China : a history of the laws, manners and customs of the people . eing a monopoly,no one is allowed to deal in salt without a licence from thesalt commissioner. The government, however, allows a certainnumber of aged men in each district to do so without a licence—which enables them to undersell the licensed dealers. Thesepoor men traverse the streets crpng Salt for sale! Salt forsale ! and seldom fail to obtain a livelihood for themselvesand families. The Asylum for Aged Women is a counterpartof the institution which I have already described. The templewith which it is provided is in honour
China : a history of the laws, manners and customs of the people . eing a monopoly,no one is allowed to deal in salt without a licence from thesalt commissioner. The government, however, allows a certainnumber of aged men in each district to do so without a licence—which enables them to undersell the licensed dealers. Thesepoor men traverse the streets crpng Salt for sale! Salt forsale ! and seldom fail to obtain a livelihood for themselvesand families. The Asylum for Aged Women is a counterpartof the institution which I have already described. The templewith which it is provided is in honour of Koon-Yam, thegoddess of mercy, who exercises a watchful care over womenand children. The inmates of the Blind Asylum at Canton are apparently not ^ Aged men in China not uufrequently carry in each hand a very small pieceof wood which they constantly compress against the palm. This is done to pro-mote the circulation. The custom prevails, however, to a much greater extent inthe north than in the south, where instead of pieces of wood 1 have seen xviii.] BLIND ASYLUM AT CANTON. 49 so well provided for as the inmates of the two other establish-ments. Their rooms are in a more dilapidated condition, and theportion of the tax derived from the salt trade for their mainten-ance is so small that they are compelled to beg from door to blind creatures generally sally forth every morning on abegging expedition in companies of six or seven. They walk insingle file, each resting his right hand on the shoulder of theperson in front of him. The leader of the file gropes his way withhis stick. When they enter a shop they commence beatingthe small gongs which they carry, and sing a variety of songspitched in a very high key. The din is more than any Europeanshopkeeper could endure; but noise makes no impression uponChinese shopkeepers, who have been born and brought up inthe midst of it. They are obliged to minister to the necessitiesof the blind men, and they find
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