Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-30
JOHN CH1NAMAN.
SOME THINGS IN WHICH THE
HEAIHEN IS PECULIAR.

Man Who Has Been There-Hov the
Streets Are Kept Clean-A Pointer in
sanitation
There is probably no country or people
about whom SO many popular misrepre-
sensations exist as the Chinese. This
singular state Of things is due to two
chief causes. In the first place. most
newspaper writers on the subject write
first impressions from very superficial
data, and withou. understanding the sub
jects upon which they write. Then again,
the Chinese themselves In this country
are not disposed to lose sleep whether
they are understood or not. Then many
books have been written by people with
political or other kinds Of axes to grind,
and have given only such facts and inter
probation Of facts rs tended TO accomplish
their purposes. There are many Incl
dents and customs in the fiowery king
dom which have been ignored in both
books and newspaper articles.
STREET CLEANING PROBLEM
am asked how the Chinese keep their
cities clean. 1t may be that aldermen
might get a hint az to the best solution Of
the street cleaning problem from the prac-
tees Of the ''hathen.n The conditions are
comparison misleading. In the first place,
the principal source Of dirt in American
cities is absent from Chinese cities.
refer to horses, here 50 numerous and
such prolific sources Of dirt" There are
no horses seen on Chinese streets drawing
carts or other vehicles. What few horses
are seen are ridden by officials or soldiers.
The government owns all horses Freight
Is transported by men, either upon their
shoulders or on wheelbarrows. The streets
are not over six to ten feet wide, and the
sidewalk il in the middle Of these narrow
lanes The stores and shops are open to
the street line on either side and each
shopkeeper cleans the street TO the center
In front Of his shop. This is ali the pro-
vision for street sweeping. No garbage is
thrown into the streets, and lash barrels
are unknown; hence the chief sources OF
dirt in our cities are unknown. There are
no underground sewers, and no need for
them. Residences are provided with other
means Of disposing OF fifth than either
dumping or draining into rivers.
Every residence, however humble, is
provided with earthen jars or large stone
ware vaults into which all otherwise un-
disable refuse is cast and the contents of
these family jars unlike our family
jars is convertible into cash. No peo-
pie fertilize in agriculture to such an ex-
tent as the Chinese. This creates ready
market for what we cast in sewers and
pollute our waterways. A common street
sign posted over large earthen vessels
sunk In the streets do not warn the Pub
lie" 10 commit mo nuisance but re-
spectfully invite the public to Pause
here" These peculiar and odoriferous
institutions are owned by men who make
1t their life business tn deal in the com
modify which ihe aforesaid public de
posits in the receptacles. This is sold at
so much measure to farmers, who
carry it to their homes, often many miles
away, where it is put into earthen tanks
or watts to ferment (reader, hold your
nose) until it is required to fertiize grow
ing cabbages and other truck" This is
one Of the characteristic institutions of
China, aud the good results from it are
apparent in the yields OF food plants.
Every COW herder carries basket into
which he or she gathers up the ''frag-
mentS" which are used as the city sewer
age for fertlizing purposes.
A UNIQUE SPECTACLE.
As one saunters through n Chinese city.
his eyes are greeted with what at first
forms. to say the least, "A unique spectacle.
~ - hhF Phpiit patioudAc VI tIt Ill
sewerage. Is she air puref Well, hardly.
Have you ever observed the uniformly
small nose Of the Orientals in this coun-
try2 II you have, and will accept my So
luton Of that feature, 1t is that the smell
ing organ has been exhausted by inhaling
the street odors of China. One thing can
be said In favor of thus disposing of the
sewerage Of cities, viz: 1t does not pollute
the water, which is more vital to health
than the air. Then the air has greater
self cleansing powers than water, and,
taken on the whole, it is the better plan
to protect the water than the air from i'm
purties. 1t is also true that no poison is
SO malignant as sewer poison, and that is
unknown in China.
Have you ever figured the commercial
value of the contents of our sewers,
which is daily and hourly, like Tennysons
brook, flowing on forever to pollute our
own Niagara riverS II so you have been
surprised that some method of utilizing
this source of wealth has not been devised
II is not my purpose here TO dish up fig
ures or statistics on the value of an ar
ticle daily going to waste, and for which
the soil of the surrounding country is suf-
fcrng. Undsr the existing regulations
the Chinese farmer is able to harvest
three crops from every foot of ground
every year. In no other way could such
population he fed. Winter wheat ro-
tatcs with either rice or cotton. During
winter, when the wheat il getting its
start. radishcs or turnips are grown on the
same soil. Then around the margin of the
ground seeded to wheat, beans or peas are
grown. As soon as the wheat is harvestedi il
rice is to succeed it, the ground is irri-
gated and planted with rice. II cotton is
to rotate with the wheat, the seeds are
planted before the wheat natures by
digging between the drills of wheat, and
when the latter is harvested, the cotton
plants are well under growth. Then the
space between the cotton plants is dug
up, aud tae succeeding crops sole tenant.
When these summer crops are gathered,
wheat is again sown. Not foot Of soil
is left non-productive. This state Of
affairs could not last, but for the rich
fertilizing methods, and sewerage is the
principal and almost exclusive source of
fertilizers. The "Benighted (sic) heathen''
has learned lessons in economy and cleanli-
ness from which the American people
might learn thing or two-Pen Hwa
Lin in Buffalo News.
The Actress stupid Husband.
The stupid husband of the talented &C.
tress must not be forgotten, He, OF all
such husbands, is the most difficult to
manage. One half of his wife's life is oc-
cupied in correcting the silly blunders he
hourly perpetrates. Her lord and master
will in one day do more injury to her and
TO her interests than she can rectify in