The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-12-20
Ghings Abroad,
Small Feet of Chinese Ladies.


1t is we'll known that in China it is Gus
tomary to reduce the size Of ladies' feet to
marvellously small dimensions, with much
the same object as American ladies' en-
deavor to bring their waists to wasp-like
dimensions. The Chinese process is thus
described by recent writer The opera
tions necessary for distorting the feet gen
orally commence between the ages Of six
and nine, and the later it is deferred the
greater is the pain inflicted on the girl.
Long strips Of native calico are bound
round the foot, going from the heel over
the instep and toes they are then passed
under the foot and round the heel, and
fixed very firmly. The operation causes
much pain, and takes long time usually
two or three years. before It is perfected,
for the only agent employed is the long
bandage of cloth; the feet remain extreme
ly tender aud useless for all practical pur-
poses till the bones, etc., have become set
in the new shape into which they are
forced. 1t is said that after the lapse Of
few years, if the operation has been skill
full, there is no pain, and the foot becomes,
in a manner, deadened, the effect of the
bandaging being to check the circulation
Of the blood and to prevent the further
growth and development of the foot. A
medical observer tells us that "there is
class Of men whose vocation II is to band
age the feet of children, and who do their
work very neatly and, from what | have
seen, the Chinese women, who in child
hood have undergone skillful treatment,
do not suffer much pain, beyond the weak
ness Of the foot, from the destruction of
the symmetrical arch, and the inconve-
nience of being unable to walk when the
foot is unbound and unsupported If the
feet have been carelessly bound in infancy,
the ankle Of the woman is generally tender,
and much walking will cause the foot to
swell and be very painful"
Without going too deeply into surgical
minuti@, the following seems to be the
consequence of the compression of the foot:
the instep is bent on itself, the heel bone
is thrown out Of its horizontal position,
and what ought to be the posterior surface
is brought to the ground The ankle is
thus forced upward, and the great toe is
the only one that remains, the four smaller
ones becoming, in course Of time, more
useless pieces Of skin. The foot, too, be-
comes narrow, and tapers off to the end of
the great toe; it is placed in short mar
row shoe, which is pointed at the toe, and
very commonly the heel Is elevated by
means Of block Of wood, the consequence
being that the woman seems to be stand
ing, as 1t were, on tip-toe, or to be more
precise, on the tip Of her great toe. The
following paragraph viii give fair notion
Of the effect produced By the force Of fash
ion on the China-woman's foot under va.
rying conditions:
When the process is begun at the proper
age, and the bandaging is properly attend
ed to, the heel sometimes comes down to
the ground, or rather to the level Of the
end Of the large toe. The heel seems 10
elongate under the process Of bandaging
but, when the foot Is large and almost full
grown before the compression Of it begins,
the heel often cannot be brought down TO
level with the end Of the toe, Under
these circumstances, block Of wood is put
in the shoe under the heel. So that the
bottom Of the block and the end Of the
toe are nearly on the same level when the
individual Is standing. We would here
add that the fashionable shoe which the
Chinese lady wears Is not much more than
three inches long, and that strips Of cloth
are wound round part Of the foot aud the
lower leg.