The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-07-12
NUMBER %.

e.
which, being Tartar and not Chinese,
does not practice foot-binding.
Various theories have been given
for the origin OF the custom, but the
most probable is that 4 " 4s introduced
with a view to keep woEaen at home
In this it Is most successful
The gait of a smaI-footed woman is
exactly that of persons walking on
tiptOe, and those who have the
smallest, most fashionable feet, can
only move about with the aid Of a
cane or some other support Yet
Chinese poets speak OF such distor-
tions Of part of the body as golden
Hlies,' and hken the staggering walk
produced therefrom to '1he swaying
OF the willows"
The first duty of a Chinese girl.
when she is old enough TO walk. is 70
look after her brothers. She IS then
seen staggering around under the
weight OF sOme lusty boy as large rs
or larger than she is She may get
a certain amount of pleasure from his
games and amusements, but the poor
thing has none of her own
She is never allowed on the streets
alone, and when at very rare inter
walls she goes out in company with her
parents, she can not run and frolic.
With downcast eyes and rigid figure
she must walk in front, under their
watchful supervision. She may
neither look TO the right nor left, nor
exchange word or glance with any
person. The Chinese girl must have
no acouaintances among the male
sex, excepting her father and brothers,
and must under no circumstances look
at, much less speak TO, a young man.
She Is early taught TO sew and to
perform the simple round OF Chinese
cooking and the drudgery Of the
household. Here her education ends.
She is never taught to read, yet she is
not lacking in native intelligence and
ability.
Such is girlhood in China; pathetic
in its dreary round of drudgcry and in
the absence of all brightness ard va
riety which make girl life with Us 50
happy. Yet Chinese girls are often
bright, winning, attractive and alfec-
tionate. There is no reason to believe
them to be naturally inferior in any Of
these qualities to their brothers. But
she can not be either evil or good
is the sensolcss verdict, and SO she
lives her weary lie victim TO preiu-
dice, superstition and cruelty.
The great event in the life of a Chi
nese girl Is, of course, her marriage.
This generally occurs at the age of if
teen or sixteen. Sometimes even ear
g-r-..r, - yr.s-i. IN
ence her sad fate does not for q mo-
ment desert her.
She Is married to n man whom. the
oretically, at least, she hasn never seen.
Generally the arrangement OF the mar
riage is q mere bargain and dickCr be
tween the parents, 10 determine how
much the father Of the girl shall give
in the way of furniture and outfit, and
. how much the parents Of the young
man are willing to spend for wedding
/ ornaments. SE=@
These arrangements being COM
! pleted, On the day fixed she is placed
/ in the red bridal chair Her head and
! face are tied up in a bag so closely
that she can see nothing, and cases
! are not rare in which she has died
from sufTOcation.
She is borne in the bridal chair,
/ preceded by n band of music, TO the
home of the groom. Her girl life
has ended. Her life as a woman has
begun.
In the majority OF cases she has
! only changed the place, not the
! nature, of her life. She has ceased to
| be the drudge under her father
roof only to become the slave Of hel
! husband mother Suicide is often
sought by young wives in China as
the only means of escape from the
tyranny Of mOthers-in-law. The hus-
band can have no affection for his
wife unless II may develop after
marriage She has no rights the Law
protects. She may be divorced by 2
single scrap of paper written by her
husband and sealed with the impress
sion of his thumb in ink.
He never says my wife" with the
glad, proud tone common to Christian
lands 1t is always The contemplate
female who presides in the kitchen.
Should she die childless he does no
mourn for her.
Il once remarked to a Minister o
the Chinese Government that as tn,
wife of the Prince Regent was jus
dead he would probably go into re
tirement." ..-------.s>..
'Oh, no." was the reply; that i
nothing. Why should he, when h,
can get plenty more?"
The only pleasant outlook for ;
woman IN China is when she has be
come the mother of sons. Then sh'
has future before her, and is treateC
kindly and respectfully. They ar
bound by the laws of filial piety t,
love, honor and care for her. She ha
n share in all their successes in life
and sometimes comes to high homo
and fame through them.
A lady recently died who was know
and praised throughout the Empire a
being the mother OF seven sons, eacl
one OF whom had risen to the highes
official rank. And because of thi
fact the Emperor ordered an orna
mental arch TO be erected in her honor
1t is only through their sons tha
women in China can prove their righ
to exist--Youth's Companion.
]