The Wends of Lusatia, an area in the Eastern part of Germany, make up the smallest group of the many Slavic races who include the Poles, Czechs and Russians.
The Wendish language is closely related to Polish and Czech.

The German cities of Bautzen and Cottbus are the main centres for the Upper Wends [Bautzen] and the lower Wends [Cottbus]. The Wendish language is still the first language spoken by many Wends who live in villages in this area of Germany. Estimates vary, but there are between 30,000 and 50,000 Wends who still speak their native tongue. The Wends have inhabited this area for over 1,500 years, and in earlier times their territory was much larger and included Berlin, which was originally a Wendish settlement.

In Germany the name ‘Sorb’ is usually preferred to ‘Wend’, but the term ‘Wend’ has usually been preferred in the English speaking countries where the Wends have settled, including Australia, Canada, South Africa and the U S A.

A history of the Wends
http://www-user.tu-cottbus.de/Sorben/inhalt06/domowina/eng/historie.htm

Home page of the Sorbs/Wends in Australia
http://lakoma.rz.tu-cottbus.de/Sorben/inhalt08/d02.htm

The Texas Wendish Heritage Society Web site
http://wendish.concordia.edu

Bautzen turns 1000 in year 2002
http://home.t-online.de/home/03593980627-1/history.htm

Bautzen
http://www.bautzen.de/
click on the union jack for the English version
or
http://www.bautzen.de/ueber_bautzen.asp?iid=244

15 video panoramas of Bautzen
http://www.bautzennet.de/

Wends (Sorbs) in Germany
http://www.uoc.es/euromosaic/web/document/sorab/an/i1/i1.html

* * * * *

The Zwar Wends and Migration

The Zwars lived in Upper Lusatia, in the Kingdom of Saxony. We need to distinguish between two groups of Wends. The whole area the Wends inhabited is called Lusatia. Those living in the lower (northern) part of Lusatia were under Prussian rule. Their Wend centre was the city of Cottbus.
The upper Wends, with their main city of Bautzen, were in the kingdom of Saxony. There was a distinct variation in the way each area wrote and spoke the Wend language. With different dialects within these areas they even had difficulties at times understanding a Wend from a different area. In giving reasons for the migration of the Wends we need to remember that the Wends came from two different kingdoms or countries. What applied in one country may not apply in the other.

The Zwars lived in Upper Lusatia, the Kingdom of Saxony, only a few kilometres from the main Wend city of Bautzen. King Frederick II lived in the capital city of Dresden, about 75 kilometres away. He had been the king of Saxony since 1834 (and co-regent with his brother since 1830) and he was to rule until his death in 1854.

Saxony was a German kingdom. The official language etc. was German. This caused a lot of difficulties for the Wends in their area. They were a minority group. A number of the Wends, particularly the women and children, could not speak the German language. (eg. Maria Zwar, who came to Australia with her parents (Johann & Magdalena) when she was three, did not learn German until she was about ten years old. Until then it sounded like "geese chattering" to her.) The Germans would have said the same about the Wend language. The languages are not at all related. Wend is a Slavic language - related to the Czech, Polish and Russian languages. The Wend alphabet has about 40 letters.

In Saxony all legal papers had to be written in German. Each town had its official 'new' German name and its old Wend name which the Wends continued to use. The name of the town the Zwars lived in was officially 'Drehsa', but the old Wend name was 'Drzdzija'. The same applied to surnames (and Christian names too). Zwar or Zwahr was the official German name. When Michael's first letter home was printed in the Wend newspaper however he was 'Michala Sswore' from Drozdzija.

Migration, Revolution and Wars

Overall it must be borne in mind that this was the time of a great emigration from Europe to the 'New Countries'. From 1850 to 1870 about 5 million emigrants left Europe and went to the U.S.A., largely from Germany, Scandinavia and Ireland.

Only a relative trickle went to Australia!

They left Europe for many reasons, but mainly because they thought there would be better opportunities for a future life overseas in the new countries.

A sprinkling of German immigrants had found their way to Australia (eg. Sydney) in the first part of the century. The first large migration from Germany was to South Australia in 1838. 500 people went out in three shiploads to escape religious persecution in Prussia. For several years other shiploads arrived and by then the persecution had ceased. After 1840 no persecuted Lutherans emigrated to Australia. However the new arrivals wrote home and their letters were widely reported in the newspapers of the German kingdoms so that a few more emigrated during the 1840's.
There was never any persecution of Lutherans in the German Kingdom of Saxony. There is a myth believed by some South Australians that all the Lutherans who emigrated to their colony in the 19th century went there to escape persecution in Germany. It was true only of the first ones till 1840, and they were few compared to the thousands who emigrated in the 1850's.

The Zwar families lived in Saxony and in this German Kingdom there was no persecution. They experienced the opposite. On arrival in Australia the Wends were confronted with a variety of squabbling Lutheran groups, sometimes attacking and persecuting each other in ways we would now consider disgraceful! The Wendish newspaper used this to warn the Saxon people they were better off to stay with the one united Lutheran Church in Saxony.

Many of the Wends who went to Australia were deeply religious people. One could hardly have found a more zealous pair of Christians than Johann and Anna Zwar at Ebenezer. Some people would consider Johann a religious fanatic. One can see this tendency in the letters he wrote home as they are mainly religious messages. His brother Peter was glad to move north and well away from Johann in South Australia to be free of his brother's religious tirades. (From Arthur Zwar, grandson of Johann).
Military Service

Michael Zwar was the first of his family to emigrate to Australia. I am fairly certain the main reason Michael left was that he turned 20 and was called up for the 2 years military service all the 20 year olds had to go through in Saxony. The story has always been passed down by his family in Australia that Michael hid under a load of vegetables to make his escape. His brother Peter was called up for military service at this time too but was declared to be medically unfit. Peter had intended going to Australia at this time too, but for some reason changed his mind.

In 1848 there were political uprisings throughout Germany. They emanated from Paris, and had the ideals of the French Revolution of Freedom & Equality as their cause. The Wends of Saxony took the opportunity to present a special petition to the Royal Saxon National Assembly. A delegation travelled to Dresden in July where they presented the Petition to the Prime Minister, Dr. Braun. The delegation also spoke to the King who treated them most graciously. However only a few of their requests were met. The Petition had been printed as a booklet and widely circulated, and 130 years later a copy was found in Johann Zwar's old homestead at Ebenezer in South Australia. The Petition gives a good insight into the difficulties the Wends experienced living under German Saxon rule.

In 1849 there were riots in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, about 50 kilometres from the Zwar home. The King fled the city and Prussian troops were brought in to put down the uprising.

"The people seized the town and barricaded the streets; Dresden was almost destitute of troops; and the King fled to the Königstein. The rebels then appointed a provisional Government. Meanwhile Prussian troops had arrived to aid the Government, and after two days' fierce street fighting the rising was quelled.
The bond with Prussia became closer, and (King) Frederick entered with Prussia and Hannover into the temporary "alliance of the three kings".
... Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 20 p. 36



The riots in Dresden were in May, and Michael left three months later. If he had been in a desperate hurry he could have gone to Hamburg in several days by train.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON MIGRATION

I am sure there were other influences that also led Michael and his companions to emigrate to Australia.
Famine

One reason is famine. There was a great famine in Saxony and also other parts of Europe, including Ireland, from 1844-48. R. J. Burger describes the famine in Saxony:

"In 1844 there was a failure of the grain harvest. The next year blight destroyed the potato crop. In the following year unseasonable and intense heat in early summer shrivelled the grain; the potato blight also struck again. Many began to look for a way out of their difficulties, especially when the situation grew even worse in 1848, so that bread had to be baked from a little rye mixed with native roots. Desperate with hunger, the people clamoured for food at the weekly market where the stalls were empty. Ugly scenes developed and business come to a standstill. Migration now came to be seen by these dejected people as the only way out of the bleak situation in Lusatia."

