The age-herald., 1898-03-08
ABOUT GERMANY'S
 PEASANT WOMEN

PEASANT WOMEN
 Much has been said about the social posi- l tion and life of the German woman of the higher and middle classes; little, compara- lively. of that large proportion in the
 humber walks of life, the wives and
 daughters of the laboring men, the village
 maiden and the peasants frau The life
 of the woman in Germany, as a rule. is
 not one of ease. Even the housewife
 among the well-to-do classes assumes more 1 of the labor and responsibility of the l household than does the average American l woman; but the woman of the lahoring l class have not an easy lot by any means l Not only have they the care of the child r n, attend to the washing scrubblng, cook l ing. etc., but also as a rule they have 1 their cows or goats, their pigs and chickens 1 to tend They do their plain sewing. their 1 knitting and gardening to great extent. According to this account the reader may | well be bewildered; stop and inquire l whether this poor German woman has ever I a afmoment's rest and recreation. He or she I may behold in their minds eye haggard, l careworn woman, dissatisfied with her lot i and considering this world a sad place to I dwell within. Let them dismiss at once l this melancholy picture. Readers will find | few of this type of women among the 1 peasantry of Germany. The average wo- | man of this class is, despite all her work and worry contented and probably deriving | more happiness from small sources than 1 the woman of higher station, who would 1 fain sympathize with her. To her the fat tening pig the clucking hen, the blow l horsd each bring daily new joy One l must see German peasant woman in her l house and yard to understand her. Sup l pose she goes to the hen house expecting l to find certain number of eggs, and sup I pose she finds or two above the ex- 1 pected number. Can you imagine the de- l light she experiences at this discovery. Or, | perhaps her geese have furnished more l feathers than she had expected, and she l can fill another pillow, or her yarn reached | further than she had calculated, and she l finds herself richer by one yard of good l homespun cloth. What unexpected pleas ure for this simple woman, and how she 1 enjoys it.
 1 Germany has been called, and justly so, I the land of small economies The Germans l have been leased and ridiculed and scorned l for this trait which, it is true, must seem I strange to an outsider. But if the out I slider could but once be witness to the l pleasure the housewife draws from these 1 small economies the attack would cease | Truly, what difference can an egg more | or less make to farmers wife? But l don't you that it is that hen of hers 1 that has surprised her? And the feathersg I Why, her geese have given more than her I 1 Did not her judgment prove truer than the l weavers? And did not she know the l yarn she had spun, and couldn't she get l another towel out of it? Think of that. Besides, her pleasures are many. The | American farmer has many recreations in which his women folks do not participate. l Not so with the German peasant His l wife, who faithfully shares his labors, also l shares his pleasures. He is not poiiti- elan, consequently rarely spends his time l in places where his wife could not accom- l pany him. Political meetings. conventions, 1 etc., are summed by him; he quietly casts his vote probably sits down to glass of l wine or beer with friend and discusses I the situation. Then he returns to his work. l During the summer time, when the work I ~ | source of unlimited, quiet enjoyment for | the peasant and his wife. Seated under | shady tree. the birds and the babbling I brook furnishing the music, the wild flow 1 CTS and the swaying blades of grain the | decorations They partake of the frugal meal in picnic fashion. The young folks | indulge in a good-natured, innocent lot Of 1 playing which draws smiles of approval 1 from the complacent elders, as it reminds I them of their youth, when the heart was l full.''
 | When the Angelus from the village church | bell rings out above the quiet fields, when
 the last golden rays of the setting sun gid | the sky,~ the workers devoutly bow their l heads-their busy hands stop the work.
 The evening is spent at home, the whole | family resting after a day of hard labor. | No lights are lighted The peasant loves 1 to sit in the twilight, or by the light of | moon and stars, before his house, amidst | his family, recalling the happenings of the
 day, planning the work for the morrow. | Now and then neighbor or friend joins | the circle; amid cheerful chatting the time l passes. The bells from the church steeple
 ring out once more to remind the laborers | that bedtime is drawing near, and that the | next day expects to see the toilers of the
 soil at early dawn. The streets, a few
 minutes ago filled with froiicking children.
 sturdy youths and rosy checked maidens,
 are deserted Only here and there a couple
 slowly and reluctantly returning from | pleasant stroll, with hearts beating with
 gladness and wholesome sentiment. These
 simple villagers have their romances as
 we'll; nay, could we but look into their hearts, we would learn some of the sweet
 est, most pathetic stories lived through
 daily in their simple lives.
 Sunday is always looked forward to with | much pleasure. It is not only a day of | rest, but a day of enjoyment for them as
 well. The German peasant knows noth-
 ing of the Puritan Sunday Ills days are