The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-14
Small Feet Are the Greatest Attraction for the
Celestial Notwithstanding Efforts Of
the T'ien Tsu Hui

Copyright, 1900. By Frank @. Carpenter.
~, HANGHAI. Sept /. f,oo-shang-
hal f. the headquarters OF the
Tien Tsu Hut, or the anti-foot
NJ binding society. This society,
NV founded in 1856. has now its
branches all over the empire.
u Is composed chiefly Of missionary wo-
men. but II has also many prominent Chi
nese members. and as soon as the war
IS over II will be able to push its work
MS II Inns not done before. The head OF
the society is Mrs. Archibald Little, an
English resident OF China, who Is noted
o. an authorizes Of hooks OF Chinese travel
The society n now scattering tracts writ
ten IN Chinese. picturing the evils Of
foot binding. 1t offers prizes TO Chinese
scholars for essays upon the subject. and
II has lecturers going about denouncing
the practice. Among its most influential
supporters has been the great viceroy,
Chang Chi Tung. a man who Is second
only 20 IL Hung Chang in influence In
China. Chang Chi Tung hns aided In the
organization Of big-foot clubs In the upper
part Of the Yangtse valley. and written
a number Of tracts denouncing the GUS
tom. In his essays he writes that he fears
the uD,00o0o0 women OF China may
through II degenerate. and the race In
this way become weak and small and
finally extinct.
A Golden Lily Under the X-Ray.
The Chinese call these small feet golden
lilies One OF the recent acts OF the So
ciety was making A photograph OF a gold
en- NY by the x-ray process. A print
from the negative lies before me. II rep
resents the bones Of the foot OF a living
Chinese woman. and shows how horribly
they are deformed by the compression.
The foot has been crushed out OF shape.
The instep Is over the heel. and the sole
has been bent up so that the foot is In
the form OF bowl. In order to learn
just how the feet are bound went the
other day 10 one OF the hospitals. and
through m acquaintance with mission
airy doctor was able to see one OF the
smallest Of tho Chinese feet. This h BY
no means easy Of accomplishment. The
Chinese women are exceedingly modest.
They Win not take the handages on in the
presence Of their husbands, and am told
that husband rarely sees his wifcs feet
bare. She keeps the bandages on at
night. and does not remove them except ut
cleansing and foot washing. The girls
foot had small sore on the ankle,
and the doctor brought me In to see II on
the plea that was q consulting physi-
clan. cannot adequately describe It's
ugiiness. II looked more like club than
foot. The four small toes had been
bound under the sole so tightly that they
had almost grown into the flesh. The heel
and sole were bent together, leaving a
crack about inches deep, and 80 wide
that you could have slipped silver dol
lar into II and n would have been hidden.
Tho big toe stuck straight out. II was
abnormaiiy developed. and this because
tho woman walked upon II and not upon
tho sole. The skin WAS az rough as
though n wer1 chafrd with the cold. II
was cracked and sore. This was the con-
dition Of all the leg that was exposed.
The leg was bare half way to the knee.
hut could see no sign OF the swelling OF
tho calf: and II II said that thu small
footed women do not have any calves 20
speak o. The unnatural way OF walking
throws into damsc such muscles. and the
average Chinese isdy's lie. from foot 20
knee u not much larger around than
golf club
Hosrovs Of Feet Binding.
From members Of the society and the
reports which they have received from diff
fcrent sections have learned some OF tho
horrors OF foot binding. There Is q branch
OF the organization about x.e0o miles up
tho Tanxtse river at Chansking. At n
meeting there pr. Mccartney recently told
me how hs had been compelled TO anputate
the two feet OF child short time ago.
The mother Of the child was an opium
smoker, and she had not psId much at
tentIon 20 her little girl. The result was
tho feet we're unwashcd. gansrcne set IN.
and when she was brought to the hospi-
tai the little ones feet were hanging on
by the tendons only. In another case pr.
Mccartney found women paraiyxed by
foot binding. and IN others hAf q foot
had sioughsd OF.