Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-02-27

IL Is so n1ucn EASIER mere IMAM ~ hOmo
In China-washing In Ice Covered Ponds
and Beating Out the Dirt with Stones
For Very Small Pay.
Among the thousands Of Cinnamon
In this city few, besides the store and
restaurant keepers on Race street, follow
any other calling than that of laundry
man. Consequently many Americans
believe that the majority of China's
millions are laundrymen, who, when
not squirting water through their teeth
upon shirts and linen, spend their time
eating rats and puppies or indulging in
the questionable enjoyments of the
flower boats" The truth is that the
Celestial Kingdoms 450, 600, 900 of tea
drinkers do smaller percentage of
washing than any other large country.
What little washable clothing they wear
is cleansed in the paddy fields near the
wearer's home, and only the Europeans
and richer class of natives require the
assistance of washman.
That important item of expense, the
wash bill, is reduced TO minimum in
China, where the Europeans clothing is
eagerly sought by young and old male
natives, who are glad to do up in first
class order white shirts, white waist
coats or anything at all for 75 cents per
hundred. This will partly explain why
our Chinese residents prefer to do our
laundry work to waiting on our tables
or sweating on farm, as the money re-
ceived for ironing and finishing single
white shirt will support him two days
in his native country. Another reason is
| that when at work behind his ironing
board, breathing the close air Of his lit
tie shop, be appreciates the one hundred
| and one conveniences that he could not
| afford in China. Tubs, hot water, self
| acting soaps and washboards have not
| yet been introduced in his native home
and have never been thought of by the
poor beggars doing up shirts at three
quarters of cent apiece, There they
stand on the low shores of paddy field,
ankla deep in the mud and ooze, and
I after soaking the clothes slap them
against the smooth stones put there for
this purpose until the dirt becomes
loosened and can be rubbed out with the
hands.
Within the limits of the American
settlement of the treaty port of Shang-
hal are several ponds filled with from
two to four feet of rainwater. In sum-
mer these ponds are used by the wash
men and for irrigating neighboring
paddy and rice fields, while in winter
the ice accommodating is carefully pre-
served
The Chinese themselves do not use ice
for any purpose, the most refreshing
drink to them in the hot spells being
boiling hot tea without milk OR sugar.
Since the advent of the foreigner the
Chinaman has found that it pays to pre-
serve the scanty ice of Shanghai during
the short winters. The icehouses sur
rounding the ponds are low structures
formed of wood, mud and thick layers
of salt hay, with the floors raised slight
ly above the level of the water.
Adhering to his general rule OF doing
l everything directly opposite to us "bar
l barians," John Chinaman does not be
lieve in allowing the ice to form thre'
OF more inches, but as SOON IS thil
\ skin has formed he breaks it up ant
pushes it all through the narrow open
ings of the storehouses. The breaking
| of this thin ice makes it necessary TO
the poor natives to wade up to the hip
in the water Of the ponds and wit
h rakes and hooks manage the ice so tina
1 it can reach the storehouses.
l But to return to the workmen, wh
must work and live in winter as wei
as in summer. Not having hot waite
boilers and other luxuries, he must re
| sort to the dirty ponds no matter hoy
y cold the weather. The ice, broken in th
center of the pond, is allowed to &c
: quite thick along the edges, making
necessary very often for the washma
to cut through it before he can immers
his washing. The stiffened linen is the
slammed up against the smooth stone
which soon turns into small noun
, of ice as layer after layer of water
II thrown upon it. The native keeps hi
"a feet incased in a covering of old clotl
ing, rags and hay, while around hi
ee body are wrapped one or more blankets
s5 sAs he goes through his cheerless as we
,o as soapless operation he is gradual
covered by the ice, which forms as 500
10 as the water reaches his clothing. Tai
% ing into consideration all the trouble
on hardship and inconvenience the laundr,
man in the Flowery Kingdom is con
II PEELED to endure while rendering whit
is the foreign DEVILS linen. he does
NJ much better than his more fortunat
on brother in this country, who returns OF
90 laundry in such careless and indepen'
os ent fashion, and who receives, after d
Quoting rent and all expenses, eigl
~ times more pay in return. -Philadelph
65 Times.