Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1897 — To Prohft Footbinding. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

To Prohft Footbinding.

Women’s craving for a small foot haa run mad in China, and they willingly submit themselves to tortures as horrible as any to which prisoners in the jails are subjected rather than be exposed to ridicule because their feet are large. Now the Custom is assailed from a powerful source—from a group of progressive scholars, which the Chinese people hold in the greatest revsrence. The anti-foot binding agitation, which is now spreading all over China, was recently started by a prominent member of the Chinese litteratl in Suifu, which is a great city of Szechuan. The leader of the movement is Chon, a literary graduate and a scholar of wealth and influence. While the literary examinations were being held at Suifu recently, every one was amazed

at the appearance of large posters on all the dead walls containing an appeal to educated Chinese to abandon the torture of their young daughters by footbinding. It contained many quotations from Confucius, but its main point was directed to the edict of Emperor Shun Cbih in 1662, pronouncing the binding of girls’ feet to be illegal. Chon declared that this edict had been obeyed for a time and then ignored. He describes the tortures which young Chinese girls of the better class are forced to endure, and the mißery and tears that are their portion for months and years. Even the worst convicts, he says, are never called upon to endure what a foolish custom Imposes upon the tender frame of young girls, who are beloved by their fathers. The deformity is produced in the feet of young Chinese girls by narrow cotton bandages about three yards long. These are applied when the girl is 6 years old. One end of the strip Is placed beneath the instep and then carried over the four small toes, drawing them down beneatn the foot. Another twist draws the heel and great toe nearer together, making an indentation beneath the sole. When all the cloth has been used the end Is Arm; ly sewed down and the feet are left for a w eek or two in that condition. Clean bandages are now and then put on, but the change has to be rapidly effected or blood begins to circulate in the benumbed feet and the agony becomes unbearable.

A CHINESE BELLE'S FOOT.