The Man Farthest Down: A Record of Observation and Study in EuropeWashington, Booker T.
History
The Man Farthest Down: A Record of Observation and Study in Europe
Washington, Booker T.
Poor -- Europe; Working class -- Europe
In the Southern States of America the lowest form of unskilled labour
is that of the men who are employed on what is known as public
works--that is to say, the digging of sewers, building of railways,
and so forth. I was greatly surprised, while I was in Vienna, to see
women engaged side by side with men in digging a sewer. This was such a
novel sight to me that I stopped to watch these women handle the pick
and shovel. They were, for the most part, young women, of that heavy,
stolid type I have referred to. I watched them for some time, and I
could not see but that they did their work as rapidly and as easily as
the men beside them. After this I came to the conclusion that there was
not anything a man could do which a woman could not do also.
In Poland the women apparently do most of the work on the farms. Many
of the men have gone to Vienna to seek their fortune. Many, also, have
gone to the cities, and still others are in the army, because on the
Continent every able-bodied man must serve in the army. The result is
that more and more of the work that was formerly performed by men is
now done by women.
One of the most interesting sights I met in Europe was the market in
Cracow. This market is a large open square in the very centre of the
ancient city. In this square is situated the ancient Cloth Hall, a
magnificent old building, which dates back to the Middle Ages, when
it was used as a place for the exhibition of merchandise, principally
textiles of various kinds. On the four sides of this square are some of
the principal buildings of the city, including the City Hall and the
Church of the Virgin Mary, from the tall tower of which the hours are
sounded by the melodious notes of a bugle.
On market days this whole square is crowded with hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of market women, who come in from the country in the early
morning with their produce, remain until it is sold, and then return to
their homes.
In this market one may see offered for sale anything and everything
that the peasant people produce in their homes or on the farms. Among
other things for sale I noted the following: geese, chickens, bread,
cheese, potatoes, salads, fruits of various sorts, mushrooms, baskets,
toys, milk, and butter.
What interested me as much as anything was to observe that nearly
everything that was sold in this market was carried into the city on
the backs of the women. Practically, I think, one may say that the
whole city of Cracow, with a population of 90,000 persons, is fed on
the provisions that the peasant women carry into the city, some of them
travelling as far as ten or fifteen miles daily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account