Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-05-19

Mrs. 5. l.. Baldwin, the missionary to
China, lectured in Philadelphia recently.
Of the women in China, she said:-
The women of China are divided into
two classes-the bound-iooted who are the
ladies, and the large-looted, who are the
common class. The latter carry the bur-
dens, do all the drudging and outdoor
work, while their husbands do nothing.
When little girl is born, the parents think
the gods are angry with them, and they
hold a consultation whether she shall he al
lowed to live or not. If she is, when she
arrives at the, age of four years they hold
another consultation whether she shall he
a bound-footed or Il large footed woman.
II she is chosen to he a bound-footed she is
not permitted to do anything, but if other
wise, she has to be the family's slave. /
| have seen woman with four children
strapped to her back and rowing a boat,
while her husband laid in the cabin smok-
ing his pipe. Girls have no choice of their
husbands; the young girl is sold by her
parents at the highest price they can OBJ
tain for her, until after they are married.
If he chooses he can be divorced from her
for talking too much; if he becomes poor,
or gets tired of her, he sells her again. In
the coolest weather the large-iooted women
are not allowed TO wear stockings, and can
not 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 II years, when the foot becomes
dead. ] have walked through the streets
when the women would brush against my
dress so as to see my feet. so they could tell
to what class | belonged | would say to
them, 81 will show you my feet, but do not
| pull my clothes, as il is rude" When |
would expose my feet to them they would
exclaim; "Why, have you no real ladies in
American And the only way that could
make them believe that we had, was by
telling them that the women read books
like the men, which utterly astounded
them, rs 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 so much
waiting upon that ii takes IL rich husband
to support them. If You ask Chinese
woman how many children she has, she
viii give you only the number of the boys.
She has to be asked the second time how
many girls she has, as they are thought so
little of that in many eases they are killed
as soon as born. \ large-looted woman
told me once that her first child was a little
girl and she described to me how she loved
the little one. "My husband went out"
she said, land brought in tub of water.
| begged him to spare its life, but he took
the little one and put its head in tho water
and held it there until it was dead" Her
second babe was Il daughter, and II was
served the same as the first; the third child
was boy; he lived until he was about four
years old, then the gods got angry and kill
ed him; then my husband died. and if |
eat anything that is nice, and If wear good
clothes, my relatives become angry, and
treat me harshly.' Even in our Christian
churches in China the women are not al
lowed in the same room with the men, but
are partitioned oil in lattice-work room.