The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-09-06
Sights In Belgium.

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 few
est exceptions, women. They were
working the 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-5:30 in the
morning-at at Cologne, | hear the
measured tramp of soldiers III the
street outside. | look out. A squad
of good sized, well formed young
soldiers are passing with a Lieuten-
ant. They hold their heads up in a
spirited way, and march along lin
Der and elastic Immediately be-
hind them follow three tawny.
squatty women, carrying upon their
heads loads which look awful. 1t is
enough to crush their skulls in, one
would think. The picture tells the
whole story of life among the lower
classes of this country. 1t is a bar
barism as complete as reigns among
the Indian savages of America,
where the squaws do the drudgery
and the men fight and hunt. MeE
in uniform fairly swarm. They
waddle about the country railway
stations in caps green, white, red,
blne 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 III the turnip fields, ply
ing heavy hoes, horny handed and
stiff, with weary, weather-beaten,
scanned, stupid faces. 1t il not an
agreeable sight or an encouraging
one for the future progress of one of
the most civilized nations in the
world. Everywhere are soldiers,
soldiers, soldiers, marching, drilling,
or standing sentinel. / told you OF
those we saw before o'clock in the
morning. At I we went out TO look
at some ancient rubbish and splen-
did cavalry company passed us, full
4 hundred strong. Horse and rider
seemed ali one piece, and the ami
mails feet seemed to move by clock
work, so perfectly trained were they.
1t was a fine sight. But the most
magniGciently disciplined standing
army in the world is maintained at
a cost which cannot fail to tell on
those people in the years to come.
The men are drawn off 10 fight, and
the women DO the mems work. At
this day in Germany women black
smiths are not very uncommon.
What is to become Of the refine
ments Of social life, the sweet sacred
ness Of home? But felt sorrier, if
possible, for the poor little dogs than
even for the women. They have q
dogs life, indeed. They are not
very big-no larger than the COM
mon despised yellow dog" of Amer
ica-yet two of them draw loads
which seem heavy enough for a
horse. The little things are harness
ed underneath q sort Of long, heavy
barrow upon wheels ; this holds the
load. a man or 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 4 stone. Every
thing hereabouts, too, seems done
by sheer, brute strength. There Is
no saving of labor, either by ma
or by the application Of
common sense. In the field we saw
no American agricultural machinery,
as in England and Scotland. Where
in America q load OF baggage, boxes,
&c, would be piled high upon a
dray or great truck, and transferred
at one gulp for short distances, here
your porter takes it upon his head
Or arm, as the case may be, and
iugs it off slowly and painfully, one
piece at time. We have had more
luss and trouble to keep from losing
Dur baggage, coming from London
20 Cologne, than we should have had
1t home in going from New York to
San Francisco and back again.
Strange country this where women
md dogs do the work and whore
hey have no checks for baggage.
Stockings are knit by hand instead
IF machinery, and in Antwerp and
Brussels the women are so industri-
Jus that they knit running along
he streets going of errands.-Cin-
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