The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-02-10
WASHING IN FRANCE.
Laundry Work az a Fine but Rather
Laborious Art

Consul Robert r. Skinner of Mar
settles writes that large steam laun
dries are not common in France
Domestic washing in France is q
fine art, in which the tin boiler. the
corrugated metal board. the rubber roll
wringe- and the rotary washing ma
chine have no part. The clothes e
: first to some rural spot, where the
laundress, over a fat board washes
the kfotbing in clear running water
pounding it a great deal with woode:
paddle and using plenty of good white
soap.
The clothes are next rinsed and III II
sampened condition returned to the
home of the laundresS. where the lyt
washing takes place in a tub. prefer
ably wooden. In the middle of the tut
Is hole closed with cloth wound
block, so that the liquid contents uiay
seep away very slowly. In the bottom
are placed the coarse common artic!p,
and then the finer things The towels;
are placed on top, so that dainty lin
gerie shall he protected. Lastly a Spe-
cial coarse linen cloth is put over the
surface and around the edges to pre-
vent the wood ashes. which are t.,
be added. from working down into the
articles below
On top of the coarse linen cloth is
strewn d layer of choice wood ashes.
In the south of France they prefer the
ashes of the olive wood or the trufHe
oak. 0ftentimes the laundress adds to
the ashes some roots of the iris plant
or other secret aromatic herbs. Now
the difficult work begins. First is pour
ed into the tub, very slowly, some cG,I
clear water. then an equal quantity Of
tepid water, then. warm water and
finally boiling water until from the
tub arise moist clean odors II this
operation begins. say, at O'clock, anG
if the weeks work is important ard
the workwoman very conscientious SO
slowly does she pour the water that Il
is sometimes II at night before sle
is through. Then the ashes are remoS-
ed. and the water drips through tho
bottom of the tub until the following
morning. when the contents go again
to the riverside, TO be second time
washed with soap, but never twisted
or stretched. in clear cold running wa.
ter. Nothing remains after this but
to dry the linen upon bushes. grass or
a clean gravel brook bed to be finally
sent home white. fresh and sweet
smelling and turned over to another to
iron
In the cities modern progress has in
terfered TO some extent with these
methods. In the shops there are to be
found large galvanized iron tubs which
do not drain from the middle Into
these are piled the clothes which have
been first cleansed with soap, and on
IN Of them are placed the ashes.
Finally cold water Is added. and Il
IRE is lighted under the tub and the
whole mass Is boiled until done. These
metallic tubs are mentioned without
enthusiasm, the best families opposing
them. They are sold in large numbers
nevertheless.
The large city laundries use machin,
cry and provide that luminous. guniny
polish upon collars and cuffs called
"glace Americain,' because Americas
do not like it In Marseil.es thare are
many firms operating III this Whole
sale manner, particularly for naviga
ton companies. The washers get u
cents to S1.l6 per day and the WON
en- who run the machines 4S to Go cents
per day.-Consular Report.