Evening star., 1916-01-02

a book. a lantern and can OF spirits,
so IL their lantern goes out II can De
filled. They generally go in pairs ana
read the meters together. Their job
is not an unpleasant one and is much
healthier than sitting all doubled up In
an American sweatshop.
The radfahrerinen are the women
telegram deliverers of Germany. They
generally ride on bicycles and carry
the kilograms in little bag strapped
over the shoulders. They wear a badge
on their sleeves. and they can get
message to its destination as quickly
as boy can. They wear short skirts
so as not to impede their speed. ana
not all of them are young. Many are
around Berlin.
But the strangest OF all the verkehrs-
leben professions is that of the nacht-
wachbeamte, or the woman night
watchers. These are the women who
see that all the doors of the houses are
shut: and every two hours OF their
watch they must try all the doors in
their district. They go on duty at '"
pm. and they make their rounds until
am. in summer and 6 am in winter.
They wear heavy coats. like the po-
lice: have a police badge. and carry
revolver and a lantern. But they do
not go alone; they are accompanied b.
the best protection possible-German
police dogs. These animals are very
little known in America; they are
cross between a wolf and a collie.
They are splendid brutes clever. faith
full and strong. and they have been
much used on the battlefield.
They have been especially trained by
the police. and they have had drille"
into them one great principle--to dc
as they are told. nachtwachbeam
term need never fear when she Is ac
companied by one of these dogs. II
seems a lonely profession for a woman.
but 1t is not dangerous one: for Ger
many is not a country of dark. noctur-
nal deeds.
Germany always has had her keller
inin. or Mattresses. and they always
have been very popular. especially in
southern Germany. Since the war
nearly all the walters are women. men
being employed in only a few of the
women like this work. for to them it
is little higher in caste than the
other jobs of the verkehrsleben. In
some cases they do not receive any
wages. only their dinner and the tips
they receive. which amount to tidy
little sum each day They look very
fetching in their black dresses and
white embroidered aprons.
y
driver looks very imposing in her high
silk hat. She likes her job. for IT is
rather an exciting one, and the tips
are good She knows all the streets in
Berlin and can guide her fare through
the crowds with the ease of a man.
Ter weibliche schornsteinfeger. or
the woman chimney sweep. when at
work wears trousers just like a man.
Her lob is the envy of nobody. but
the German housewives declare that
their chimneys were never so clean as
they are now. since women have taken
charge Of them.
woman who mends tin roofs and worn
out water spouts. Like the schorn-
steinfeger she must be gooo cNhuei'
and she spends her days up on She She
housetops hammering and patching. Sne
oeneraliy wears trousers, for skirts
are q nuisance.
In all the little markets scattered
through Berlin are woman shoemend-
ers. and for 50 cents they will put rub
ber heels on your shoes while you
wait" There are various other trades
that the women of Germany have taken
IN since the war, such as woman milk
deliverers, the women who work
around stations loading cars, the wom-
en- who deliver coal and the women who
help fix the streets
In most cases women work only a
half day at their jobs, for they must
also tend to their regular work. Many
OF the Mattresses come to the restau-
rant for the noonuay meal only. Some
of the women are laundresses or own
ers of little shops in the poorer parts
of Berlin. and they shut up their stores
and stop their regular work to nll in
I, .1. af tha af
A great amount of credit and praise
Ills given to these women, and 1T is their
right, for they are helping to keep
the great war machine going.