The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-04-13
DEVIL CHASER" GONE.
CHINESE HAVE TRADED IN ALL
OF THEIR TIM GINS.
The Once Priced Sword Of Coins Has
Disappeared Before the Demands
Of Milady's Fashions and the She'll
Makers.

New York Times Uncertain times
have descended upon Chinatown, for
Tim Gin, the Chinese devil chaser,
has disappeared. And thereby hangs
tale.
Now, Tim Gin is not a real flesh
and-blood person, but a short Chinese
sword, 1t is about twenty-four inches
long, and is made of the round brass
coins that are known as cash" being
that in more than one sense of the
word. With the coins all new and
bright, and bound together with bright
colored cords, the Tim Gin is an orna-
ment or no mean beauty In addition to
this, almost any Chinaman will testify
To It's ability as a devil chaser and all
around defender Of the fircside.
Right here however it might be
said that II is more potent as de-
fender Of Oriental homes than of Oc.
cidental ones, for a certain business
man in this city had his domicile loot.
ed only few days after coming into
possession Of a Tim Gim which the
thieves, not knowing of its wondrous
powers, took along with them
TO get down to the facts in the case,
and to reconcile Chinese swords and
devils with the everyday life of the
business community. it is necessary
at first only to say that the disappear
ance of the Tim Gin from its accus-
toned haunts is due primarily to trade
and commerce, and TO two very widely
dissociated branches at that-the
making of munitions Of war and the
making of ornaments for decorating
miladys' spring hats This is what
julius Wodiska of this city had to say
on the matter.
Gone Up In Value.
THE Tim Gin, for sentimental and
decorative reasons, has for many
year been a staple article of mcrchan.
disc in Oriental fancy goods It is
made up of the round brass coins, with
square holes in the center, known as
cash. These coins are the lowest in
value of any Of the numerous money
units Of China, and not so many years
ago an American trade dollar would
buy LOO of them. But this is no
longer the case.
Inquiry reveals that not single
Tim Gin can be bought in New
Nork's Chinatown where, until very
recently they were always to be
found in abundance. Americans have
bought them all, as well as all the
loose cash that could be found. The
Tim Gins have been broken up and
the cash used by manufacturers of
cheap jewelry and ornaments to serve
as pendants for women's hatpins. |
am told that they have also been
widely used garnitures for spring
hats and that in addition to this they
are being employed in fancy girdles
to give the desired Oriental touch.
But not all of the cash that has
gone out of circulation in the last year
or more has gone into the beautifying
OF women. 4 tremendous quantity has
been used in the manufacture of mu.
nitions for the battle fields of Eu
rope.
Exporting CnlneSe Com.
I'm the closing months of last year,
according to returning Chinese-Amer.
ican merchants, serious monetary
situation developed in China because
of the expectation of these coins
chiefly to Japan. The rapid rise in the
price of the copper increased the value
OF cash, which usually contains about
80 per cent of copper and made each
coin worth more as metal than as
mediums of exchange. As a result, for
a time more than six thousand tons a
month were exported to Japan alone.
Subsequently decline in the price of
copper reduced these shipments to
about three thousand tons a month.
The outward flow OF the coins thus
drawn from circulation. | am told. re.
duced their number to a point far be.
low the normal requirements of the
poorer people of China, and it became
difficult 20 carry on trade.
In parts of Southern China, Chi.
nese l-cent pieces now exchange for
only five cash where until a short
time ago they exchanged for ten.
THE business OF buying and melt.
ing these coins has grown to such an
extent and has proved SO profitable,
that a monopoly OF it was one of the
considerations proposed by Japan in
the details OF a recent ChineseJapa.
nesc loan.
\ single Japanese firm was reported
last fall 10 bee in the market for two
hundred thousand short tons, which
indicates to some extent the enormous
quantity of these coins that must be
or was-in circulation in China before
the war"