Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1885 — The French Working-Classes. [ARTICLE]

The French Working-Classes.

The French industrial classes are unrivaled in Europe in the elements of application, thrift, and contentment. The French possess the happy faculty of mailing a a good ways. Though, the earnings of the workingpeople are meager, they contrive to live comfortably, dress neatly, and save a little money. In their economy nothing is wasted. Saving is a national characteristic,as much so as love of country. Who can forget how the little hoardings of the masses, small almost to in significance when viewed individally, came forth from their hiding-places when the milliards of indemnity to Germany had to be met? A Frenchman's love of county and patriotism are very great, almost amounting to sublimity. Iti his eyes no sacrifice is too great for him to make for his country, and while there is a chance for him to gain a living on his native, soil, there is little likelihood of his emigration to a foreign soil. The number of emigrants is small in comparison with other European nations. In a hasty survey of labor and wages in France, observations are made from a few of the important centers.

In the department of Gironde, of which Bordeaux is the principal city, there has been a perceptible improvement in the condition of the workingclasses since 1878. Wages have increased about 17 per cent, and parents are enabled to provide better homes for their families. Children, through the advantage of free schools, receive education, and are no longer compelled to earn their living at the age of 10 years. The working-man, when single, is improvident, but married men lead a generally steady life. The wife also works, and when there are no children the couple succeed, with frugality and care in establishing a little home and oftentimes a credit in some bank or mutual aid association. The steady married man having a family of three or four children can, with .the help of his wife, earn enough for their wants and save a few francs from the month’s earnings. They live in a small house or apartments of two rooms and a kitchen, for which they pay from $5 to $6 per mouth. Their food” consists of bread, wine, vegetables or vegetable soup, and at rare intervals meat of the cheapest quality, and clothing is of the cheapest quality, a suit being obtainable for $3 or $4- Some better their condition by forming societies and paying in a few francs each month; they thus manage to save something for old age or sickness.

As a rule they are healthy, have little ambition, are contented, and expect as a matter of course to work until they die. The farm laborers are economical, careful, and live frugally on small means, and it is not unusual to find that many out of their scant eari - ings have in a few years saved enough to buy a small house and a few acres of land, which is the satisfaction of their highest ambition. Manufacturing and railroad companies are compelled by law to compensate employes who are injured in their service, and to pension families of such who die. In the department of the Gironde there are about 13,000 women employed in manufacturing and mechanical industries, and 21,000 in agricultural. The maximum female wages per month is $19.30, the minimum $9.65. Women employed in factories and on farms are entirely aineflucated; those in stores know how to read and write a little. Now that free schools are established the people are making great sacrifices to enable their children to get education. The average wage? per week in Bordeaux in certain avocations are as follows: Bricklayers, $4.62; masons, $4.93; carpenters, $5.10; blacksmiths, $5.66; jewelers, $5.16; potters, $4.18; printers, $6.05; weavers, outside of mills, $4.42; machinists, $7.43; toolmakers, $6.41. The wages of glass blowers range from $3.96 Io sl2, the latter for colored-bottle blowers. In the mines men get from $3.56 to $3.72 per week. Agricultural wages are, for women, $75 a year with board and lodging; for men, $79.10 with board and $164.10 without. These rates are measurably representative of all the departments.