The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-24
CHINESE AND THEIR WAYS,
How They Live aud Economize, by One
Who Knows Them,

How They Live nnd ECOnOmize, by One
Who Knows Them.
North Chiaa Herald,
The Chinese are prominently econ
omical, whether 1t DO in limiting tho
number OF wants, in preventing waste,
or in adjusting forces in such a mauner
as to make n little represent a great deal.
The universal diet consists Of rice, beans,
millet, garden vegetables, aud fish, with
u little meat ON high festivals. Whole.
some food in abundance may DO sup.
piled at less than u penny a day for each
adult, aud even In famine times thou.
sands OF persons have been kept alive
for months on about a halt.peunya day
each, This implies the existence Of a
high degree OF culinary skill in tho
Chinese. Their modes OF preparing food
are thorough and various. There is no
waste;N everything is made to do as
much duty us possible. What Is left Is
tho veriest trile, The physical condi.
ton Of tho Chinese dog or cat, who has
to live on the leavings OF the family,
nlAONp khln bAACl Hu GlGhAll hNpk Oh
starvation allowances,
The Chinese ARE extremely iastidious
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
diseased meats, are well recognized
among the people, but 1t is considered
better 10 eat tho meat, tho cheapness OF
which Is cert0in, and run the risk OF the
consequences, which are not quite GER
tain, 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 died in an
epidemic such as pleuro.pneumonia.
Another example Of careful, calculating
economy is the construction of the cook.
ing pots and boilers, the bottoms Of
which are as thin as possible that the
contents may boil all the sooner, for fuel
il scarce and dear, and consists generally
of nothing but the stalks and roots OF the
crops, which make rapid blaze and dis.
appear. The business OF gathering fuel
Is committed to children, for one who
Can do nothing else can at least pick up
strlws and leaves and weeds, In autumn
and winter u vast army OF fuel gatherers
spread over tue 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 be-
fore they are annexed by some enter.
prlsing collector.
Similarly professional manure collec-
tors swarm all over the roads OF the
country. Chinese women carry this
minute economy into their dress; moth.
Ing comes amiss TO them; II It Is not
used in one place 1t is in another, where
1t appears a thing Of beauty. Foreign
residents who gave their cast.off clothes
away to Chinese may be assured the
career OF usefulness OF these garments Is
at least about to commence. Chinese
wheelbarrows squeak for the want OF q
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 q rule, the people
do not wash the motto cheaper than
dirt" which the soap dealer puts in his
windows, could not DO made Ineligible
to the Chinese. To them the average
foreigners are mere soap-waSters.
Scarcely any tool can be got ready.
madoj 1t Is so much cheaper to buy the
parts and put them together for your.
self, and as almost everybody takes this
view ready.made tools are not TO be got,
Two rooms are dimly lighted with a sin.
gle lamp deity placed In u hole in the
dividing wall. Chinese, in fact, seem to
be- capable Of doing anything by means
Of almost nothing. They will give you
an iron foundry on a minute scale OF
completeness in a back yard, and will
make in an hour u cooking range, OF
strong and perfect draft, out Of q pile Of
mud bricks, lasting indefinitely, opera.
ting 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 10 avoid
tho expense Of coGin.bearers was Chi.
npgn.