The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-03
4SO FAMILIES
EYER HUNGRY
Most Miserable Corner in the
Wide World
WAGES NEARLY NOTHING
We're Carew.WriteS ola Suffer-
ing People
WAGES NEARLY NOTHING

faction Of eating his fill; 5000 men and
women and children. and not one that is
not kept awake o nights by hunger; 5000
children, women and men, and not one
that did not begrudge my horses the oats
1 had brought from Prague.
Such is the Bohemian forest, grander
landscape and more miserable creatures
than its inhabitants you cannot look upon
in this wide, wide world.
They call IT Elendswinkel. corner Of mis-
cry It begins at Reicheneu and ends at
Multenberg, embracing nineteen villages,
where weaving and hunger have flourish
ed for time immemorial.
You say you never had a square meal,
my poor man? Surely there are feastdays
and holidays in every persons life. You
must have been happy on the day you first
went to the Lords supper, on your we'd
ding day, when your first child was BORN
Happy, yes. lady; but hungry also.
Else there would be heaven on earth, and
that wouldn't do for mere weavers.''
L asked the question a hundred times
during my trip and as often l met with
the same or similar reply. Theirs is the
apathy born Of the chronically empty
stomach. They protest not and aspire to
nothing better; the story of the turning
worm does not apply to these people.
mo wonder" said the pastor of one of
the misery villages. our people are born
and bred hungry; their fathers and rand
fathers were hungry. 4 weaver profess
ing that he got enough to eat at any given
time could make a living for the rest Of
his life by exhibiting himself to his fell
lows and telling of his good luck"
At st. Thomas I fell in with half a
dozen children whom I knew TO belong to
Asang, eight miles away. They had their
school books, and I asked what they were
doing.
I'VE got UP three hours before time to
visit the farm houses when men and
beasts have breakfast" said the boys and
girls. In this way we get a bite one in
awhile Now we are going back home to
school" One of the brighter children
came up to me and said: you must have
heard of FranZl, who is with the farmer
in Reiterschlag. His mother was so poor
she gave the children a hot bath every
night instead of supper SO they might go
20 sleep from sheer exhaustion, forgetting
that they were hungry or even alive
well, Franzl couldn't stand it any
longer a bath for supper. a crust Of
bread and hot water for breakfast and no
dinner. So he called on the farmhouses
before going TO school. as we are doing,
and. as luck would have it, ran across
a farmers wife who was a veritable ma
donna. When he asked for a crust of
bread she gave him bacon, soup, and
bread
Bacon. soup and bread, all at once" re-
peated the chorus OF children. with bulg-
ing eyes.
Little Marie continued: "Franzl was so
overcome and delighted he could find no
words TO express his gratitude. did not
know there was heaven on earth, he said
over and over again. And when he learn
ed that the farmer. his children, and his
servants had the same every day in the
year and Sundays more he threw nm
self on his knees and cried: Good woman,
be nv mother And the farmers wife
really took him in, for Franzl has fine
blue eyes and blond hair. and does not
cough like the rest of the children. And
now only his mother and brothers and
sisters hunger, while he grows fat eat
ing like the kaiser in Vienna.
The average weaver's wage IS hard to
specify in United States money. A newly
married couple in the prime Of life can
earn FORMS about % cents per week
provided the neighbours children help out
with spooling. But the quantity Of work
To he delivered demands eighteen hours
application a day for two. That means
nine average working days for 46 cents
or 1-e cents a day and head, not count
ing the children.
In the village of Heurafhe several cabins
were pointed out to me where the average
wage Is up to forms a week. $50.
investigated. There were four grown
persons at work in each of these lucky
households. most often a father, mother.
and a son. and his young wife, assisted by
a horde Of small children. six or seven
in several cases, ten. eleven or twelve
in others.
.eyhat are your average hours?' asked
the weaver Croesus.
..-rha looms never rest day night.
Three of use are always warking while
one rests"
They look it. A more miserable type OF
humanity than these weavers in grand.
picturesque nature it has never been my
misfortune TO meet in any country or
CLINE. Hollow cheeks, rounded backs the
walk tottering, complexion SalloW- Men
and women look almost alike, ana all
wear a heather belt around their waist
..to pull tighter when the stomach's de-
nsand becomes too pressing" The huts
have but one room, and the number or
children is rarely below six, while most
families are blessed with ten or twelve
The cottages are low and dark, the
.rau windows not being made open.
what air there is enters thronh the door
OF cracks in the roof and walls Light
must be burned day and mint. for some
body is working all the time, weaving
smoothing or sorting. Kerosene has not yer
transplanted the old time oil lamp IN the
Bohemian forest: a medicine bottle Win
n piece Of rag or string for wick But
even such a lamp. primitive as II IS
counts for luxury. only $3.50 per week
househould can afford Il. The rest get
along on pine links Both these modes
OF lighting help TO still more vitiate the
atmosphere. poisoned by from six te
twelve tuberculosis and semi-tuberculosls
lungs.
DO you have 10 work all the year
round,' I asked the head Of one family
eve thank god if the bosses are gra-
cious enough TO allow US to work winter
and fall. and employ our children, sick
snd aged al spoolIng during the heated
term. I summer we weavers have 10 do
soc to pay the rent. for the huts and the
quarter Of an acre allotted 70 each family
And do you receive no pay from the
baronT'
.saSa rnonax of course not hut IL his