The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-26


Get 81 q Month, Housemaids SO.
Munich Letter in the sun.
Doubtless no American traveller in
Germany has failed to remark, as one
of the characteristic features of the
land. the peculiar position, or lack
of position, that Teutonic womankind
holds. In getting into the country the
first glimpse from a car window makes
1t easy to understand why the Ger
mans speak jokingly Of the weaker
SEX" Deep in his heart he means him
self. The women work in the fields,
not Ike the men. but like the beasts;
they are the backbone of the nation s
economy. Then, I'm the first city. the
thing is emphasized. An American,
after the primal shock he gets from
the aspect of the mems trousers.
which are built i'm Germany upon the
pattern of a section of sheet iron stove
pipe is most strongly impressed by
the fact that the women seemingly
do all the wOrk--or all the work that
is hard enough to be called so. In
"a place like this, perhaps the most
typical of German cities of the old
style, Sne minutes walk from the
hotel shows that the hod-carrers are
all women, that the laborers on the
street car lines are likewise women,
that a large portion of the convey
ances in the streets are small carts
pulled by women in partnership with
dogs. that most of the wood choppers
are women, and that everywhere, un-
der. most circumstances in which the
labor is rough and menial, the woman
is doing the bulk of the work, while
the man, even if pretending TO help,
is mainly occupied in watching her
efforts with appreciation.
1t is not only in the lower walks of
life that the proposition is to be re-
marked-peasant or noble. the destiny
of the German woman is work Wheth-
er ii be manual labor, or merely the
vexing details of practical house
keeping, few German women escape;
If, on the one hand, the work is i'll"
adapted to woman's strength and Of
ten injurious to health, on the other
IT is none the less eXacting and weary
ing. But it is. according to the Ger"
man code, obligatory. Woman IS not
supposed TO have an equal tootinl
with man, and she herself would be
the last to expect or demand it. For
so is she trained and has been for
generations. Social usage even de-
Clares that she cannot speak to a man
until he has spoken. she may glance
at him in the street, but she NAV not
recognize him until ne has signified
his desire to be recognized. That is
the frst article of the social law. and
it is followed by others as arbitrary
or more so. Woman's rights is sub
jet that has been heard Of mostly in
whispers in Germany: but Germans
densoly, perhaps, have heard it spoken
of as if it were the name of a new
variety of cucumber. The new wo-
man. if she dared TO appear, would
doubtless be regarded by most OF
them with the same Indifference as the
fruit itself.
FAMILY LIFE.
If an American should go on sun
day afternoon to a concert at one
of the big Munich brewerics he would
see all about MIN evidences of thaI
beautiful German family life which is
traditional. The German-and partic
ularly the South German-nearly al,
ways takes his family with him t
share his Sunday pleasures, oven I,
tho dog. When it comes to sharin&
the beer and sausage, however il j:
Interesting to note what the averag,
German considers q share. He orders
liter Of beer and plate of sausages
Each of the family gets one sip of IN,
beer, and that erds it--not the beer
but the share. AS for the sausages
matarfamilas declares that she "ha,
no hunger" and the children are sup
posed to be in the same condition
They thereupOn watch papa While h,
bolts his sausages. ana tn" dog get,
the skins. This is not always the pro
ccdUra. but it is usually So What i
exemplifics principally is the German
idea. The German man may he gen
erouS enough. but the German woman
is the most self-denying creature i,
the world, and really believes that he
needs and her rights are entirely diff
ferert from and subservicnt To- thos
OF the man. 1t might go hard witt
her if she ventuIcd to think other
wise; but there is rarely danger o
that.
The brewery scene is entirely typi
cal of the average German. or, NOR
particularly, perhaps, South German
family life. A German girl finds
husband by virtue Ot her dowry. q
savings. The exceptions t. the rule ar
hardly appreciable Married. she en-
ters upon Il humdIum existence. a sin
gle year of which would seem calcu
lated 10 unbalunro the reason ur an
person less unimaginative and domesti
in the baldest sense Of the term. Their
are probably no happier women i'm an
land: which shows how little IN
German feminine nature or trainin
eXacts. But whatever she aXpccts /
matrimony she gets one thing sure
ly, and that is work. Even then he
position i'm infinitely urefcrabl. {
that Of her unmarried sister. The Ger
man spnster is an object almost If nu
always piteous, Receiving cOnsidera
tion from neither man, woman or chiIc
regarded usually as a burden ana a
anomaly by her relatives, it is hardI
TO be wondered that she H. Spinstn
rarely by choice. 1t is usually a cues
tion purely Of dOwry. II Is not neccs
sary that the amount be large, but