The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-22

eTd8e aUlOuut OI iuen W8sneO curing
the first year OF It's operation averaged
in cost about 7s cents for every $50
pounds avolrdupois. which was al
most so per cent Of the cost of hand
labor In addition, the officials esti-
mated future saving In the wear and
tear Of material handled equivalent to
12h per cent over the old method.
While the French laundry methods
were at one time considered the best
In the world. Il has been the fad for
several years among fashionable peo-
pie to send their clothing to London
to be laundered. when the French
learn to use American machinery as
the London laundries do. this work
will be done at home.
In the more primitive countries tho
washing Is largely done with the feet.
In japan, the washwoman does her
work out of doors. She rubs the gar
ments with Japanese soap and packs
them into a tiny wash tub about six
inches deep and about the size Of an
ordinary American dishpan. She COW
ers them with water, let's them stand
few minutes. and then proceeds to
tread the dirt out with her feet. some-
times making a sort Of dance step to
music, which Is really graceful, and
attractive to the watching tourist. The
Japanese rip their clothing apart to
wash II, which explains why every
genuine Japanese kimono Is made
with such long basting.like stitches.
After the clothes have been washed by
this foot process and given the nec-
essary rinsing waters, the Japanese
laundress spreads them smooth upon
board which she stands up against
the side Of the house. The sun does
the ironing for her and sometimes It
produces lustre which those who
have watched the process are 9t loss
TO understand. The Chinese girls wash
their clothes after practically tho
same method.
In Korea. the women wash their
clothes by pounding them In water
with paddle. They prefer TO use
running water. but when this Is not
available they use large vessels some
times followed out OF a~tree and
sometimes made Of coarse. heavy pot
terry. The men of Korea wear baggy
pantaloons which come up to their
necks after the fashion of an Amer
lean clown and the women make them
glistening white, the paddle motion
imparting n sort Of gloss to the ma
terial similar to that which the pound
Ing process gives to linen. In China
few men do any washing. II is only
In foreign lands that John Is willing
to 'washee washee" for the public.
In Egypt most Of the washing is done
by men. The Egyptian washcrman
stands upon the banks Of the Nile and
washes the clothes while wet by
ing noise almost equal to pistol
shots. The Hindu women wash In
much the same way, except that they
remove the dirt from the clothes by
striking them while wet against the
smooth stones of the stream and then
rinsing them clean.
Guatemala has set an example to
many more progressive cities In the
way II provides laundry facilities for
Its people. At frequent intervals. even
along the most populous streets. there
are erected quaint tile rooted pavilions
resembling Chinese pagodas in appear
the roofs are supported by cement or
brick pillars. Running all around
this pavilion. excepting for the
entrance door or gate, Is cement
trough about as high as woman's
waist. This IS kept full of water from
hydrant and can be emptied by the
withdrawal of a plug. Inside of this
trough and on "A level with 1t, facing
the inside. runs row of shallow
square tubs made of cement. These
are about six inches deep upon the
trough side and about an inch deep
upon the inside. A level shelf to hold
the soiled clothes Is on one side of
this tub and another for the washed
clothes upon the other. The women
find these public wash pavilions
real social diversion. They go to
them I'm the cool OF the morning, ac-
companied by their children, and bear
ing their big bundles of soiled clothes
upon their heads. These last are
dumped into the center of the pavilion
when they arrive, but before the
laundry work begins all of the chill
dren are washed In the big trough.
This process Is accompanied by merry
laughter on the part of the children
and usually much interest on the part
of spectators. After the children are
washed, the mothers turn them loose
to play In the street around the pa
vilion while they proceed to their
task of washing the clothes In tho
tubs and rinsing them In the big
trough. There Is always much gossip
exchanged and the washing seems to
be "A much more agreeable task as
performed I'm public than II done by
each woman alone In the privacy Of
her home.
In comparison with these methods
the work in America seems much
SIMPLER. oven IL loss attractive by be.