The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-27
WHERE BUTCHERS ARE WOMEN.
Origin of the Custom in Paraguay
Dates From a Destructive War.
From the Raltimora Sun


Dates From a Destructive War.
From the Baltimore Sun.
OF all occupations. that of butcher
seems one of the least suitable for the
fair sex; yet there is at least one coun-
try where this trade is entirely monop-
olized by women and mo men need
apply
That country is Paraguay, where
many occupations which among us are
invariably assumed by the sterneT sex
fall to the lot of the women. The
cause of this state of things is the
heroic war waged by Paraguay more
+ than 80 years ago against the over
whelming forces of Brazil, the Argen-
tine Republic, and Uruguay combined.
This war. which lasted five years, bore
many singular points of resemblance
to the recent Boer war. 1t ended in
the almost total humiliation of the
able bodied male population of the
country, and the results may be read
in the following figures: Population of
Paraguay in 1857, ], 1877 439; in 1873 (three
years after the termination of the war;
it amounted to only 221079: and of
these nearly all were women children.
and very old men. When the war was
over the people had been reduced to
the most abject poverty and were on
the verge of starvation, being driven
to such expedients as to eat cats, dogs
and horses. Worse still, owing to the
destruction of the male population, per-
feet anarchy prevailed, and, all the
work formerly performed by males fell
on the fair sex. They rebuilt the
houses which had been burned down,
titled the fields and wove for them
selves rough homespun clothing from
the cotton grown on their own fields
To this day the butchers in all parts
of Paraguay are women. In the pub
lie slaughter-houses the cattle are dis
patched by men, who sever the spinal
column by cutting it with a sharp cut
lass just behind the nape of the neck
When the animal falls to the ground its
throat is cut and it is allowed to bleed
to death. This is the only part of the
work done by men. The animal is
skinned and otherwise prepared by wo-
men. Carcasses are then conveyed to
the butchers stalls. where the meat is
cut up and sawed by women, who are
| dexterous in the use OF the saw and
knife 1t is then served out to GUS
toners, also by women-not generally
by weight, but by the piece-and the
price Is so low that pound of the
best meat may be bought for about a
penny.
Women of all ages act the part of
butchers; some are young and pretty,
others old and wrinkled. The women
are great bargainers, and keen as mus
tard to pull a new arrival almost to
pieces in the hope of securing his Gus
| tom. These women butchers earn good
wages, and many of those in business
on their own account acquire modest
| fortune.
In the larger towns the meat is only
| allowed to be sold in the public mar
ket-place, where stalls (owned by the
municipality are let at auction to the
highest bidders The public have every
security that the meat is fresh, for all
that is left unsold at night is destroyed
by the authorities-a needful precaution
in a warm climate. The result is that
Just previous to closing time there IS
a great reduction in prices and a crowd
of bargain-hu appear on the scene
economical housewives, keepers of
cheap restaurants. and the like-for
rather than see the meat thrown away
or destroyed, the keepers of the stalls
sell the remnants at almost any price.