The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-01-04

favored nook of each succeeding area. In
Calcutta the interruptions native Will even
offer crab-apples on sale and state that the
fruit is from the tree in which the snake
that tempted Eve reposed while they ate of
the forbidden edibles. As not even the
most authentic lore places this historic gar
den outside the tropics, 1t can be readily
calculated that withsl tho gauziness of our
primitive apparel, wash-day occupied six
months in the year-the remaining six
months possibly being devoted to drying
the attire. That the present age is pro-
gressive can be demonstrated by contrast.
ing the facts that While the original wash
day was six months, man can now have
his shirt cut to order, made, finished, washed
and Numbered in twenty minutes while he
waits"
To be serious, the various stages OF i'm
provement in the art OF cleaning the wear
ing apparel, from the time of the medieval
sack when people began to wear clothes
and following them through the various
strides of civilization to the present time
is an interesting study.
All the known styles of cleaning linen or
other valuable fabrics that have been tried
since the first web was woven are still eX-
tant and in use in various quarters of the
globe.
In Palestine and the holy lands the me-
chanical devices of advanced civilization are
disregarded, and the traveller sees his
clothes washed after the olden style COM
mon in the time of Moses. The fabrics are
soaked in weak solution OF wood-ash lye,
and early in the morning the wash-women
can be seen carrying the wash in large bun
dies on their heads toward a river or small
stream where they are rinsed, pounded or
fayed and dried on its banks.
In farther India, on many of the branches
of the Ganges, one can daily see the ma
tive doby-waller exercising his profession
after manner that would startle the OBJ
server much if he suspected that his own
linen was subjected to the same treatment
The native dips the garment in the water,
always using his right hand il it be the gar
ment of Christian that he is cleansing,
then smears it copiously both inside and out
with strong soap. This done he places a
smooth stone in the water, or selects place
where a stone projects some four inches
above the water, and selling the linen with
his right hand he throws it from him at an
upward angle but with downward gyra-
ton that causes the garment to spread be-
fore striking the water, when he immedi-
ately draws it toward him, dragging it
across the stone after the same manner
with which the poor washerman Of civiliza-
ton wears out our linen on a rubbly wash
board.
In the land of the rising sun the celestial
clothes-mangler places his clothes in a
churn-shaped tub, in which is wooden
grating similar to that in house-stove
This tub Is then half filled with luke warm
water and small quantity OF bleaching
acid of the same nature as straw hatters
and bonnet bleacheries use for bleaching
straw goods. The linen and fabrics are
then pounded with loaded leather pestle
exactly as chemist would mix drugs, and
it is no wonder that the Bung-Loo DOLBY
emigrants in this country mutilate our
linens if they subject our clothes to the
same treatment.
Sailors of all nations occasionally wash
their tarred apparel in unique but lazy
way. After saturating with strong salt
water soap compound, they allow the ap-
parel to soak over night and sometimes for
week in rain water. They are then taken
out and laid on the ships deck and scrubbed
with hickory brooms. I have known of