explored little-known fortified monastetles. certumes, tuners, and customs. of centuries past, Though Paris thay be France, Bucharest is hardly Romania, This capital has al- nopst nothing im common with the country. Tt is « gay, cosmopolitan sty, often, if not aptly, called the Little Paris of the Balkans, Its streets are crowded with smartly dressed women, officers eae ie their colorful uniforms and gold braid, and men and women of the foreign colonies, who contrast strikingly with peasants in native dresses and gypsies fn rags and tatters, Its. restaurants and cofiechouses, always: fn- mous for. food, are abuzz with the latest political rumors and gossip. ‘The opening, in the autumm, of Parlia- ment by the King is a brilliant event; For several blocks and for hours, the Palace Guards in thetr bright blue uniforms, high patent leather jack boots, shining helmets with white horsehair plumes, stand smartly at attention until the members of Par- liament, the Diplomatic Corps, the army generals, and the King have passed. gorda, She Everywhere she met sturly folk: whe eling to the guy ns of all and wheat, and ‘The great moments are the arrival and departure of the King, in an open Landa. Footmen in satin breeches, long coats of brocade, and three-cornered hats, and & ferocious cnachman cracking his. whip at six milk-white or coal-black stallions, on whose backs ride postilions in bright red hunting costumes, add to the striking medie- val picture (see opposite page). We found it fun in winter to hire an open sleigh drawn by horses swith bells und red ribbons, snd driven by a coathman in w high fur ciciuli: (cachoula), a tall astrakhan an , long velvet coat, and ‘wide girdle of metal There are still a few coachmen living in Bucharest who belung to 2 curious alien sect called Scopili, now almostestinct, The men were allowed to marry, but at the birth ‘of the first child they ie ee sterile. T saw them often " carriages. They are fat and i skin's like yellow parchment,THE SPETL OF ROMANIA stand ind deliver” at least a chicken-coop of a fence 19 keep ther busy. Even In the cit Tn the background at the right a Bucharest railway station, wish is widely: used instead of pat ‘The wide avenue leading up to the Arc de Triomphe, past a pretty little race course and the golf links of the Country Club is a miniature suggestion of the Champs Elysées in the French capital, Many stately pal- es and homes line its streets, Romania has gone modern in her new houses and apartments, ‘There is much music other than in the cafés, Bucharest boasts of rather good opera during the winter and a really fine symphony frequently plays modern music. Last we heard « fascinating gypsy dance, composed by a Romanian musi- cian, rivaling Ravel's “Bolero” in rhythm, Enescu, the Romanian composer and violin + is eagerly awaited in many cities of Europe and America, butt so full of love for his homela this Romanian that he de~ lights Bucharest a part of each year with his musi ‘The National Theater is well patronized and plays by Romanian and foreign authors are given, Once ornate, the building is now shabby, although an air of faded elegance still pervades the pla The Parliament Buildings and the Ro: ta compa the pedestrian to manian Orthodox Church stand on the sum mit of the only hill in Bucharest, Bucharest is a city of churches, From everywhere can be seen rising the rounded domes af the Romanian Orthodox Chur ‘The people are religious, but matter-of-fact about it. Despite the Slavic iniluence, there is no mysticism here. Religion is simply a part of everyday life. The Chueh i @ a protective father, and they respond a simple faith, STORE SIGNS ARE IEDvETRATED Down by the hanks of the Mimbovita, which Eddie Cantor made famous in one of his songs, is the great market, where flowers, fruit, food, household goods, and Romanian handiwork are sold in the open booths of peasants-and petty tradespeople (see illustration, page 407}. Because so many peasants are unable to read, signs on many stores and shops are illustrated with pictures of the articles {or sale within Around Bucharest the country ts not unlike the agricultural State of Kansas, my native State. Hore is a tremendous wheat404. ‘rine merssrve olunteers carap the Dambovita Ri rin Bi and corn region. T love to go through the villages in this fertile district. Crazy little Rube Goklberg houses, whose white- washed walls are painted in soft pastel shades and decorated with borders of flowers or animals, present an amusingly aky aspect along the streets. Romania of the few countries now left in Europe whose peasants usually dress in native costume (see Color Plates V, VI, IX and XIIT), The Romanfan peasant is lovatile, Al- s yrack tcotis, and good-natured, he is industrious, yet somewhat inefficient. He works hard in his fields and forests, but always in a primitive manner, using the crude tools of his forefuthe wa WASHING CLOTHES 18 HARD BUT THOROWGH WORK at the top of the Carpathian uindary line between the ind Transylvania, we spent 2 summer in a Small cottage. Duiting our holidays we had many opportunities to In Predea OP THE WATERS MFAN! honor of retrieving the cross thrown by the wh harest on Epiphany, ad edmaet, stars with church offirials oa the stone steps built especiall ‘THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Potnerapl evariesy Reman AN ICY BATH FoR soar iv Legation bearded Patriarch Carol IT, in long coat and the: ceremony January 6. Kin observe the ancient methods of work fol- lowed by the peasants, 1 was. particularly impressed with the native mahner of washing clothes. Our Jaundress built a fire in the yard beneath a large iron pot, in which she pput the clothes to boil. Then, in a large wooden trough ewn from a log, she rubbed and washed arments with her hands, without even of a washbourd. Nest, she weung out the heavy linen with her own hands. Back-breaking work it was, hut the elothes emerged spotlessly