The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-05-11
ARE THE ANTS OF
the HUMAN RACE
This Has Often Been Said o
the Chinese, and 1t Seems
to Apply.
WHAT GEN. GRANT SAID
Without Their Chief Virtue, Persever-
ance, the Mongoiians Would Stand
Small Chance of ProIongino
Their National Existence.

China is a marvel OF the ages. 1t
Is the ancestor nation of the world.
The wise men of forty centuries have
Vainly racked their minds to find the
secret of its longevity. Other nations
rise and fall, which is the way of ma
ture, but inscrutable. mysterious China
lives on. Hoary with age and rotten
with decay, this ancient, decrepit king
dom refuses to draw new blood from
the younger powers or TO die of its own
inertia. 1t seems to possess the Sc
cret OF eternal life. Its death and dis
Indignation has been %prophesied a hum
dred times, and yet the feeble. totter-
ing "old man of the east" stagger on
In defiance of all precedent. What are
the qualities of these people who have
held together and preserved their ma
tionality while the frost of time has
withered all other races? Let us first
look at their good traits.
The Chinese are undoubtedly the
most economical people who have ever
inhabited the earth. Year in and ear
out millions of them sustain life at an
expenditure not exceeding 9 cents per
day per capita. o long would the
American hold out II he had to sub
sist on 60 cents per month? The Chi
nese allow nothing to go to waste.
They gather leaves and straws and
splinters for fuel. The smallest bits
of cloth are utilized as long as they will
hold together. The leaves of old &C
count books are used to paste on win
dows in lieu of glass. or are made
Into lanterns.
Examples of Economy.
The 1anne in which the Chinese
have put to use the tins in which the
Standard Oh company delivers it's
kerosene is a marked example of their
rNl,ec %s~- T.. ~--i-
market value, not even a scrap of them
being allowed to go to waste. They
are made into water buckets. lunch
boxes. dust pans and a score OF other
household utensils. The Chinese la
borer does not oil his w~heelbarrow be-
cause of the cost of the few drops OF
oil necessary to lubricate it. He would
rather listen to the dismal squeak than
to spare a penny from his pocket. In
transporting cereals or coal the coolies
who handle these commodities are held
to strict account for every single grain
and atom OF dust.
The Chinese housewife must prepare
the meal for her family in the briefest
possible time on account of the light
and ~combustible character of fuel she
uses. She generally cooks everything
at once, in one boiler, the bottom of
which is exceedingly thin. so the blaze
made from leaves and stalks of grain
can take quick effect. The Chinese
NV VI GllION lli6 1lCllllllS " ~ 10 waste
is carried so far that all such animals
as horses, donkeys, camels, cats, dogs
and rats, are used for food. Little at
tention is given to the cause of death.
They are accepted as q welcome addi-
ton to the food supply, no matter
whether their demise was occasioned
by accident, old 6 or disease. The
Idea OF economy actuates every thought
OF Chinese life. One foreign resident
relates that he once met a very old
Woman hnhh1ip~ Doirc,,Il.- olo-- a..
highway. She was sick unto death
and stated that she was making her
way to the home Of q relative who lived
near the family burying ground, in or
der to save the cost OF a funeral pro-
ression.
Chinese Industry.
The econom of the Chinese is
matched only by their industry. The
merchant keeps account of the number
OF matches in all the boxes in his stock.
Every night he carefully sorts the cash
he has taken in during the day, hoping
to realize a profit from a chance rare
coin. If the dealer in fish finds that
some of his stock is about to spoil on
his hands he puts it on the roof to dry,
and later offers 1t to his customers as
dried fish. In stores and factories the
proprietor often economies on his
light bill by making one lamp illumi-
nate two rooms, which is accomplished
by placing it in a hole in the dividing
wall.
The Chinese farmer applies himself
to his calling with an energy that is
astonishing. He goes over his little
crop picking off every insect and nurs-
ing each individual stalk. 1t is hare
to understand how human endurance
can be equal to the long hours HI de-
votes to work Daylight finds him at
his task, and he works well into the
night.
The industry OF the Chinese is also
shown by the exactions which they put
lpon their officials. One writer in speak
Ing of h habits of a former ruler,
said: THE emperor was supposed to
rise for his day at 2 o'clock in the
morning and. after the rites and cere-
monies, to hold council and audiences.
receive memorials and reports and
works busily until after sunrise. He
turned to relaxation when plebeian day
tight came. and went YEARLY to bed
about, s O'Clock in the afternoon. Aud
fences were set for the grisly. hour just
before dawn, and the assembled minis
ters usually waited sleepily upon the
imperial pleasure. Even the foreign en-
voys were hidden to their audiences in
the ignoble pavilion of purple light at
o'clock in the morning, as TO a French
military court martial"
What General Grant Said.
One Of the chief virtues OF Chinese
character is perseverance. 1t goes with
Oh. saying LlaI III all Olu laliO ike tlldt
where the population exceeds 500 to the
tquare mile, a living is hard to get.
Great labor must be performed for lit
tie pay, but the people work faithfully
and without complaint for their meagel
rewards. Your servant comes and goes
rom early until late. No matter how
many extra duties you may impose
npon him, he ev1nces no surprise and
makes no remonstrance. No race has
ever had the staying qualities of the
Chinese. When General Grant return
ed from his trip around the globe some
one inquired of him what was them most
remarkable thing he had heen in his
travels. He replied that 1t was tho
spectacle of a small Chinese dealer
wearing down the keen competition OF a
Jew.
Doubtless the most striking proof of
the Chinese trait of perseverance is the
persistence of the candidates for liter
airy honors. The same applicants VIII
,ear after year to write their essays