... The Coming of the Wends. 1976

Another reason was religion. There was some dissatisfaction with the Church by some Wends who preferred a very personal religion. A Lutheran pastor was secured to travel on the same ship as Michael. He died before they left.

Another reason was the changes coming with the Industrial Revolution.

"The rural populace, especially farmers of western Europe felt the changes most painfully. For the most part these farmers were barely emerging from the final stages of medieval feudalism. Suddenly a new society created by steam-powered industrialisation was making the old-style guild craftsman obsolete, the factory was putting an end to home-based manufacture, and changes in agricultural methods and machinery deprived many of present livelihood and future security.

By the 1830's in Germany, particularly in the Saxon territories where the ancient guild system still prevailed, the home-based textile industry was increasingly hard-pressed by competition from British factories."
.... The Lutherans in North America. 1975

R. J. Burger describes how initially the end of feudalism made life even worse for farm and garden workers:

"The landlords agreed to give the peasants their freedom, but only if they bought the land they wished to till. For most peasants this would have meant exchanging their serfdom for a lifelong bondage under heartless money-lenders. Added to this, the land owners were now either unable or unwilling to engage those seeking work on their estates, which led to widespread unemployment. All this was cause enough to turn the thoughts of many to migration and beginning a new life elsewhere."
... The Coming of the Wends. 1976

All of Michael's ancestors are described as ''Gartennahrungsbesitzer'', which I have translated as 'market gardener', and the economic changes would have affected his family.

Free settlers

There were people in Australia who had vested interests in getting migrants to travel to Australia.
The Australian colonies needed free settlers.
In the early 1840's Melbourne was a growing town of 4,000 people. There were several other smaller settlements along the southern coast of what is now Victoria - at Geelong and Portland - and there were a few settlers working their way inland. There were a number of moves to bring more free settlers to the new colony. William Westgarth, a merchant and general importer was a prominent figure in these moves. (When Victoria became a separate colony in 1853 he topped the Melbourne poll for a place on the Legislative Council).

In 1847 Westgarth visited many places in Germany to arouse interest in migration to Victoria. He wrote a pamphlet which was widely distributed. A bounty of £2.10.0 ($5) was offered to travel agents for each vinedresser, agricultural worker and shepherd who could be induced to go to Victoria. As a result of his efforts a shipload of German immigrants arrived in Melbourne early in 1849.

G. F. Angus, a member of the South Australia Company since its inception, had financed many of the first German settlers who had gone out to South Australia. He was afraid that too many might arrive there. Already in 1839 (three years after both colonies had begun) Angus wrote to Mr. La Trobe (who would later become Lieutenant Governor) in Melbourne suggesting that Victoria should take some German immigrants. La Trobe was agreeable. (La Trobe's father was a Moravian minister; his wife was Swiss - and her husband had spent times in Switzerland).
In the 1840's La Trobe encouraged the Germans who went to Melbourne. When the ''Wappaus'' arrived in Melbourne in March 1849 with 100 German immigrants, La Trobe personally went on board the ship to greet them. More shiploads of Germans (and a few Wends) arrived the same year.

Travel agents.

In Germany the travel agents received a commission from the shipping lines for each passenger they could induce to board ship. It is not much different with travel agencies today! The agents naturally spread glowing reports of the wonderful future in the new countries overseas, the way they display magnificent posters today encouraging tourists to go there for a visit . The industrial changes had made travel much easier throughout Germany. One could go from Lusatia (on the extreme East of Germany) right across to Hamburg on the other side in two days by train.
Some agents made their living organising groups of people to migrate.

THE PRUBISLAW

Michael Zwar sailed on the Prubislaw. The agent who organised the shipload of passengers for the Prubislav was a Mr. Hartig. He received 3 Taler (21/-) commission for each passenger who boarded ship. He was good at his job of getting people to Hamburg. He wrote letters to people whom he heard might be interested in the new country of Australia, explaining the great opportunities and the wonderful people waiting there. If they did not reply he would follow the letter with a personal visit, also taking his wife who had a special way with women. Karl Hoehne, who came out on the Prubislaw with Michael Zwar later wrote:

"In Europe they prophesied how we would experience splendid things ... Hartig wrote in this way from Liegnitz whilst I was still in Steindorfel, telling me that I could migrate to Australia through his aid.
I didn't reply to his letter, but it wasn't long before he himself came to Steindorfel ... In these letters it was stated, "In Australia everyone is a Christian, nothing but lovely, good people, good land, good country,; everything is nice decent and holy ... There is nothing but holiness everywhere and nowhere else can you find this except in Australia"

An advertisement appeared In the Tydsenske Nowiny (The Wend Newspaper at Bautzen) 21st April 1849:

"An association of migrants numbering 60 has been established. Further interested persons are urged to apply for membership so that they can help with the planning. Among the important questions still to be resolved are the following: the securing of a pastor and teacher, also the most necessary tradesmen and servants."

The securing of a pastor would encourage the religious people of Lusatia to apply. The deeply religious would not consider migrating if their religious life was to suffer. The Church was the centre of their village life. If a schoolteacher would agree to go as well there would be a better chance to get the families with young children to go along too.

On 7th July the paper reported that Pastor Andreas Pench of Bautzen and Johann Zimmer of Weissig had been signed up, and that the voyage would begin at the end of the month. The fare was 76 Thaler (25 pounds)(children under 8 years 40 Thaler and infants free).

Join the Adventure!

If anyone had doubts they were reassured by the large number of others who had already migrated or were about to go. As Hoehne said -

"This one is migrating, that one is migrating, and so I'll migrate too."

First experiences in Australia

"One at first expects everything in Australia to be easier than it really is."

This great understatement was made by Michael Zwar when he finally got to writing a letter home. The truth was that things were so bad that he didn't write home for another 15 months. This was a fairly common experience. Johann Mirtschin didn't write home for over 3 years for the same reason. Before they left home there were always those who said in dismay, "Why do you want to leave our Country?" and "Why do you want to leave here?" The same questions are asked today when someone leaves Australia for overseas. When the migrants arrived in Australia they had something to prove, as did those who came out to Australia 100 years later in the big migration of the late 1940's and the 50's.

Shocks!

When the Wends arrived in Australia they were in for some shocks.

They did not anticipate the degree to which they would be handicapped by not knowing the English language. Michael Zwar later wrote home:

"On the voyage out I didn't worry about learning English, though I had books and time enough. I learnt nothing so that when I stepped ashore I didn't understand even 'yes' or 'no'. Dear brothers! Don't think that coming to a new country is a simple matter. Imagine landing among a foreign people where one understands not a word. It often happened that I said 'yes' when I should have said 'no', and when they called me for meals, I had no idea what they meant. Added to that I had a senseless boss so that it seemed I had exchanged my homeland for hell. Had I at that time written home, my compatriots would surely have been afraid to come to Australia."

Michael also writes:

"I had been working for an Englishman who wanted to cheat me out of 10 pounds sterling.... He had written a receipt and although I did not understand what it was, yet I signed the statement saying that I had already been paid. With God's help I did receive 7 pounds but I was cheated
out of 3. Out here one has to watch carefully that one is not deceived. Until a man knows English he has to pay education fees, (ie. he has to let others take unfair advantage of him)."