white, With an old-fashioned irof, kept hot by 1 small charcoal fire inside, she pressed them, and Tam stire she would have scorned the electric washing machines and irons so essential to American housewive Politically, Romania traveled to leit after the war, as have in a degree most of the countries ‘of the Near Enst. The large Inndholdings were expropriated anc the aeres sold tu the peasants on easy terms, the result of which was to plac anced positi 1 the in w more aTHE SPELL. OF ROMANIA and even a grown-up or tw ever known, Tk was not the intention to subject the landholding gentry to confisca- tion, although the results now present that appearance, The land was a rea: praised on a basis of ble value, and the gentry. given Romanian bonds in compensation for the land, When subsequently the nation went off the gold standard and her money de ciated, these bends became-almost worth- 1926, however, her currency ong the most stable, GYPSY CAMPS EN THE DANUBE DELTA uth of Our inclination led us to the raania, Delw counts Ther rinig the sprin and summer, many gypsy camps are found justration, page 409) the Danube country of wood huge y manner of cook ment, etc. With their wild animal ly black locks, wretch d in rags, gypsies are a pré cality 405 Who has not conjured up some gay, mantic picture of gypsy lile from at ‘Yet how distressing when one meets it lose quarters! But gypsy mus ful, Almost at every street corner in Bucha- rest one encounters. an urchin with his yiolin, ready to play for a few lei My first winter in Bucharest, in contrast tothe summer, was bitterly cold. Often I swat dist half nak and shiveri reel COMETS. counting and dividing the mor DEAR-TAMERS AND BLACRSSINTIS Since time immemo ies have al- gone into the bear-taming business often you see several gy} qual mimber of bears, making. them nee for a delighted crowd of © Or, failin and blac wrought grille Many times inmr WITH A REFN LIKE THES! TOR AN AM-PIPE, THE ROMANIAN “HORT Tn stich marshes, not ong ago, dwelt the romantic outlaw, Terente, who robbed the rich and gave t aed of some houses, ‘Tyo young 9, minus clothes, have leaped itite the water to help their elder ONCH ESCAPED my HInENG be poor (ate text, page 423), Here pea Te UNDER nap tiy Zontng Cxtbeny ATER e harvesting thatch, still ery, and stuck It.oor Phategeapih ey Dr. Wraae A WRESTLING ROUT ENIAVENS A GNPSY CAMI ON THE BLACK EEA NEAR AGIGEA ‘These: nomads live by hare trading, besscing, teltnie fortunes, ani tepabring plots and poms. ALsthe make them mowe on after a day or twa, ah hy WThelin Tubes HARVEST TIME 18 MEGRYMAKING TIME IN ROMANTA ‘The gay harvesters pluck out tall woods and stzay’ stalks of hemp from last year's planting, as Lhey reap the grain in this fil scar the eastern boundary ef Buscovina.410 THE NATH SEOGRAFHIC MAGAZINE PARM Wi Upstairs their The fi d fous y the heat urs into the trough, ‘ais fer, Bucharest we ironwork. The delta couhtry covers a tremendous area spreading between the three branches of the Danube w fine examples of gypsy Most important of Danube channels is the Sulina, carries most of the river trafic coming down from far-off Germany, Austria, Hungary, Yug ovakia. The European Commission of the Dan- ube, which assures free navigation of the river, struggles constantly to keep the silt, washed down from half of Europe, fra clogging up this artery to the Black Sea On the Danube's banks are two important ports, Galati and Briila, which receive ves sels of ocean draft. Principal exports are wheat, barley, carn, Jumber, and some ail. slavia, and Czech MANY UAIE AND BEAUTIFUL BrHDS ‘The bird life of the delin is wondrous beyond deseription, Many rare and beaut ful birds are here for the looking. We hired, at fifty cents for the day, a black, flat-bottom rowboat, and slipped silently MEN TN OLTENIA WATCH Tret Wate, hasan help the miller pot the rain unr he, il rate hatid-made sack AT TURN INTO FLOUN ‘through the teeds and narrow channels of the delta, Suddenly we surpri 200 pelicans, which, web-footed and jj made their get-away quickly, We happene on a flock of wild swans sailing 3 it onig the rarer varieti duck is a snow-white bird with an emerald- green head and bill. Egrets, flamingos, cor- morants, wild geese, many kinds of ducks, herons, and cranes are listed among. the commoner varieties of bird life. MOATMEN STILL WEAR FEEZES As we were now near the Black Sea, why not go to Constanta? This city, Romania’ most important port, still bears traces of the Turkish occupation of Dobraja Prav- ince, which is reflected in its shabby mosqu and the red fezzes of many of its boatmen (see illustration, page 424). We found Constanta a modern harbor, with a well-equipped oil dock where petro- leum products are pumped directly into ‘ecean-going tankers. A pipe line from the coil fields terminates here, but it is not ade quate to meet the demand, and thousands‘THE SPELL OF ROMANTA 4aL FLOATING FLOUR 4Joven, ut! thé {aot of the Teansy Wantam text, page 14 Romanlan austhorlties kept a constant eye on the stubborn fre w im. This in one of several petrole414 of barrels are shipped overland by tank ait. (Oil fields are tremendous, and vast tracts of proven land are yet secreted Be mania is one of thy *rorld's largest oil ducers, being exceeded in: 1932 only. by. the the teil States, the Soviet Union, and Vene- zuela. Petroleum products are important in her foreign trade because exportation is nob senso. The petroleum markets are prineipally ‘Turkey, Egypt, Mediterranean: and even western Europe. Large quantities of grain are also shipped from the port, but unfortunately there are not enongh grain devators for efficient storage and lading. ‘Numerous resorts with good bathing beaches make this coast an attractive sum- meting place, We enjoyed Eforia, a rather primitive resort just outside of Constanta, where we bathed in the Black Sea and gazed for hours at the ever-changing blues and greens of its waters. ‘To