The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-07


described by some one as IAN ex-
cellent substitute for a steam-laun-
dry" He certainly can rival the
laundry in tearing clothes and split
ting buttons, and perhaps that is
why you never meet person who
likes dhobis. They seem to be I'M
able to please anyone, and to be
blandly Indifferent to the fact
A typical dhobi is a spindle
shanked person, very dark Of skin,
dressed in snowy white, with ear
rings in his ears and rings on his
fingers. He Is supposed to put in
nm appearance regularly every Mon
day, wherefore Monday is regarded
rs the busiest day Of the week. AS
often as not, he doesn't come until
Tuesday, and then the whole house
hold spends the day looking out of
the windows to see If he is coming.
AS soon as the dhobi arrives,
followed by couple of coolies car
iying large bundles, containing the
clean linen, the house is full OF
hustle. The bearer, the ayah, and
the khansaman assemble and, after
a great deal of chatter and commo-
ton, the weekly business of count
ing the logan (wash) begins. After
sorting out his big bundles into
heaps on the bed, the dhobi pro
ceeds to empty the "milor tokris.
These are tall boxes, about IA inch
es square, with cane sides and
heavy wooden lids, in which soiled
linen is kept Every Indian bed
room Is provided with a "milor
tokri," and it is generally overflow
ing by dhobi day.
The dhobi proceeds to count out
the soiled clothes into heaps on
the floor. When he has finished,
the room looks like an old-clothes
shop having bargain sale. Every
chair and table, to say nothing OF
the bed, is piled with clean clothes,
and the floor Is covered with heaps
of soiled garments. In high, sing !
song voice, the dhobi counts over,
first the clean heaps then the soiled
ones, the ayah and the bearer anx-
iously checking his counting as the
items are licked off in the books.
While this is going on. the dhobi
repeats the last number, lest he
should get wrong In his count.
Thus, while he shakes towel num-
Der three, he counts do, do" (two)
necessarily.
If the bearer disturbs him by an
indiscreet remark, dhobi goes back
to EEK" (one) and counts and
shakes his way back through the
pile again. Even though the wash
ing may be done quite nicely. the
ayah and the bearer scold through |,
out the business of counting, hold
ing UP shirts without buttons. hand
kerchiefs minus their borders, wag
ging reproachful fingers and
tongues at the dhobi; but the dhobi
merely mods at them and continues
to count "panch, panch, panch"
(flve), until his accusers are quiet
again, when he proceeds to chat
(six), or goes back to lex" as the
case seems to him to demand.
How these men manage to bring
shirts, starched stiff and glossy, as
though they had come from an Eng
fish laundry, l cannot imagine.
They have no mangles, no boilers,
no tubs. Dhobis, for the most part
live in colonies outside the towns.
They choose spot where there are
plenty of ponds. They generally
work in companies, wash the
clothes In the ponds and dry them
In the sun. A dhobi richer than
his fellows takes possession of a ,
pond, builds a mud house, of one
or two rooms, which serves both
as laundry and a family dwelling !,
house. and engages other dhobis in
poorer circumstances to work for
him. He collects lots of work. A
ihobi never refuses job. What
he cannot manage himself, he !
farms out to poorer dhobis with 4,
iirtier ponds and pays them half, =
DR. perhaps less, Of the monthly r
wages he gets from the memsahibs,
who fondly believe that he does :
heir washing himself.
There are dhobis OF all sorts and
A neighbor has dhobi =