Love and the Law

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 April 1911, Page 4

Love and the Law

PROBLEM OF MICROBES IX COURTSHIP. A custom of country courtship dating from the immemorial past has been with by tile police in Upper Austria in their efforts to suppress the foot-and-mouthi disease which is affecting animasl in that province. _ The microbes are, it is said, distributed l by human agency. Infected areas have been carefully shut off, but in spite- of all pi"*?ca>n■tions the diseaso is spreading rapidly. It- has now occurred to the authorities that the ancient courting custom known as "Fernsterln" may be responsible for the extension of the disease from one farm to another. "Fernsterln" is a species of serenading indulged l in by the young peasants. After the day's toil the young man dresses in his best clothes and with! 'great secrecy slips away from his home to the farm where tho girl of his affection slives. Then, standing beneath, .her bedroom window, he sings old folk-tunes. If tho girl is favourably inclined to hi in she appwm *t tbn ni'dow mhl allows the swum to kiss her haa] The police say that no other communicatio'i with the infected farms on have taken place, and have consequently forbidden "Fernsterln." Die. regard of the regulation will involve fines and imprisonment.