His shipmate Hoehne experienced similar problems:

"It is seldom that you meet someone who knows German and English. If ever you need such a person to tell you the right street, you have to pay 25 new silver groschen… Thus a person who comes from Germany has the last groschen drawn from his pockets. Finally he can be given no other advice than that he he take a stick in his hands and a mantle over his shoulders in order to go 200 to 260 English miles into the unsettled heathland. There he finds some sort of old shed made from the bark of trees and that is his house. The bed on which he lies is also of bark. If he takes more things with him, they are bound to be stolen. As for food, - flour, tea, sugar and meat will be sent to him. The flour is then pressed into the bark, a loaf is made out of it, and it is somehow baked in the fire. Now you have bread, meat and tea one day; the next day you have tea, meat and bread; and for variety you again have bread, meat and tea etc."

In 1851 squatters held most of the land in Victoria under licences. The average size of a run was 24,000 acres. There was a great demand for shepherds to care for the flocks of sheep as there was no fencing. For those who did not speak any English, it was about the only job readily available. Imagine how frightening it was to live out in the wilds of a strange country, especially at night! And how lonely! Nor did it help one learn English!

The Wends had no idea how primitive their style of living would be in Australia.

People lived in shacks - rich and poor alike. Housing in the towns was not only primitive (and worse in 'the bush') but it was hard to come by and also expensive to rent. In summer one had to go miles to get water. Some simple things they had taken for granted at home were lacking. The letters from Germany were often addressed in German Script which the English people working in the Post Offices couldn't read. Sometimes they simply burnt the letters, or they sent them on to another town or city. By the time mail arrived the Wends had often moved elsewhere to find work. If mail came for them, and the Post Office could read the names, a list of names would be printed in the Newspaper so that the recipients could come and collect them. Sometimes the recipients were too late in calling and the letters had already been posted on to another town.

In Saxony village life revolved to a great degree round the Parish Church. Nine out of ten churches were Lutheran, and the other 1O/% were Roman Catholic. Now the Wends had arrived in a city where there seemed to be churches of every kind imaginable, and not one was Lutheran! Hoehne was shocked to learn that there was no Lutheran Church in Melbourne, and not even a Lutheran school for the children. In fact, there was actually no Lutheran pastor in all of Victoria!

Transport in Victoria was almost non-existent outside Melbourne. One travelled to the coastal places by boat. Even if one owned a horse there were not many miles of road, but bush tracks that wandered through the trees between sheep station properties.

Hoehne

Some of the migrants found life so miserable that they returned home as soon as they could raise the necessary money. The Wend Hoehne was one of them. One hundred years later there would be a far greater migration from Europe to Australia. Again people went for a variety of reasons and most found it difficult at first. Some found everything wrong with the Country and returned home. Hoehne belonged to the latter category. He came out on the ship Prubislaw with Michael, and as Michael later wrote:
"Hoehne complains so loudly about everything that even the dogs
want to get away from him."

There are two letters Hoehne wrote home in 1851 to tell the people 'the truth' about Australia. A few quotes:

"The Emperor Napoleon erred when he went to Russia; we erred when we decided to go to Australia."

Concerning Hartig and the promises he had made in Germany about holiness everywhere in Australia, he writes:

"I found atrocities and cruelty here in full measure, but nowhere any holiness."

"Wild fruit does not grow here ... the birds sing poorly. The grass grows sparsely."

Hoehne was miserably homesick. When he received a letter from his brother- in-law he says:

"I took the letter outside the town and read it there. I cried and let my tears flow, as I remembered the lovely church services in your midst - services which I have to do without entirely here - the beautiful songs of the birds and the colourful flowers of the old fatherland, all of which are missing here. In Germany one calls Australia a Promised Land. Here however it is called the English Siberia, which is true. All the great robbers, thieves and other criminals that have earned the death penalty are sent out or deported to Australia from England. Now there are more than 88,000 such ne'er-do-wells spread over the whole of Australia. Here they are the greatest speculators and the most prominent gentlemen. They are masters of lying and deceiving."

Hoehne tried to return home on a Hamburg ship but the captain wouldn't take him. Hoehne was sure they would not take him, because if he went home and told people the truth about Australia no one would want to migrate there and the shipping lines would lose business. He also tried an English shipping agent without success.
Hoehne was in the bad books of the other Wends. A Karl Hempel of Purschwitz had written that he would have gone to Australia if Hoehne hadn't given such a bad report back home, and the Wends at Melbourne were upset. Johannes Rusel warned Hoehne that he would throw stones at him! Mrs Zimmer asked him how the few Wends would manage here if no others came out to join them. Hoehne returned home the following year with his wife with the intention of publishing his experiences in a book. [The book is now being translated for publication in Australia]

Land ownership - the turning point.

The Wends who managed to stick it out for the first miserable years soon began to do well. They bought land and were soon writing letters home. These first Wends to go out to Melbourne found it much more difficult in the first years than those who had settled in South Australia. By 1850 there were thousands of Germans who had been in South Australia a number of years and were now getting established. They had a number of Lutheran Churches and schools. There was also a Wend pastor, Andreas Kappler, who had landed in Adelaide in 1848.
Some of the Melbourne Wends went over to South Australia. (eg. Falant, Albinus, and Doecke).

Good points about Australia

The Wends found a number of good points about Australia too.

There were not the class distinctions that separated their society in Europe. The wealthy and the poor lived in similar circumstances. Everybody could eat meat every day, and one ate bread made from wheaten flour. (In Germany only the wealthy could afford wheaten flour. The poorer people ate Rye bread). There was no fear of war. In Germany there were always rumours of impending wars, even though they didn't usually eventuate. The land in the country was comparatively cheap. The main problem was that the Governments in both South Australia and Victoria could not survey areas of land off for sale as quickly as people wanted to buy. So they surveyed sections of about a square mile at a time. Only the rich could afford to buy so much at a time. The Wends would sometimes club together to buy a large block and then divide it up among themselves.
After a few years of hard work, putting up with the primitive conditions, one could begin to get established. All those who wrote home stressed that one should come prepared to work. At the same time as Michael Zwar arrived in Melbourne, Michael Deutscher was writing home from Adelaide to his fellow Wends at home: (He had migrated in 1848)

"On our ship we also had some people who had never worked in their lives and thought that they could lay their hands in their laps and live off wild game or different fruits that grow here. These people have deceived themselves badly and now find that if they are not to die of starvation, they must work hard, and that for them is more bitter than wormwood. There is nothing here for lazy bones and no one gives beggars anything, because there is work enough for all and the pay is good."

When Michael eventually wrote home in 1851, his brother Johann, wife and daughter Maria had already left for Australia.

Three years later Peter Zwar married and he and his bride left immediately for Australia where they landed in Adelaide in November 1854.

They left behind Andreas, Maria and Karl, and their mother Anna Zwahr, who would all remain in Saxony.

In 1880 a nephew, Ernst Zwar, the son of Andreas, went to Australia too. Michael Zwar had returned home for a visit in 1878 and convinced Ernst he would be better off in Australia.

* * * * *
The above article was originally written by Kevin Zwar as part of an unpublished Life Story of Michael Zwar.

Copyright.
Kevin P Zwar

* * * * *

An Appeal to the King of Saxony
for better treatment for the Wends

Introduction

In 1848 there were political uprisings throughout Germany. They emanated from Paris, and had the ideals of the French Revolution of Freedom & Equality as their cause. The Wends of Saxony took the opportunity to present a special petition to the Royal Saxon National Assembly. A delegation travelled to Dresden in July where they presented the Petition to the Prime Minister, Dr. Braun. The delegation also spoke to the King who treated them most graciously. The Petition had been printed as a booklet and widely circulated, and 130 years later a copy was found by Kevin Zwar in the loft of Johann Zwar's old homestead at Ebenezer in South Australia. The Petition gives a good insight into the difficulties the Wends experienced living under German Saxon rule. The indigenous peoples in countries like Australia, Canada and the U S A would identify with the experiences described in the petition. History often repeats itself!
I will therefore print it in full as this is also the first time to my knowledge that the Petition has been made available in English. It is significant the original petition was published in the Wendish language.

