The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-03
WHITE WOMEN In CHINA.
Difficult Matter for Them to Escape
Unpleasant Notice.

Julian Ralph, in London Mail.
European and American missionary wom-
en- who go about their work intelligently
know that the first essential is to dress in
Chinese fashion. / will not say that any
missionary woman has ever done herself up
like a first-ehop lady, with thick cream of
lice-paste laid on her face and dried there.
white as death or Drury lane clown, or
that any such missionary has parted her
hair in five places across her crown, and
then braided and coiled it, and coated it
with dissolved slippery elm. to glue it III
shape-"number one proper'-as stiff as
plank; or that she has covered both sides
of her head with pearls or jadestones, set
upon fancful creations of invisible wires TO
look like sprays of buds or tiny flowers; or
has grown her finger nails TO a length of
ten or twelve inches, and carried them in
silver tubes to prove herself lady, above
the need to work. But hundreds have
dressed in plain cotton coolie women
jackets and trousers, and gone about their
business without attracting the attention
that an electric light would get if 1t went
out for walk in Chinese city. And that
smile only gives a sober idea of the no
torety that comes to a woman in European
attire anywhere in China beyond the treaty
ports.
There is more reason for this than ap-
pears at first thought. There is a deep
rooted prejudice against our feminine dress
in the Chinese mud. And If this does not
do honor to the Chinese it, at least, carries
with It no discredit. In China the display
or the nude human form is considered IN
decent. So are pictures of human naked
ness, and no self-respecting China man would
tolerate q statue of nude humanity upon
his premises. 1t is different in Japan. That
is the upside-down land always, in every
thing. China and the Chinese are mucn
more UNDERSTANDABLE BILE to US. In Japan naked
ness attracts neither opposition nor APP
matter. and is not considered. Men and
women bathed together there in public untll
tourists with Occidental training scandahzeu
the Japanese with their explanations OF
surprise or their exhibitions OF pfuIiency.
Now, the Japanese continue to hold their
own views OF nudity, but the sexes patne
Unelad together in private. In China TASTE
and training lead so far in the opposite di~
rection that a woman in European dress ls
regarded as being indecently clad
a Chinese woman wears two outer gar
ments that are loose enough FOR TWO women
to inhabit at once, and that conceal HeI
shape as completely as il she went apout
IN q barrel that could walk. A corset Whlcn
presses the feminine form into French lines,
d dress that is nodded over the nlps lne
revelations of anatomy, generally, LhaL al z
Turposely made, or that come ana go az
our women walk-these contributions ~
men dresssnaxers in Paris to whole races OF
western wornen--are shocking to the chi
nese. A woman thus clad Is regarded as
ballet dancer would be It she walked ~
short skirts ana tights through LONDON
streets. She not only loses per la ~ ~ ~
for good: she relinqulshes the fSspecf Or inc
people in China Hundreds 81 missionary
women know this. and never give oHensf ln
that way. They are like that great chprch