The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-07-11
WOMEN AS LABORERS
IN BELGIUM OLD WOMEN DO THE
WORK OF FARM HANDS.
eocictics for the Advancement of Wo-
men Would Find a Fertile Field
within Domain of Tyranical Old
King Leopold.

is perhaps further behind the times
In it's treatment of the gentler sex
than any other country of Europe.
Here women still does the. manual
labor Of the land as she once did 1t
all over the world. The voice OF
progress, whose modern note is
spelling emancipation everywhere
else, has not yet sounded for the wo-
man OF the little strip of land 173
miles by 112 that rejoices In the
name Of kingdom.
The Belgian woman is the Nations
farmer, miner, laborer and mechanic.
She tolls from dawn till sunset at
the heaviest kind OF work, and none
pities or makes an appeal for her.
The little country. of whose exist
ance she IL the corner stone. is one
OF the most densely populated In the
world, and every square mile of terri
tory must support 4s5 persons. That
Il Is able to do so Is only because Of
the Industry. the slavish willingness
Of the women of the country to do
the kind of work from which other
nations have freed her.
The soil of Belgium Ia well ad-
apted to agriculture. The once i'm
passible morasses OF the Morini and
the Menapii have been drained and
converted into fertile fields, sur
rounded by dense plantations. A
system of canals helps the Schcldt
and the Mas In their work in irri-
eating the land, and the variations
of climate from very hot summers to
extremely cold winters give advan-
tages that are denied to the neigh
boring country OF Holland.
But the seed sown by nature would
never be reaped If the work of do
ing 1t were to be left to man.
The population of the country.
some seven millions, Is divided into
the proportion of three rural dwell
ers to one who lives in the city. and
probably the same proportion. three
to one. would show the number of
women and children as against men
who toll in the fields.
Centuries OF habit have made man
regard the Belgian women as a nat
ural wage-earner. II he Is indust-
rious he works in the factory, while
she goes out and raises the farm
produce that IL eaten on his table
and when there Is a surplus sold.
Young women and old think moth
ing of working a IL hour day In the
fields, where wheat, barley. rye. oats,
hemp, fax hops, dye plants and CHI
cory are prepared for the markets.
In the hundreds OF acres devoted
to vineyards, where Is produced
fair, but not famous wine, it is wo-
men who do the bulk of the work.
and the gourmand who drinks a bot
tie of wine with a Belgian label has
women to thank for his enjoyment.
But 1t is not alone at farming that
the women of Leopold's realm toll
for their keep.
Incredible as 1t may seem, they
are actually miners, and no small
part Of the valuable mineral output
OF the country results from their
efforts.
In this country, the miners. sub
1ect OF 30 much solicitude, are men.
but In Belgium the same dangers,
priyations and exhausting work are
the portion of women.
In all the Belgian mines women
work at the surface. handle coal,
push wagons and do the work that
breaker boys accomplish In the In
Tied States. In some Of the mines
they are not permitted to go below
The surface, but In others they act
aaily compete with the sale miners.
So In all the centers Of the various
minerals at Liege. where copper Is
wrought; at the black marble quar-
ries of Diant. the slate Quarries Of
Hsrbemont and calimine mines Of
liege, there will bo found women
working. and In most cases very
grateful for the opportunity.
At the great seats of the linen In
dustry, Courtney and Bruges. In
West Flanders, Client In East Flan-
dsrs, Brussels in Brabant, Mechlin or
Malines In Antwery. Tourney In
hainauh, women are employed In
great numbers and are more skilled
than men. But no account Of their
ability Is taken In the wages paid
them. which are for the most part
piifully small.
When Dowie, as part of his dream
OF modern Zion In the United
states, brought number of lace
workers from Belgium. with the idea
OF making a fortune from their work
he made them no extravagant offers
or salary, yet their income was as
much In one day as 1t had been In
month In their native land.
But the lot of these linen work.
ers and lace makers Is dream OF
luxury compared to what some other
Belgian women must endure.