I want to pay a special tribute to the translators who have made this Petition available for us to read in English. Their valuable work is often overlooked or taken for granted.
Pastor Siegfried Albert translated the lengthy petition from Wendish into German. At the time he was a full time pastor of the Lutheran Church in Gröditz in East Germany. I wanted to reward him with something for his work. One was not allowed to send money into East Germany in those times. We had an arrangement where I sent money to his sister in West Germany, who then bought goods suggested by Siegfried. She delivered them to her brother when she visited him. I must say the amounts I was able to send were far short of what he deserved! We owe a debt of gratitude to Pastor Albert for translating this Petition, and for many other articles he translated from Wendish over the years. Pastor Albert now [Feb 2004] lives in retirement in Bautzen.
The translation from the German version to the English was carried out by Pastor Rupert Burger. He was paid nothing! He did out of friendship and his deep love of Wendish history.

Historians report that only a few of the requests made in the Petition by the Wends were met.
… Kevin P Zwar

A REQUEST BY THE SAXON WENDS

addressed to the Royal Saxon National Assembly.

It is a known fact that the Wends of Lusatia and also of some mixed villages have by God's grace retained their national identity. Without claiming any personal credit, we can declare before our nation that we honour our king, whom God the King of Kings, has given us; also that we have full confidence in the men whom he has appointed to high positions in the government.

In our time people and nations have brought forward complaints to their governments about those things that disturbed them and applied for that which they needed. Also we Wends have long been aware of those things we lacked but in our natural love of peace we did not wish to use the unrest of the past months to the government's embarrassment and to our own advantage. This unrest began in our general area and even close at hand until it spread like a storm cloud over a great many countries.

As this raging storm has now been allayed and since you have permitted all our people confidently to present their petitions, we Wends also come to pour out our hearts before you and as we think that you would find it preferable in this way to become acquainted with our petitions before the new laws, designed to bring about an easing and improvement in the situation, are presented to the national representatives for their decision, also because in this way we can draw your attention to those matters which are helpful and even essential for us. Yes, we approach you because you have shown such a friendly concern for the requests made by our German brethren and supplied as far as possible all reasonable demands made by them. We confidently look to you, trusting that you will not reject our pleas but hear them out and that the more so since we are not foreigners in this state of Saxony but from time immemorial have had our legal rights as citizens of this land.

We beg not only that our beloved folkways and mother tongue be preserved, but also that these might be cultivated and held in high honour, yes, especially our mother tongue which since childhood has become so much a part of our inner feelings and our thinking that we cannot surrender them but rather regard them to be gifts, as we firmly believe, of our heavenly Father who in his wisdom has predetermined in which nation each person is to be born.

We are happy that our German brethren esteem their national customs so highly, regarding no sacrifice too great in order to uphold them and that they cannot idly look on should the German name and the German language be treated with contempt as has become evident in our time when the Danish people tried to destroy the German language and German culture.
We also firmly trust that our German brothers will not only demand justice for themselves but also that they will accord us the same privileges, especially because we have the same citizenship duties to fulfil and wish to enjoy the corresponding privileges. In Frankfurt the national assembly which determines the future policies affecting the German territories has already promised that each national group must have the same rights with respect to language as the Germans themselves possess. We herewith ask for that which had been promised.

We however request:

"that the honourable Royal Saxon General Assembly give consideration to and grant that the Wend language may have the same right among the Wends as the German language has among the Germans, and this particularly in the schools, churches, in law-making and in law courts,"

Permit us now to elaborate further and in greater detail the matters herewith requested and the reasons prompting us.

1. With respect to the schools.

In the first place we beg for changes in our schools, because here among our beloved youth whom God the Lord has built up through spiritual renewal and awakening, we find the greatest need, which deeply grieves us.

Quite some time ago it was decreed that the German language be taught in the Wendish schools; we were quite agreeable to this and request that this continue to be done, because in our daily intercourse and on the market-place we constantly meet Germans.

However, the manner in which the German language was taught in our schools did great harm to our children. Nowhere, when people begin to learn a foreign language, be it on university level or in the better city schools, is this done with all instruction given in that foreign language. Then why should this most difficult demand be made in the case of our Wendish children?
Deeply disturbed, we must raise our voice against this system, because we know the unhappiness which arose because of this. Permit us to make public our grievances in this matter. The Christian faith is taught frequently using the German language for this purpose in our Wendish schools. According to the school regulations (of the 6 June,1835, par 26) it is of course permitted to teach the Christian faith in Wendish in our Wendish schools, but what can and dare we do when the teachers of the Wendish children decide to use German to impart this sacred instruction? True, the law does not forbid this, as according to the phrasing of the law the use of the Wendish language during religious instruction is permitted but not expressly commanded. What can we now say when here and there it has come to this that the time allotted for religious instruction is wasted by getting the Wendish children to learn German answers to German questions, without regard to the lack of benefit from this type of teaching. From this it follows that these sacred doctrines remain German, that is foreign, to the children. A far greater injustice is thereby done our children who are only beginning to learn God's Word, than would be done to us adults, should someone deprive us of worship in the Wendish language and insist that God's Word be expounded only in German. We are deeply convinced that this is an entirely wrong and harmful procedure and we must confess that we do not recognize instruction in Holy Scripture in an unknown, unintelligible language to be a worthy application of God's Word, but rather a misuse of the same. Already the holy apostles, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, spoke to the various nations in the language the people best understood, namely in their mother tongue. Where this was done, great blessing resulted. Yet in our Wendish schools the Gospel has here and there been proclaimed in the unintelligible German language. Attention was given, not that the Wendish children should receive God's Word into their hearts, but that German words be stored in their memories. How can attention be given when following this course so that the power of God's Word might become a living force in the hearts of the children?

Also children must hear the great deeds of God in their mother tongue otherwise their hearts remain cold and unmoved, with the result that neither the Christian homes nor the fatherland benefit. For the employment of the German language in this wrong way when giving instruction in the Christian faith leads to neither piety nor to the development of a strong character. Under these conditions we look in vain for spiritual blessings and the extension of God's kingdom is almost impossible.

Further, the Wends often lack the most elementary experience which in these days of secular enlightenment is becoming ever more necessary for the physical well-being of all, so that they are often at a real disadvantage also in everyday affairs. This is really not our own fault, but is due to the replacement of the Wendish
language by the German. We repeat that it is necessary and to our advantage that we Wends learn the German language. We therefore desire that the German language be taught in our schools, also in the future. It gives us no pleasure, however, to think that our schools were founded only for the purpose of learning the German language, for it would then appear that the Wendish language should be rooted out.

Also we are deeply saddened that here and there our dear old Wendish books have been removed from the schools and replaced by German books. We are convinced that this is not in any way the wish of our dear government ministers, who because of their integrity are respected throughout the land. We are the more saddened that certain of the minor officials have of their own accord undertaken to suppress the Wendish language, also that some have so disregarded the needs of the Wendish schools that they have appointed Germans who are not competent in the Wendish language as teachers of our Wendish children.

For our material well-being we need not only the German language but other useful training. What is the situation in this regard with respect to the greater part of our Wendish people? It is just as bad as it would be for the German nation, were the German children to be instructed entirely in an unfamiliar, strange language. The benefits of a school cannot be as great if a foreign language is used rather than the mother tongue.

