The morning call., 1894-12-23

golden molasses, and Is much better to the
taste. Il could be used for cakes, and the
babies could eat it without danger II is
made from rice and wheat, aud 1t is be-
lieved that the same sweet could be made
here from Indian corn. Other candies are
made from beans, and all of these sweers
could be imported to the United States and
sold at good prices. There is hardly any
thing we use that the Japanese could not
make cheaper than we do, and there are
very few things which they could not make
as well. They are now building watch
factories. The wages are so remarkably
low, and their workingmen can live like
lords on what our la borers would starve on.
The people of the Far East have nothing
like our wants. A workingman can fur
nIsh his house there for less than SO, and
they save in every possible way. 1t is
very poor American laborer indeed who
has not $50 worth of furniture in his
house. He has tables that cost all the
way from 81 to $40 apiece. His chairs
cost him from 80 cents upward His car
pets are expensive and his cooking stove
eats n big hole into a months wages.
The Japanese uses only mating. and he
carpets his house of two or three rooms
for as many dollars. His pots, pans and
stoves cost him, all told, not more than
81 80, and | have seen il estimated that
couple can go TO housekeeping on S. 90
Chopstieks are by no means so expensive
as knives and forks, and the pillows are of
wood, costing about couple of cents apiece.
The Japanese has DO bed and he sleeps on
the floor, and so you see that he saves
every way. Think of the saving of rock
ing-chairs and lounges! Take all the beds
and cooking stoves in America. What an
immense amount they must cost! Suppose
our laborers wore straw sandals and we'll
.o-do men trotted about on wooden clogs.
Suppose our stockings were thrown away
and we used foot mittens that only came
as high as the ankles. Suppose for the
next ten years the $1,000, 900 people OF the
United States would not need to wear un-
derclothng, and suppose. instead of living
on beefsteak and all sorts of other ex-
pensiye meats, we should confne our
selves to rice. fish, vegetab les and tea.
You can see what an immense saving there
would be. Remember, do not advocate
these changes, but they enter as factors in
the competition which is bound to ensue
with these people of Asia in the future,
when, by modern machinery. they will be-
gin TO manufacture for the world.
| asked some questions in Western
Japan as TO how the working people live.
l was told that nearly every man had his
own cottage or house, and that the rent
was sometimes as low as accents month,
and the house sometimes consists of only
one room. Still it is wonderful how happy
the people are, and how they.laugh as they
work. The average workingman rises at
O'clock and has his breakfast, consisting
OF rice and tea. The rice is often cold.
and it may have been left over from
last nights dinner. He pours hot tea
upon it to warm IL. and eats ii
with ehopsticBs. At 8 o'clock he begins
work. and at noon be has q lunch of
rice, furnished by his employer. Ate he
eats his dinner at home. This consists of
plenty of rice, little dried fish and clans
If they are in season. 10 the evening he
smokes, chats aud gossips with the neigh
bors. and probably goes to bed early. He
has TWO suits Of clothes-one for working
and the other for holidays He goes to
the public bath about once q dav. and
there parboils himself 10 connection With
the other men and women OF his acquaint-
ance for about eght-tenths of a cent,
There are 500 public baths in Toxic alone,
in which 100000 people battle daily at the
cost of cent head and though he work
man may omit his dinner, he will seldom
omit his bath.
You find public baths In all the cities,
and these are full every evening. Both
men ana women battle together in the
country districts. and whole family goes
to the bathhouse and babies and all steam
al
Within the last few years there has been
separation of the sexes in the big city
lighthouses, butt has Only been by running
fence about three feet high through the
pools, and the men battle On one side, while
the women wash themselves on the other.
l am told that wages have been increas-
ing since the modern civilization has come
into Japan. but they are still very low.
and the reduction in the price of silver
just about cuts them in half. The figures
which follow are IN Japanese currency,
and if they were in American money they
would be just half of what is here given:
Common lsbOrers receive from 10 to 20
cents day. and the men who pull carts and
practically take the place of our draw
horses get from 10 to Is cents, In the
cities the prices are higher than these. bnt
farm laborers often receive less than Is
cents day. Carpenters get from 40 TO so
cents; head cartmen receive from 25 to 20
cents a day, aud paper-hangers get from
40 cents upward. BIacksmiths are paid
from % to 80 cents, and painters about the
same. l saw many toys working for about
10 cents a day, and [ was told that the
clerks in the stores who got SIS a month
thought they were doing exceedingly well.
Many clerks WORK for their board and their
clothes, with the understanding that after
an sppren ticeshiD of about ten years the
merchant will give them small stock of
goods and allow them to start ont for
themselves.
Y r~,a< 4. cal,4,,..-