The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-15
GIRLS IN CHINA.
Their Lot Very Unhappy Compared With
That of American Girls.


1t seems with New Women feminine latch
aeys and all the the ever-increasins liberty
which girls enjoy-or. put up with-that our
female contemporaries in China are objects
fer our deepest compassion. 1t may be that
they have their compensations. Hut from
The cradle to the grave their lives seem to
us one long study in grey. In the 5rst
place, the entrance of II Chinese baby girl
INTO the world is greeted with much the
same degree of enthusiasm as that with
which the advent of seven or eight kittens
is welcomed in house already well fur-
nished With cats, and often-alas. that IT
should be SOL bies and kittens meet with
the same watery fate. With the advance
of civilization, however, principally III the
form of Christianity, infantit ide Is not quite
SO frequent in these, as in by gone days. and
the little girls are grudg1nsly allowed 10
live. OF recent years number OF FOUND
ling institutions have been esta blished by
mission aries, on whose care the poorer chi
nese gladly cast their unwelcome offspring.
"GirIs', they mai ntain. "are an expense
and trouble in their youth, and useless to
their parents when they grow up. since
they are then n arried. and become the
property of Their husbands family" A
deeper reason Tor the disappointment at
girls birth lies in the fact that boys only
can perform certain funeral rites in conse-
ouence of which the souls of their dead
parents are insured a safe and easy pas
sage into the next world. In richer fami-
lies. or where there are already several
bows. some little trouble is taken with the
girls much. as it would seem to us, to their
discomfort.
Quite early in their childhood the cruel
mutilation of their feet is commenced by
means of strong cotton bandages. These
are fastened firmly round the feet. so as to
bring the heel and toes as near as possible
to each other under the instep. AS we
should expect, the pain at first is exoessive:
but as soon as the little girl arrives at an
age of understanding. feminine charac-
terstic awakes. wi ich enables her to bear
the pain and discomfort gladly-for the sake
of fashion and appearance. 1t is only New
Women,'' who can afford absolutely to
despise personal appearance. and foot
more than four inches long would be ac-
counted a positive disgrace. OF course.
walking is practically prohibited. and the
girls can but hobble-in spite OF which,
Chinese WIlLeT u0cCfiocn bACAA Ahos oAAAoAAbS
las the waving of the willows" Surely
this prose-poet was slave of the sex. Inc
exact reason for this barbarous custom is
not known. An ingenious author SUGGESTS
that it may have had its origin in cunning
male device for keeping women in their
own quarters. After the age of eight years
Chinese girls among the upper Glasses are
kept at home. 1t is not cosidered respeota-
bic for them to be seen in the street, how
ever strictly chaperonad. Their dress con-
sists of a loose tunic and trousers. with a
killed skirt for grand occasions. Fashion
in this respect is Of no account. and the
dresses-generally magniiceuly embroi-
dered-are handed down from mother TO
daughter.
The Celestial girls have dark eyes. raven
locks of hair and, up to the time of their
marriage, wear fringes over their fore
heads. Just before that suspicious occa-
sion, however. the short hairs are all pulled
out. and tho brow is left open. The finger
nails of ladies are allowed to grow very
long, in order to signify immunity nom
rough work, and little silver or gold shields
are worn to p1 otect them. These :naidens
are all taught to cook and EN- broider, but.
as a general rule. no other education is
given. They have no possible use for in
tellectual accomplishment They pass
the day in smoking and playing cards, with
an occasional "waddle'' round their mouse
or garden to vary the monotomy. AS early
AS possible their parents arrange for carly
marriage. Needless to say. they ha We aDso-
Iutely no choice in the matter. and, in
tact, seldom behold the face of the future
husband until the ceremony is already per-
formed. Everything is arranged by their
respective parents, and, on the day pre-
scribed the bride, decked out In her we'd
ding array, is conveyed in her sedan to the
house of her parents-in-law, to take up
again her narrow modicum of''life'', with
strong element of slavery thrown in. Her
duty lies in absolute submission to her hus-
band. be he ''better or worse" and in no
case can a wife obtain divorce from her
husband. Suicide is frequent, and is ac-
ounted credible among widows. The
world thinks tie better of them for eyinc-
ing such strong desire to follow thnir hus-
bands, even beyond the grave. and they
most probably and perhaps to certain ex-
tent naturally, prefer death to the doubtful
tt eatment which may be theirs at the hands
of their husbands OF relatives, In the large
towns. where there is certain amount OF
foreign influence, these customs have,
doubtless, become little modified; but
China is the personi1cation of conserva-
tism, in the bad sense of the word, and the
rate of progress is exceedingly slow.
Among the poorer classes the girls of neces-
sity, enjoy more freedom, except where
they are sold as slaves. and then their lives
are worse than miserable. ''If a girl does
no HARM" say the Chinese, sit is enough;
you can not expect her to be either good or
usetull'' What comfortable maxim, to be
surel