The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-12-20
ECONOMY IN CHINA.
Ne waste Of Food-Not Choice ~ Il
Meat-SavinG Fuel-Dress. s1.x


Ne wAste Of Food-Nos Choice - t.
S. Meat--SavinG Fuel-Dress. s1.x:
The Chinese are pre-eminently eco.
nomical, whether it be in limiting the
number of wants, in preventing waste,
or in adjusting forces in such man-
herN as to make little represent a
great deal. The universal diet con-
slsts of. rice, beans, miIlet, garden
vegetables and fish, with little meat
on high festivals. Wholesome food
in abundance may be supplied at less
than q penny a day fer each adult, and
even in famine times thousands of per-
sons have been kept alive for months
on about q half penny day each.
This implies the existence OF high
degree Of culinary skill in the Chinese
Their modes of preparing food are
thorough and various. There is no
waste; everything is made to do as
much duty as possible What is left
is the veriest trifle. The physical con-
dition of the Chinese dog or cat, who
has to live on the leayings of the
family, shows this; they are. clearly
kept on starvation allowances = @
The Chinese are not extremely fsss-
tidious i'll regard tofood; all is fish
that comes to, their net.s and most
things come there sooner or later. In
the north the horse, the mule, the
donkey are in universal use, and. in
some districts the camel also does
duty. II must be understood that the
practice is to cat all of these animals
as soon as they expire, whether. the
cause of death be accident, old age, or
disease. This is done as a matter of
course, and the fact that the animal
has died of an epidemic malady does
not alter its ultimate destination. Ger
tain disturbances of the human organi-
cation, due to eating diseased meat, are
well recognized among the people;
but it is considered better to eat the
meat, the cheapness of which is GER
tain, and run the risk Of the conse-
quences, which are not quite certain,
than to buy dear meat even with the
assurance Of no evil results. Indeed,
the meat of animals which have died
of ordinary ailments is rather dearer
than that of those which have died in
an epidemic, such as pleuro-pneu-
monia.
Another example of careful, calcu-
lating economy is the construction Of
the cooking pots and boilers, tho bot
toms Of which ere as thin Us possible
that the contents may boil all the
sooner; for fuel is scarce end dear, and
dear, and consists generally Of nothing
but tho stalks and roots OF the crops,
which make a rapid blaze and disap-
pear. The business of gathering fuel
is committed TO children, for one who
can do nothing else can at least pick
up straws and leaves and weeds. In
autumn and winter q vast army Of
fuel gathererS spread over the land ];
boys ascend trees and beat them with
clubs to shake off the leaves; tho very
straws get no time to show which way
the wind blows before they arc an
ncxed by some enterprising collector
Similarly professional manure col
lectors swarm over all the roads OF
the country. Chinese women carry
this minute economy into their dress
nothing comes aniss to them; if it is
not used in one place it is in another
wherc it appears thing of beauty.
Foreign residents who give their cast
Off clothes away to Chinese may be
assured that the career Of usefulness Of
these garments is a. last about to COM
mcnce
Chinese whcelbarrovrs squeal, for
tho want Of a few drops Of oil; but to
pcoplo who have no nerves the squeak
Is cheaper than the oil Similarly
dirt is cheaper than hot water, and so,
IS 4 rule, the people do not wash the
motto, Cheaper. than dirt, which the
soap dealer puts in his windows, conld
not be made ineligible to the Chinese.
| To them the s1vcragc foreigners ere
mere soap wastcrs. Scarcely any tool
can be got ready lnatie; it is SO much
| cheaper to buy the parts and put them
together for yourself, and as almost
everybody takes this view, ready made
tools are not to be got. Two roo1ns
are Gimly lighted with q single lamp
deftly placed in ho,o in the dividing
we'll Chinese. in fact, seem to be
capable Of doing almost anything by
means of almost nothing They will
| give you an iron foundry ON a minute
scale of completeness in a back yard,
and will make III an hour a cooking
range, of strong and perfect draught,
OUT of q pile Of mud bricks, lasting in
definitely, operating perfectly, and
costing nothing. The old woman who
in her last moments hobbled as near
cs possible to the family graveyard in
order to die, so as to avoid the expense
OF coffin bearers for so long a distance,
was q Characteristic Chinese. The
China Herald.