The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1896-10-08
Written for The CoMMONwEALTH.]
A LETTER FROM CHlNA.t
WONDERS IN ECONOMY.
Nankin, China.

Now l will tell you how the Chinese
live when at home and the economy 4
thew use. Nankin was the former cap :
ital of China aad is walled city. !
Some OF our American people think
thew know how to economize, but they
don't know anything about it. They
should take trip to China and learn
something of the science Of saving.
The expense of living is reduced to It's
lowest here and the Chinese millions
would have grown fat on what the
thrifty Americans waste.
The food for poor man In Cnlna
costs him no more than two cents a
dav. and at 81 month man Will sup
mort a family and lay away money In
the bank. I met fat, jolly looking
Chinaman one day, who told me he had
wife and five children and his income
was sufficient for all his wants, ana ne
onlv earned two dollars in gold month
|(which is equal to 81 in Chinese mon
lew, as a carpenter and his wife earns
one dollar more by washing and sewing
The cost Is only five cents a day 10
feed a patient in the Methodist Hospi'
| tai here. 49,.
A farmer may be hired for from $lz
to SIS year, provided he has his rice
and his tobacco for the year. 1t costs
$ .,bout SIS a year to furnish Chinese
: laborer's wardrobe.
The majority OF the people OF this
part of China are we'll fed and clothed
They have very pleasant look ana
y thew are Q belieye) far happier than
IL the average American laborer. Ihey
Is Seem to enjoy lite and they are fa1
a above the average OF the world In thel'
manners and culture. They have lots
Of curiosity and will crowd around yo'
or when you go ashore. / find much IN
lit tbo,o to admire, and I wonder ever.
h. dov at their wonderful skill of econo
my. w..
will mention few of them. Near
Iv all the fires In China are maze o
~ straw and reeds, every wisp OF dry gras
We is cut and saved. There are more tna1
tn two thousand Chinese who do noth1n
ire else but reap the reeds and grass wh'c
, o1one the banks of the Yangts
Kiang river and bring it into the c'ut
to sell They use this for cooking pu
en- ,oses Cinnamon do not keep war;
rgo hv fire. In the winter they pad the
,de clothes with cotton or wool. Inc u
of ,voter used for their tea and rice In Il
earlv morning is sold by hot wat
stores. You can get bucket OF 90
" ;no water for one cash, which Is on
'st" tenth of a cent. There is hot wal
en- store, in Shanghai, or any large city,
lain every twenty families. A large amoo
ot rice is cooked at one time and 1t
warmed by pouring hot water over
Thora are tea gardens and restaura
rea'- Al, over China and you get very
late, meals for small price. Nothing
tain vested. They even save the water u
thew boil potatoes and vegetables IN
than sal1 T it. for feeding hogs. The bones
III ,neats are bought by the manu-
.,,ra-s of knife handles &c. l hat
u oe ta1k with Mr.. Ferguson not long
ming Who Ia the President OF the Nan
=. of University, and he says tor a long
90 % ho has bought meat and never G
ordl- 10 a.o+ nona IN It, The butcher alS
e.eo,,+ tho hone aud sells it sepa
~" f,o,, the meat. The most OF the
ID by aors in China are made out OF Old
o,,t horse shoes. These are bro'
''A0 boro hv ship loads from Europe
ought oro carried to all parts OF the EN-
mn tn Move are second hand clothing
hara and they are sold oyer and
aaain until they are no goo
uoor and then they are sold as raj
r.; the shoemaker. The Cnlnese
p'''' zo,es are made OF these rags,
. us as have been washed and dried ana
ho ac- laid upon each other until they
~ the thickness required, and then
Of the ;shed up so nicely you would
to see them leather. The uppers are
of silk or cloth.
le great " The clothing of the poor is pa
+ that nd 1enatched. There are hundr
women who do nothing but
ssoe u You can see them sitting on the
in the hot sun sewing away day
H., uo- day. They 60 from house TO no'
tly w. do DO patching for few cash
say It is the same way with the Ct,
me the members. You can see them n, 81
saw on anv where in the streets. Inc!
the hair that is cut from the hea
'y'n'ns sall it to the furniture dealers 10
ing cushions and etc: 49,
A large number OF beggars ar
ty have ported every "4n'oi " &c :,
,3,t;ons hut as soon as spring comes u u
:, propriation is dropped ana tne!
nat tney to do the best they can. Ihere
3 able to country In the world that mas a :,
They say beggars as China. Ihey n,aA
uortbv nroiession, Hung-Woo began
hnt = beggar and became one OF 5ne
en- ou' est Emperors China ever had:
persons In most of the cities IN Chin
arrange are government granarles whe
them by IA stored for the poor agalns!
Tnera are blind and leper asyiu