New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-17
IN THE CHINESE CAPITAL
A CITY OF DUST. STENCIL AND DOGS.
THE WORK OF AN AMERICAN WOMAN PHYSICIAN
THE MOVEMENT AGAINST FooTBINDING-
CHINAs PARLoUs STATE

Pekng China. October 2.
The three chief characteristics OF the Chinese
capital which most impress the newly arrived
visitor are dust stencil and dogs. There has been
no ra IN since June and the hdeous tracks that are
dgnifed by the title of streets ankle deep In
black dust much of which is pulverized hlth.
Along the macadamizcd streets Of which there
are three, open drains. These serve as sewers
from which the sewage is dipped and the nigh
way sprinkled. When IL dries the pulverizing Is
resumed end in addition to the original compound,
the residuum of the tainted water is breathed into
the lungs.
From the gayety of japan, with Its dainty tea
houses pretty gardens polite cheerful people
China is a descent into Avernus There are two
classes-the rich and the poor-since in comparison
with the poverty OF The very poor. those In COM
Portable circumstances. the farmers. shopkeepers
and others of like position must be counted as
rich The thought-the daily struggle win
half the populatiOn-s 10 secure food enough TO
allay the pangs of hunger. In summer they are
but half cad and in the north In winter. their
wadded clothing simply prevents them from freez-
ing TO death They no undcrcothing, and
the wadded garments, worn for years, left when
not in use at the pa vnbrokers are black and stiff
with filth and infested with vermin. The houses
OF the lower classes are wretched In the extreme,
the floor of earth brick the kang. or brick stove
bed and n few poor utensils being the sum OF their
possessions.
BAD HOUSE CARPENTERING.
While they show great skill In many lines Of
purey decorative work the Chinese are not the
best artisans in the world especially as carpenters,
and the doors and windows are seldom fitted to
exclude the piercing winds. Added TO this they
rarely shut door, and the windows covered with
paper which soon becomes ragged and broken, are
better adapted to excluding tt night than the cold.
The people suffer frightfuy from chblains during
the winter months. hands and feet being raw and
bleeding and thousands die OF pulmonary COM
plants.
o., tho coumonest sanitary laws II is no longer sur
prsing that their cities are the starting point or
plague and pestilence that sweep over the earth'
Tho disease. that are ever present result largely
from an annm,c condition OF the blood or from ex-
baustion With all their superstition. and with
their disdain for the Christian religion the people
have an astonishing faith In the Foreigners
Lnovledpe Of medicine and their powers FOR
healing With their inbred contempt FOR women
they do not question for moment the skill OF
knowledge OF the foreign medical woman. but take
her medicines and submit to operations "lthout
word They even send their sons 10 her FOR treat
ment the extreme test OF their faith Upon the
uro,ls NJ a woman physicians office In Picking are
a dozen hammers covered with Chinese inscriptions
In silt letters high flown eulogies OF the learned
Western physician who had come among them 10
heal the dying and restore the dead TO hteE Inc
Chinese be II said, never STATE fdctS hteruy' anu
from these compliments 1t was to be inferred that
rho doctor had been successful In treating her
patients
AN AMERICAN WOMAN PHYSICIAN.
The little d,spensary In which she sat neat
and orderly the labelled bottles In tidy rows on
the shelves with a pair OF apothecary's scales on
the counter, at which medicines could be weighed
Her assistant was bright. intelligent Manchu
woman. She could be recognized by her unbound
feet and nor enormous headdress, the hair having
been parted and the two long locks wound over