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
As a matter of fact, it is not so long since conditions in Denmark were
just about as primitive as they are now in some other parts of Europe.
Jacob Riis, whom I learned, while I was in Denmark, is just as widely
known and admired in Denmark as he is in the United States, says that
he can remember when conditions were quite different among the homes of
the people. "For example," he said, "I recall the time when in every
peasant's family it was the custom for all to sit down and eat out of
the same bowl in the centre of the table and then, after the meal was
finished, each would wipe the spoon with which he had dipped into the
common bowl, and without any further ceremony tuck it away on a little
shelf over his head.
"To-day," he added, "Danish farmers wash their pigs. The udders of the
cows are washed with a disinfecting fluid before milking. When a man
goes to milk he puts on a clean white suit."
Not only is this true, but the Danish farmer grooms his cows, and
blankets them when it is cold. He does this not only because it is
good for the cow, but because it makes a saving in the feed. Although
Denmark has more cattle in proportion to the number of inhabitants
than any other part of Europe, I noticed very few pastures. On the
contrary, as I passed through the country I observed long rows of
tethered cattle, feeding from the green crops. As rapidly as the cows
have consumed all the green fodder, usually four or five times a day, a
man comes along and moves the stakes forward so that the cattle advance
in orderly way, mowing down the crops in sections. Water is brought
to the cows in a cart and they are milked three times a day. All of
this requires a large increase of labour as well as constant study,
care, and attention. In other words, the Danish peasant has become a
scientific farmer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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