Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-01-02
CHINESE LADIES. FEFT
a Pedal Extremity Two Inches In Lenct,
the IuoI of a Chinaman.

a 2eHs-A extremity Two Inches In Length
the I1ioI of a Chinaman.
ct Eve years OF age the rich Chinaman,s
/ daughter has her foot SO firmly bound thai.
IN The native phrase, the whole is killed.
The fcot below TIE instep, explains a writer
IN the New York Ledger, Is pressed into
line with the leg, to add TO the height of the
little sufferer, while two Of the toes are
| bent under the sole, that is breadth may
be only OF the least dimensions The agony
OF such process it would be hard to esti-
mate; but it is said to last about six weeks.
when, L suppose, the wasting of all the
parts, and the cessation of many of their
functions, have rendered the whole insenst-
bic to pain.
TINS lnseEsibility to pain is, perhaps, con-
hned TO the outer parts, for the chief per-
son belonging to the temple on the Island of
Hoaam stated that his sister suffered much
anguish IN the sole of the foot, or rather, in
Its lower and moro central parts. =
To some inquiries as to whether this prac-
tice of destroying the foot was not attended
with similar evils in arter-life, he said no:
and as he was aman of intelligence. his YER
! oicS may De relied upon. Among the multi
/ tuGes who come for health and cure to the
! hospitals, no one has yet been met with
i whose ailments coul 5e imputed to this
! source. This is a cul .ocs fact and such as
/ might wei lead US to desire more intimate
! acquaintance with the anatomy of this m or
! bid organ, that we might see how nature.
under the pressure of so great a calamity
/ mas contrived to maintain the intercourse
/ OF the arterial and nervous system. and
keep the limb from being materially injured
/ by it.
| The development of the muscles which
/ form the calf of the leg being checked, the
!lno consequently tapers from it's socket
! down TO the foot, without any risings or in
! Elections This IS regarded as the perfection
| OF beauty by the Chinese, who say that the
/ knee OF the female is not protuberant. like
/ the knee of the male, and is SO well covered
/ that she can remain kneeling q long time
/ without Inconvenience II is perhaps less
/ throughout its length than when the foot is
allowed to retain its natural size; but
! whether this is from want of exercise,
! which ever acts as a stimulus to muscular
/ deformity, or from the lack of nutriment
/ through functional distui vance, l can not
! take upon me to say; but =, suspect the for.
mer is the real cause; otherwise the mat
ter would grow from bad to worse, till the
whole was destroyed by atrophy.
/ A foot two inches in length is the idol of a.
Chinaman, on which he lavishes the most
precious epithets which nature and Ian
/ guage can supply. But Its beauties are al
4 together ideal; for when stripped of its CAV
/ investments, 1t Is plteouS mass of lifeless
] integument, which resembles the skin of a
Washerwoman's hand after it has under
! gone long maceration in soap and water.
! The sight of it is w, J fitted to excite our
compassion, not our Jmme1dation-a beau
/ tiful limb crushed into heap of deformity.
The thought of seeing a Chinawoman' 8
foot might awaken a smile; but think I
might defy the most merry-hearted to
laugh when the loosened bandages dis
closed the sad reality to his eyes. But fancy
has played her part so well that this piece
of ruined nature, which is seldom seen by
men, is treated Gs the prime essential of all
| feminine beauty.
''The foot Of q Chinese woman" said to
a Chinese acquaintance, "is very hand
some, so that it is a great pity to spoil it.
! he smiled with much satisfaction at the
compliment, but would only allow that it in
! terfCred with the gait. 'sThey can not
walk so WE'LL" was the amount of his con-
cession i'll my favor. He was so blessed as
not to know the real state of this organ, and
therefore his admiration had no ALLOW
Custom rendered my eye so familiar to
the small foot that a Chinese lady would
scarcely seem to be complete withoutit; but
| it was my misfortune to see it unmasked.
and therefore could not sympathize with
him. To show that there Is great privacy
| ABOUT this small foot, | need only mention
that the servant, when her mistress pro-
eeeded-to unwind the bandages, blushed
and turned her face to the wall.