Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-12
[Correspondeacs Of The Eren,rg Star.l


Correspondence Of The Erentng Siar.l
| VIENNA, 10th July, 1873.
Here the people are strong on the question of
\ ~oman's rights, looking at it from a low plane
Of observation, without discussing the problem
| much, If at ALL The ladies have great freedom
Still, it seems to me that there are many strong
minded women at home who mouth loudly
about the equality of the sexes who would
| shrink from commencing, or seeing il COM
| menced by the women of America. at the
bottom, as do the Austrian women. For in
stance, the platform advocates of woman's
rights would hardly like to begin TO practice
their preachings by breaking stones for the
| highway, clambering scatfOldings with tubs of
cement and mortar balanced on their heads. or
standing under hot summer sun with three or
four others pumping water into a street water
ing cart. All these things, and many more, the
women OF Austria do! Fancy being the belle
of the mortar heap! OF the pride of the wheel
barrow gang! The women who perform these
rough duties are generally strongly built, not
pretty, but in many / have noticed great
possibilities of comelness, if they could have a
chance other than that Of coarse, hard, manual
labor.
| WIDE SPHERE OF LABOR FOR THE WOMEN.
Nearly every woman and girl here, both of
the wages and middle classes, work and earn
| their own living. Passing along the street it
has not been my lot yet to see a lady or girl
leaning idly from the windows or sitting within
listlessy perusing some novel or other, as we SO
oIten see IN the cities at home. On the con-
rary, they are all busy at something from morn
ing until night. At every turn / find lady
clerks, store women, cashiers, women in restau-
rants, women every where, right down to clean
ing boots on the public streets; and thew all.
work for very little, yet seem blythe and CHEEKY
comely and content. Women who labor on the
buildings are generally of the peasantry class
They are dressed in costumes half manly, half
womanly, with colored handkerchie:s tied over
thelr heads as covering; they get paid the same
as the Slomacks-the men laborers-from
n n HNrfr
| ten kfeutzers (55 cents for day of eleven
hours, commencing TO work at a. M, taking
one hour at noon for dinner, then working on
and quitting at p. m. They are allowed to
stand up during the working hours and take a
lunch and a drink, which thew do taking the
latter with as much gustO as the fondest lover
OF lager bier. On Sunday you should see them
dressed. Bright red handkerchief; on their
heads, tied under their chins, one end hanging
away down their backs; faces as clean as soap
and water will make them; clean. stiff Starched,
but short cotton dresses, wOrsted stockings and
strong brogans, leaning upon the arm of some
private of the Austro- Hungarian army, or sit
ting with their male comrades in some one of
the many beer gardens where the people most
do congIegate on Sundays and holidays.
"PEoPLE's GARDENS" AND WHAT THEY ARE
Apropos of peoples gardens in Vienna, are
set of-well it is hard to find name for such
places as refer to. They are only to be found
at Vienna, and are perhaps best described un-
der the caption of "operatic-vaude ville," for
they comprise both STYLES of entertainment
Ferdinand Raimund, who early in the last cen
fury wrote petite comedies, may be said to have
laid the foundation OF these entertainments
Schieaneder, the extempOrizer, improved upon
them, introducing the now common-style of
singing verse and then extemporizng upon
the audience, bringing in many sly, if not al
ways witty alusions to the current events of the
day. Mozart himself is said TO have eked out a
living at one time at the first of these "Sing-
spiel Hallen, Turn Geldencn Wilder" aud TO
have composed two small one-act operettas for
Them, besides meeting his future wife there.
Frey Lanner and Johann Strauss the elder
have had much to do with creating the peculiar
style of music only to be heard at these places
here IN Vienna: l must say that | have seen
and never before heard the same kind of singing
THE "sINGsPIEL HALLRN."
Sometimes, as every student of history knows,
great and radical changesin politics are brough
about from strangely divergent points. Not a
little Of the education the masses in Vienna re-
celye in radicalism is imbibed at the "Singspiel
hallen." The men who in America or Great
Britain would become leaders of working-class
movements-at least many such men0have
trod the boards as Viennese extempore singers,
not being allowed to speak out at public meet
ing. For instance, 1 saw one night a piece
but asketch-called "The Travelling Brothers"
1t was surprising how keenly the audience en-
loyed the broad satiriziDg of the religious men,
dlcants represented by two clever fellows, and
that here, nearly in the last stronghold of the
Roman Cstholic Church, on the eve of ITS great
procession of Corpus Christi. When people
begin to laugh at the representatives of re-
lgion II is sure proof that their belefi is being
s s1e Ss SLOWLY ReThaPs but surely There
In Vienna, about eight. Some merely give songs;
others play operettas, lightly constructed, just
airame work to hang their wit upon, and to
give an opportunity for some very excellent
singing. / heard a Tyrolese mountain song
sung by quartette in style that was little
short of perfection, not a single note wrong or
out of time. 1t is no wonder that these places
are always well attended.
A PLEASANT RESTING PLACE.
The people who 60 TO the exhibition during
the day find an agreeable resting and dining
place in the evening while listening to the fun
going on, II being customary at the Singspiel
Hallen to provide supper to those who want it:
50 far as my experience has extended good ana
cheap Assuredly any one who travels around
the exhibition, conscientiously examining all
that he or she can see, will stand greatly in
need oil good resting place when through.
Beside the many wonders Of art and industry
TO be seen within the exhibition building and
the in mediate buildings out in the grounds.
we have outside shows that have to be seen
perhaps flower, then cattle show, and so on
right along. The cattle show just over was a
success. To those who knew very little about
the animals "points" there was much to inter-
est outside of them. Here Polish cattle pen
with, beside it, what looked like conical stack
OF straw, but which was in reality the herds
mans hut, the most interesting feature being
the stork's nest sat upon pole beside the hut
and dog kennel. Then on every hand we meet
strangely -Costumed guardians of the animals
herdsmen, cleaners. drOvers, etc., not to mem
ton the proprietors, some of whom were most
respiendentiy dressed. One gentleman at
tracted great attention; he was seven feet high,
with long white beard, dressed in the Hunga-
nan style. 1t scarcely needed the fact to be
known that he owned 10000 head Of cattle to
cause him to be the observed of all observers
Another group also attracted considerable at
tention from visitors like myself. 1 went sew
eral times to look at them, and always found
the men smoking and the women sitting down.
Certainly Goiicd has mild-looking herdsmen
ana comedy, Pleasant looking peasant women,
II the group atthe exhibition are any criterion
to 90 by. L. j. H.
PASSENGERS RIGHTs.-A case is concluded
In Indiana In manner to indicate that when
railroad company sells Q ticket it is with the
understanding that the passenger viii be fur
nished . seat. A passenger in Indiana lately
refused to give the conductor his ticket until he
was supplied with seat. The train being
crowded the conductor could not comply with
his reouesf. and mt the passen0ar Of The GOV