Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 44, Number 203, 7 June 1919 — Page 14

PAQfl TWO

RICHMOND PALLADIUM. SATURDAY, JUNE 7. 1919

. A Washerman Of India One of the greatest jokes of Indian life is the dhobl, who has been deBcribed by some one as "an excellent substitute for a steam-laundry." He certainly can rival the laundry in tearing clothes and splitting buttons, and perhaps that 3s why you never meet a person who likes dhobis. They seem to be unable to please anyone, and to be blandly indifferent to the fact,

A typical dhobl is a spindle-' shanked person, very dark of skin, dressed in snowy white, with earrings In his ears and rings on his fingers. He is supposed to put in an appearance regularly every Monday, wherefore Monday is regarded as the busiest day of the week. As uften as not, ho 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 dhoM arrives', followed by a couple of coolies carrying large bundles, containing the clean linen, tbe house is full of bustle. The bearer, the ayah, and the khansaman assemble and, after a great deal of chatter and commotion, the weekly business of counti Jng the Jogan (wash) begins. After sorting out his big bundles into heaps on the bed, the dhobi proceeds to empty the "mllor tokris." These are tall boxes, about 14 inches square, with cane sides and heavy wooden lids, in which soiled linen Is kept. Every Indian bedroom Is provided with a "milor tokrl," and it is generally overflowing by dhobl 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 a bargain sale. Every chair and table, to say nothing of the bed, is piled with clean clothes, jind the floor is covered with heaps or soiled garments, in a nign, singsong voice, the dhobi counts over, first the clean heaps then the soiled ones, the ayah and the bearer anxiously checking his counting as the items are ticked 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 number three, he counts "do, do" (two) incessantly. , If the bearer disturbs- him by an Indiscreet remark, dhobi goes back to "ek" (one) and counts and ;. shakes his way back through the pile again. Even though the washing may bo done quite nicely, the ayah and the bearer scold throughout the business, of counting, holding up shirts without buttons, handkerchiefs minus their borders, wagging reproachful fingers and tongues at the dhobl; but the dhobi merely nods at them and continues to count "panch, panch, panch" (flve)f until his accusers are quiet again, when he proceeds to "chat" (six), or goes back to "ek" as the case seems to him to demand. How these men manage to bring shirts, Btarched stiff and glossy, as though they had come from an English laundry, I cannot imagine. They have no mangles, no boilers, no tubs. Dhobis, for the most part live In colonies outside the towns. They choose a 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 a laundry and a family dwellinghouse, and engages other dhobis in poorer circumstances to work for him. He collects lots of work. A dhobi never refuses a job. What he cannot manage himself, he farms out to poorer dhobis with dirtier ponds and pays them half, or perhaps less, of the monthly wages he gets from the memsahlbs, who fondly believe that he does their washing himself. There are dhobis of all sorts and conditions. A neighbor has a dhobi who rides a bicycle. He is an imposing sight, pedaling along, with a gay, pink chuddah (shawl) streaming behind him in the breeze, his two coolies following with the bundles. Less modern dhobis have donkeys to carry their bundles, which reminds me of a funny story. A sahib, who was very careful for his dignity, arrived in a small Indian station (town). He noticed that his dhobl carried the washing of all his neighbors on a donkey, while he carried the small bundle of the dignified sahib on his head. The sahib's Hindustani was not equal to hlB dignity. He wished to ask the dhobl why when the donkey went to the house of the