the south, at Baleic, Queen Marie has huilt a beautiful summer palace whose yar- den is the show place of the coast (see Coldr Plates If, HI, and VIL), On the Black Sea, where the motern city of Con- stanta stands, are the ruins af ald Tomi, where Ovid passed his life in exile and im- mortalized in verse the curative mud baths, A BOAT TRIP DOWN THE DANUBE ‘One ‘evening last autumn we boarded a Danube steamer at Galati whose staterooms: would accommodate perhaps twelve people. We ate in the dining room, which was also the lounge. It was clean and comfortable and provided with a radio that shrieked oriental music into the Late hours of the night, ‘Our only fellow: travelers were a Ro- muanian sea captain and his wife, also on their way to Valeo, Numerous, however, were our deck passengers—peasants with their live geese, goats, and household goods traveling to their homes along the Danube, boat cook was most obliging, alh ing. us to enter his kitchen, ask for certain dishes, and even explain to him the intri- cacies of baking an apple. Before we went to bed, he asked whether he should buy: tmilk the next morning at one of the ports ior our coffee, As we were eating breakfast our friend the sea captain rushed! to our table to point out at Chilia his ship. He was anxious to THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Jet us know that he was.a salt-water sailor of a seagoing vessel which had even been to Bristol. It proved to be an ancient trary steamer, but his pride in it was delightful. In the company pf himself and his wife we visited the Valcov fisheries under the guid- ance of our captain, who wore a Mephisto- phelian beard VALCOW HAS CANALS FOR STREETS LIKE VENTCE ‘We were enchanted to find Valcay more Russian than Russis, The men all wore full beards and were dressed! in long velwet coats buttoned very smartly up the front, while the women, in their full skirts and heads covered with bright scaris, made a gay picture. Children were everywhere chewing sunflower seeds, the Russian sub- stitute for gum and peanuts, Valcov was like a tiny Venice, with its canals serving as tusin thoroughfares through the town (see Ulustration, page 406). Both in the fishermen's houses and in the market places, We always found at Teast one lovely ikon. Entering first an immense storage build- ing, we saw where the fish were cleaned, sorted, packed in iee for shipment to Bucha- rest and other constiming centers, and smoked or salted for export. There was a great variety of salt- and fresh-water fish, including some strane Danubian species which we could not identify. At the back of the storage house was a deep cave topped by an earthen mound, where hundreds of tons of ice, cut from the river and canals eS winter, are stored against the summer t. Crossing the main canal by an arched wooden bridge, which reminded ws of the Rialto, we arrived ay the large open market. Here the fishermen bring their dally catch to besold under the supervision of the State Fisheries. They go out in groups.of five or six to each sturdy boat made water-tight and blackened by tar, “The hoats set out in time to reach the fishing grounds by day- light; the fishermen say they must carch the wary sturgeon while che is-still asleep. ‘THE QUEST FOR CAVIAR ‘The fishing ground varies with the sea- sons; sometimes it is the Black Sea and sometimes the Dantibe and the channels of the delta, where the sturgeon come to spawn, The boats return bout noon, areROMANIA, LAND GF COLOR AND CONTRAST1 tral Now YTHE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE WalachiaROMANIA, LAND OF COLOR AND CONTRASTA‘THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE vinTHE SPELL OF ROMANIA 423 unldaded, the fish weighed, and the caviar extracted AN good catch in season may reach 40,000 pounds, of which usually 12,000 pounds are sturgeon, ‘Twelve thoitsand pounds of stur= geon will ordinarily produce $00 pounds of caviar, ‘The average sturgeon weighs about 450 pounds, and a record specimen just under 2,000 pounds, In the best season about 5 per cent of the sturgeon's gross weight caviar, At New York Taste for the little black eggs, a 2,000-pound fish represents a respectable sum, “The sturgeon ae pt up ee and the buyers must be very expert to judge t amount of caviar in the fish before it is pened, ‘These were the most famous and richest of Russia's caviar fisheries before Bessa- rabia became a component part of Romania in.1918, ‘Qur visit to Valcov was rather disappoint- ing, as the preceding day had been a boli day, and as great quantities of \uica (ta00— icka), the national drink, made fram fresh plums, had been consumed, many of the fishermen tid not felt equal to going out and the catch was small. ‘We visited the Lipovan Orthodox Church. Because of their refusal to subscribe to the ritualistic reforms of the Russian Church at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Lipovans were sent by the Russian Gov- ernment to colonize the delta, ‘They still maintain that they are the only true be- Tievers in the old creed and stoutly adhere to their traditional beliefs and prac The Romanisn Government. has not dis tured: them since the inclusion of Bes- sérabia in Romania and their life goes an ‘unruiied by political chanzes. FEASTING IN THE CHURCHYARD, In the churchyard we found. several townspenple cleaning up the remains of the St, Mary's Day feast given the day before to the peor of the town, Much food must have been cooked, judging from the size of the black-iron. cauldrons, Attracted by the sound of music and stamping of feet, we wandered into a small café, on our way back to the boat, where the men of the town were still) making merry. ‘They were singing lustily, and now and then ane of them jumped up from his table and danced a wild, fast Russian fotk- dance to the tame of a wheezy accordion industriously operated by a blind musician. Over the bar hung an ikon of the Madonna, who