The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-09-21
CHINESE ECONOMY.
They Can Eat Anything and Grow Rich
on Nothing.
china Herald

The Chinese are pre-eminenily econom-
icsi. whether II be IN limiting the number
OF wants. in preventing waste. or in ad-
jus,ing forces in such manner as to make
little represent great deal. The univer
sal diet consists of rice, beans. mii.eit, gar
den vegetables aud fish. with a little meat
on high festivals. Wholesome food in
abundance may I've supplied at less than a
penny a day for each admit, and even in
famine times thousands of persons have
been kept alive for months on about half
penny a day each. This implies the ex-
istence 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
dsty as possible. What is left is the yeriest
trifie. The physical condition OF the
Chinese dog or Cat, who has 20 live on the
leavings of the family, shows this. They
are clearly kept on starvation allowances.
The Chinese are not extremely fastidi-
Gus in regard to food; all is fish that comes
TO their net, and most things come there
sooner or later. Certain disturbances of
the human organization, due to eating dis
eased meat, are we'll 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 of no
evil results. Indeed. the meat of animals
which have died of ordinary ailments is
rather dearer than that of those which
have in an epidemic. such as pluro-pneu-
monia. Ano,hes example 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 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 commit
ted TO children, for one who can do moth
ing else can at least pick up straws and
leaves and weeds. In autumn and winter
vast army of fuel gatherers spread over
the land. Boys ascend trees and beat them
with clubs to shake of the leaves the very
straws get no time TO tell which way the
wind blows before they are annexed by
some collector.
Similarly professional manure collectors
swarm over all of the roads OF the country.
Chinese women carry this minute economy
into their dress. Nothing comes amiss TO
them: il il is not used in one nlace it is in
another. where il appears thing of beauty
Foreign residents who gave their cast-oif
clothes 10 Chinese, may be assured the
career of usefulness of these garments is at
last about 10 commence. Chinese wheel
barrows squeak for want of few drops OF
oil, but 10 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 in-
teliigihle 80 the Chinese. TO them the aver
age foreigners are mere soap MASTERS.
Scarcely any tool can I've got ready made.
1t is so much cheaper To buy the parts and
put them together yourself. and as almos
everybody taxes this view. ready made
tools are not to he got. Two rooms are
dimly lighted with single lamp DEITY
placed in hole in the dividing wall. Chi
nese in fact, seem To I've capable Of doing
anything by means OF almost nothing.
They will give yon sn iron foundry on a
minute scale of completeness in back
yard. and will make in an hour a cooking
range, strong and perfect draught. out OF
plle OF Maud and bricks lasting indefi-
nitely, operating perfectly and costing
nothing. The old woman who in her las,
moments ho9bled as near as possible to the
family graveyard in order to die so a. In
avoid the expense OF coffin bearers vas
Chinese