Lower coast gazette., 1913-09-20

means, and as such are far too proud
of their relics to think OF parting With
them. Yet they wear the customary
peasant dress, and assume no social SUI
periority over the poor villages. The
garden in the rear OF the house is a
model of neatness. There are flow
ers enough to make it coy and vege'
tables are grown for home use. The
garden truck and milk of the c0mmu-
nifty are marketed in Versailles.
A block away, Madame Freret lives,
with her mother-in-law and son, VINO IS
16. All of the men of the family are
dead. The two women and the boy
do as much of the work on the farm
as they can, and hire laborers to help
them in times of stress. They live in
a very nice house belonging to a eou.
sin, and seem comfortably situated.
Screens for windows and doors Ire I'M
heard-of in rural Europe. managed
to get into the kitchen. It was poorly
lighted, and the table set for three
over on one side was not very neat,
but the long loaf of bread, which is
characteristic of the country, was a.
bundant for the meal, and there was a
large dish Of smoking beef stew.
The younger woman received me
coldly, but her mother-in-law followed
me outside and told me much OF the
village life. She spoke slowly and
distinctly, in excellent French, not in
the "Patois" ("Pigeon' French) spok-
en- in some of the provincial districts.
Her old face was lighted up with the
sheer JOY of being of service to some
one who was interested In her. Per-
haps she is not used to ~considerate
treatment. As she stood by the rose
at the door, it made a pretty picture,
so charming that I asked her permits.
sion to photograph her, which she
granted after some hesitation. Life in
the village is very dull, she told me.
Once in a long while they go to the
cafe across the little open space ut
M could hardly be called a square) in the
center of the village. 1t is expensive,
but it is the only amusement and the
people congregate there Saturday
evenings and sip their wine and water
All the best young men go to the city
1T is too motonous in the ViOsin-le
Bretonne.
why do you live here" I asked.
ooh, nv mother lived here, my
grandmother lived here, SO did he1
mother, and so l live here"
1t is the s~tagnation which came neal
running France.
Tenant Life on me Farm.
At the village of Laminiere, fiv'
miles away. l visited George Lemoine
a tenant who rents 5 Oacres. Only h
and his wife and their Oldest son wer
at home. The other six children wer
at the school, a. mile and a half dis
tant, which is supported by the loca
government. There is compulsory ed,
cation for all children up to IL or /
and Henri, over-grown, awkward, an
Is. is the only one who has complete
the required course. School lasts
weeks, from October to August, an
the daily sessions are from eight
four, with two hours, eleven to on
for dinner.
In some schools, especially in Bri
tany, elementary agriculture is laugh
The instruction is based on work
the school garden. With compulsol
education and the doctor a long W;
off and charging a dollar a visit,
.1 must be hard for a poor man to rear
family near Paris.
The main entrance to the house
81. shown in the illustration. It loo
like a barn door. The roof is thatch'
and old, and the stone and plast
walls are in need of repair. Little pl
JIG vision is made for ventilation, as
usually the case, and only a dim Zig
penetrates the gloomy interior. The
ate are several out-houses, but some VI t
are machinery was in the open-expos
an. to the rain which had just falle
ted There was some junk lying about t
nd yard, and the chickens are scrubs
'ep. a poor type. The people did not 10
lck, especially clean, but appeared to be
5 a excellent health. / can picture I
ack good woman now, standing with
al arms akimbo, looking at me. S
XIV would make an excellent militant s
lest fragette. The hay-stack is we'll cal
The for. And the family, cheerful a
me, courteous, were veny kind indeed,
ex- tirely willing to answer my rather ?
sonal questions.
ron Among other things, l learned II
1est while the laborers start work only
bl2,- seven, the farmer and his family
'ble. usually up and about at four. 81
lem- and drink they furnish to the VIC
res, men, the rest of their food the n
nelr themselves supply.
- Every city has its "octroi' or Gust
house, at all the gates where coun
roads enter the city limits, and dut
are often levied on eggs, vegetat
and other truck which the farm
bring in to sell, as we'll as on the us
farm products. l was told that
Paris the duty on hay is two an
half francs per "kilometre," that Is
EN | $500 - $500 . -.