Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-02
SFGHTS IN BELGIUM.

The Hard Lot Of the Womea and the Dogs.
Correspondence Of tho Cincinnati COMMERCIAL
And nobody in this region seems to
work any but women and dogs. The
harvest hands" as they are called
at home, were, with the fewest
exceptions, women. They were working
like oxen. In shape they are short and
wide out. Centuries of carrying heavy
burdens upon their heads and shoulders
have stunted their height and broadened
them out. This minute - 80 in the
morning-at Cologne, I hear the meas
ured tramp of soldiers in the street out
side. I look out. A squad of good
sized, well-formed young soldiers are
passing with Lieutenant. They hold
their heads up in a spirited way and
march along timber and elastic. I'M
mediately behind them follow three
tawny, squatty women, carrying upon
their heads loads which look awful. It
is enough to crush their skulls in, one
would think. The picture tells the
whole story of life among the lower
classes in this country. It is barbar-
ism as complete as reigns among the
Indian savages of America, where the
squaws do the drudgery and the men
fight and hunt. Men in uniform fairly
swarm. They waddle about the country
railway stations in caps green, white,
red, blue and black-fat, lazy-looking
fellows-while out in the adjoining
fields women lug and tug at the bundles
of hay and grain, and bend their backs
in the turnip fields, plying heavy hoes,
horny-handed and stiff, with weary,
weather-beaten, scanned, stupid faces.
It is not an agreeable sight or an en-
couraging one for the future progress of
one of the most civilized nations in the
world. Everywhere are soldiers SOL
diers, soldiers, marching, drilling or
standing sentinel. I told you of those
we saw before 6 o'clock this morning.
At we went out to look at some sort
of ancient rubbish and splendid cav
airy company passed us full 100 strong.
Horse and rider seemed all one piece,
and the animals feet seemed to move
by clockwork, SO perfectly trained were
they. It was fine sight. But
the most magnifcently disciplined
standing army in the world is main
tanned at cost which cannot fail to tell
on those people in the years to come.
The men are drawn off to fight, and the
women do the mems work At this day
in Germany women blacksmiths are not
very uncommon. What is to become of
the refinements of social life, the sweet
sacredness of home? But I felt sorrier,
if possible, for the poor little dogs than
even for the women. They are not very
big-no larger than the common de-
spised yellow dog" of America-yet
two of them draw loads which seem
heavy enough for a horse. The little
things are harnessed underneath sort
Of long, heavy barrow upon wheels;
this holds the load. A man OF woman
holds the handles of the thing, and the
dogs trot along beneath. Their ribs
stick out, ill-padded with flesh, as
though they were not very well fed.
Their painting sides, lolling tongues and
sorrowful, appealing eyes would touch
the heart of stone. Everything here
abouts, too, seems done by sheer, brute
strength. There is no saving of labor,
either by machinery OF by the applica-
ton of common sense. In the field we
saw no American agricultural machine
ry, as in England OF Scotland. Where
in America load of baggage, trunks,
valises and boxes would be piled high
upon dray OF great truck, and trans
ferred at one gulp for short distances,
here your porter takes it upon his head
or arm, as the case may be, and Tugs it
off slowly and painfully. one piece at a
time. We have had more fuss and
trouble to keep from losing our bag
gage, coming from London to Cologne,
than we should have had at home in
going from New York to San Francisco
and back again. Strange country this
where women and dogs do the hardest
work, and where they have no checks
for baggage. Stockings are knit by
hand instead of by machinery, and in
Antwerp and Brussels the women are
so Industrious that they knit running
along the streets going of errands.