seemed to smile down in approval on the galety of her people. With typical Rus- sian cordiality our presence was welcomed and we were asked to join in the festivities, WHERE THE DANUBE 1S BLUE Our afternoon and night trip back to Galati was a beautiful one. The Danube was as bliie as one expects but rarely finds it. The land spread for miles on either side in low, flat stretches, but here and there one saw-al cluster of small houses, a few Jean cattle, and tiny plots of ground for cabbage and corn, which sume enterprising peasant had reclaimed from the swamps. In these hundreds of square miles of river and marshes live only the hard-working fishermen and many fugitives from j ‘These latter hide themselves in the laby- finth of channels and almost impenetrable swamps. Romania's most famous outlaw lived for many years in the delta and successfully defied the efforts of the police to find him (see ilustration, page 408), He was the picturesque Terente, the “Robin Hood of the Delta." He robbed the rich and gave to the poor and never took a lett from any ane without giving a signed receipt for what ‘be had stolen. He wrote amusing letters fo ‘the patice and gendarmerie, saving that he had talked with the commandant the night before or thanking an officer for the drink they thadl had together, ‘Once the gendarmes combed the sivamps and surrounded him, but be escaped by lying under the water and breathing through a hollow reed until the almost solid line of police had passed him by. But he was finally caught and shot down when the wilice lay in wait for bim outside his sweet- "5 hut on the edge of a fishing “cherchez la femme!” Once on our return we saw a home-niade merry-go-round operated by a group of boys who stood on a platform above and pushed it at top speod (soe illustration, page 405). Late in the afternoon we arrived at a very Russian town with the Turkish name of Ismail, at the mouth of the Danube, ‘The Population was perhaps 30,000, and from the boat we could see the green domes’ of at least a dogen churches rising above the town, bearing the Russian cross with its twoTHE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE CONSTANTA 18 THE The ani carded I Nation's chiet outlet to the 410). The tmave at the # population Constantine 1 ars, Along the quay were many of the low, open Russian curringes called “drash- which added to the R Nin all, the trip was charm Icisurely except for the fact that when we reached Galati the next morning we had 40 minutes to make our train. ‘The ation was about two mites from. the dock—not a taxi, not a vehicle in sigh Currying our baggage, we begat running toward the station. One of our party even- iy discovered a curt and, mounting be- ie the driver and watehing over the jolted along over the rough tones to the station. Arriving there, she was even more hausted from the bouncing than we who had run the whole way, only to discover the train had been gone for three minutes, ‘When we penetrated into the Carpathians we found the timber business a flourishing industry. ‘The logs are fastened together in fan-shaped rafts and guided by men to the sea in the spring, when the torrents are swift and dangerous All peasant life is interesting, and the 1 of varying incident, FUNNEL FOR ROMANIAN OL AND Great in boner af his halt-alst Hack Sea and is compe it was built by King Carol 1 of R Canstaintla, co text the Turki with the oil region by pipe ial sa Often in the spring, when the cold and clear of sheep, the jahts- were we came ‘upon large is tinkling: and ng like points uf flame. Re manian peasants, w ange. furry capes, like pictures from the Old Testament, herded the flocks on foot to pastures in the moun- tains away from the si heat. Many ntry. As we entered some cit the change was emphat ince, formerly Hunga came part af Roman Beside the embroide inanians, one Hungarian and Saxon costumes worn by tall men and wome of the Magy onic races. ‘The women are pretty in their full skits, tight bodices, and straw hats trimmed with flowers and ribbe nd the men wear broad-brimmed felt hats, black, short coats, black boots, and tight breeches. Often the architecture is distinetly differ- ent—the houses and Germanic Everywhere ee lan guages—Roma nd Hunga- Flan, ‘Transylva ised population varia prov to be war e Ro-THE SPELL, OF ROMANIA 428 HOMEWAKO PLOD THE HARVESTERS cir Jone seythe blades th n thelr conts and shoulder In the bundles are co IV). Now fully: wrapped w a bay's wo ue women ‘of th tily us they follow him the occasion. When the crop is cut and se, whene the dominic provides a feast,THE SPELL Hungarians, and Sax- ons, ‘These latter were brought in by the Hun- garinn kings to form & defense against ine vasion, ‘The German centered burgs—the German name for Transyl ietvenbiirgen.”” Of the original seven ing are Br (Kronstad), Sibiu (Hermannstadt), and para —(Schass~ ‘The first is 1 The sece buildings, m and libraries fine medie now 1 lure val theran, filled with rare Turkish carpets, gifts chants at chrise oF city wat formerly the. trading central Europe THE CARAS ROMANIA, el of thetn is a medieval city bu more untouch hoo! uniform, x hill, Because her po id than Carcassonne. Were {09 poor down the old city and build new great treasure has been preserved in her iine church and guildhalls, in the towers ‘of her walls (see Color Phite XI). We were shown through the museum by the curator and his sister, who were profound ciudents, He, as the leading physician of the town, hid’ heen fortunate in being able to find precious in the homes of his Here the Saxons use the German ing of their rivers and some. do not iy YOUR BACK ACHES, thelr dnc ing all day i the 4 19 enjoy Dr. Beat’s upper rizht) keeps an eve oh th OF ROMANIA mR WILL DANCE toy massage the im ds. i oar: he patie what heavy know the Romanian h have been ioficially sul It was near dier of fortune, J umes W a that our own sol in Smith, in one id armies af Europe, fought