The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-18
CHINESE ECONOMY.
How the Thrifty Celestial Makes Both Ends
Lap Over.
North China Herald


Lap Over.
North China Herald.
The Chinese are pre-eminently econ0m-
lcal, whether it be in limiting the number
of wants. in preventing waste, or 1t be In
adjusting forces in such a manner as to
make little represent great deal. The
universal diet consists of rice, beans, mil
let, garden vegetables 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 day each. This implies the exist
ence of a high degree of culinary skill in
the Chinese. Their modes of preparing
fs0a no Was eg and %ds ~ he dc
as much duty as possible: What is left is
the veriest trifie. 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 allow
ances. The Chinese are not extremely fas-
tidious In regard to food. All is fish that
comes to their net, and most things come
there sooner or later. Certain sturbances
OF the human organization, 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 certain,
and run the risk of the consequences which
are not quite certain, than to buy dear meat,
even with the assurance OfnO evil results. in
of ordinary ailments is rather dearer th an
that of those which have died in an cpl
demic, such as eurO-pneumOnia. An
other example of careful, calculating econ
Omy 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 a rapid blaze and disappear The
n a q mi fn
children. for one who can do nothing else
can at least pick up strawS, and leaves, and
weeds. In autumn and winter vast army
of fuel gatherers spread over the land.
to shake Off the leaves; the very straws get
no time to show which way the wind bloys
before they are annexed by some enterpris-
ing collector. Similarly professional man
ure collectors swarm over all the roads of
the country. Chinese women carry this
minute economy into their dress; nothing
comes amiss to them; if it is not used in one
place 1T is in another, where it appears q
thing of beauty. Foreign residents who
give their cast-OH clothes away to the Chi
nese may be assured that the career of
usefulness of these garments Is at last about
to commence. Chinese wheelbarrows
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 than hot water, and SO, as rule
the people do not wash; the motto, Cheaper
than dirt" which the soap-dealer puts
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 SO much cheaper to buy the parts and
put them together for yourself, and as al
most every body takes this view, ready
made tools are not to be got. Two rooms
are dimly lighted with single lamp deity
placed in a hole In the dividing wall. Chi
nese, in fact, seem to be capable of doing
almost anything by means of almost moth
ing. They will give you an iron foundry
on minute scale of completeness in a
backyard. and will make in an hour a
coOking-range, of strong and perfect
draught, out of pile of mud bricks, lasting
indefinitely, operating perfectly, and cost
ing nothing. The old woman who il her
last moments hObbled as near as possible to
the family graveyard in order to die so as
to avoid the expense of cofin-bearers was