The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-11-24
Why the Peasants Of France
Are Rich.
Mar7el5 OF Thrift Accomplished oy Diversity
c. .Tra5e-Farmers Who Work During
Their Spare Hours at the Pro-
duction Of Multiplicity
Of Manufactures.


$ u The payment Of the Ger
No~ man war indemnity the
mililouS lost in the Panama scandal.
the crushing weight of war taxation,
have left that thrift unimpaired.
The revolution laid the basis of mod
crn prosperity by abolishing primogen-
iture aud decreeing the division of
landed estates. Every man has 4 hold
on the land
And being on it, lie not only makes
ii produce twice as much value us the
land of Great Britain does. but he con-
ducts from his farm cottage variety
of industries in silk, lace, pottery, en-
Ecoidery. aud sells TO all the world.
Says the Contemporary Review:
Although matchmaking is mainly
the industry OF the mountainous coun-
try t. the east and northeast Of I.y-
ons. We shall also find the watchmak-
erS bueuy at work i'll the north OF
France. a. and around st. Nicholas.
north Of Paris. Man and wife work
together. and the division Of labor has
been carried to such an extent that
hardly 4 single man would be able to
make q completely finished watch.
ChronometerS are made by a master
who occupies four workers. and these
chronometers have a name esteemed
even outside France. At Sougeous the
peasants are making spectacles, tele-
scopes and other optical instruments,
and earn from three to six francs a
day.
The matchmaking industry in the
north cannot possibly be compared to
that in the mountains east and north
east Of Lyons. At Cluse we find a
centre of this trade, where 500 workers
are earning their living as watchmak-
ers, while IN the neighboring villages
1000 peasants are engaged in the same
business. The majority have electric
power transmitted to their houses.
Electricity is cheap, while only one
eighth of horse power is required
for the use of four or five laborerS.
This matchmaking. which yields an
income to the district OF 3,OOO,OOO
francs annually. is almost. without ex-
ception, carried on in addition to 2S-
riculture. and the electric motive pow
er permits the workers to employ any
Kind of machine tool. Each village
has its particular speciality, one max
ing only wheels, another springs. and
so on. A school for watchmakers IS
established. where about $50 pupils
receive instruction for three years.
Going further to the northeast we
find in and around Besancon the great
est matchmaking centre in France;
5000 workers at Besancon and 4l.oOO
in the whole district are making
watches. At Besancon alone 4OO,Ooo
TO $4,000 watches-for the greatest
part expensive ones-are produced.
while large quantities Of cases OF gold
and silver are also made. frequently
with highly artistic engravings. Also
here a school is established. and an OBJ
servatory. to which is allied an insti-
tute for testing. by exposure to e2-
treme changes of temperature. parts
which are to be used for watches OF
great exactness. Round this industry
various allied industries have grown
I'D. such as the making OF glasses,
bracelets and bags for watches.
But the French peasant farmers
in addition to such industries. turn out
the great crops of grain. sugar beet
and vegetables. produce the wine.
make butter and rear the poultry. and
so on. which form the foundation o.
the great wealth Of modern France.
The commune Of Ahassac, in LII
mousin. contains about 16CO acres OF
land. divided into 300 properties. But
from the neighboging railway station
of Obiet. II 1895. no less than $50 tons
of green peas. besides quannt! OF
other vegetables. were sent TO masAes.
The average income per acre Is esti'
mated at about 1900 francs (s240) an
nually. Of course, the possibility OF
obtaining such incomes from the cui-
tiration of land necessarily increases
the rental value of land as we'll as the
selling price of land. The market
gardeners to the north Of Amiens pay
6ooo francs $1,000 forum acregof peat
bo. while at Bourges they pay -ooo
to 5000 francs (S40O to 5000 per acre
for orchard land. and from GOOO 70
1000 francs per acre for meadows.
1T cannot be said that access u
ihe land Is made easy for tie laeorer;
and in agricultural France. a' else
where. the taxation Of land values Is
q CRYING necessity in order to anchor
ate the lot of the masses of the people
and to enable the workers to retain
the fruits Of their own industry. But
compared with the English and irish
agricultural laborers the life OF IN:
French peasant farmer appears almost
ideal. True. it is hard anG labo-ious'
but the life is 4 healthy one. and they.
ut least for the most part. are enabled
10 provide for their old age when no