The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-11-14
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CHINESE ECONOMY.
How to Live Chear. as Taught in
Crowded Empire.
North CHINA Herald.

The Chinese are prominently eco
nomical, whether it be in limiting the
number of wants, in preventing waste,
or in adjusting forces in such a man
ner a. 90 make little represent a
great deal. The universal diet consists
of rice, beans, millet, garden vege-
tables and fish, with little meat on
high festivals. Wholesome food in
abundance may be supplied at less
than penny day for each adult,
and even in famine times thousands of
persons have been kept alive for
months on about half penny
a 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 vase; everything is made to do
as much duty as possible. What is
left is the veriest triiie. The physical
condition of the Chinese dog or cat,
who has to live on the leavings of the
family shows this; they are clearly
kept on starvation allowances. The
Chinese are not extremely fastidious
in regard to food; all is fish that comes
to their net, and most things come
there sooner or later. In the North
the horse, the mule, the donky. are
in universal use. and in some
districts the camel also does
duty. 1t must be understood that
the practice is to eat all of these ami
mails as soon as they expire. whether
the cause of death is accident, old age,
or disease. This is done as matter
OF course, and the fact that the ami
NAL has died of an epidemic malady
does not alter its ultimate destination.
Certain disturbances of the human
organization due to eating diseased
meat, are well recognized among the
people; bat it is considered better TO
eat the meat, the cheapness OF which
is certain, and run the risk OF the con-
sequences, which are not quite
certain, than to buy dear meat
even with the assurance of no evil re-
suits. Indeed the meat OF animals
which have died OF ordinary ailments
which have died in an epidemic such
as pleuro-pneumonia. Another ex-
ample of careful calculating economy
is the construction of the cooking pots
and boilers, the bottoms of which are
as thin as possible that the contents
may boil all the sooner, for fuel
is scarce and dear. and consists
generally Of nothing but the
stalks and roots of the crops,
which make 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 a vast army OF
fuel gatherers spread over the land.
Bows ascend trees and beat them with
clabs to shake off the leaves; the very
straws get no time to show which way
the wind blows before they are an
nexed by some enierprising col
lector. Similarly professional man
ure collectors swarm over the roads
of the country. Chinese women carry
this minute economy into their dress;
nothing comes amiss TO them; il it is
not used in one place il is in another,
where 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 At last about to
commence. Chinese whe,lbarrows
squeak for the want of few drops of
oil; but to people who have no nerves
the squeak Is cheaper than the
OIL Similarly, dirt is cheaper
people do not wash the motto Cheaper
in his windows, could not be made
ineligible to the Chinese. To them
the average foreigners are mere soap
MASTERS. Scarcely any tool can be got
ready made; it is 80 much cheaper to
buy the parts and put them together
for yourself, and as almost every body
takes this view, ready-made tools are
not to be got. Two rooms are
dimly lighted with single lamp
deity placed in hole in the
dividing wall. Chinese, in fact, seem
10 be capable Of doing almost anything
by means of almost nothing. They
will give you an iron foundry on
minute scale of completeness in back
yard, and will make in an hour cook
ing range, of strong and perfect draft,
out OF a pile Of mud bricks, lasting in
definitely, operating perfectly, and
costing nothing. The old woman who,
in her last moments, hobbled as near
as possible to the family graveyard in
order TO die, so as to avoid the expense
of coffin bearers for SO Tonga distance,
was characteristic Chinese.