Since previously the necessary instruction in secular subjects was not given in Wendish, is it any wonder that the majority of our Wends have not had an adequate education in those areas most needed in our tines? That they know little about these things is not the fault of our language, but that it was thrust aside and suppressed.
All the reputable teachers in every nation are agreed that school instruction can only then be effective when received in one's mother tongue, because children can only in this way fully absorb the instruction given.
Similarly it is agreed that only through the use of the mother tongue can the mental powers of the children really be awakened, harnessed and their gifts fully developed.
Only through the mother tongue which comes from the heart and reaches the heart, can the happy young powers be awakened, captured, lifted to new heights and enriched. Whoever weighs these matters carefully will look with sorrow and sincere sympathy upon our Wendish nation, which for so long was denied the benefits derived from an education received in one's native language. Accordingly it is clear to all that our Wendish language must no longer be set aside in our schools if they are really to produce the right results.
With real gratification we note that learned and prominent Wends hold their mother tongue in high regard and praise its beauty and strength. So the days are passed, with God's help, when the name Wend was regarded as something unpleasant and the language as something to be despised.

The Germans are well provided for in our high schools and in our seminary at Bautzen. Since it has long been recognised that only he can adequately exercise his calling among Germans who are fully conversant with German, it has therefore been resolved that in these places of learning particular emphasis be placed on the study of the German language. But the same consideration is not given to our Wendish youths, who later will be called upon to serve the Wends. Isn't a thorough training in the Wendish language just as necessary for our Wendish young people as German is for the German students? Foreign languages, which one often forgets in later life, must there be learnt, but Wendish has so far not been found worthy and deserving of a permanent teacher to instruct in the Wendish language and literature.
We do not here wish to take up the fact that in Leipzig no instruction whatever is given in the Wendish language. Many of our educated Wends feel this fact keenly and openly mention that they would be better able to carry out the duties of their office if the Wendish language, in which they had no training, were not so difficult for them and if they could express themselves in it correctly.
We are fully convinced that we only need to draw the attention of our honourable ministers to this great need which so heavily presses upon us, with the result that they will immediately legislate that, since we are asking nothing unjust, we should be given that of which we should no longer be deprived.

If we now may summarise all that we Wends need in the matter of our schools, we have the following requests:

"May it please the honourable Royal Saxon General Assembly to consider and grant:
i) that the Wendish language no longer be suppressed in our schools, but rather that our mother tongue be fully recognised and used as a medium of instruction; at the same time that the German language be classified as a subject of major importance;

2) that in the high school and seminary in Bautzen a trained Wend be appointed as a regular member of the teaching staff, to give instruction in the Wendish language and to prepare Wend youths for service among Wends; also that the Wendish seminarists be given opportunity to gain experience in giving instruction in matters relating to the Wends."

2. WITH RESPECT TO THE CHURCHES

We recognize, with hearty thanks and inner joy, that by far the greater number of our people have divine services in the Wendish language every Sunday and on every festival day, also hearing Wendish used at the celebration of Holy Communion, at baptisms and at all other religious observances. But this is not the case in every Wendish congregation. For among the Wends there are congregations, in which there is a preaching service in Wendish only on every second Sunday. There are even some congregations in which Wendish is never used. There are also congregations in which sermons are given in Wendish but in all other sacred acts only German is used. Why must these congregations lack what other Wends enjoy? Our honourable assembly will surely not deny them this privilege, would they request it.

Because the installation of a new pastor is a very important ceremony for every congregation it was decreed quite a number of years ago by the highest church authorities that such installation ceremonies should take place in the congregations which receive that new pastor. The same authorities decreed that such installations be conducted in the Wendish language in such congregations in which there are more Wends than Germans. But just the most important part of the ceremony, namely the solemn vow, is spoken in German in such congregations.

The previous honourable assembly had praised through the minister of the day, Mr von Wittersheim, that a Wendish service shall be held for the many Lutheran Wends resident in Dresden and neighbourhood. So far this has not yet been done. What has been said of the Lutherans applies exactly to the same degree in the case of the Catholic Wends. Frenchmen and Englishmen in Dresden now hear their mother tongue in their divine services. We have full confidence in the honourable members of our assembly, that they will very soon attend to this matter.

We accordingly petition that

"The honourable Royal Saxon General Assembly consider and grant:

i) that in all Wendish congregations the preaching of the Word may take place in the Wendish language on every Sunday and festival day; also should the Wends request it, the Wendish language be used in the celebration of Holy Communion as well as in connection with all other sacred acts;

2) that in Dresden Wendish services be held for the Lutheran as well as for the Catholic Wends at least twelve times a year and that a Wendish minister celebrate Holy Communion for them at least four times annually.

3) that new pastors at their induction in their congregation make their vows in Wendish, should there be more Wends than Germans."

3. CONCERNING LAW COURTS,
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
AND THE LAWS 0 F T H E L A N D.

When we examine the entire previous procedure, we find much to complain about, much that did not please us but rather proved burdensome and caused many of our dear Wends to suffer considerable losses, all because we have neither Wendish court hearings nor laws in the Wendish language. Where the Germans were fully justified in occasionally complaining about the legal system, we Wends have double reason to do so. The Germans were of course perfectly able to communicate with their German judges, but we Wends stood before Judges who tried us in a foreign language and were not able to make completely clear to us in German the points under discussion so that they were not always able to gain from us the points that were actually sought by them. So it is not only possible but an actual fact that the Wends were a greatly disadvantaged people because of the German court hearings.

The Germans, speaking the language in which the trial judge took evidence, were able to insist that he record their statements exactly as they were given. Also before the trial began they understood what the lawyer had written and were able to point out any inaccuracies in the brief he was about to deliver. But what was the case as far as we Wends were concerned, particularly those among us who could in no way make themselves intelligible to their German judge and therefore required an interpreter whom they mostly had to remunerate for his services and so had additional costs to meet?
That, however, was not yet the only evil in this matter. Sad to say, if anyone has ever translated something from one language to another, he must acknowledge that such translation work is not only often very difficult but also the result is at times so vague that one can not positively determine whether the right intention and full meaning have been transmitted from the one language into the other. This applies particularly in those cases where not the written but only the spoken statements are to be conveyed in the other language. He who is equally conversant with both the Wendish and the German languages, recognizes that there are such great differences between the two languages that it is not always possible to express certain things equally well in both languages. If this is taken into account, then it will be clear what happened to us Wends in the German court hearings where we at times signed something which was not clearly understood by us and the legal documents when drawn up read very differently from what we had intended.

He who concerns himself with these matters and is guided by that form of justice which permits no injustice, whether the interests of many or a few are involved, will view our Wendish people with deep concern: yes, it cannot be disputed, our poor Wends have often suffered great injustices in our German law courts. However, we do not wish to complain further in this submission about what has happened in the past but would rather plead that our Wends receive more considerate treatment in future.

You, gentlemen, have at the inauguration ceremonies as you took office by royal consent, promised the entire country that great changes would be introduced in legal procedures, namely that after the abolition of the hated secret hearings as well as the keeping of costly written records of doubtful value, the legal hearings in future take place publicly and verbally, meaning that the accused can openly plead his innocence or speak in his favour with the words of his own mouth, following which, judgment is passed according to the conviction gained by the judge acting according to his conscience before those present, who are determined to see justice done. No third element, whether it be the great amount of writing or interpreting, dare step between the accused and the judge.

These court hearings, which are insisted on in all German territories, would bring us Wends benefit, rather we would have to fear such hearings, were we not allowed to use our mother tongue in which alone we are able to fully make our thoughts known; also if we could not find men who not only understand everything that is spoken in Wendish but could also express themselves well in Wendish, as well as prepare our defence in Wendish and give the verdict in Wendish.

Further, we have practically no members from our own ranks in the government or public service. This is greatly to our disadvantage: We wish to bring one thing to your notice. Wends in government positions could often help us in a friendly way and counsel us; they would know us and our Wendish customs and would realize what is oppressive in our eyes and what we consider essential.