bravely distinguished himself in the Battle 0 Turks! Heads. For John Smith's bravery the Duke of 1 ,. Sigismund Bathor, knighted him in 1603, and jain the m of the ords in the British Museum c following citation, a patent “Sigismundus Bathor, by the g Duke of Transylvania, Wallac! traIATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 4 A a ag fil Heke erTHE SPELL OF ROMANIA 429 BAMIFS S1t0t430 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINETHE SPE AND OUT rowerb, since = 1 Rucair po petit Moldavania, Earle of Anchard, Salford and Growenda; to whom this writing may cot or af Know that we have given leave and licence to John Smith, an English Gentleman, Captaine whose service doth descrve all praise petuall memory toward us, as did for God and his country overcome his tof our love and Ww of Armes, W haye ordained and give him on his shield a Armes, the figure and description of three Turkes heads, which with his sword before town of R Je combat, he did wercome, kill and cut off, in the Province of Transylvania, k in Misen bet, in the and, the cate of our led at T ninth day of Lord, 1603. ay Sweiswuspus Batnor.” ore leaving Transylvania we saw the holy city of Alba-Tulia resting secure within ts ancient walls ona hilltop. In the Orth dox coronation cathedral the late Ferdinar ‘on October 15, 1922, was crowned first Kin; f United Re Alba-Tulia is the cradle a of Romanian liberty, one writer has said, OF ROMANIA AT THE ELnOWws 1 law. The men wear flowers made of wax About 1600 Michael ihe Brave took snd id Alba-Tulia and ‘Transylvania, which one of Romania to when they wereunited in 1918, constituted Transylvat RESORTS DATE FROME ROMAN TIAEES Many watering resorts are scattcre Romania. They were mostly and built by the Romans. One wit bas said that so many are the baths found in th countries of early Roman ve; he Romans conquered y of buthing. oF trip: of two We mania, Tre it As fi Tines connecting wit em Europe afford de luxe trains, such as the excellent Arlber: and the famous Orient Express, wh iScoW ks in north vers, through Bucharest ; but I fi trains while traveling throu; was as slow as going day co rural areas at home, We were, however, very comfortable traveling second class to the jack Sea on a luxurious express, Tt would be a pity to travel t mania by train, Going by automobile, it+0 butter, ¢st anTHE NATO POR ‘THEE CENTUR 10%! § TO PRAYER ‘The becikem principalities fecriped the dat nerimuention. or artillery el (see text, page 447 metal bears the arms of in the T Moti ibs which were World W, It hang f the many’ By thi is necessa hardships, not only in the manner of goin but also the hotels are often primitive and uncomfortable. ‘You cari, however, have wholesome, sim- ple food if you stick to native dishes. One c sermate is 2 concoction of sour cab- bage leaves, rather like sauerkraut but more licately flavor ed around @ mest- ¢ r ball, served with coarse’ cornmeal mush, called mimatigd (mv ), and a highly spiced sauce, and times thick sour cream, Miumiliga is a national food and ans of sus! + of the principal penance of L GEOGRAPHIC Tr is als and combinations Going by train, « would miss the beautify countryside, the interest ing peasant life, and the served in other constantly changing scen~ Be- shere: rowtdds a ery and atm cause of bad inadequate railroad com- munications, within a comparatively few miles there is a marked differ- ence apparent in dres: nis. out from srasov, through Transyl- a, We Were amazed a change in the peoph and dress, Th was the land of the Sz fers, that curious Turan an tribe about whose origin there has been so much contraversy. Some bi ridns maintain that the were leit behind when Attila’s horde of Huns withdrew ito the east Others contend that the were a distinct tribe Arpid’s invading Mag- yars who settled in the mountains of eastern Transylvanl houses of the: built, of logs the carved wooden andl gates in front of them are of the €o: distinetly central Ask in form found it dificult to ask way thrayjh this district, as almost no one poke Romanian. On our trip through Moldavia and Buce- vina, the roadside scenes were a comipensa~ tion for the long, hard miles we traveled. One afternoon, while descending the eastern slopes of the Carpathians, following northern Bistrita River, we came upon four where jes around the mountain people had walked to take part in the festivities. They were so clean, happy, care-free, andTHE SPELL OF ROMANIA TO-THE HILLS! THE PARBAKIANS AR ong wood wed (rors mountain ep throneh the Tramylvan ing caws, blows a stenturian bast less with torch and sword WAMLIKE WAVES HAVE SWIILED AKOUND THE: Christiun princes Seeing from Asia rH ayers d by reached the fortified Suceviga Son: he part of not ava w it ie 480). In this border © Ro have fought many and durit th War the Russian and At armies mae ita buttleficld438 well fed that the nightmare of world de- pression seemeita million milesaway. ‘They were handsome in their holiday clothes, which were the most beautiful have seen. in Romania. In addition to the felt breeches and white starched blouses, the men wore white leather boleres embroidered in colored beads, rather like American Indian work, of in, coarse multicolored yarn and trimmed with bands of catacul and astrakhan, The women were equally charming. ‘Many carried infants of three and four weeks old, bound lke little mummies in linen bands, but muffled up to the chin in ink quilts and wearing conventional pink by-hoods domed with many bows, ‘They were carried in little wooden troughs, which had been bollowed out from a tree: trunk and gaily painted, POSING FOR A PHOTOGRAPH Another day we came upon crowds of peasants hurrying toa small wooden church where the feast day of St. Stephen was to be celebrated. “We stopped four young lads tessed in. pure white except for bright red sashes and small black felt hats in which a feather or paper Hower was jauntily stuck, To ont request