The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-09-23
Woman LabOrers in Germany.


FEMALE FARMERS AND wooD-sAwYERs.
Who does the work? was the question
that puzzled my brain, on arriving in Ger
many in the early Spring of 1871. Along
the lines of railway over which I passed,
the majority of persons standing on the
platform, or sitting in the waiting rooms,
were always soldiers, and in the cities and
towns, nearly every other man 1 met wore
the sword and soldiers livery. How does
the work get done? Who tills the soil,
builds the houses, loads and unloads YES
sells? Not these bearers of the sword and
gun! for that would not accord with the
fitness of things. In my walk the follow
ing day met numbers of women coming
into town, carrying ON their heads large
baskets heavily laden with potatoes, cab
bage, and other vegetables; women with
large bundles of wood on their heads, or
strapped on their backs-or with heavily
laden wheelbarrows.
DOGS TO THE HARNESS.
children of Eve drove dog cart, or rather
pushed at the rear of the cart, and the dog
pulled vigorously in front; except when,
forgetful of his duty, his dogship slackened
rein, in order to growl defiance at some
waspish cur, who in full possession of his
liberty, had barked his contempt at the
situation of his chained and muzzled
brother. Occasionally met double team
namely, two dogs harnessed to one cart,
and a man and woman pushing behind
During my walk saw that the women here
were no strangers to the use of the spade
and shovel, and the mystery of how the
work gets done in land of soldiers began
to show itself.
THE SPADE AND wHEELBARROw.
One young woman about IS to 20 years
old, stood with her foot resting on her
spade; she had evidently stopped her work
to take little respite, and a look at her
stranger. At my approach she addressed
herself once more to the labor before her.
Moistening her palms after the manner of
the common laborer, she rubbed them
together, and grasping the spade, struck it
in the earth, cutting through the soil with
one clean stroke; she then turned it quickly
over, gave it sundry taps and pats, till it
tumbled apart as if in obedience to her
will Hers was no awkward prentice hand,
the line where she was digging was straight
as an arrow; and no stick nor stone marred
the even surface of the well-dug patch of
ground, over which she was spending the
vigor of her young life. met woman
in the streets of Munich, wheeling clumsy
barrow, that looked as if she had made it
herself. 1t was loaded with wood, on the
top of which were buck and saw; the
badges Of her occupation. A few thin
locks of yellow hair streamed from her
bonnetless head; the cords of her arms
were strained to their utmost; andit took
all the strength of her slender, wiry frame,
to force the barrow over the little elevation
in the centre of the bridge she was cross
ing. At her side walked stout, stalwart
fellow, whose Herculean shoulders looked
as if they could have supported world
with ease.
SAVING WOOD.
A street further on, woman from 40 to
so years of age was saving wood, while
two men were splitting it. The saw went
through the log with a slow, heavy sound;
it was near the close of the day, and her
energies seemed we'll nigh exhausted. We