As necessary for us as a Wendish law court, just so necessary is also this, that our body of laws be made available in the Wendish language. The government proclaims laws in order that the nation nay be made aware of what may and what may not be done. But of what use are laws to us if they are written in a language not understood? Until now the right understanding of our laws has always been very important for all and whoever did not understand them was constantly in fear of coming to harm and being punished if he did not comply with the law. Yet both now and in future since everyone is being given more freedom and when everyone will be answerable for his actions to a greater degree, those who do not understand the law will be worse off than ever before.

Because of that, it is not only advisable but also absolutely necessary that the body of laws as well as other important regulations and gazetted rules which apply to us be published in the Wendish language. In other countries where a number of different languages are spoken, this has long been done.

We therefore beg: "That the honourable Royal Saxon General Assembly consider and grant:

1) that we be given a Wendish law court and in order to promote the civil legal system in future the Wendish language be used in the court hearings, the defence and written court proceedings, also when giving the verdict;

2) that we appoint men competent in the Wendish language to serve on government boards;

3) that all laws, important regulations and gazetted rules be translated into the Wendish language by a translator, duly sworn in, and that these be then published.

These are now our main petitions. 0h, please grant them to us! We are deeply conscious of how much depends upon these matters. The Lord be with you and with us! We trust in him to grant us these privileges which we petition. In his name we attach our signature and forward our petition on to you.

* * * * *

The above Petition was translated from the original Wendish language to German by Pastor Siegfried Albert.

The Petition was translated from German to English by Pastor Rupert Burger.
Copyright
Kevin P Zwar

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Regulations for Servants

in the Kingdom of Saxony

Apparently every apprentice and servant was issued with this book by the Saxon Government.

It contains a detailed description of the physical features of the apprentice.
It contains the rules for servants.
Then there are pages where the employer gives a brief report on the past year. Each report is signed and stamped.

Translated for Kevin Zwar in 1996 by Wolfgang Zschille from the original German 'Regulations for Servants' Book of Peter Zwar.

* * * * * * * *

Extract
from the Regulations for Servants from the 10th of January, 1835
and the Police Regulation of the same date.

* * * * *
Domestic servants are under obligation to the ruling family with regard to faithfulness, respect and obedience and to their relations. They have to submit to the existing domestic arrangements. They have to be industrious, hardworking, clean and tidy, respectable and orderly, and live in harmony with the other [additional] servants, and to study to live a god-fearing, respectable life. They are obliged to prevent misfortune and calamity to the employer, and if possible they are encouraged to provide profit and advantage to the ruling family.

Every servant in town and country is required to offer his whole time and activity to the service of the ruling family. For all agricultural activities or ordinary housework, hired servants have to perform all the required work according to the will of the ruling family, even if they have been hired for a definite service or under a special contract. Only a very special contract can grant an exception from these regulations.

Domestic services and activities have to be carried out by servants for all members of the family as well as for all guests and persons residing in the house.

Even if a special contract-limitation in relation to the special work - and service - obligation does exclude servants from definite activities, these servants are still obliged to execute their full work - and service - obligations. In extraordinary emergencies - like difficult times during harvest - domestic servants are obliged to work for the common good as required. If a dispute arises over which type of work should be carried out by definite persons of the domestic personnel the order of the master has to be carried out. The domestic servants are not permitted to have their duties carried out by different staff.

A servant is obliged to work for his master the whole day, and afterwards goes to bed and rises early. He is not permitted to stay up longer, particularly when the family of the master is going to bed.

No servant is permitted to walk out or to visit parks of pleasure during his working hours. If necessary compensation has to be paid to the master for loss or damages of any kind. For small damages he only has to pay when he acted against an explicit order. Embezzlements, burglary and theft by the servants have to be punished in the same way as if committed by outside people. There is punishment in the same manner for all damage or harm to the estate.

For inspection purposes every servant must be willing to agree to open up his drawer, chest or suitcase whenever required to do so.

The orders of the ruling family and their rebukes have to be accepted with respect and modesty.

In regard to moral conduct and performance, the ruling family has the right to exercise inspection and supervision, and every servant has to submit himself to necessary rebukes and reprimands. The ruling family is entitled to prohibit servants any delight, enjoyment, or show of extravagance in clothing and other pleasures, even if they are going to pay for these with their own money.

Words of scolding or light punishments don't justify criminal proceedings and are not cause for claims for judicial satisfaction or compensation. Prerogative expressions and actions against the ruling family do not substantiate the supposition that the honour of the servants has been intentionally hurt. Incitement of the auxiliary personnel and instigation to squabbles against the ruling family are to be punished. Silence has to be observed about happenings, occurrences and events in the family of the ruling master.

The pay for the services in cash and the calculation of the same payment in kind and the provision of meals depends for municipal and agricultural servants without exception on the voluntary agreement made at the beginning of their commitment with the ruling master. Insofar as nothing definite has been decided about this agreement compensation has to be granted.

Gifts for Christmas, for the celebration of mass and for annual fairs can be demanded only if an explicit promise exists. If the employer has granted this gift once or several times in the past no guarantee can be given that the same can be demanded or expected in the future. If food has been promised in addition to wages then these items of food have to be provided. Each complaint about the quality of the food is superfluous if the master and the members of his household are taking the same food. Any gratuities and tips in favour of the servants are not to be charged to their accounts, but the master and the employer is entitled to know the full amount of these gratuities. In case of a disagreement or conflict of opinion about the income and the distribution of these moneys, a special contract or a decision of the master and employer gives details and information on this matter.

The care and nursing of sick people cannot be expected from service personnel against their own free will. On the other hand the refusal to act in this way as a nurse and guardian can be reason enough to dismiss the servant and to employ another servant in place of the present one.

The master and employer has to grant his servants the necessary time off from work for attending church services, personal affairs, as well as for the maintenance and washing of clothes and similar activities. In all cases of emergencies (particularly during harvest time) servants have to help on Sundays and special holidays, if this is unavoidable. On occasions like the consecration or dedication of a new church, a parish fair or any local fair the service personnel can have half a day or a full day off to attend this fair, provided it does not interfere with the usual domestic duties and obligations.
page 2.
Immediately and without notice or warning the master and mistress are entitled to dismiss domestic servants and farm hands

1. when servants commit acts of violence, use words of slander and defamation or instigate discord and dissension within the ruling family,

2. when servants incur disobedience and obstinacy from not following up orders by the ruling family,

3. when servants refuse sick-nursing in cases of emergency,

4. when servants are acting against the will and orders of inspection and supervision by staff and officials,

5. when servants induce and mislead the children of the ruling family into evil deeds and suspicious activities,

6. when servants do not take care in the proper and responsible way for the children of the ruling family,

7. when servants commit acts of burglary and theft or don't inform the ruling family about these misappropriations and thefts,

8. when servants borrow money or merchandise in the name of the ruling family without their knowledge,

9. when servants sell their earned or partly earned livery,

10. when servants stay overnight outside the house without foreknowledge or permission of master and mistress,

11. when servants handle fire and lights in a careless way,

12. when a servant allows cattle under his care to go astray or is treating the same in a bad and irresponsible way,

13. when a servant is harming or injuring the service personnel out of malice (spite) or out of mischief,

14. when it becomes plain and obvious that the service personnel is inflicted with an infectious sickness or contagious disease,
page 3.
15. when servants attend pleasures and entertainment beyond the permissible time off and do not correct their behaviour.