for a photograph they lined up in a dignified manner, assumed grave expressions, advanced ‘one foot slightly forward, and with one arm akimbe: mate asimart appearance, “Then with true Romanian courtesy and hospitality they in- vited us to come to the celebration. Arriving there, we found bundreds of peidsants gathered in the churchyard, form- jing a procession, a few carrying bright satin banners, while two strong men tolled the bell which was bung in a simple wooden tower apart from the ehureh, “Their ob- jective was the little country graveyard, a few hundred yards ‘away. There they knelt and prayed, the women in separate ieaups. Tt was all rather touching, because this was nbviously a poor district and, there being no priest, some of the farmers per- formed the ceremony. We were probably: the only Americans ever seen by these peo ple. ‘They were ever so-curious, but frienily and helpful. ‘Alarge group of young boys surrounded, us, inspected every squire inch of the car, begged for rides, and one proudly appointed himself guide and camera-carrier and helped keep aff the crowd while we snapped pic- ‘THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE tures, On our way back to the road we found a few late stragglers: some peasant women, no doubt detained by household cares, carrying their shoes in one hand, greeted us. When asked for a picture, they first thurrielly put on their shoes. BEAUTIFUL EMBROIDERY OF ANCIENT DESIGN All the world Jcnows of the art and han craft of Romania's peasants (see Color Plate Vi. Un the stores and import shops of the large cities of the world may be bought blouses exquisitely embroidered, striking bits of pottery, and carpets of an_exceed- ingly artistic and original design, ‘The Ro- nxindieh thas wrought by hand, as he has done for centuries, these works of true merit, the science of which his ances- tors have bequeathed to him. He bas con- tinued to make them in the same primitive manner with the same implements his fore- fathers wsed before him, During the long Romanian winter, when, deep snow covers the ground and seals his tiny hut, the peasant makes into thread the flax or hemp of his fields. On his home looms he weaves cloth and embellishes it with intricate embroidery whose ancient de- signs are a part of his polyglot backgenind. His pottery i as primitive and brilliant as that of our American Indians, and in the dim past may have come from the sure Asiatic source. The wool from the hacks of his sheep is carded by hand, spun into yarn by the distaff, and woven on home- ‘imade Tooms into carpets (see Color Plate VI and page 407). MONASTERIES ARE TREASURIES GF ART But what does the world know of the greatest and richest of all Romania's art treasures—her medieval, fortified monas- ‘veries? Why does not the world come here to enjoy the beauties of these Byzantine monuments as it goes to see the inherit- ances of Italy and Spain, or the mosques of Istanbul? Why have $0 few travelers visited and written accounts.of her monas- teries, about which clusters a wealth pi material, historical and legendary? Even if one lives in Romania, on is barely con- scious of the existence of these monasteries. Because of the lack of Tocal interest, T was not prepared for their rare charm. De spite the hardships of travel over bad roads, we found it well worth our discomfort andPALACES AND PEASANTS IN ROME'S OLD COLONYTIXTHE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE‘THE SPELL. OF ROMANIA futigue when we came upon one of these monasteries toward the end of a long day. ‘The monasteries are to be found in the old principalities of Walachia and Moldavia und in lovely Bucovina, lying in green and peaceful beauty on the eastern slopes of the Carpathians, The majority were built by Jocal princes to commemorate a victory aver aunt invader, or to serve a5 a refuge for their families and retainers in time of peril, Most of them are medieval fortresses and as-such: their location is of particular interest. Built in isolated spots at the head of charming river valleys and hidden in wooded mountnins, they were made impregnable as much by obscurity as by high walls, bas- tions, and occasional moats, Although they passed through the hands of many invaders, it is extraordinary how intact they have kept their early Byzantine character and Greek Orthodox tradition. Romania is the only Latin, or Romance, country of the Eastern faith. ‘The language, caught from the first Roman inyaders, is basically Latin, but has absorbed much of the Slavic tongue, The ceremonial church limguage used {rom enrliest days was Sla- vonic, and it occupies that place in the written record and ritual of the church which Latin does in the Catholic churches wf the Western world. A CHURCH BELL THAT SOUNDED LIKE A ToM-ToM ‘Slavonic was built on the alphabet in- vented by Cyril, a missionary monk of the Eastern church, to fit the Slavic tongue. Cyril and his brother, Methodius, set out from Constantinople (Istanbul) in the ninth. century to convert the pagan Slavic tribes to Christinnity, The Romanians hat! been Christians since Roman times. ‘We were fortunate in visiting Cozia, re- gion of Oltenia, in the late afternoon.” As wr wert leavin, otir footsteps were arrested sutldenly by a strange oriental rhythm, A young monk, beating on w heavy curved bar ‘of timber, was calling his brothers vw ves- pers. The bizarre tone and the echoes teverberating amidst. the hills above the monastery recalled for « moment African tom-toms. We discovered that the wooden: are hid been substituted for ancient bells which were melted down and made into cannon balls during the war. A few miles farther on, in a secluded valley, we came upem the eharming old monastery of Dintr'un Lemn, now a nun- aa7 ery, On a hill, ina grove of hoary oaks, there stanes a stnall wooden church, said to he made from the wood of a single tree On a balcony bright with pink gerani- uns, overlooking