The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-08-17
WOMEN AND DoNKEYs.

An excellent book of travels, just pub
lished, give sthc following graphic picture o'
French agricultural life:
Tn the fields wc saw few men, fewer cattio
and sheep and horses. We wondered wncie -
the men were, but We saw many women III
the streets, ON the road, and in the fields,
Every human fenale-lron mewling ana
puking infancy to decrepit agc-wears cap
and nothing else, on the head. Women car
ry most things on their heads, and they carry
every thing, and perform oil the most laoo-
rious labors of rural lie. In civilized Bou-
logne, they carried the heaviest trunks ron
the ship to the Custom House, and again 70
the carriage. We saw them working IN tne
fields and carrying home the haryest--t'reaI-
ing stones to macadamizc the highway-and'
along the highway, gathering, with their
hands alone, into their aprons, the fresh
dropped dung for manure. The leader, the
driver, the rider, the constant companion and
co-worker of the universal donkey, is woman
and of course she shows the effect of such
a position in life. She is, however, always
better and neater dressed than man, and
seems not unhappy or discontented with her
lot. She seems to be us happy as galley
slave in his song, or negro slave in her
dance. But her premature wrinkles and
gray hair, and her ultimate decrepitnde,
show that her more delicate constitution was
not made ior such task.
Next after her is the universal donkey
lie is certainly great institution in Europe.
We have all Of us seen, from time to time, n
respectable and wisc-looking ass, or the light
er and more graceful mule, but that grotesque
little animal-the universal European dom
key-has been perpetual novelty to me-
He is but little larger than goat, and about
as shaggy. His ears are about as long Us his
legs, and he usually carries them nearly hor-
izontally, and his endurance, patience, meek
mes, and strength, seem to bc without limit.
A donkey, costing in London or on the
Continent from ten to fifteen dollars, and n
cart about as much more, is complete out
fit for carman-and without the cart, on
the Continent, the donkey himself, with
sort of pack-s,ddle, is competent to any
thing. They cover him up with sacks many
times his bulk-thcy put tolerablc load of
wood on each sideof him, with strap across
the saddle-thcy cover him all up with fag-
OTIS, and bundles of hay, and straw, and bas-
kets of enormous size filled with stone or
iron, or produce. Often you will see the
little animal, trotting along, with six or sew
en- ten or fiftecn-gallon kegs of beer for
load, thrcc kegs on each side and one on his
back, SO that his load reaches ON each side to
within about foot of the ground. You see
load of hay coming toward you, APPARENT
" moving by its own will, and not till 1t is
quite near are you able to discover, near the
ground, signs of donkey beneath 1t, look
ing for all tho world like mouse under a
bundle of oakum. And the peasant girl,
going to market, puts her two large baskets
on her little gray donkey, clothes herself in
the picturesque. dress Of her class, aud seats
herself on the saddle, using 6ne basket tori
her foot-rest, and, with her knitting In her
hands, trots cheerily on, her broad-briinmed
conc-crowned hat-for out OF France they
wear hats-and her parti-colorcd bOddicc
trembling under the pit-a-pat pace of her
progress, and the ribbons huttering in the
gentle breeze that blows her hair about her
tawny neck.
And the teams for drawing carts and wag-
ons on the great highways for the transpor-
tation of merchandise or produce, were u
great novelty to us, although doubtless they
have come down unchanged from the great
est antiquity. You will sec three or four
donkeys tandem, or two or three abreast, or
a horse, COW, and donkey tandem, or oft
ener three abreast, and another donkey for q
leadcr-and, sometimes, a homogeneous train
of six donkeys, three abreast, or five, two
abreast, with leader. The harness is the
oldest Of all contrivanccs, and with the dom
kew himself and the cart, defes all character
istic description. Between the ears is an or
namental little steeple, with feathers, or TO
settes of rags, and bell or two. Then,
about the shoulders, is q hamc collar, stuffed
with straw, about six inches thick, tcrmlna-
ting at the top in leathcr-covcrcd cone,
about fifteen inches high. about six inches
in diameter at the base. About this is q
necklace of small bells. Then comes up the
wooden hamc fastened mt the base of this
cone where, with us, it terminatcs-but in
middle France 1t stops not there, but on both
sides of the cone starts of again ut an angle
of about iorty.fve degrees with the axis of
the cone, and, in regular curve, branches
on eiSntctu VI "oh'y ihChos, hho pstiT Oi
long, slender horns, and on the ends arc
rings, through which the reins run before
going to tho bits. Then the cart is loaded,
all it will bear, above tho axle-trec and be-
low, between the wheels, to near the ground
Each particular animal has about as many
heads and horns as the beast in the Ap6ca-
lyIse, and the whole thing together migh be
worshippcd by one idolatrously inclined as
the only thing which has no likeness to any
thing in the heavens above, or earth beneath,
or the waters under the earth. In the larger
and more civilized towns, the lower classes,
the common people, find their long-cared ser
want very useful, under his little saddle or
before his little cart, to trot nimbly along
on the rural drives and excursions, and little
airings, which the numerous holidays make
available.