The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1898-04-28
CHINESE FooT-BINDING.
m san Francisco There IL woman
Who Follows This Barbar-
Gus Profession.

he successor OF Miss Ming Jung. from
Nhom she learned the art of foot bind
ng. II requires great skill and ex-
Derience TO render il successful as il
he unfortunate infants foot be too
lightly bound up, modification sets in,
whereas. IL the blood be allowed to
circulate too freely, the feet win grow
"a calamity that is greatly dreaded by
he aristucratio Chinese.
The little, deformed. useless foot Is
The cachet of gentility with the celes-
ials. A woman with natural-sized feet
'anks as a menial. but the woman with
three-inch foot tolls not, neither does
she spin. She commands higher price
n the matrimonial market, and goes
through life, or rather existence. in the
ap of luxury. Ming Foy regards her
profession as an exalted and benevo-
ent one, and deeply resents the inter
ference of the Society for the Proven.
ton OF Cruelty, which ondeavors 70 put
4 stop to her calling.
The fee for bandaging an infants
feet is 5000, and the ceremony is re-
garded as of great importance and has
certain religious aspect. To keep off
evil spirits. bits OF curlcd paper are
scattered about the room at sunrise and
sunset for some days previously. fer
vent incantations are offered before the
joss, and the most expensive incense
sticks are burned day and night. in
order to please the good spirits. On
the eventful evening incantations and
incense are doubled, and each guest.
on arrival, sprinl<les the floor with
curled paper, each family using diff
ferent kind. Ming Foy, the operator,
brings, in addition to her supply of
curled paper, a bundle of bandages and
pair of little wooden shoes. These
she puts on low table, surrounded by
lighted ioss-sticks. In each shoe are
placed several sprigs of hovee-sin, the
good luck plant of the Chinese. The
hovee-sin in the left shoe is to bring
success to the treatment, that In the
right to give the infant health, happi-
ness and rich husband As Ming
Foy's fee depends upon the success of
her bandaging, she naturally puts the
most liberal supply of hovee-sin into
the left shoe.
The sideboard is spread with Chinese
dainties, and the guests are expected to
help themselves to whatever they like
as often as they choose, and cups of
tea and of Chinese whisky are handed
around at intervals. The mothers pres
ent who have not the good fortune
to possess deformed feet loudly en-
press the hope that they may either
be the mother of boys only, or remain
childless until they are in a position
TO afford the luxury of foot-binder
for their daughters.
After an hour devoted to incantations
and refreshments, the mother Of the in
FAINT and Ming Foy seat themselves on
the floor, their knees interlocked. so
that the hree-months-old baby rests
partly on one lap and partly on the
other. The operation begins with the
right foot, one attendant holding the
child's left oot and the other the
bandages. the wooden shoes being
placed before the joss. The bandages
consist of strips of tape about an inch
and half wide, and woven in PEE
culiar way for the purpose, and which
are an expensive item in the treatment
The process begins by taking several
turns around the ball of the foot. at
the joint of the great toe. After the
tape-which has no stretch whatever
it isis securely fastened il is drawn
closely around the heel. which Is
pressed forward towards the hollow of
the foot near the instep. The heel be-
ing securely fastened, the tape is car
ried forward to the toes. which are
neatly tucked under close 10 the foot,
and bound together across the ends,
making a sort of roll Of them.
The foot is next bound with stout
,loth, which is wrapped first across
he foot and again round il, lengthwise
This is sewn together with strong
thread, the seams being whipped over
and over again. After both feet are
done, the wooden shoes are forced on
with some difficulty, and covered with
a bandage of richly embroidered cloth.
Unless a mistake has been made in
the operation, nothing is touched for
six months. The bandages should by
that time be rather loose, to show that
the foot has shriveled up, instead of
growing. At this stage the foot is
withered and useless, the heel drawn
into the center of il, and the skin re-
sembling a washerwoman's hand after
q long day in the soap and water. The
child cannot move her toes, and the
foot presents hideous appearance.
The wooden shoes are replaced by
smaller pair of elaborate sandals, with
strong wooden soles, and the child for
ever bears the hallmark of 1.-The fine
lady" The advocates of oot-binding
maintain that ii causes no pain what
ever, and that the infant goes through
IL without crying. II is quite possible.
however, that il may have some sooth-
ing drug given TO ii before the opera
ton beSins.-St. Louis Republic.
The Pubiic's CreduIity.
This hrazen imposture on the creduli.
BY of the English public was the result
of a wager between the late duke of