the chureh, the charming Mother Superior offered us refreshments of delicious preserved pears and a plass ‘of water—the oriental fashion of serving sweets. Afterwards we were shown (hrouzh the apartments filled with fine French Pe- riod furniture reserved for the Queen, who has honored this monastery with visits from time to time, Some 25 miles from the Bistritn Monas- lery We cate upon a procession of priests carrying the treasbred casket vontalning the bones of St. Gregory. oe the streets of Rimnicul-Vilces, A crowd of peasants and townspeople followed in dusty pilgrim age, joining in the chanting and prayers of the priests for rain: in this valley, whieh had suffered a drought for several months. Perhaps we witnessed a miracle, for while we were visiting Bistrita later it suddenly ‘commenced to rai From Bistrita an easy half hour's drive brought us to Horez, the finest of all the seventeenth-century foundations of Cone stantine Brancovan. ‘The monastery takes its name from the horned owls of its ¢n- circling forest. We enteted the fortified rate, chilled by the forbidding nspect of its grim walls, ta step into a more friendly world of beauty and repose, ‘Nuns now replace the monks, and we enjoyed our visit to the Iange workrooms, where they weave carpets and cloth from ‘the wool of their flocks and the flax of their fields. Upon Horez, Constantine Brancovan lavished incalculable wealth in the expecta= tion that it would serve as a final resting place for the members of his princely hotse EXTEMIOR FHESCOES DEFY wraTIIMR’s RAVAGES ‘In the northern part of Moldavin, called the “Bucavina”” fram its wast beech forests, one finds many of the most beautiful of the fortress monasteries. The exterior walls of brick and stone are ofttimes decorated with enamel terra-cotta plaques and by exterior frescoes, whose state of preservation is amazing in this land of extremes of tent- perature. ‘To Stephen the Great of Moldavia, that religious and powerful prince who ruled fron: 1457 to 1504, is largely due the credit of having built these encluring monuments, as448, wan did wwo. centuries . One counts easily forty ed by Stephen within a raifius of as many 1 The church frescoes and ikons were painted according to the striet rules and regailutions af the Eastern Chure Although the perspective is primitive and the figures ramrodiike and unyielding, the woalth of small decorative detail and color enhance the charm of these paintings, which have so well withstood the elements during centuries, ‘Their preservation sym- polizes in a way the strong church faith which resisted the years of battle fought on this ground PF Mount Athow," WOSAL Groticarn ly H, G. Dw Mooarone, Se THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE so trae san np, the fiber if which is sed parts of Roman. Neamtu, a monastery diting from 1390, is mainly interesting far its treastires and because it became a center of church Sia lore, Tt Ww: din the late fif- teenth century: by Stephen the Great. ‘The church is constructed of brick, with here and there a fragment of brightly. colored enameled tile, reminding one that once it ving a taste at once Old frescoes and fine nave and pronaos, Estraordinary are the treasures in the museum, with its jeweled diadems, heavy silver candelabra, nmps, and religious relies, ‘There are also Bibles with beautifully illuminated parchment pages, protected by‘THE SPELL OF ROMANIA hancl-itrought gold and silver backs. “Some of those were gifts from Alexander the Sec- ond of Russia, The treasure includes a mantle warn by Stephen the Great, and snine ikons, one of which, aver 1,000 yeurs oldy was brought from Jerusalem by Alex- ander the Goo, AN ARCHITECTURAL COUSIN OP THE TAY MAHAL Neamtu Monastery is a going concern, Its lang-haired, frocked monks till the fields, tend the vineyards, and themselves supply most of their wants. Tn front of the church at Neamfu stands « baptismal font, crowned by-a huge bull- ous dome, reminiscent of the green domies of Russian churches. Curiously shaped, it is a heritage of the East. When Tamerlsne laid siege to Damascus he admired the graceful domes of the city’s Tnrgest mosque, and wave orders that it be spared, Despite his command, the mosque was burned in the general fire which fol- lowed the'storming of the city by his army, The ‘Tatar conqueror then gathered to- gether the architects and workers who had ‘built it and took them with him to Samar- kand, where they constructed a magnificent mosque, adorned with the bulbous domes which had caught his fancy at Damascus. Tt was from Samarkand that this unusual form of dome was adopted for the churches of Russia and farther west. Taken to Tndia by Tamerlane’s descendants, it may be recognized there in the Taj Mahal. We spent a night in the nunnery of Agapia and next day saw the modern tres oer of Uae famcus Romania writs Geigy react, before going on to Putna. ‘THE STORY OF STRPITEN’S ARROW ‘The monastery was bullt by Stephen the Great, a quarter of a century before Amer- jen was discovered, a8 a thank offering for delivery from Turkish invasion. It is said that Stephen climbed a neigh- boring hill and from it shot an_arrow. Where the arrow lighted he determined to build a monastery to serve as the burial Place for himself and his line. ‘The arrow was discovered in the heart of a tree, which was cut down and the buse-was encased in a plaster mold and formed a standard for the cross. A long drive lined with venerable trees: leads to the strong walls of the fortification. As we entered the thick doorway we saw 449 above our heads the carved coat of arms of the Moldavian princes—the bull's head and star, Although it has been greatly restored, the church retains its original slender st ple. ‘This museum contains some of the Host. important treasures of all orthodox. Christianity, thanks wo the farsightedness of the monks in hiding them in times of war. During the last war a hole was