natives are almost criminally lax in all kinds of infectious
disease. A permanent tailor almost always sawes his own
wages, especially if in sjjare time lie is set to do embroi-
dery. Many of them are excellent hands at many kinds of
silkwork. Indeed, one of the authors had a complete set
of curtains embroidered by her tailor when regular work
was slack.
The Duties oe the “Dhoih” or Washerman.
The dhobi’s iluties do not bring him much under the eye
of the mistress, but there are a few points about his work
which require notice. To begin witli, it is necessary to fix
the {)lace where he is to wash, and insist on his keeping to
it. Those who have children, and indeed all who regard
their own safety, will arrange for all the washing to be done
at their own well. It is both disagreeable and dangerous to
have one’s wearing apparel steeped in water in which the
clothes of smallpox and cholera patients have been cleansed.
Yet, if the dhobi be allowed to wash at the ghat, there can
be no certainty that such may not be the case. The dhobi
should also be carefully watched to see that he does not
wash other people’s clothes at the same time as those of his
ostensible master. It will be found almost impossible, especi-
ally in large stations, to jjrevent the dhobi from doing extra
washing, but there is no reason why he should wash them in
your compound. For this reason it is advisable, every now
and again, to make a raid on your dhobi’ s house, and ruth-
lessly confiscate any clothes in process of being washed or
ironed, which do not belong to you. This generally leads
to an eclaircissement, in which you, being in possession, have
a strong position. As a rule, where there are ladies and
children, the dhobi’s wife comes to count over the dirty
clothes, and in many houses this is done twice a week — the
clothes given out on Monday coming back on 'riuirsday, and
those given on Thursday on Monday. As there is no diffi-
culty— except during the rainy season — in drying the clothes,
there is no hardship in giving out the dirty linen even three
times a week ; in fact, on an emergency, twenty-four hours
is sufficient for a small wash.
G
98 The Complete Indian
In regard to the method of cleansing adopted in India,
nothing can be more primitive or ineffectual. Cold water,
bad soap, and much beating on stones remove the dirt with
less certainty than the buttons, and in the effort to bring a
presentable jV/ogrtw (wash) to his mistress, with the least pos-
sible labour to himself, the dhobi is apt to forget that lace
and embroidery is an integral part of underclothing. There
is, however, no reason whatever why tlie recent improve-
ments in cleansing clothes which have revolutionised laundries
at home should not be adojited in India. “Sunlight,”
“Paraffin,” “Scotsman,” and other soaps make almost all
handling needless, the only necessity being Avarm water and
thorough soaping. These, however, owe almost all their
efficacy to the paraffin they contain, and this may be used in
its pure state with equal advantage. The procedure adopted
in most home laundries in England is as follows : A boiler
is filled with water, to which one tablespoon of paraffin or
kerosene oil has been added to each gallon of water, Avith
a sufficiency of soap to make it blend. The clothes are
dipped in this, Avell rubbed Avith soap, rolled tight, and set
to soak for three hours.
Page 67
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
natives are almost criminally lax in all kinds of infectious disease. A permanent tailor almost always saves his own wages, especially if in spare time lie is set to do embroidery. Many of them are excellent hands at many kinds of silkwork. Indeed, one of the authors had a complete set of curtains embroidered by her tailor when regular work was slack.
The Duties oe the “Dhoih” or Washerman.
The dhobi’s duties do not bring him much under the eye of the mistress, but there are a few points about his work which require notice. To begin witli, it is necessary to fix the {)lace where he is to wash, and insist on his keeping to it. Those who have children, and indeed all who regard their own safety, will arrange for all the washing to be done at their own well. It is both disagreeable and dangerous to have one’s wearing apparel steeped in water in which the clothes of smallpox and cholera patients have been cleansed. Yet, if the dhobi be allowed to wash at the ghat, there can be no certainty that such may not be the case. The dhobi should also be carefully watched to see that he does not wash other people’s clothes at the same time as those of his ostensible master. It will be found almost impossible, especially in large stations, to prevent the dhobi from doing extra washing, but there is no reason why he should wash them in your compound. For this reason it is advisable, every now and again, to make a raid on your dhobi’ s house, and ruthlessly confiscate any clothes in process of being washed or ironed, which do not belong to you. This generally leads to an eclaircissement, in which you, being in possession, have a strong position. As a rule, where there are ladies and children, the dhobi’s wife comes to count over the dirty clothes, and in many houses this is done twice a week — the clothes given out on Monday coming back on Thursday, and those given on Thursday on Monday. As there is no difficulty— except during the rainy season — in drying the clothes, there is no hardship in giving out the dirty linen even three times a week ; in fact, on an emergency, twenty-four hours is sufficient for a small wash.
G
98 The Complete Indian
In regard to the method of cleansing adopted in India, nothing can be more primitive or ineffectual. Cold water, bad soap, and much beating on stones remove the dirt with less certainty than the buttons, and in the effort to bring a presentable jV/ogrtw (wash) to his mistress, with the least possible labour to himself, the dhobi is apt to forget that lace and embroidery is an integral part of underclothing. There is, however, no reason whatever why tlie recent improvements in cleansing clothes which have revolutionised laundries at home should not be adojited in India. “Sunlight,” “Paraffin,” “Scotsman,” and other soaps make almost all handling needless, the only necessity being Avarm water and thorough soaping. These, however, owe almost all their efficacy to the paraffin they contain, and this may be used in its pure state with equal advantage. The procedure adopted in most home laundries in England is as follows : A boiler is filled with water, to which one tablespoon of paraffin or kerosene oil has been added to each gallon of water, Avith a sufficiency of soap to make it blend. The clothes are dipped in this, Avell rubbed Avith soap, rolled tight, and set to soak for three hours.