16. when a servant is addicted to drink and gambling or leads an unchaste or impure way of life,

17. when a servant disturbs the domestic peace of family concord by wrangling, bickering or with a fight or scuffle,

18. when a servant lacks any skill or aptitude,

19. when a servant is called up for more than eight days by the Authorities,

20. when the ruling family has been betrayed by accepting for employment through the showing of false reports or certificates.

When a servant is dismissed during his contract time, it can be assumed that he himself has agreed to the dissolution of the work contract.

Servant personnel are entitled to leave (to quit) the service without any previous warning

1. when a servant has been abused or ill-treated by the ruling family and put in danger of life and health,

2. when the ruling family acted with great harshness or in temper,

3. when the ruling family acted against the Law or good customs,

4. when the ruling family was unable or unwilling to protect the servant in case of unlawful and illegal demands or expectations,

5. when the ruling family holds back wages, food or boarding allowances,

6. when the ruling family changes its place of residence at home or abroad and it is expected that servants participate and go along with the change of address or residence.

Servants who leave the service before the end of their contract time without legitimate or lawful reason must be forced to return by the police authorities to the ruling family.
page 4.

If a disobedient servant refuses to return to his lawful work in spite of the police authorities he can be sued for damages and incorrect behaviour. Besides and moreover criminal proceedings can be arranged, as he can be sentenced for up to two weeks imprisonment. The ruling family is authorized to make a notice to this effect in the servants certificate book.

Some points to consider for out-of-service servants are:

1. What reasons caused the dismissal of the servant?

2. What certificate has been issued from his last master?

3. Has the servant any means of subsistence of his own for the immediate future?

4. Is there any similar activity on hand or can there be any help expected from another quarter?

5. Can help be organized by relatives or relations from the servants home area?

6. Does the servant show or display any skills or accomplishments which could help him survive financially?

The permission for a servant to stay at a place or township, which is not his home, may be permitted for a limited time only. Unemployed service personnel have to contact the police personally and give the necessary information and full particulars as to their trade, work, dealings, actions and the duration of their stay.

The fee for the drawing up and execution of a new service certificate book is two Groschen, and for a judicial entry or registration is likewise two Groschen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Copyright to Kevin P Zwar

_______________________________________________________________________________

Reflecting on customs and traditions

in the Barossa Valley

South Australia

by Mavis Jericho, a grand daughter of Peter Zwar.

[Used with permission. First printed in 'Koch Connections']

Upon arriving in South Australia our forefathers were soon recognised as industrious people who were capable managers able to sustain themselves and their families.

They brought their customs and traditions with them, but how different it must have been for them to have the temperatures of the seasons of the year in reverse: adapting to celebrating Christmas in the hottest season of the year and all other Church Festivals also occurring in different conditions.

The seasons of the year very much governed their lives, their work and what food they ate. Long before refrigeration they were very accomplished at preserving fruit and vegetables and also meats. This was done by salting, drying and fermentation. The German settlers were famous for their mettwurst, smoked hams and bacon, pickled pork, sauerkraut and dill cucumbers. Vegetables were served with a glazed sauce and cabbage prepared with a sweet and sour flavour. Grated cucumber salad with cream and beans in a butter sauce, were a great combination with roasts.

Making noodles was a weekly task and these were spread to dry for several days on paper on a spare table, this was often on the dining?room table as during the week the family ate in the kitchen.

As the seasons changed so did their diets. The first cucumbers and beans were very much looked forward to and there was always some peer competition as to who could pick the first for the season. Likewise the cabbages and turnips as winter approached.

The social life of our forefathers was very closely interwoven with their church life. A strong Christian ethic was observed in the homes and Father and Mother always made time to have a devotional reading and prayer after breakfast before they commenced the day's work. At night after the evening meal, Father would again gather the family and lead in devotion and prayer. Mother would make sure the children sat to attention and showed the respect expected of them.

Monday to Saturday were days of toil but Sunday was the Lord's Day and tools were hung up. After attending church, large family gatherings were very much part of their lives. Much preparation had to be done the day before and sometimes it was necessary for perhaps a teenage daughter to stay home from church to make sure the meat didn't burn or the fire die back too much. The women gathered in the kitchen with their Sunday best aprons to prepare the large pots of vegetables and pot?roasted meat and, of course, the ever popular noodle?soup. Baked rice or sago puddings as well as steamed puddings and piemelon pies were popular for dessert.

While the women toiled (somehow this was not considered to be working on a Sunday), the men gathered in the parlour or, in summer, under the verandah and often enjoyed a cigar or puffs on the pipe while discussing their week's work or market prices. The weather was a popular topic and signs of rain were discussed and whether the age old tradition of seven sleepers (Siebenschlafer) would apply that particular year. If it rained on the 27th of June one could expect rain for the next 7 weeks or, if fine on that day, fine weather could be expected for the next 7 weeks.

When the women had reached agreement that the soup had enough salt and vegetables and the right amount of seasoning, all were called to the dining room where the table was laid with its pure white starched tablecloth and matching serviettes, all neatly ironed and folded. The head of the house was called upon to say Table Grace before the first spoon was raised. Soup was served in bowls with a wide brim, which made them easy to carry, and vegetables were served in large bowls and passed to each other. When all agreed that they couldn't possibly eat any more the hosts again asked for attention to Return Thanks to God for the meal and pray for protection from harm and a sudden or violent death.

Dishes were gathered and a large tin wash?up dish was placed on the kitchen table together with a metal tray to act as a drainboard. The task of washing the dishes was once again a combined effort by the women while animated discussions on ideas on cooking, fashions and problems of the day were shared.

Meanwhile the men had disappeared to walk and inspect the farmyard, a nearby crop, or share ideas in the workshop. For the women, if it was fine weather, a stroll through the garden was the usual form of entertaining the guests. Seeds and cuttings were often shared and discussions on which variety of vegies was best and which was the best time to plant or sow. Many believed in following phases of the moon. For all vegetables that grew below ground ie carrots, potatoes etc. plant or sow after full moon and what yielded above ground was sown or planted after the new moon.

If the weather was raining or too cold, women often got out family photos and admired fashions of years gone by. Men played cards and children, snakes and ladders etc., but if the weather was fine, the children much preferred to play outside, such games as hide and seek and sliding down the haystack.

Visitors often only got home as the darkness had set in. Tired children were put to bed and kerosene lanterns lit. Pigs had to be fed and cows milked, horses fed and the chook yard gate closed. Monday was the day set aside to do the washing. The large tub and washboards were brought into the kitchen, or if available, to a sheltered spot under the back verandah. Later, hand?plunger washing machines came into vogue with hand turned wringers. Coppers were lit and water heated and the whites were boiled as well as towels and of course the nappies. The last rinsing water always contained Reckitt's blue. This came in a compounded cube, which was placed in a calico bag or, in some homes, in a child's outgrown sock.

Ironing was done with coal irons and as clothes were folded ready for ironing, they were slightly sprinkled with water to ensure a smooth finish, especially for the starched items. Large items of linen were rolled through a heavy mangle operated by 2 people. Babies nappies were either also passed through the mangle or ironed. An old wives tale was that if a baby suffered with colic, it was an obvious sign that the nappies had not been ironed to squeeze out the air?bubbles.

Bathrooms were non?existent, showers unheard of and baths not all that frequent either. Saturday night a long bathtub was carried into the kitchen and stood before the stove and one by one the family all washed in the same water, just adding an extra dipper full of hot water as it cooled. The routine was usually from the youngest to the oldest or the most grubby.

Births usually occurred in the family home with an experienced Birth Mother (with no official training, only with the practical knowledge she had gained over the years) and sometimes a Doctor, if available, and provided he could be got there in time. Births in hospitals in the country communities gradually became the accepted practice during the 1920s, with encouragement from local Doctors.

