The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-12-17
Why the Peasants Of France
Are Rieh.
4arvsls Of Thrift Accomplished Sy Diversity
fTrade-Farmers Who Work Daring
Their Spare Hours at the Pro-
duction Of Multiplicity
Of Manufactures.

rew' man war var Ind indemnity m irs tn tn
millions lost in the Panama scandal
the crushing weight @. war taxation
have left that thrift mimpaired.
The revolution laid the basis Of mod
ern prosperity by abolishing primogen
!ture and dccreeing the division OF
landed estates. Every man has a hole
On the land.
And being on it, lie not only makes
1t produce twice as mrch value as the
land OF Great Britain does, but he con
ducts from his farm cottage variety
OF industries in silk, lace, pottery. EN-
broidery, and sells to all the world
Says the Contemporary Review:
Although matchmaking Is mainly
the industry OF the mountainous coun-
try to the east and northeast OF Ly-
Ons, we shall also find the watchmak-
ers busily at work in the north of
France, at 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 single man would be able to
Chronometers are made by master
who occupies four workers, and these
chrOnOmeters have 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
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 sau'e
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 laboreIs
This matchmaking, which yields sn
income to the district Of 100000
francs annually, is almost, without el-
ception, carried on in addition to ag-
riculturc. and the electric motive pow
er permits the workers to employ any
kind Of machine tool. Each village
has its particular speciality, QLe max
ing only wheels. another spr.nss and
so on. A school for watch,Iakers is
established, where about 15G pupils
receive instruction for three years.
"Goins further to the northeast we
find in and around Besanco. ehe great
est matchmaking centre IN France;
5000 workers at Resancon and II COO
in the whole district axe making
watches. At Besancon at0ne 100000
to 100000 watches-for the greatest
part expensive ones-aN produced.
while large quantities Of eases Of gold
and silver are also made, frequently |
with highly artistic engravings. Also |
here school is established. and an OBJ !
servatory, to which is allied an insti-
tute for testing, by exposure to cx-
IRENE changes Of temperature, parts
which are to be used for watches Of |
great exactness. Round this industry |
various allied industries have grown
up, such as the making Of glasses,
bracelets and bags TO, watches.
But the French PEASANT farmers,
In addition to such industries, turn out
the great crops of gain. sugar beet
and vegetables, produce the wine,
make butter and rear the poultry, and
30 on. which form the foundation OF
the great wealth Of modern France.
"The commune Of Alassac, in Ii.
mousin, contains about TGOO acres of
land, divided into $500 properties. But
from the neighboring railway station
OF Objet. in 1895, 70 less than $50 tons
OF green peas. besides 9 quantity Of
other vegetables, We're sent to market.
The average income per acre is esti-
mated at about 1900 francs (s24o) an
nually. OF course. the possibility OF
obtaining such incomes from the cul-
tivation OF land necessarily increases
tie rental value Of land as we'll as the
selling price Of land. The market
gardeners to the north Of Amiens pay
COCO francs (s120O) for m acre OF peat
bog. while at Bourges they pay 1000
to 5000 francs (s4OO to 5000 per acre
Tor orchard land. and from GOOO to
1000 francs per acre for meadows.
1T cannot be said that access to !
the land is made easy for the laborer;
md in agricultural France. as else
where. the taxation of land values is
crying necessity in order to anchor +,
tie the lot Of the masses CT the people ,
md to enable the workers to retain {
he fruits Of their own industry. But {
omparcd with the English ard Irish
gricultural laborers the life OF the
french peasant farmer appears almost +
deal. True, it is hard and laborious. r
ut the life is q healthy one and they. 9
t least for the most part, are enabled !
, provide for their old age when no I.
niger able to work" +,
The Hcmmer Atacllrasat, |,