The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-05-04
SOMETHING FRESH AAoUr CH1Nrsl

SOMETHING FRESH AAoUT CHINESE
WoMEN.-Mrs. S. L. Baldwin, the mis-
sionary to China, lectured in Philadel
phla recently. Of the women of China
she said:
The women of China are divided into
two c'asses-the bound-footed, who are
the ladies, and the large, footed, who are
the common class. The latter carry the
burdens, do all the drudging and out door
work, while their husbands do nothing.
When little girl is born the parents
think the gods are angry with them, and
they hold consultation whether she
shalt be allowed to live or not. If she is,
when she arrives at the age of four years,
they hold another consultation whether
she shall be a bound-footed or large
footed woman. If she is chosen to be
bound-footed, she is not permitted to do
anything, but if otherwise she has to be
the family slave. / have seen woman
with four children strapped 10 her back
and rowing boat, while her husband
laid in the cabin smoking his pipe.
Girls havh no choice of their husbands
the young girl is sold by her parents at
the highest price they can obtain for her.
She never sees her husband, nor he her,
until after they are married. II be
chooses he can be divorced from her fol-
talking too much; II he becomes poor, OF
gets tired of her, he sells her again. In
the coolest weather the arge-footed wo
men are not allowed to wear stockings
and cannot dress IN any other colors than
black or blue The manner in which
they make their feet small is by binding
the four toes under the foot, which they
keep bound up for about eleven years
when the foot becomes dead. | have
walked through the streets when the
women would brush against my dress SC
as to see my feet, so that they could tell
to what class / belonged. | would say tc
them: II will show you my feet, but dc
not pull my clothes, as it is rude When
would expose my feet they would ex
claim: Why, have you no real ladies in
America? And the only way thai we
could make them believe we had was by
ceiling them that the women read books
like the men, which utterly astounded
them, as the real Chinese lady is brought
up In the utmost ignorance, and they only
marry in the rich families, because they
know and do so little, and need 80 much
waiting upon that 1T takes rich husband
to support them If you ask a Chinese
woman how many children she has, she
will give you only the number of boys
She has to be asked the second time how
many girls she has, as they are thought
80 little of that in many cases they are
killed as soon as born. A large footed
woman told me once that her first child
was little girl, and she described to me
how she loved the little one. My hus.
band went out, she said, and brought
in tub of water. | begged him to spare
its life, but he took the little Que and put
its head In the water, and held it there
until it was dead Her second babe was
daughter, and it was served the same
way as the first; the third child was a
boy; he lived until he was about 4 yeers
old. then the gods got angry and killed
him; then my husband died. and now
it | eat anything that is nice and if l
wear good clothes, my relatives become
angry and treat me harshly. Even in
our Christian churches in China, the wo.
men are not allowed in the same room
with the men, but are partitioned off in a
lattice work room"