St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-08
THE HEAT len AT HOME.
Barbarous Practices Still Prevail
in China.

San Francisco Examiner.
The Rev. Father A. Goette, member
of the franciscan Order. arrived on the
last ste amer from China, where he has
been stationed for many We arS as mis-
sionary. Father Goette has come over
to spend a year here with the Francis
cans to recover his health. which has
been impaired by the climate of the
PrOvi nee of Shen-si, about 1000 miles
southwest of Picking. where he has been
living.
My headquarters" SAID he, shave
been in the city of Singanfou, which
has population of $4,000. and was
formerly the imp erial city for about s 0
years. We have there two churches
ana a college for Chinese boys. Our
bishop lives at Koaian. thirty miles
DISTANT, where we have an orr han aSy-
lum under the charge of Chinese Chris
tians, and care for 1000 chldren most of
whom would have been put out OF the
Way by their parents but for us.
Our mission has been established a
little over 3JJ years, and there arr now
$1,000 ChriStaniZed Chinese Iii the prov
incp. VIII CHI Is about the size OF France"
Speaking of the custom of infanticide
which prevails to an alarming extent in
very common thing for the female in
fantS to lie placed under a tree in the
family burying ground to die, partcu-
larry it they do not appear to be healthy
children. Usually they are taken there
as soon as they are born. and before the
mother is about. by the father, and
there left to perish. Ii they are any,
where near one of our houses they VIII
leave the child where it can be found,
knowing we will care for it.
During my stay in China | have
found great many children abandoned
to perish, but among them only three
boys. 1t is not always poverty which
leads them to destroy tn ir offspring,
for it does not appear to matter how
many boys they have in tie family.
They know when they grow up they
will contribute to the support of the
parents.
The mothers often show much feel
ing and grieve at the loss of their babes.
though they soon get over it. Much of
tile poverty and misery is due to the eX-
tensive use Of opium, which has in
creased during the last ten years to a
fearful extent. can safely say six out
of every ten persons use it In that prov
ince.
lit is causing great many suicides.
particularly among the women. In
village containing twenty-five families
three women killed themselves in one
day. The cultivation of the poppy and
the manufacture of opium, which began
there ten years ago. is the cause of this
state of affairs. Although its cutiva-
ton is prohibited Ivy imperial edict. yet
the mandarins wink at it for the sake of
the enormous tax they levy on it. If It's
cultivation is extended it will be the
ruin of China.
you can see something of It's
effect even now, among your own
people here, who have learned to use it
through the Chinese.
''Had it not been brought here in
large quantities there are mauy COLI
firmed opium smokers who never would
have heard of thu fatal habit.
1.-The bulb OF. the poppy is slit and
the juice extracted four or five times
before the plant dies. The seed is sown
in December and the blossom dies in
April, Then second crop is put in.
generally corn.
7"1'he opium raised in the province of
Shen-Si is not exported. What you get
comes from India largely"
Father GOette says the mountains
north of SiGganfou are infested with
outlaws belonging to secret society,
and they kill and rob whOmever they
can and then fly back to their mountain
homes.
II have never known one of those
men when captured to reveal the secrets
of his society, although l have seen
some OF them tortured by the mandarins
to force information from them. The
last man saw SO treated Was whipped
on the SOles of his feet with sticks until
the bones were broken. but he did not
utter word. only cries of pain. He
was then thrown into room by the
mandarins and left to Starve.
"Fhe punishment of the women for
gross INSTRUMENTATION to the parental
rule is death. 1t is inflicted for even
the offense of slapping parent.
Before they are put to death each
cheek is slaslied with knife, then the
arms in two places, the lower limbs. the
breasts, and finally they are disembow
eled."
1t is probable that Father Goe tie will
deliver lecture at st. Boniface's church
OH Golden Gate avenue at some future
time, if his health permits.