Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1894-05-11
HOUSEKEEPING In CHINA.
CHINESE SERVANTS, MALE AND
FEMALE, AND How THEY WORK.
Their Ways Are Peculiar, But, After
All, They Make Ideal Servants
One W0man's Experience.

NJ rather in Hong Kong, differs
materially from housekeep-
ing in Japan. A multiplicity
Of servants must be employed in the
ofie DIS in the other country, but the
great difference consists in the fact
that in Hong Kong nothing can be
bought for the house save through the
compradore. A compradore, generally
speaking, in places of business is the
cashier in this case he is the middle
man, and it is useless to rebel against
his rule; nothing can be done without
him.
''Master" himself occasionally grows
weary of the conipradore's yoke, and
declares he will market for himself;
it would be worse than useless for the
mistress to do so, for the Celestials
have no sort of Respect for their own
or other women folk, says the Pail
Mall Gazette.
To market "master" goes he finds
the shops full of meats and vegetables,
but not penny worth can he buy.
No amount of expostulation avails
him; Thousand and one polite but
diaphanous excuses are given him
why the goods cannot be sold, and he
is perforce obliged to have recourse
to the compradores again. One COM
pradore usually serves several families,
and as rule serves them well.
The "boy" is at the head of the
servants, RS in Japan, and is paid
about the same wages-$10 per month.
In most households he hires the re-
mainder of the servants. After him
come the cook, the house coolie, and
one or two small boys, ''larn pidgins"
who serve as apprentices, without pay;
then there is scullion in the kitchen
and the market coolie if the family
live at the Peak.
Usually All amah is kept who waits
upon her mistress and does the house
hold mending; her pay averages from
ten to twelve dollars. If there are
children one or more nurses are en-
ployed, according to the number. At
least four chair coolies are kept, ut
from six to seven dollars a month if
the household is large one, and off
the line of the tram, a double number
must be employed.
Some ladies keep a Chinese tailor
the year round. instead of an amah.
He costs no more, and he can make
dresses and many of the linen and
cotton clothes of the men folk, which
is great advantage in that cline,
where SO mary clssnges are necessary.
Some families who are very particu.
lar keep "washmau." others send all
of the linen out of the house to be
done this costs but little compared
to London or New York prices. The
ordinary laundry work done in Hong
Kong is very poor: shirts and collars
are passably laundried, but other
things are badly done compared with
the work of the Chinese out of China
Chinese servants are peculiar, and
one must spend some time in learning
their ways and habits, for they initiate
many things without trouble, and, as
a rule, do exactly as they are told;
still they will persist in doing some
things in their own way. They can
never be persuaded to do a thing
which they do not wish to; they will
always take refuge in the laconic
answer, ono savey," which means they
do not understand; and, having once
said they do not understand, nothing
will ever make them confess they do.
AS in all Eastern countries, the lines
of caste are strongly drawn, and the
European women-all white women
are called Europeans-whoa asks one of
her servants to perform bit of work
not belonging to him soon discovers
this fact. "This no blong my
pidgin' is a refusal as unalterable as
the laws of the Medes and P,rsians.
An amah will refuse to GARY even o
small parcel for block, and lose her
place rather than do it. The chair
coolies will carry "chits" and parcels,
but it is beneath the dignity of boy
or an amah to do SO.
As a race the Chinese have no re-
spect for women in general, and an un-
mitigated contempt for any one in
particular who chooses to wait upon
herself. They much more admire a
woman who lies on the veranda all
day reading novels and occasionally
calls, "Boy, bring me my handker
chief, or, ''Boy, pick up my book,
than they have for one who does these
things for herself
A boy who has lived in bachelors
house dislikes very much to go to live
where the household is controlled by
woman, and in many cases an old and
devoted servant will take his leave if
the master brings home wife. They
cannot stand to be looked after in the
careful way which so many women
think necessary, and it is my opinion
that they will take advantage of a wo-
man twice rs often as of man.