The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-12-26
WOMEN IN SWITZERLAND. !
Il They Ase Seen In the -.ayGelds Sap.
Sor:er3 Of Eanaslics. s

II They A20 Seen In the s.Sy6elSis SAP
Sor:er3 Of Esnailics.
We saw women hay carriers IN TIE Val
de BreQagiin The hay is carried In n hugs
basket, adjusted to tbs back by q )eather
strap over the shoulders. AB they walk,
painfully stopped ura., these great bur-
dens, they look like moving stacks. Soms-
times the bay is carried in great squares
Of canvas, tied at the tour corners. Yonnx
children are bowed and prematl:rs!y aged
by tho bearing Of these weights on nepk
and head, when tboir strength is SO l!ttio
commensurate to tbs task. s.,
Most Of tho hay harvesting ~ the Epga-
dine Is dono by italians, who swarm ever
the Alps to obtain summer employment
But Swiss women also are sadly aged and
stiaened and rendered premarurely ugly
by field labor. Go .whezc you may in tie
mountains, most OF the hard work seems
to be performed by tbs weaker half Of
creation. No animal IN lo7ely Switzerland
is more hardly treated, With the exception
of the dog. TO lie sure, q woman is often
harnessed With dog ~ a heavy cart,
while another woman usiscs from behind,
but have never seen the woman lis down
in the dust and pant from exhaustion,
with the tongue hanging from the mouth,
as have often seen the dog do. Manifest
ly, the dog is still undernlost in tl,o COM
petition Of woman with the lower animals
IT is pretty sight to sec naidens toss
Ing hay in tho bright groon valleys. under
snow peaks, where waterfalls stream from
the rocks and glad torrents rush over their
pebbly beds, but the hideous fact OF wom
ans onslavcncnt to labor too hard for nor
strength is hidden under the smiling
tableau. Some who si1udder at the thoughs
Of a woman dropping ballot into voting
urn can lock calmly Oh al her sad position
in the European labor market, can see
without trouk 10 of soul, GO have, in pros
porous Canon Bern, q woman harnessed
with = cow md dragging load Of mo
nure. The Swiss women, judging from
appearances. seem to be the supporters in
stead of the supported. They are active
and indsfatgabls in labor. They even car
~ bricks and mortar for the builders up
narrow planks and steep ladders. The un-
fittest doubtless die young, which ia hap
py provision OF nature, while the fiGtcst
grow rigid snd stiff, tcnghened like sea-
soned hickory, with bowed backs, muscles
Of whipoord and fuces such as one secs or
riously carved on walnuts The men are
doubtless iaborious, but their labor seems
less In evidence than tbe labor Of the wcn,-
en- Nature Is ins1 CRADLE in these moun-
tains, but hsr singing lash falls most
heavily Oh the shoulders OF the woman.
The national costumes have faded Gus
Of the Engadins, If they ever existed there.
The people arc plain, sturdy, sober folk,
thrifty, too, In their way, but joyless OF
aspect. In other pnrss OF Switzerland,
where few years ago tho costumes Of the
different cantons were preserved by tina
women wait ~ at hotels, you now soc on
~ plain black gowns and white aprons.
There are pretty silver ornaments in the
shop windows, and occasionally OIL IL Sun
day they appear in tho streets Oh the per-
son of some Swiss dame. But they are fast
fading OUT OK existence, ana more's 6be
pity, as they are very pretty and becoming.
christian Register.