The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-24


house to house and do the patching Of the
families fer a few cash per patch 1t is
the same with the members OF croc<ery
and broken china. These are so skilled
that they win take a cup or teapot OF the
finest and tlinnest OF porcelain after it has
been broken into pieces and by means OF
wire rivets. which are fastened only to
the outside Of cup or pot, put il together
so that you could not tell IL you saw only
the inside that il had ever been broken.
They will mend half dozen pieces in this
way for from 10 cents. Tue work Is
marvellous. 1t could not be done by the
watchmakers of America, but it is one OF
the specialties Of the Chinese itinerant
tinker.
I might go on for column describing
others of the wonderful economies see all
about me. could tell you how these peo-
pie viii take a buffalos horn of about the
size of cows horn. and by boiling 1t and
pressing 1t out make it so thin that ii be-
comes lantern and forms transparent
globe as big as a two-gallon crock. could
show you them sitting N their shops ham
ding old cotton wadding which has been
worn by several different owners till il has
almost dropped to pieces. They will pull IL
apart, take out the cotton, half clean It and
mix it with fresh cotton for sale. Take
look at the BARRIERS who stand on every
street shaving the heads OF all males from
old men to babies They receive from less
than a cent to cents a shave, according
to the rank and wealth of their customer.
but you note that they save the scrapings
of the head, and these bits Of hair are sold
by them to furniture dealers for the naAins
of cushions. 1t is the same with eatables.
All sorts Of green's are eaten, cooked and
raw, and a large number OF the beggars
are supported every winter by the govern
ment of the towns and villages, but soon
as spring comes this appropriation is
dropped and they are literally turned out
to grass.
ORGANIZED BEGGARS.
AS to beggars, there is no country In the
world that has more impudent beggars than
China, but / doubt whether in proportion
to its population it has more than many
parts of Europe. The Chinese beggars are.
however. organized into bands. They have
trades union of their own. and they go
into the business as a profession. They have
their kings and the cities are divided I'D
into BEATS and woe to the man who att
tempts to jump his brother beggar's claim.
There is sure to be fight, and he will be
run into prison or ont of town. These beg
gars expect to get a certain amount-say
one-tenth OF cent day-from each store
keeper on their beat, and you can some
times pay them to keep other beggaN
away.
At Wuhu a missionary owned a house
facing on two streets He had beggars on
both sides Of him, but he finally arranged
with the beggar in from. to keep his rear
cleared by the payment OF a small sum
per month. AS soon as the bargain was
made the beggars at the back Of the house
went away and he has had no trouble
since then. Here in Marking there is a
royal guild of beggars, established, it is
said, by the Emperor Hung Wo, who be-
gan life as a beggar and became one or
the greatest emperors China has ever had
The head Of this guild can prevent a shop
or family being annoyed by the beggars
and there is system of buying off the
assaults of beggars, which prevails through
out China, and which exempts the man who
pays from their visits. AS it is every one
gives to the beggar. The sum is generally
not more than one-tenth of cent, and
sometimes only half that. This is in sill
yer, and it means only half the same
amount on gold basis. Think of giving
man the twentieth or fortieth Of a cent to
these beggars get. There is a kind Of cop
per cash. about falf the size Of an ordi-
nary cash, big a nickel. which
is worth about this. and this coin is called
beggar cash. If storekeeper refuses to
give. the beggar will set up howl, and
he will continue his lamentations until the
man is glad to pay him to move on. Some
times the beggar threatens to kill himself
in the store then and there If his demands
are not satisfied, and what is more, he
sometimes does it. This is a terrible thing
for the storekeeper. He has, by the laws
Of China, to pay the mans funeral ex-
penses. and he may have to support his
family for the rest of their lives.
The tricks and schemes which these beg
gars get up to screw money out OF the peo-
pie are legion. They mutilate themselves in
all sorts of ways to excite pity. i watched
one getting ready for business yesterday.
He had a fostering his right foot
which extended from the little toe TO the
ankle, and he was scraping at il with a
piece OF rusty hoop iron to make it bleed
and to make the flesh raw and angry. He
stopped as 1 approached him, pointed TO
his bleeding foot and whined out a request
for aims. Another beggar L photographed
in one of the main streets OF Marking two
of the road, with no clothing above the
waist, and was apparently blind. He had
what looked like a great brick in his two
hands, and ne was throwing this over his
shoulders and striking himself on the small
of the back. He was bowling for aims as
he did so, and had a basket fastened TO a
string, which he passed around between the
blows. After his posing / gave him about
SO cents cash. His face lighted up and his
eyes opened, and he ran off on a trot the
happiest beggar in Marking. Other beg
gars cut themselves with knives to excite
pity, and L saw one yesterday on what
may be called the Vanity Fair of this city
who had cut off his toes. and was lying on
the stones with the bare stunps sticking
| out. One Of the feet was still bloody, and
the sight almost made me sick. Many OF
| these beggars go about in boats and there
| is creek near Shanghai which is filled
| with boats Of beggars. who go out over thu
| country TO prey upon the people. There is
| jolly beggar along the Yangtse who has
| but one leg, but who sculls himself about
| from place TO place in little canoe. and
| gathers up the cash from the thousands
| who come near him upon the water 1 saw
| here yesterday the steps OF the Temple
| of Confucius a boy, who was pounding his