PARIS 



and the finer dust and dirt of the houses are being 

 swept out upon the sidewalk. 



Every conceivable form of receptacle is used by the 

 householders for the litter and garbage which they 

 wish the city to take away. The various kinds of 

 waste are not kept separate but are thrown into one 

 box or barrel or tub. A favorite receptacle is a rec- 

 tangular zinc can about 2 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 

 18 inches deep. 



A few minutes before the collecting carts arrive, the 

 rag-pickers, clad in nondescript garb and powdered with 

 dust appear and with much speed and system spread 

 a square of burlap or other cloth upon the sidewalk 

 and tip the refuse can over upon it. The contents are 

 quickly overhauled, the gleanings being thrown into 

 large sacks. The refuse which is of no use to the picker 

 is then dumped back into its original receptacle, the 

 burlap is taken up and the worker proceeds to the 

 next house. When the sacks are full they are taken 

 to some neighboring side street which serves as a kind 

 of central depot from which they are later hauled away 

 by carts drawn by good-looking horses. 



The picking is expeditious and thorough. The 

 pickers are of both sexes, often young, and, were it 

 not for their dirty apparel, would sometimes be prepos- 

 sessing. 



Considering the well-known economy practiced by the 

 French people, it would not seem that a living could 

 be gathered from overhauling in this hurried fashion 

 what other people have thrown away and the fact 

 that the calling is profitable to so many persons 

 strongly suggests that it is possible to accomplish good 

 results in countries where the value of household 



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