The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-14


In every ten dies of foot binding. one OF
the female physicians in charge Of the
hospital al Canton told me Of a woman
who had lost her feet by freezing. They
were bound so tight that there was no
circulation. They froze and dropped or,
and the woman walked into the hospital
on the sttimns with her feet in her hand.
II IL not uncommon for a foot to be 50
tightly bound that 1t breaks In two In
the middle and the bones come through
the flesh The pain at the beginning IL
intense, and II continues throughout life
the bandsges not being left or until
death
Ho9p the Feet Are Bound.
The binding begins at different ages in
different parts Of China. In the North
and I'm the Yangtse valley II is first done
at 3 or years OF age, and In the South
at or 6. There are professional foot
binders. who Put on the first wrappings.
The child sits en- the lap OF her mother and
servant holds one foot while the other
IL free for the foot binder to work upon.
The first binding Is with a long piece OF
tape about half an inch wide. The binder
presses the four small toes down under
the sole and then takes a turn with the
tape about the big toe at the joint. She
fastens this and then draws the tape back
around the heel. pressing II downward.
materially increasing the height of the
instep. The tape Is next carried to tho
front Of the foot. and the four small toes
are bound in so that they are almost
sunken In the flesh Next piece OF stifr
cloth is wrapped about the foot and fas-
tened with heavy thread so tightly that
the foot cannot possibly grow. The feet
are now squeezed into stiff shoes or slip
pcrs and over them more binding Is put,
until they are perfectly rigid.
Ills Torture for Children.
The pain Increases as the child grows.
ard at times ii is so great that mothers
give their children opium to relieve IL.
Tn walking the little ones must walk
upon their toes They are unable to
stand still. and are continually taking
steps or swaying about This sway has
even become feature OF Chinese beauty,
and Ii considered graceful by the men.
At recent meeting OF the ticn Tsu Hui.
DR. Elizabeth Reifsnyder. one OF the ply
sicians In charge OF large hospital here
at Shanghai, said that this stiff binding
was kept on until the children were seven
years OF age, and that other bandages
were then used. She cited some in
stances OF the torture inflicted In this
way on children by their mothers-in-law,
saying that Of all cruel people. she be-
iieved that the Chinese mother-in-law
was the crueiest. She told how under
such crueities the toes OF little daugh-
ters-in-law would often drop OF, and how
sometimes half q foot would 60
Mrs Reifsnyder said that she had In
her employ a woman 10 years old who
weighed f4o pounds. and who used a shoe
only two and one-haif inches long. She
said that this woman was In pain all the
time, and that when she stood ON her feet
for an hour or 80 her feet would bleed.
Where the feet are very small walking
IL almost impossible. / have seen scores
OF Chinese women carried from place to
place on the backs of servants, and have
met many who could walk only by means
OF long canes
once called upon Chinese Million
airs who introduced me TO his mother. an
old lady worth at least tioD0o 900 When
servant on each aide Of her 10 uphold her
arms They carried her, In fact. to tho
chair. and when she sat down her little
more than covered silver dollar with
wore red satin slippers embroidered with
fur lined. There were pearls IN her
ears and her head dress was decorated
with diamonds.
Snail Feet as Beau Cxfche,s.
I have asked many Chinese why foot
binding has such hold upon the people
and have been always answered that II
Ia because II Is the fashion. The men
are tho cause Of II. A small foot Is con-
sldcred beautiful and large foot tho