Many Thousands Die in Java When Volcano Lets Go

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Kalut volcano and one of the Java villages believed to have been destroyed. Arrow in map points to volcano's location. . The volcano of Kalut, in Java, recently burst into eruption, wiping out twenty villages and causing deaths estimated at 15,000. Kalut is one of the fourteen activo volcanoes in Java. Its last eruption was on May 23, 1901, when 181 persons were killed. Much of the island was laid waste by eruptions and earthquakes in August, 1883, when the lost of life was estimated at 35,000. magistrate, the commissioner, and the civil sufgeon, etc., the animal wasn't brought to his house. What he succeeded in saying was, "Oh, Dhobi! Behold, the Magistrate Sahib is a donkey, the Commissioner Sahib is a donkey, the Doctor Sahib is a donkey. How, then! Shall I only not be a donkey?" And the dhobi, with many salaams, replied, "Is not the sahib the greatest donkey of all?" Christian Science Monitor. Rare Books On Sea Bottom Somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean lies a jewel-bound book by the name of "Omar Khayyan. It was on its way to this country aboard the ill-fated Titanic, which struck an Iceberg on its first voyage and sunk. A similar vol ume still exists in a museum at Frankfort. Twenty-one opals are set in its binding. Another jewel-bound book which is in the hands of a continental col lector is a copy of "Romeo and Juliet." It took the labor of two men for eighteen months Alberto Sanforskl, whe wrote and illustrated the vellum pages, and the craftsman who fixed the gems in the binding. On the cover of this book there are 400 precious stones in a setting of gold, the weight of the book being aDout ten pounas. i ne jeweis in iue setting form hearts, flowers and many other things. The red flow ers are formed by clustered rubies. Still another jewel-bound book is one of Keat's poems, which America possesses. The value Is about 10,000. The poems are written on vellum and Illustrated in original water colors. It is bound in morocco, inlaid with over 4,000 pieces of colored leather, In which over 1,000 precious stones are set in gold. This book contains a miniature picture of Keats set in clusters of pearls and turquoises. Lone Scout Harry Dorr. U. S. Floating Island There is a singular natural curiosity in a lake in Vermont, consisting of 150 acres of land floating on the surface of the water. The tract is covered with cranberries and small trees, reaching the height of fifteen feet. When the water is raised or lowered at the dam of the lake the island rises and fall with it. It affords a fine shelter for fish, a large number of which are caught by boring a hole through the island and Ashing the same was as when fishing through ice. Lone Scout Frank Arizatone. . ,

Morning In Camp Smell of the woods in the morning; The sun shines gold through the trees, And the heavens are filled with music From the lips of the wild-eyed breeze. And who's for a plunge in the water A swim in the laughing lake? Be quick! There is breakfast to follow And there still is the fire to make, I'm In! What a splash! Are you ready? Who, who would lie lazy asleep When all the wide world is calling With the lure of the lake blue and deep? So come, that's the stuff, all to gether, Swim, swim with a stroke true and straight To the boat and the first back, the winner Great ginger! But swimming is great! The first back, the first one to breakfast! Then the trail once again and the fun The day lies alhiring before us, And the morning is only begun! Edmund Leamy. We Want A Playground Warner has been having a great time trying to get a playground You all know we need one. We have been trying to get one for four years. We all most had one. There are lots of children that go home to their mother and say, "I don't like to go to Warner, we can't play anything without getting hurt." The boys can't play ball without hurting somebody's fingers, that are playing marbles. You all know that we are good enough friends of the Junior for you to help us get one. The school all looks up to our- room for finding a playground cause we are largest. We will Boon be gone and we would like to go away feeling that we got the playground. C street Is not at all useful, we could ropo it up. We are surrounded by busy streets and our balls don't last any time. Mary Jane Schilllngor. 6B, Warner School. ,

A Scout Paradise l know of a wonderful spot for a camp on the edge of a shimmering shore, And a lake that's as blue as the skies over you, and as sweet as the wind at your door. There the red-winged blackbird calls to his mates to bathe in the pickerel pond; And the banks overflow with the blessings that grow at the

