376 EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



been so dark that the dress of persons could not be distinguished 

 until you came within arm s length of them. It is the beauty 

 of the Catholic religion, that, although it is in a degree social, 

 it is at the same time individual and personal in its character ; 

 that although the ceremonials of the worship are of a splendid. 

 and often gorgeous description, yet the worshipper seems regard 

 less of every thing but his own particular part in the service, 

 which he performs silently, and generally with an intensity and 

 an abstractedness which are remarkable ; and in churches whose 

 splendor and magnificence it would require a brilliant pen to 

 describe, I have seen laboring men in their frocks, and with their 

 spades upon their shoulders, and market-women with their 

 baskets upon their arms, go up to the altar, and after perform 

 ing their devotions, and evidently with no other object in their 

 thoughts, go away to their labors. 



In all parts of Europe the women are as much engaged in 

 the labors of the field as the men, and perform indiscriminately 

 the same kinds of labor. Having been much among the peas 

 antry and the laboring classes both at home and abroad, I must 

 in truth say, that a more civil, cleanly, industrious, frugal, sober, 

 or better dressed people than the French peasantry, for persons 

 in their condition, in the parts of the country which I have 

 visited, and especially the women, I have never known. The 

 civility and courtesy, even of the most humble of them, are very 

 striking. There is neither servility nor insolence among them ; 

 their economy is most remarkable ; drunkenness is scarcely 

 known ; their neatness, even when performing the dirtiest work, 

 is quite exemplary ; cheerfulness, and an innocent hilarity, are 

 predominant traits in their character. 



The wages of the French peasantry are in general from a franc 

 to a franc and a half per day to a man, that is, ten to fifteen pence, 

 or twenty to thirty cents ; and to women about four fifths of the 

 former sum, or about eight pence, or sixteen cents. In this case, 

 they ordinarily provide entirely for themselves. In harvest, 

 however, or under extraordinary circumstances, they are pro 

 vided for in addition to their wages. Coffee and tea are scarcely 

 known among them. They drink no ardent spirits. Their 

 usual drink is an acid wine, not so strong as common cider, and 

 this mixed with water; they have meat but rarely; occasionally 

 fish ; but their general provision is soup, composed chiefly of 



