The sun., 1909-11-21
WOMEN CARRIERS or ITALF
Transport an Extraordinary variety sI
Things On Their Heads.

Things On Their Heads.
Burden bearing in Italy. as in most OF
the Old World countries. Ia done by the
patient. obstinate and much abused
donkey and the women. A man. though
OF the humble classes, will not carry a load
Of any kind ifhe has. or can get. a woman
to do it for him.
In the interior Of Italy. where the plains
are. and in Venice and about the famous
lake region all burdens are carried on the
back in long baskets like those used by
the German peasants. These are sup
ported ON the shoulders by loops through
which the arms are thrust.
In the mountainous districts or
Italy near the coast. the women carry
everything imaginable OH their heads.
and they are straight and supple, with a
wonderfully free and easy carriage. The
result Of carrying loads on their heads.
even from childhood, il a decided contrast
to the women burden bearers. who are
bent or round shouldered in the regions
where baskets are used
They use a piece OF woollen or cotton
cloth. generally large neokerchief.
which is folded diagonally and twisted
into a round. soft ball. They wind this
into round mat which they place on top
OF the head On this the women carry
anything from an empty basket or large
kettle Of water to q sewing machine or
even large pieces OF furniture.
An unusual and interesting sight is a
woman trudging homeward at night
after long muscle trying days work
OF chopping wood or Telling trees in the
forest, her axe in one hand and with the
other carefully balancing on her head a
good. si8ed tree. the branches OF which
are dragging behind her ON the ground.
III YOU make short excursions back into
the hills or mountains along the Italian
coast. you will doubtless find yourself,
Il .vou are OF an inquiring turn Of mind,
following narrow, rough cobbled path
through an olive grove. 1t winds and
climbs in wholly aimless manner. but
by persevering you will at last arrive at
SOME tiny little villnge high up on the
mountain.
All along the way you will meet the
burden bearing women who every day, |
no matter how hot the sun may shine or
how severe the storm. toll up and down
these rugged paths. with all the building
material required in the villa Res. OF the
needs OF their own or their neighbors'
daily lives. or what they sell in the nearby /
towns on their heads.
Not fas from the frontier between |
France and Italy there is little chapel |
which seems TO have alighted like a white |
bird on almost the highest spur OF rocky |
mountain. .ts an act OF devotion to the |
Madonna, whose pictuYe hangs over the !
altar. a very good road on which are tho !
sta tions OF the cross has been constructed |
from the nearest hill town to the chapel
The distance from the sea coast to the |
foot OF the mountain is three very long |
and exceedingly dusty miles. Then you |
must ascend one OF the ctoepest. worst |
cobbled winding paths that any nearby |
olive grove shelters Every particle OF |
VaI N Of uh "A ka
made was brought on the heads of the |
women and men and on the backs Of their |
mules land comparatively few can afford |
such an animal from the beach nearly four |
miles away.
while on my way to another little
villa ge one afternoon" says a writer in |
the HOuseteeptr, Il overlook a most re- |
markabie figure. woman was toilng |
up the path ahead OF me with an immense |
bundle Of dried leaves on her head. II
was 90 large that | could see nothing Of |
her above the shoulders. and I was re-
minded Of what physician had told me
only a few days before. He said that |
despite the erect carriage and almost |
jaunty appearance Of these women, old n
and young alike. il was really a case OF /
the survival Of the fittest. for a large 4
OF the female population OF
northern Italy sucoumbs TO tuberculosis
at an early age duo to the heavy burdens
borne on the head before their muscles
are tough enough for such a strain.
-One morning while drinking my coffee
1T a tiny cafe | saw such funny pro-
Dession on the opposite side Of the street
that ! Immediately snapped it with my
Kodak. IL consisted Of three women, each II
With cask full of wine on her head, a II
weight Of forty or fifty kilogrammes. On
he same day | was fortunate enough to ii
ret the picture OF two other women on II
he point Of leaving a store with a newly
purchased sewing machine. which one Il
vas helping the other TO get nicely bal
need on her head preparatory TO deliver
ng IL 10 the customer