The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-09-01
WOMEN And THE WAR
What the Russo Japanese Con-
hict Means to Them.
STRUGGLING AT MANS WORK.
CvO Thousand Japanese Women Are
Laying the Great Sewer In Tokyo.
How Korean Women Are Doing the
Work of the Country Primitive
Implements Used.

Implements Used.
Two thousand Japanese women lay,
ing the great sewer in the streets of
Tokyo; a hundred thousand Korean
women, mayhap, blowing the fields
with rude heavy implements, scatter
ing seeds and laboring at the rice mill
over what may remain of the last crop
these things spell part of the meaning
OF the Russo-Japanese war to oriental
women, says the San Francisco Chron-
icIe
The women who are struggling with
TokyO's sewer mains are first and fore
most struggling with the problem Of
something to eat. The good man Of
the famiiy-father, husband or SON
is patriot, and he is at the front, and,
alas, patriotism in this case cannot fill
all the hungry mouths at home.
Two thousand Japanese coolies who
were laying the sewer dropped pick
and crowbar to take up rifles and side
arms and march away across Korea.
Two thousand women of Tokyo, with
none left to provide for them, were
and the bars that the necessaries Of
life might nos rise altogether above
their reach. They have men for fore
men, but no meh to lift the heavy
weights and to 90 the grinding part
Of the labor. A woman who cannot
stand the work finds another woman
waiting at her elbow ready to take her
place if she drops out and down.
In Korea the women are doing tho
work of the country. That means that
the Korean women are doing the things
which must be done to support life and
decrease discomfortS to the bearable
point, for Korea has never been ambi-
tious above its everyday necessities.
The brave Korean men said boldly that
if Japanese troops set foot across the
border Of their country they would not
remain at home and permit the 1nva-
sion They would mass and march to
turn back the soldiers o. the mikado.
good as their word-they did not mar0a
to turn back the Japanese troops, but
they fed from home to the hills until
doubly assured that no violence was
meant their precious selves. Then they
ventured from cover, not back to their
home life, such as it was, but to follow
the army, to become its servitors, to
do anything which the Japanese told
them they must do to earn penny or
avoid a kick.
Korean women are tilling the fields
and grinding at the primitive mills. To
them manual labor may be less hard
than to the Japanese women because
it is not so new.
The implements and methods of work
are most primitive. When sod is to be
turned for the planting of millet, ropes
IRE attached to the sides Of a large
spada and a woman tugs at each rope
while third woman holds the handle
and steers the dull blade into the
ground. When the shovel is full tae
sod is turned. The staple crop is beans,
and beans require a deeper planting. A
bullock draws a rough pillow. A wOIn-
an with a child upon her back guides
the bullock and handles the plow. Each
village has it's one we'll from which the
water supply OF all who live in the
neighborhood must be drawn. Twice
day the Kos can Rebeccas gather at the
we'll to draw water and bear it away
In any receptacle which they may be
fortunate enough to possess. Their
hard lives are full Of work, and the
war has made the work little harder.