The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-25
WOMAN'S FIELD IN GERMANY.
Among Pea~antry LIT Is Vegetable
Field, with Heavy Work To Do.
New York Sun.


One good cure for discomfort is to contem-
plate the condition of some one who is not
so well off as ourselves. If women get dis
couraged once in a while. and think that
man is rude animal because he lets her
stand in a street car, she has only TO turn
her eyes TO Germany and she will be COM
forted.
A woman who has been travelling over
there has got so stirred up over it that she
has been writing letters which are war
ranted to harrow up the soul OF every SYM
pathetic woman. apd at the same time
spread benign glow of content through II.
She declares that it gave her a strange
sensation to see women worked with less
humanity than a gentle-hearted driver
would show toward his horse.
There are" she says, various devices
Tor saving the poor, poor horse in rural Ger
many. The chief of these is huge basket.
about a yard high, with capacity OF near
ly two bushels. 1t is intended for Wom-
ans back. 1t would probably fit quite as
Well on a mans back; although this is mere
ly my individual judgment, as the expert
ment has not been tried in years. IL is not
so pretty as a blue coat with red wrist
bands. or nice shiny musket, but i'm the
course or year Will take a good many tons
of apples and potatoes into town 1t is
harneSsed fast by a strap over each should
er. When the basket is once in place, the
woman can move along at a right good gait
She Will often get a number of miles
without stopping to rest, il is so hard TO get
the thing up on her back again should she
once take it off a man, however, will
sometimes help her do this, should he hap
pen to be in the vicinity, and the women
themselves are very kind to one another.
But ] have seen women struggle till the
perspiration stood in great beads on their
foreheads TO get their loads off the ground
and up to their shoulders. while half a
dozen men stood by and talked about hard
times and bad weather. Day and night the
roads seem full of these burden bearers.
Some have been late and have to walk
home after dark, and others have 10 get up
long before the sun in order to get 10 mar
ket by daybreak.
Q6n a ms nv
of the women are strong and in the prime
of animal life" Their heads are bare.
they wear one short skirt, and they step
out with a long stride, apparently tirelesS
wrnkled, and feeble, and seem nearly
ready to fall by the way
In the southern part of Germany women
carry great weights on their heads. In the
north a wooden yoke is much in favor. 1t
rests across the shoulders and is conSid-
cred to be a handy continuance for women
to use in carrying coal, water or vegetables.
But in middle Germany the basket is the
fashionable thing. The girl children are
taught ito wear it at an extremely early
age and they grow up TO their life or
burden with strong backs and sturdy legs.
According to this observing woman an
other plan of saving the poor horse is TO
harness women and dogs together In front
of small wagons. The dog takes one SIDE
of the wagon tongue and the woman an
other and together they manage to haul
a considerable load. If there are TWO dogs
they are hitched in front and the woman
goes behind and pushes.
But il really seems that women ought no'
to complain of lack of appreciation In Ger
many. Aside from the recognition or heI
qualities as a burden bearer she is in grea'
demand for outdoor field labor About the
only things in this line which they do not do
are tying up bags after they have been
filed at a threshing machine and driving
a horse. These are sinecures held sacred
to men. But Il woman mowS and rakes
hay; she is esteemed a good hand also al
digging potatoes, and it is common thing
to see one down on her knees in the damp
earth gathering up these vegetables
woman is also considered a clever person
at collecting stones out of plowed ground
at pulling sugar beets, at binding and load
ing machine and at pulling up weeds.