The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-17
SHOOTING N CHINA.
Some of the Queer Features of Trade
in That Country.
From Tramcdon

in That Country.
From Traficdom
China is silver country. When, there
| fore, you go a-shopping and are provided
with the necessary cash, you take a faith
full servant with you TO carry the money
and a second to protect the first from the
wiles of the snatcher A hundred dollars
/ in our money is represented by a bag of
silver coins weighing twelve pounds, and
a string of copper coins called cash"
weighing three pounds. Your servant
keeps both the account and the money.
You scrutinize the former but never ham
die the latter. On the other hand. every
storekeeper keeps a strong box, a safe.
or a silver room, and employs one or
more clerks to look after the white metal
rms arrangement makes as much trouble
| in paying a bill as in mourning one. The
| storekeeper weighs your money and ex-
amlnes every piece, while your servant
does the same to whatever change he re-
ceives.
The stores are small smaller, smallest
Hundreds are scarcely more than mere
booths. The largest are not more than
twenty-five feet front and 100 deep. De-
partment stores are unknown. The rule
is for one shop to sell one thing A
silk store looks like brown paper estab-
lishment, or the delivery room of a laun-
dry. None of the goods is exposed 10
view. Each roll is done up in fine white
tissue paper; this in turn in firm light
brown paper, and this in the strongest
gray-DroWn paper. one paper is sure
death to ants, reaches, moths, flies, spid-
ers, and mice Another is waterproof
and almost fire-proof. All three are dust
proof and damp-proof. on the outside of
each parcel is an inscription stating the
color, pattern, width, quality, and guam
tity.
The clerks are men, and are very neat
and polite. They will climb up light lad
der to the top shelf near the ceiling, bring
down a parcel open 1t on the counter and
display the material, and reverse the pro-
cess hundred times over without chang
Ing the rich professional smile which
marks the calling
The counters are either made of dark
hard wood, polished until 1t shines, or else
are covered with black oilcloth A sales
man or servant Keeps them spotless with
a damp cloth. followed up by a dry one
There is no display or attempt at beauty
Chanering is very rare. Both merchant
and customer know the value of the goods
so that there is no debate over the price
This state of things is in strong contrast
with what prevails in the bazars of India
and Egypt, where a trader often asks ten
times the value of his wares, and cries
real tears of grief when he sells them at
five times their proper price.
Another extraordinary style of shop
ping results from the odd social conditions
OF China. The ladies of that land all I'M
dergo the process of foot binding and are
unable to travel about except with the
greatest difficulty. In addition to this dis
qualification, ii is considered unwomanly
and shameless to expose the face i'm pub
lie. When a Chinese lady desires the pleas
ure of shopping she sends a servant to her
faVorite dealer with instructions as to
her particular desires The dealer there
upon takes down enough material to load
anywhere from four to ten porters and
goes around with the invoice to the lady's
home. A European lady can enjoy the
same privilege without any extra charge
or any increase in the price of goods
There are very few novelties in the Orien-
tai shopping world Almost everything
fashionable is prescribed by law as wei
as custom. The pattern of your dress was
probably invented 5000 years ago, and the
cuts of your pantaloons and jackets were
designed in forgotten centuries There is
one field, however where the children of
the east can give points and then discount
their sisters of the west, and that is in
rich underwear.
Silks and grass cloth Indian muslins
and pineapple cloths are employed, of
qualities finer than nine-tenths of those
We call the best. This material worthy
of king $ ransom, they embroider until
the garment is n Veritable blaze of splen-
dor. | saw while in China pair of panta-
looms which were heavy with decorations
in gold thread, pearls and precious stones.
and have admired under Jackets and IN
derwaists which were so extensively en-
broidered that it was difficult to determine
the material OF which they were made
The wife OF a mandarin of my acauaint-
ance had several sets of underwear that
were worth $500 and 800 a SCI All of these
quaint goods are handled by male sales
men, and never by women. 1t is very
trying at first TO women brought up under
the system which prevails in the west
To cap the climax for all your garments
you are supposed to be measured and fit
ted by male dressmakers. The women are
regarded as interiors, and are only allow
ed to do what sewing and darning that
may be necessary In the conduct of the
household. There are no express wagons
and no delivery wagons. Everything is
carried by porters, from a spool of cotton
up 10 a trunk full Of clothing.
They are much more powerful than they
look, and VIII carry heavy loads under
tropical sun without complaint or muir
muir There are no trade marks and no
particular means OF Identifying goods
When you want TO duplicate anything YOU
go to the dealer from whom you bought it,
II you bought II yesterday, well and good
If you bought II from his father twenty
hve years ago well and good, or from his
grandfather atty years ago, or from his
at-grandfather seventy-fve years. II is
the same and II ten years hence you de-
sire an extra yard of the same material
you get IL from the same man at the same
place; or, II he has passed away, from his
son or grandson. The east is very pleas
ant for shopping, but the shopping Is not
one whit like what prevails in the depart
ment stores and dry goods palaces of the
great American cities
-s-n-s
The Earl of Kenmare, owner OF that
most unfortunate tract nf Iriab lana ,,r.,,