Take To Washing

Among the thousands of Chinamen in this city few, besides the store and restaurant keepers on Race Street, follow any other calling than that of laundryman. Consequently many Americana believe that the majority of China's millions are laundrymen, who, when not squirting water throngh their teeth npon shirts and linen, spend their time eating rats and puppies or indulging in the questionable enjoyments of the "flower boats. " The truth is that the Celestial Kingdom's 450,000,000 of tea drinkers do a smaller peroentage of washing than any other large country. What little washable clothing they wear is cleansed in the paddy flelds near the wearer's home, and only the Europeans and richer class of natives require the assistance of a washman. That important item of expense, the wash bill, is reduced to a minimum in China, wbere theEuropean's olothing is eagerly sought by young and old male natives, who are glad to do up in first class order white shirts, white waistcoats or anything at all for 75 cents per hundred. This will partly explain why our Chinese residents prefer to do onr laundry work to waiting on our tables or sweating on a farm, as the money received for ironing and finishing a single white shirt will support him two days in his native country. Another reason is that when at work behind his ironing board, breathing the close air of his little shop, he appreciates the one hundred and one conveniences that he could not afford in China. Tubs, hot water, self acting soaps and washboards have not yet been introduced in his native home and have never been thought of by the poor beggars doing np shirts at threequarters of a cent apiece. Tbere they stand on the low shores of a paddy field, ankle deep in the mud and ooze, and after soaking the clothes slap them against the smooth stones put there for this purpose uutil the dirt becomes loosened and can be rubbed out with the hands. Within the limits of the American settlement of the treaty port of Shanghai are several ponds filled with f rom two to four feet of rainwater. In sumvner these ponds are used by the washmen and for irrigating neighboring paddy and rice fields, while in winter the ice aocumulating is carefully preserved. The Chinese themselves do not use ice for any purpose, the most refreshing drink to them in the hot spells being boiling hot tea without milk or sugar. Since the advent of the foreigner the Chinaman hasfound that it pays to serve the scanty ice of Shanghai during the short winters. The icehouses surronnding the ponds are low structures formed of wood, rnud and thick layers of salt hay, with the floors raised slightly above the level of the water. Adhering to his general rule of doing everything directly opposite to ns "barbarians, " John Chinaman does not believe in allowing the ice to form three or more inches, but as soon as a thin skin has formed he breaks it np and pushes it all through the narrow openings of the storehouses. The breaking of this thin ice makes it necessary for the poor natives to wade up to the hips in the water of the ponds and with rakes and hooks manage the ice so that it can reach the storehouses. But to return to the workmen, who must work and live in winter as well as in summer. Not having hot water boilers and other lnxuries, he must resort to the dirty ponds no matter how cold the weather. The ice, broken in the center of the pond, is allowed to get quite thick along the edges, making it neoessary very often for the washman to out through it bef ore he can immerse his washing. The stiffened linen is then slammed up against the smooth stone, which soon turns into a small mound of ice as layer after layer of water is thrown upon it. The native keeps his feet incased in a covering of old clothing, rags and hay, while around his body are wrapped one or more blankets. As he goes through hischeerless as well as soapless operation he is gradually covered by the ice, which forms as soon as the water reaches his clothing. Taking into consideration all the trouble, hardship and inconvenience the laundryman in the Flowery Kingdom is compelled to endure while rendering white the foreign devil's linen, he does it much better than his more fortúnate brother in thisoountry, who returns our laundry in such a careless and independent fashion, and who receives, after deducting rent and all expenses, eight