Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-10-07
CHINESE LAUNDRY CHECKS.
How the Celestial Manages to Keep
Track of His Business.

AIdCA "a 1Is A>usIAeeSs
The Chinese laundryman is.as rule
very uncommunicative individual and does
not make any great effort to enter into
more intimate relations with strangers.
However, the almond eyed Celestial with
whom the writer came in contact proved
to be little more free spoken than his
countrymen generally are, possibly be-
cause he had mastered the language bet
ter than most Cinnamon. He seemed ready
to answer any Interrogation that might be
put to him, and in response to an inquiry
willingly explained the system of laundry
checks in universal use among Cinnamon.
To begin with, he illustrated how the
checks were written with a brushlike pen
with India ink on the red or green slips of
paper. Usually red paper is used for bum
dies of collars and cuffs alone, and the
green checks for bundles of laundry COM
posed of different articles The Chinese
system of counting is similar to our own
that is, there are nine figures, but there is
another character for ten which resembles
a cross. The other nine figures are of
curious formation, easily recognizable as
being Chinese characters. The 1, 2 and
8 are represented by horizontal lines,
the same as Roman numerals, except that
the latter are vertical. The rest are of
peculiar formation impossible to describe.
Now comes the point Of difference be-
tween the Arabic system of notation and
that of the disciples of Confucius Instead
of using the first nine figures combined
with the figure 10 to express numbers
greater than 10, the Chinese have different
characters, which with the cross Q0) are
equivalent to what we call our "teens."
= Then the multiples of 10 are formed by
the use of the same characters as for the
teens, but the cross for 10 is placed to the
right of the other character. There still
remain all the other numbers beyond 20,
except the multiples OF 10, to be provided
for These are formed by combining the
character used for the multiple of 10 and
the character denoting the figure, which,
if added to the multiple, will make the de-
sired number, except that, in combining
the two, the cross denoting the 10 is
omitted. ~
For example, in writing 40 a character
resembling our x is placed to the left Of
the cross (lW, and to make 43 the K and
three lines, vertical in this case, are used,ss
omitting the cross used in writing 40. Thus
it will be seen that they will have eighteen
characters while we have but ten, and our
system is not nearly so cumbersome. To
recapitulate, they have the nine characters
which are represented by our nine digits
and the cross for the 10, which we form by
combining the 0 and the l..
There are eight more characters used in
forming all the rest of the numbers. The
and when used in forming these NUNS
bers are written vertically; the is anX,
the resembles an s, the 6 is like an L, the.
I the same with q. line under it, the s the
same with two lines under it, and the 8 a.
combination of two curved lines. q The.
Chinese cannot count beyond 100, or nine
ty-nine, rather. and so when the laundry
man has exhausted all his mum bers he is
forced to fall back on words Therefore
he writes word on the check twice, just
the same as the number is written twice.
The number is often written in the center
also, and the check torn in two pieces
right through these characters, and thus
an additional safeguard is provided.
The word written on the check is gener-
ally the name of some familiar object OF d
motto. With each hundred checks this
Of course has to be changed. When the
goods are put in the wash q strip Of cotton;
cloth is tied to each one on which is writ
ten the number, and if necessary, the addi-
tional word and number Of articles which
have the same number. It will be seen
that the system is cumbrous, necessitating
much work. The price Of the washing is
marked on the part of the, check the lann-
dryman keeps, SO that he can tell al a
glance how much to charge. RsacklynI
Eagle. Il s IN