Page:May Walden - Woman and Socialism (1909).pdf/9

 Rh sticks, and shells fastened to a short handle for a hoe.

Not much food could be raised by these primitive methods, so the tribe produced nothing to sell. But as the tools were made more perfect, and more food could be raised, some of the slaves could be spared to do other work besides agriculture: and in this way handicraft arose. Women learned to spin the fibres of plants, to weave the grasses, to sew together the skins of animals with needles fashioned from bones of animals; to gather bark and branches for shelter, to brew herbs for medicines and to make dyes; to plait baskets and plaster them with clay and thus mold the first pottery; and to decorate with shells and teeth of animals the clothing and skins for shelter. In this way the extra labor of the slaves was used in making these luxuries for their masters.

Following slavery is the third step in the Family System, or (c) Serfdom. Serfdom was still slavery in another form. The master owned the land to which the serf belonged. The serf could be bought and sold with the land and could not be separated from it or escape from it. The serfs, male and female, worked for their master (or feudal lord) a certain number of days in the week and for themselves the rest of the time. This made possible still further division of labor until the workers became very skillful, and produced more than was necessary to keep themselves and their families.

The next step in the evolution of industry was the Guild System. This began in Europe about