Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-10
CHINESE ECONOMY.
The Extreme Degree of Frugality Pras
ticed by the Celestials.

The Extreme Degree of Frugality Pras-
ticed by the Celestials.
The Chinese are pre-eminently eco
nomical, says the North China Herald.
whether it be in limiting the number of
wants, inspreventing waste. or in adj
Justing forces in such manner as 10
make little represent a great deal.
The universal diet consists of rice.
beans, millet, garden vegetables, and
fish, with little meat on high festi-
walls. Wholesome food in abundance
may be supplied at less than penny
a day for each adult, and even in fam
inc times thousands of persons have
been kept alive for months on about
half-penny a day each. This implies
the existence of a high degree of Gull
mary skill in the Chinese. Their modes
of preparing food are thorough and
various. There is no waste; eyery-
thing is made to do as much duty as
possible. What is left is the veriest
trif1e. The physical condition of the
Chinese cog or cat, which has to live
on the leayings of the family, shows
this; they are clearly kept on starva-
ton allowances.
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. In the
north the horse, the mule, the donkey
are in universal use, and in some dis
tricts the camel also does duty. 1t must
be understood that the practice is to
eat all of these animals as soon as
they expire, whether the cause of
death be accident, old age, or disease.
This is done as matter of course, and
the fact that the animal had died of an
epidemic malady' does not alter its
ultimate destination. Certain disturb
ances of the human organization. due
to eating diseased meat, are we'll re-
cognized among the people; but it is
considerable better to eat the meat,
the cheapness which is certain, and
run the risk of the consequences, which
are not quite certain, than to buy dear
meat even with the assurance of no
evil results. Indeed the meat of ami
mails which have died of ordinary all
ments is rather dearer than that of
those which have died in an epidemic
such as pleuro-pneumonia.
Another example of careful, calcu-
lating economy is the construction of
the cooking-pots and boilers, the bot
toms 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 business of gathering fuel is COM
mItted to children, for one who can do
nothing else can at least pick up
straws and leaves and weeds. In au-
tumn and winter a vast army of fuel
gatherers spread over the land. Boys
ascend trees and beat them with clubs
to shake off the leaves; the very straws
get no time to show which way the
wind blows before they are annexed
by some enterprising collector. Sim
ilarly professional manure collectors
swarm over all the roads of the coun-
try. Chinese women carry this minute
economy into their dress; nothing
comes amiss to them; if it is not used
in one place it is in another where it
appears thing of beauty. Foreign
residents who give their cast-0f
clothes away to Chinese may be as
sured that the career of usefulness of
these garments is at least about to COM
mence.
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 a 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 for
eigners are mere soap-wasters. Scarce
~ any tool can be got ready-made; it
is so much cheaper to buy the parts
and put then 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 a
hole in the dividing wall. 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 complete
ness in back yard, and will make in
an hour cooking range of strong and
perfect draft out of a pile of mud
bricks, lasting indefinitely, operating
perfectly, and costing nothing. The
old woman who in her last moments
hobbled as near as possible to the FAM
lily graveyard in order TO die so as to
avoid the expense of cOffin-bearers for
so long a distance was a characteristic
Chinese.