The woman of fifty years ago would not only have refused to undertake what the woman to-day achieves; she would have failed in it if she had. The field of housework was in the last century vastly wider than it is to-day; yet woman filled it. She spun and wove and knit as well as sewed; and each household was a factory as well as a home. This sort of work was differentiated by machinery and taken away from our houses and wives. For a time woman was made more helpless and dependent than ever before. But a readjustment appears to be going on. Woman has gone out of the house and followed work. The sex is developing a robustness and alertness and enterprise that we had attributed to man alone; it is a revolutionary change in the mental adaptability, physical endurance, and business capacity of woman. The Swiss peasants may not shine by brilliant qualities or seductive manners, but they are strongly framed, broad-chested, powerful, calm in countenance, frank and open in expression, with bright eyes, and largely sculptured features, but of rather heavy gait. The women are active in figure, with expanded shoulders, supple arms, elastic limbs, blue eyes, and healthy complexions. Light hair largely predominates, ninety out of one hundred have hair of the different shades that make auburn, from the very light-brown to the very fair, but few have red hair, and scarcely any black. A mixture of manly beauty and feminine modesty is harmoniously blended in their physiognomy; they appear robust without coarseness; and their voices are soft and musical, common to dwellers in cold countries. With these peasants where the homespun is not unknown every one eats the bread of carefulness. They are frugal and sparing in food; in the larder there is left little for the mice at night. The diet of rye bread, milk, cheese, and potatoes is at least wholesome, for they are all produced at home. They use but little fresh meat, and mostly vegetables and bread. Of the latter they are the champion consumers, it being estimated that the yearly bread consumption is as high as three hundred and six pounds _per capita_. Meeting children on the country road or village street, you are sure to find almost every one of them munching bread, and it will be entirely guiltless of sugar or jam. With the poorer classes meagre cheese is the staple food. This is made of skimmed milk, and if not positively bad, this negation of badness is its only virtue. Also dried or mummy beef is much used. In the high mountain valleys the air is so dry that for nine months out of the twelve meat has no tendency to decomposition; availing themselves of this favorable condition, they kill in the autumn the beef, pork, and game they will require for the ensuing year. It is slightly salted and hung up to dry; in three or four months’ time it is not only dried, but also cooked, at least the air has given it all the cooking it will ever receive. It has become as