The first time that the mother and the newborn infant were permitted to venture out of the home was on the occasion of the Baptism. The mother was expected to wear a black dress and black hat: to do otherwise would have been frowned upon.

Confirmation Instructions began when young people were about 14 years old. Many hymns, psalms and Bible verses were memorised by the young Confirmees. As the time for completion of their course drew near, hand?written invitations were sent to the Godparents, thanking them for their support over the years and inviting them to come and witness their public Oral Examination in church before the parents and congregation; usually a week or so before Confirmation. At the conclusion of the examination the Pastor would then present the candidates for Confirmation and the Elders were asked if they felt the young people were sufficiently instructed to be accepted for Confirmation as Communing Members of the church. Girls wore white dresses and a white floral wreath in their hair and stockings for the first time. Boys for the first time wore suits with long trousers and a small floral buttonhole. Boys until then only ever wore shorts or knee?length pants to church.

Weddings were momentous occasions and many weeks of preparations preceded the days of celebrations. As families and friends from scattered parts gathered, the celebrations often continued for several days after the actual wedding ceremony. In the months prior to the marriage, friends of the bridal couple would arrange feather?picking nights. Bags of feathers were kept from geese, fowls and turkeys, which had been killed during the year. Also feathers plucked from live geese prior to moulting were painstakingly stripped from the quills by hand to make the filling for the downy featherbed quilt and pillows for the bridal couple. These evenings were popular and provided our youth with much fun and entertainment and many stories are told of some of the high jinks that happened on these nights. Imagine the clean up afterwards: not all feathers would have found their way into the bedding (no vacuum cleaners then!). No doubt many future romances had their beginnings at these nights as well.

The bridal parties were usually large at the turn of the last century and the gowns were home sewn. Food preparations were major undertakings. Meat was home?slaughtered, pickled and smoked and kuchen baked by the brick?oven full. Receptions were held at the brides' homes and, if a room within the house was not large enough, barns were often cleaned and decorated. If the guest list was large, it was quite common to have several sittings.

In the Barossa a custom developed to stretch a rope across the roadway to hold up the bridal vehicle ? this was a signal for the couple to hand out a bottle of wine to the people holding the rope. This custom is still practised at some weddings.

Another custom was known as 'Polter Abend' (tin kettling) when the night before the wedding the local young lads and some not so young, crept up on the bridal home and on cue would create a deafening din with empty buckets, tin tubs, horns, shotguns and what ever else made a noise. They would not let up until the bride and groom served them kuchen, wine and coffee. The Button Accordion was often used as musical accompaniment to the singing of toasts. Recitations were also popular entertainment. It was quite common to pass around an Offering Plate during the Reception and the hosts would announce to where it would be given: either Seminary Colleges or Mission Work.

When a death had occurred, the church bell was tolled the following morning after the death had occurred. This helped the news to reach the congregation. Funeral Services started from the home of the deceased. A viewing was held usually in what was known as the front room (what we now know as our lounge?room). Mourners greeted family members as they surrounded the coffin. Women were dressed in sombre black dresses, hats, sometimes veils and black stockings. The men wore black ties and black armbands around their suit sleeves and hat bands. A short service outside the front door of the home preceded the journey to the cemetery. The bearers wore black top hats and a black wooden cross, draped with black ribbons, was carried aloft, ahead of the coffin to the burial site. The honour of carrying the cross was usually given to a newly confirmed youth. The burial took place before the memorial service in church, as in those days with no refrigeration facilities, it wasn't always possible to have the coffin in close confines within the church. The homes were always heavily?scented with flowers such as violets and stocks. The burial was followed by a service in church and the obituary was read and an address given by the Pastor. After the memorial service, relatives and friends were invited to gather at the home of the deceased and share in a spread of afternoon tea. The food usually consisted of open sandwiches with mettwurst, cheese, and dilled cucumbers and, of course, streusel kuchen, baked by the slides?full. After the ordeal of the sombre funeral, this was a time for focussing on other thoughts and there was usually a favourite uncle or cousin who could tell a humorous tale or two.

Just the coming together of distant relatives was a treasured time.

With the coming of Christmas, homes were meticulously 'Spring cleaned'. Food preparations began in advance with the making of the traditional honey biscuits and sweet treats. Apart from food preparations, children saw few visible signs of the coming event. Somehow parents always managed to have placed a delightfully decorated Christmas tree and wrapped parcels, without the children knowing about them. Christmas Eve began with a service in the church during which the children of the Sunday School presented a programme with the telling of the Christmas Story. Gifts were given to the children as well as a bag of sweets but they were anxious to get home as memories of previous years led them to believe more surprises lay ahead. Children were delighted and parents quietly pleased that they had once again managed to surprise them. The next two days were again begun with a church service. What we now call Boxing Day was known as Second Christmas Day. Family dinners always followed with a sumptuous tea of cold meats and salads and plates of fancy cakes, cream puffs, jam tarts and kuchen.

New Year's Eve also had people attending church and then, at midnight, the Church Bell was tolled on the hour and continued into the New Year for several minutes. Another service would then be held on New Year's Day.

Parties and weddings were not held during the time of Lent so the week after Easter saw many weddings take place, as even Easter Saturday was considered most unsuitable. Palm Sunday being the beginning of Holy Week, once more women dressed in black as they had for Good Friday. A number of churches held an afternoon service in addition to the morning service on Good Friday. The theme was the burial of Christ and after the reading of the Passion Story, when Christ bowed his head and died, the bell would be tolled during the singing of a funeral hymn and then remain silent until sunrise on Easter Morning when, together with all other church bells in the Valley, it once again rang out its chimes. Services were also held on Easter Monday.

Family dinners were part of the Easter Celebrations with either a roast goose or turkey. Children were encouraged to make Easter Bunny nests. In the homes of German families the bearer of Easter Eggs was known as the Easter Hare (Oster Hase). These nests were often made in the straw stacks or in the flower garden. Children would be up early to see if the Easter Hare had been.

Some families specialised in pig killing and would go to others farms to help with the slaughtering when they decided that their pig was big and fat enough. Nothing was wasted. Blood was saved for the Black Pudding (Blutwurst) and the intestines cleaned for sausage casings. The casing for mettwurst was kept from sheep and salted down throughout the year. Bacon, hams, mettwurst, black pudding, lieberwurst and kerosene tins full of lard were considered a necessity to the year's supply of food. When the lard was rendered and the last drops of lard squeezed from the hot crunchy cubes they were cooled and then minced. This was known as Grieben, a favourite spread on bread with a sprinkle of salt or a dash of tomato sauce.

Women were very involved in sausage making and the cutting?up of meat, but it had its problems. There was a strong belief in another old wives tale that if a woman was menstruating she must not touch the meat or work amongst it.

Shopping for farmers' wives was mostly combined with market days when the men went to town. Women seldom had access to independent transport. Home deliveries were common and was a service provided by the local store.

Certain days of the week were set aside for baking, cleaning and mending. Saturday afternoon, the Sunday clothes were checked to make sure that they were clean enough for church the next day. Family shoes were gathered and given a thorough clean and polish. Very often Sunday School memory work was learnt during this activity

Special Anniversary Church Services were held throughout the year for Youth, Sunday School, Women's Guild and Harvest. Mission Festivals were held in all congregations and much inter?visiting took place to hear speakers from Mission Fields. This was the opportunity to hear about the work they were supporting.

Men and women always sat on opposite sides of the aisle in church: men on the left and women to the right. This custom continued in some churches until the early 1950s.

Since life for us is so different now, much of what they did may seem strange, but let us remember it was right for society at that time. Christian and Family ethics were strong and we pray that our descendants will be able to say the same of our time.

Mavis Jericho
Copyright to Mavis Jericho