The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-17

every girl is taught to believe makes
mired above her fellows, is really held
in adherence and contempt by right
thinking people. What matters G lit
tie pain or inconvenience when, by I'M
dergoing it, a girl can possess the small
lest feet In the village and be consid-
cred an ideal beauty?
But no pledge, no education, and so
the Chinese girls are given their choice
of two evils. Once they undertake to
refrain from foot binding they are
firm converts, for it takes little more
reasoning to show them how much bet
ter off they are than their crippled
sisters. Then, in accordance with the
first principles Of Christian teaching,
they are made missionaries in their
turn and are taught that the highest
ambition Of their lives should be to
persuade others that the practice Of
foot binding Is a horrible one and
should be stamped out with all the
force Of the feet that have grown SUI
perior to time-worn superstitions and
are as nature intended them to be.
Just here the masterstroke of policy
OF the Sisters Mcgowan displays it.
self. They have formed what is known
as the ntf-Foot-Binding society, ana
all the converts to the new idea who
eVince an earnest desire to work
against the cruel custom are enrolled,
as members, and attain to the degree
Of Importance in the society that their
enthusiasm entities them. They are
given various departments in the work.
Some, who evince an aggressive de-
sire to carry the war into the camp of
the enemy, are equipped with a variety
of arguments and sent out to neigh
boring villages to preach the gospel of
natural-SiZed feet. They are doing it
with an earnestness of purpose that
marks the beginning of the end for
the small foot craze.
They go from house to house spread
ing the new doctrine and urging the
Chinese women who-are mothers of
girls to refrain from Gripping the feet
Of their offspring. If they find in the
house any children whose feet are I'M
dergoing the terrible process, they
reason with the parents, show them
the evil of it. and if possible get them
to unwind the cruel bandages. If they
refuse, the missionaries call again and
yet again, until they yield or show that
they are hopelessly welded to the GUS
toms of their forefathers. If they
yield and the child's foot is freed from
the torture, parents and child are
urged to join the Anti-Foot- Binding
society and become missionaries in
their turn.
Dark ignorance is the prevailing
curse in China, and enlightenment
comes slowly, but like punishment, 1t
is coming surely, and to those pluclly
and determined American girls belongs
the credit of beginning the revolution
airy movement on behalf Of the down.
trodden and foot-bo Chinese girls.
Threats and persuasions have alike
failed to turn them from their purpose.
They have decided that the Gripping
of Chinese girls feet must stop and
their missionary work in this direction
is bearing remarkable fruit
The latest plan of the Sisters Mac
gowan is to attack the evil at it's base
by bringing the question before the
Chinese court, and seeking to obtain
royal support, and, if possible, a royal
decree, making the crushing of Chinese
girls feet an offense that will be pun
ishable. This is the most difficult of
all tasks that the missionaries have