The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-12-23
CHINESE NUMERALS.
The Methods Adopted by Mongo-
liam Laundrymen-
John Runs Out of Figures When He
Reaches the Hundred Mark and
Has to Resort tn Words
to Keep Count.

The Chinese laundryman is as a rule
very uncommunlcative individual and
does not make any great effort 10 enter
into more intimate relations with
strangers. However, the Acknowledged
celestial with whom brooklyn Eagle
man came in contact proved to bc q
little more free spoken than his coun-
trymen generally are, possibly because
he had mastered the language better
than most Cinnamon. He seemed ready
to answer any Interrogation that might
be put To him, and in response to an in
quiry willingly explained the system of
laundry checks in universal use among
Cinnamon. To begin with, he illus
trated how the checks We're written
with 4 brush-lille pen with India ink
on the red or green slips of paper.
Usually red paper Is used for bundles of
collars and cuffs alone, and he green
checks for bundles of laundry composed
of different articles The Chinese sys-
tenn 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 charac-
terS. The /, > and are represented
by horizontal lines, the same as
Roman numerals, except that the lat
ter are vertical The rest are of pc
culiar 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 GO) are equivalent TO what
we call our teens" Then the null
tiples 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 ten, 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
desired number, except that, in com
bining the two, the cross denoting the
10 j omitted
For example. in writing 30 a char
acter resembling our y is placed To the
left of the cross QO), and to make 43
the y and three lines, vertical in this
ease, are used, emitting the cross used
in writing 40. Thus ii viii be seen that
they viii have eighteen characters
while we have but ten, and our system
Is not nearly so cumbersome. To re-
capitulate. they have the nine char
actcrs which are represented by our
own nine digits and the cross for 10,
which we form by combining the and
the l. There are eight more characters
used in forming all the rest of the num-
bcrs. The , and > when used in form
ing these numbers are written vertical
ly: the il an y, the > resembles an :,
the 6 Is like an l., the the same with a
line under ii, the the same with two
lines under il and the a combination
of two curved lines. The Chinese can
not count beyond 100, or 90. rather,
and 50 when the laundryman has eX-
haustcd all his numbers he j. forced to
fall back on words. Therefore he
writes word on the check twice, just
the same a. the number i written
twice. The number iS often written in
the center also, and the check torn in
two pieces right through these char
actcrS. and thus an additional safe
guard j. provided.
The word written on the check is
generally the name of some familiar
object or a motto. With each hundred
checks this. of course. has TO bc
changed When the goods are put in
the wash strip of cotton cloth Is tied
to each one on which is written the
number and, if necessary, the addition
al word and number of articles which
have the same number. 1t Will bc seen
that the system Is cumbrous. ncccssi-
tating much work. The price of the
washing is marked on the part of the
check the laundryman keeps, 50 that he
can tell AT glance how much TO