Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-15
ga Poverty of China

Writing of the millions and millions
OF inland China, whose lives are spent
face to face with starvation, Edward
Alsworth Ross in the Century says:
NO natural resource is too trifing
to be turned to account by the TEEN
ing population. The sea is raked and
strained for edible plumber. Seaweed
and kelp have a place in the harder.
Great quantities OF shellfsh no bigger
than ones finger nail are opened and
way far inland. The fungus that
! springs up in the grass after n rain is
eaten. Fried sweet potato vines fur
nish the poor mans table. The road
side bitches are baiied out for the
sake of fishes no longer than ones
| finger. Great panniers OF strawber-
ries, half of them still green, are col
! lected in the mountain ravines and
offered In the markets. No weed or
| stalk escapes the bamboo rake or the
| autumnal fuel gatherer. The grass
| tufts on the rough slopes are dug up
| bv the roots. The sickle reaps the
| grain close to the ground, for straw
and chaff are needed to burn under
| the rice kettle The leaves OF the
! trees are a crop to be carefully gath
| cred. One never sees a rottng stump
| or q messy log. Bundles of brush car
! ried miles on the human back heat
! the brick kiln and the potter's fur
| mace After the last trees have been
| taken the far and forbidding heights
are scaled by lads with ak and mat
took to cut down or dig up the seed
! Ilngs that if left alone would reclothe
| the devastated ridges
1.-THE cuisine of China is one of the
| great toothsome cuisines Of the world.
| but for the common people the stom-
| ach and not the palate decides what
! shall be food. The siIkwormS are eat
en- after the cocoon has been unwound
| from them. After their work is done
! horses, donkeys, mules and camels be
! come butchers meat. The COW or pig
! that has died a natural death Is not
| disdained In Canton dressed rats and
| cats are exposed for sale. Seeming
! possible opening for a tannery, the
governor of Hongkong once set on foot
an inquiry as to what became of the
| skins Of the innumerable pigs slaugh-
tered in the colony. He learned that
they were all made up as marine deli
cacy' and sold among the Chinese.
Another time he was on the point
of ordering the determination Of the
NANCY ours that infest the villages In
the KowlOon district because they ha-
raised the Sikh policemen in the per
! Torrance Of their duties. He found
Just in time that such an act would
interfere with the food Of the people,
something a British colonial governor
must never do.
Though the farmer thriftily combs
his harvest field, every foot Of the
short stubble is gone over again by
poor women and children, who are con-
tent If in n days cleaning they can
gather a handful of wheat heads to
keep them alive on the morrow. On the
Hongkong water front the path Of the
coolies carrying produce between ware
house and junk is lined with tattcred
women. most of thea with baby on
the back. Where bags Of beans or rice
are III transit a dozen wait with basket
and brush to sweep up the grains
dropped from the sacks. On wharf
where crude sugar IS being Tepa"ked
squat sixty women scrapiug the inside
Of the discarded sacks, while others
run by the bearer, If his sack leaks
little, to catch the particles as they
fan. When sugar is being uuloaded u
mob of cleaners swarm upon the
lighter the moment the last sack leaves
and eagerly scrape from the gangpiank
and the deck the sugar mixed with
q LEFT FDv h.rTr5 lge LFau
pied into a muck by the bare feet Of
twOscOre coolies trOtting back and
forth across a dusty road.
There are a number Of miscellane-
Gus facts that hint how close the
masses live to the edge Of subsistence.
The brass cash. the most popular
coin in China, is worth the twentieth
of cent: but, as this has been found
too valuable to meet all the needs Of
the people, obIong bits Of bamboo cir
cUlate in some provinces at the value
of half a cash.
Incredibly small are the portions
prepared for sale by the huckster. Two |
cubic inches of bean curd, four wal
nuts, FIVE peanuts, fifteen roasted !
beans, twenty melon seeds, make a
portion. The melon vendors stand is |
decked out with wedges OF insipid |
melon the size Of two fingers The /
householder leaves the butchers stall !
with a morsel Of pork, the pluck Of a |
fowl and strip Of fish as big as a |
sardine, tied together with a blade OF |
grass. Careful Observers say that four
ffths Of the conversation among com
mon Chinese relates 70 food
Comfort is scarce as well as food.
The city cooIie sleeps on a plank IN