New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22
MIXING ROS4RIES.
Poorly Pad W0men York -4md
TycRced MGchiner'u.

The possession of a rosary. or chaplet as II is
allied in France. is Indispensable TO all good
roaan Catholics-at least to the female portion
avs "Chamberss Journal
gosaries are made Of different materials.
uood bone, glass and dried seeds being the
,hief The former takes first place. and ii is
,ly or wooden chaplets that 1 write
every little Pyrenean village however small
d, sire 10 be the centre OF a commune or parish
,uninS extensive forest and pasturage rights on
.ne wild mountain slopes around il. Once year
~ on sunday. its Mayor and councillors SOL
,r,rlv assemble in the little Marie and put up
- sale these rights: the bidders being of
nurse only the inhabitants of the commune
Tho box trees fit for cutting are an important
asr. After spirited competition much helped
J.. good wine. the sale is over and he who has
taught the box trees is alternately congratulated
I'D chsffed by his friends, and he wonders
vbat on earth made him do il. and whether or
~ he viii make anything out of his purchase
n due course he cuts a load. and proceeds to
sell II 10 the chaplet makers: LET now
so7ow this load of the ugly whity-brown.
.-ooked sticks-none thicker than a iady's wrist
70 the eawmill. and watch them being con-
aired into rosares. II viii interest us.
The building is very much of the ramshackle
der and is thckly coated with a fine white or
.sl4 yellow dust that gives il at first sight the
.rnsgranCe Of a -four mill There is a hum and
rbirr Of machinery in the air, but it does not
cooe from downstairs. Here are only the big
eus idle now. that are used for cutting up
.-ses when box is wanting and does not come
!, quickly enough. But il is different above.
IN me dusty. rickety stairs We so. through an
n st,irg door at the top and stand on the
.t-ssbold Of q long. low room filled with rapidly
-e-olying wheels. flying leather belts whirling
srins and screaming. vicious little circular
saws. not fenced or guarded in any way. You
hardly Ike 10 move for fear OF coming into con-
tact with some twisting devilment or other.
grown ur person as you are; and your heart
s.an5s still or ought to- know mine dd-to
500 wandering around. in. out and everywhere.
children of four years old and upward.
ask the foreman anxiously. What are the
babies doing here? Surely it's dreadfully dan
rsrous for them amid all this unfenced machin-
cry"
But the cheerful peasant only laughs It's
,ss -ea hour he explains and the children
have brought their mothers and sisters up some
bread from the village The babies come with
he bigger children; but they viii all be off
soon. back again home"
But don't they get hurt?" I ask
OF course they do sometimes and badly very
often: hut thew soon learn their danger up here;
7n6 aue voulez-Vous with shrug Of his
shoulders-'the women must eat, and they can't
70 home. as its all piecework here, so the chill
dren must come 10 them and risk it
However. time presses so we turn our atten-
lion al first 10 a small circular saw It is 60
Ing at great speed, and beside il sits a woman
with e branch Of lockwood in her hands, She
presses this against the quickly and quite
unconcernedly. although her fingers are peril
ously near its edge. / think. and each time the
sharp teeth take off a slice Of about a quarter
Of an inch thick less. 1t is cut obliquely, not
straight across. and reminds me exactly of a
slice Of bologna sausage, except that il is Of
pale primrose color, and not red and lard spot
ted. These slices fall with great rapidity into a
receptacle under the saw.
Then we 20 10 the other end OF the room, pick
ing our way among wheels and children. Here is
2 long bench or table, something like turning
lathe: only instead of one it has sixteen lathes
in 2 row all working together. Opposite each
lathe II ] may so term il, sits a woman with
her head tied up in cloth and only her eyes
ard nose showing Everything Is thicky COW
cred with the fire dust and 1 notice that am
already taking on yellow tinge- Boxwood is
remarkably hard and close grained. and the
saHdust is as fine flour. Each woman has
her lap fun Of slices OF the lockwood, and girl
goes round with a big shovel filling tho laps of
the women from the receptacles under the saws.
hardly any perceptible pauses presses it against
the drill many times in succession until the
whole surface is covered with the little circles
that are Sc closely packed as TO nearly touch
each other, the smallest perle made has diam
eter Of three millimetres, Then. like lightning,
she turns the wood and begins again, only this
tIme she must place the spike unerringly on the
almost pin points OF holes that stud the surface
q The slice: hut she does il rapidly almost
as the first side, and so she works for hours at
tine, a continuous shower Of perles dropping
from her adroit hand into a box below So eX-
pert do these women become that first class
hand cut up many four gross. or a
little over. Of the smallest perles q day. A gross
Is large tin measure and took one and filed
it from q sack Of small perles which stood be
sde me.
And how much do you pay gross asked
Sixty-fve centimes. sir (sixpence halfpenny
Of our money!.
For this small sum these women work ten
hours day amid unfenced machinery, their
persons smothered and their lungs choked with
ne flne dust An ordinary worker VIII only DO
from TWO 10 three gross a day, that some
only earn one shilling and penny for ten hours
work. Yet, poor as the pay is. it satisfies these
simple mountain people; and / was told there
never any lack Of hands