A NORMAN FARM SCE^NE) 



Photo by 13. M. Newman 



The peace and quiet of yesterday has given place to war's wild alarums, and from 

 tens of thousands of such homes as this the able-bodied men have gone to the defense of 

 their country. 



sus of 1906, which registered 4,150,000 

 female laborers. In percentages they 

 were distributed as follows : Business, 

 etc., 13: working in home, 13; servants, 

 18; agriculture, 23; in factories, etc.. 33. 

 From an American standpoint, their 

 wages are pitiful — 58 cents a day in and 

 around Paris and about 40 cents else- 

 Avhere. 



It is creditable that the first modifica- 

 tion of the inadequate labor law of 1848 

 was in the interest of women and chil- 

 dren. Night work was much restricted, 

 labor in underground mines forbidden by 

 the law of 1874, and the hours of work 

 reduced to 12 (now 10). Moreover, the 

 law Avas soon amended to forbid women 

 from working in an environment which 

 might be injurious to health, to person, 

 or to morals. 



In recent years the so-called Sunday 

 law forbids work beyond six days per 



week and makes voluntary labor on rec- 

 ognized fete-days. The compensation 

 laws care for women, whether themselves 

 workers or as dependents. Agricultural 

 work yet bears hard on them, but co- 

 operation has done much for their relief, 

 and very rarely in these days is a woman 

 seen in the heart-breaking, body-destroy- 

 ing toil of harrow-dragging, etc., not in- 

 frequent in the past. 



Compulsory education, enlargement of 

 facilities therefor, and age limitations 

 have benefited women. An interesting 

 sidelight appears in the statistics of ilHt- 

 erate brides, who sign the register with 

 a cross ; while they numbered 25 per cent 

 in 1880, the number Avas reduced to 4 per 

 cent in 1906. 



.\ wife's IvEGal rights 



The legal status of married women in 

 France was most deplorable until the end 