hurriedly torn in the walls, into which the treasure was thrust. Hay, carelessly piled on top, acted as a natural camouflage which allayed su ion. “The Bible of Patna is very rare, Tt is of the thirteenth century and its beautiful Sla- ‘yonic charactets were painstakingly lettered ‘by hand. “SATAN” COMES WHEN WIS MASTER CARTS Here our visit was made more attractive by the young monk who conducted us. In many places we had found no one who could cl , or Gerrtan—only ‘young man spoke good German, and it developed that he was an Austrian subject while Bucovina beloaged a ‘Austria, He had become a monk otly fx years previously following the death of he ‘brother. He was extremely tint his beanty was Soheehat dda by his red beard, Tn the sleeve of his cassock he carried a black kitten called “Satan.” Satan would. come of ga at a word from bis master, When we visited the church during vespers, he escaped and ran about in a most impious manner, “The brethren were horrified and a chase for Satan at once began. His mas- ter, very much amused, finally called Satan, who at once uheyed. We decided our friend must be the “Peck's bad boy” of the monastery. We found that he was the tailor for the monks, but he had many other talents. We spent an hour in his cell admiring the oils and water colors of which he was the artist He showed us the manuscript of a comedy which he was writing to be performed by his brothers. He played most artistically a. Schubert serenade on an antiquated zither and sang, to the accompaniment of guitar, a rollicking English ballad. We learned that his greatest earthly desire was to own a piano and we wished that we were in a position to affer him one. To see Sucevita, we left the main. bigh+ way and wound slowly up a rocky: track which follows the tortuous course of a swift450 mountain torrent. "The tilled tields and the stug villages of the wicker valley were left behind and the way ue throueh the pine and beech. f wer which seemed to hang the mist of of the Middle Ages: We passed peasant wondchappers with ki-fashtoned, Seaclak shaped axes on their shoulders or driving oxcarts laden with for- est wood. They were dressed in much the same medieval cnstume as was worn by their ancestors when they followed their liege lords to the wars. ‘Long ringlets of hair which bad never felt the shears hung from under peaked. black felt, caps like those worn by Robin Hood's merry men. Short fleece-lined jerkins, studied leather belts, tight felt breeches caught atthe bot- tom by the thongs af leather buskins com- pleted the feustal resemblance, A REFUGE PROM ASTATIC INVADERS In the mind's eye we were carried back through the centuries to the martial fight cof the Movila brothers, with their women in. horse litters, their knights and men-at-arms, hureying to make a last stand in their moun- tain stronghold against the savage invaders from the East. ‘What a welcome sight those white walls cof Sucevita, crowned with high towers, must have heen for these Christian princes fleeing before the Asiatic hordes (see ilustration, page 437), Once the huge portcullis hax dropped behind them, the Prince's: family and followers no doubt hastened to the church, whith stands in the center of the fortress, to. pray for deliverance. For beauty and interest this chureh of Sucevia has no peer in Romania, Rebuilt inthe sixteenth century by Jeremiah Movila, it remains unaltered and unravished by time. ‘The broad overhanging caves of the rouns! shingled roof have protected from rain tind snow the beautiful frescoes with which the walls are adorned, ‘Against a fade: green. beckgrousd are seven tiers of ff ryrs, prophets, ayeaien, eget und urchongelse Notice of change af address of yor Navtoxat. Grocrarmc M THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE astrange anil lovely symphony of pritnitive blues, reds, greens, and bright gold crowns: and halos, On ane side wall we were -star- ded to find a procession of Greek philose- phers side by side with the saints, Por= traits of Sophocles, Socrates, and Plato with dull gold crowns differed little fram the saints, In the chapel of the Movilas the walls are decorated with portraits of the founders and their families. Stone slabs with Sla- ‘vonie inscription and Persian tracery cover the tombs of all except Elizabeth, wife of Jeremiah, she whe could not be buried here. To Flizibeth, a beautiful and ambitions woman, is attributed the death of her brother-in-law, Simeon, that one of her sons might reign, Eventually she was carried 2 to Constantinople by Turkish allies and noced by being thrown into the harem = ¢ Of the Agas, where she: ended: her days, In this roorm hangs a bronze chandelier ornamented with ostrich eggs, a gift of her hushand, Jeremiah, A small reund box of gilded silver which hangs in its cemter con- tains a lock of Elizabeth's Titian red hiir, This she cut off and sent from Constanti- nople by one of her inithful servitors as a gend-luck token to the monastery, Tn the museym were tomb coverings and rich tissues, many of which were wrought by the hands of Elizabeth and her sister-i law, Margaret. Some of the rare Slavonic manuscripts have suffered slightly tram. the damp ground in which they were buried during the last war. Tt was with a feeling of melancholy and regret. that we left the tranquil hospitality of Sucevita, and. re- traced our steps along the swift stream to avnewer and busier world so tie hidden in the deep valleys of the pine- and beech-clid Carpathians these fare treasures of incomparable beauty, wrapped in an atmosphere of medieval legend and romance, only waiting to de- light who has the curiosity to seek them out. tue showld he received in the office of the National Geagraphic Socicty by the first of the month to affect the following month's issue. For instance, if vou desire the address changed Jor your June number, The Society shauld be natijied of your new address. not later than May first,