The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-05-11
The Women of China.

Mrs. s. L. Baldwin, the missionary to
China, lectured in Philadelphia reoent-
ly. OF the women in China she said
The women OF China are divided into
two classes-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 shall be allowed to live or
not. IT she is, when she arrives at the
age of years they hold another con-
sultatiou whether she shall be bound
footed or q large-footed woman. Il she
is chosen to be bound-footed she is
not permitted to do anything, but if
otherwise she has to be the family's
slave. l have seen woman with four
children strapped to her back and row.
ing boat, while her husband laid in
the cabin smoking his pipe. Girls have
no choice of their husbands; the young
girl is sold by her parents at the high
est price they can obtain for her. She
never sees her husband, nor he her, un-
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-footed women
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 bind
ing the four toes under the foot, which
they keep bound up for about eleven
years, when the foot becomes dead. L
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, will show you my feet,
but do not pull my clothes, as it is rude" d"
When l would expose my feet to them
they would exclaim Why, have you
no real ladies in American" And the
only way that l could make them be-
lieve that we had, was by telling 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 SO much wait
ing upon that it takes rich husband
to support them. If you ask Chinese
woman how many children she has, she
will 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
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 husband went out"
she said, "and brought in a tub of wa
ter. l begged him to spare its life, but
he took the little one and put its head
in the water, and held it there until it
was dead" Her second babe was a
daughter, and it was served the same as
the first; the third child was boy he
lived until he was about 4 years old,
then the gods got angry and killed him
then my husband died; and now 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 allowed in the same room with
the men, but are partitioned off in a
lattice work-room.