Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-01-14
WOMEN IN AUSTRIA.
rho Female Laborers Of Hungary and
the Danube Provinces.

woman literally harne>sed to q cart
One often meets big work-dogs on tho
roads of Aus ria, tugging in harness;
but never happened 10 meet but one
woman actually harncssed up on the
road. The woman, sturdy peasant
of about thirty-fve summers, was la
boring heavily along with load of
fire. wood faggots. while her husband
slouched alongside. smoking the in
evitable long-slemmed pipe. A piece
of rope was attached to one of the
shafts, and whenever hill or particu-
larly rough spot was encountered. the
man would considerably pull on the
string. When they reached smooth,
level ground again, he would toss the
rope over the "horses" shoulder ]
watched this interesting pair for some
distance to find out whether they at
tracted unusual attention from other
people. N body seem ID TO take any
notice of them; from which l inferred
that the sight was nothing uncommon
in that country. A scene that would
have brought tar and feathers, and
sharp-edged fence-rail into requisition
in very short order IN thu United
States, was regarded in Austria as the
most matter-of-fact thing in the world.
Haymaking was going OH in those
smiling Danubian meadows, and / saw
the women not merely tossing and
raking the hay, but swinging the
scythe right merrily, side by side with
husband, brother and father No
gentle or courteous consideration was
nywhere shown to the women. no
favors in the shape of easier or
pleasanter tasks allotted to them. II
there was any part of the work more
like dull. grinding drudgery. more
destitute of interest, than any other.
women and not men were doing it.
On the big ducal estates of Hungary
/ saw scenes thai eciipscd, il possible,
even those of Austria. Hungary is a
land of large estates and pauper-paid
/ laborers. rather than of small proprie-
tors like France and parts of Ger
many. Instead. therefore, of women
scattered singly about little family
holdings, one sees hem in large gangs,
working under the supervision of over
seers. Nothing reminded ME so much
, of the popular conception of the palmy
+ days of slavery in the Southern Sta es.
| than these long files of Hungarian
!, peasant women passing through the
fields with clumsy hoes. Every wom-
an was barrto oted and wore q dress
that scarcely descended to the knees.
so as to allow the free use oil
limbs for getting about AS they
passed slowly across the fields. some.
9 times as many as hundred in n row.
with two or three male overseers
r watching the line from u few PAGES al
the rear. The heavy hoes rising and fall.
ing. without intermission. Mt every
forward stride. it was difficult to I'M
agino them ANY thing else than gangs
l of white slaves. They were free
e enough. however us freedom goes in
8 these countries, and were probably
earning twelve cents day each.
{ Sometimes. when not more than a
couple of hundred yards from the road
' feminine curiosity would overcome all
, sense of discipline. and the long line Of
hoe-swingers would break ranks and
4 come helter-sketer across the field
with merry shouts TO get closer view
t of the bicycle. The overseer would
: call angrily for them to come back; Blu
not until they had satisfied their legiti
. mate trait of female character. curios.
ily, would they heed their voices.
1t is upon the women rather thar
the men that the burden of Europe'l
monster armies fall so grievously. Be
tween the husband and brother. who
h are away playing soldier, and the wifi
: and daughter, who are staying at hom,
4 doing their own and the mem
work, the lesser of the tw,
evils is not hard to choose. !
t is bad enough to do compulsory mill
l. tary service; but there are redeeming
8, features even in that. The real hard
s. ship of the ARA ngement fall heavies
v on the women. 1t is the women toll
ing in the fields like cattle, day after
# day, who pay for the millions o
= breach leaders. the Krupp guns, TIN
= uniforms and the commissary sup
u Piles. 1t was the peanut women o
; France who paid the big German in
r demnity in 1872.
II In the Orient the conditions o
is female life among the poorer classes
|, are in some respects better, but il
others worse, than they are in tn
3 countries spoken of. The people OF
- the East never hurt themselves by
% overwork under any consideration
q The woman are not called upon t,
provide the bone and sinew of everl
s. exra-laborious occupation us the.
q are in Germany and Austria, for TIL
# pressure and exactions of military life
, are less crushing. But on the Other
- hand, woman is not to be regarded
:" more in the nature of goods and chat