Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-09-18

I block will sometimes take turns IN
. warming hands at a hibachi, wherein
: few shunks Of charcoal smolder in a
bed of ashes.
"Suppose a pipecleaner has had a
good day, and returns to his home
with, say u cents. He will expend
this in farthing purchases Of misc,
kind Of soup stock, oil, fuel, tobacco,
and perhaps a little fish, which, if he
feels reckless, he will eat raw with
horseradish. He buys in driblets, and
like the poor in all the cities Of the
world, pays enormous prices. This has
been a good day, and perhaps he will
peep in at one of the tempting cake
shops, which smell so fragrant to the
weary and hopeless However, he
will be, in all likelihood, broke by
this time and will content himself
with listening to a story-tellor relating
the ancient glories Of Dai Nippon.
Had our pipecleaner returned
empty handed he would have hurried !
TO the pawnbroker, always near at
hand, and raised a few farthings on
his precious brass pipe, his hibachi
or his few poor garments not in actual
use. With the money he would have
purchased fish entrails or the offal
from horses used for food, and perhaps
handful Of scraps from a garbage
barrel. With these he would have
feasted with his family end with them
prayed that the gods would give him
a better day tomorrow, so that he
might reclaim his goods.
"The pawnbroker fattens on these
wretches as in no other land. It is
impossible TO escape them, and they
never relent. Anything that costs
above 10 cents can be pawned.
Until midwinter one can exist in
Shitaya without bedclothiug, but
when the nights get cold, with the
fearful piercing frost Of a japanese
winter, some covering must be had.
Now comes another plunderer Of the
Door in the guise of the cauitalist who
'ents quilts by the night. He charges,
Ind invariably collects, from l farth.
ng for a shred Of dirty, patched old
ag to a penny or even cents, for
oul, but heavy covering. Then, too,
here are frayed quilts for bridal cou.
les, but these are too costly to be
ented by many bridegrooms.
Rent must be paid In advance,
nd before the family 60 TO sleep the
ollector CONS and gets either the
loney or the quilt, With a refine.
lent of cruelty he does not appear
ntil the lessee has turned in. and
he loss Of his covering will be doublyl
pit. There are heartreudiug scenes
hen the penniless mothers strive 10
Did the quilt to protect their babes
ON the chill and damp. Like the
lwnbroker and the mouey-leuder.
Ie quilt-lender is fliuty-hearted.
''Few Of the inhabitants Of Shitava
'er get enough money ahead 10 buy
'dclothing, and the ghastly tragedy
renting is again and again re-en-
ted for the winter Where there
e so many children having but
W cotton rags, the winter means
ute misery.
- Nothing that was ever edible can
come too bad for the poor to use
ON this AMI similar quarters the
avengers 90 forth daily searching
food, and they rake the city as
tn comb Back they come at
yht laden with bad rice, deeayed "a
and meat, scraps from slopbarrels -,
oken food from restaurants. and All ="
inner of queer odds and ends. o.
This secondhand food business -
an extensive language Of its own -
III special terms for every kind and ~
'diuons Of edible junk that is
'ught to the quarter. This jarsop
wholly unintelligible 10 the unini.
ted, and few there are who care 10
IN the language of the freezing OK.
starving who rent rags and dine -
offaL "e
Poverty has its ultimate expressi,n
e-its last word.'' a'
--O-