touch of Fair Nature's wand. There the soft breezes whisper the secrets of rest while away on the big lake we row; And the swimming is fine in the summer sunshine, and at evening the campflre's aglow. There's a Jolly old lodge with a jolly old crane a-swing in the old fire-place, And a Jolly old chef with a jolly old smile on the front of his jolly old face. There we pitch our tents with a speed that's immense and we smooth out our bunk with delight; In the blankets we crawl and somewhere we fall, to the tune of the sweet sounds of night. Why not join in our song as we ramble along, and gather your troop on the way; You will hit up Scout's pace when you get near the place, and be ready for work or for play. R. N. Berry. Children's Day At First M. E. Church Tomorrow morning will be chil dren's day in many of the Sunday schools of Richmond. What promises to be a very Interesting program has been prepared for the children of the First - Methodist Episcopal church. Of course the grown folks will be there too, for the service will be from 10 until 12 o'clock. This is the program: Song, sung by the Beginning and Primary pupils. Story. . . .Read by Myron1 Winders Violin Solo Georgianna Doan Piano Solo Mary Louise Eyden Anthem: Sung by the Junior Choir Recitation Elizabeth Kenney Vocal Solo ......... Frances Smith Violin Solo Betty Estelle After the program, the Rev. Seman will give a little sermon about Childrens day. ,

The Loyal Workers Characters.

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Hoe Rake Spade Trowel Watering Can Horse Place Coiner of an old barn. Time Spring of 1919. Early morning. Spade (gapping): "Oh, such a dull world. I know something terrible is going to happen."'. Rake (rousing himself): "Were you talking of a dull world, Brother Spade? Your life is nothing compared with mine." (Hoe, trowel and wateringcan are now awake and are listening to the quarrel.) Trowel: "Please don't parley about who has the. worst time. We all have enough troubles." Hoe: "Well said, Brother Trowel," : .Wateringcan: "I heard the boy Jack talking to his father yesterday and he said he word have to get the tools ready to v.y'ie a garden." Tools (groaning): ). dear!" Rake: "Since we all dislike the idea of being dragged through the dark earth (which 1 think is a very disagreeable job) don't you think we had better hide?" Tools: "Yes! Yes!" (Tools scamper away. They happen to get in the horse's stall.) Horse (surprised); What does this mean? I thought your place was in the other part of the barn?" .Trowel (proudly): "So it is, but don't you think we have a right anywhere else?" Horse (angrily): "Well, this is my place, and I know you are not here for a good purpose. You are afraid of something." Wateringcan: "Aren't you ever afraid?" Horse (proudly): "No!" Hoe: "If that is the case you will not be afraid to help us get a better hiding place after you have heard our story." Horse: "Well, go on." Hoe: "The Wateringcan heard Jack and his father talking yesterday and they said they would have to get ready to make garden. As all of us hate to work we decided we would hide." Horse: "Do you know you are doing a very mean trick to our government and to Jack? What will he think of you when he finds you?" Spade : ' "What has he to do with the government?" Horse: "Since the war we have had to feed Europe, because her lands were torn to pieces by shells in the war. The boy wants to help so he wants a garden. Now do you understand why Jack wants your aid?" Wateringcan: "Why can't he buy new tools? We are nearly worn out now." Horse: "Jack wants to spend his money for thrift stamps to help bring our soldiers from France. If he bought new tools he could not buy as many." Trowel: "What are thrift stamps?" Horse: "They are a small green stamp that costs 25 cents. He buys them and pastes them on a thrift card and when he has sixteen stamps he gets a war saving stamp. In five years the government pays him $5.00." Tools: "Oh, now we understand." - Rake: "I am sure we all feel ashamed now since that lecture. Let's go back to our corner and work willingly." Tools (with energy): "Aye! Aye!" Bernice Wehrley. 7A, Garfield School. THE PET WE HAD. Once we had a little dog, his name was Havory. He always went wherever I went. One day he followed me to school. It made the children laugh. He followed me up stairs. I had to take him home. Mother was hunting him. She saw me coming, and she said, "I thought he was lost." She gave him some meat, he was hungry. He wanted to go out doors to play with the other dogs, but mother would not let him out. Rosella Lunta. INDEED IT MIGHT. Employer to boy): "File these, please." New Office Boy: "But, sir, would not it be better to cut them with a pair of scissors.