Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-12-05

IOut IN 'front.' or the house are TIVE
double rows of large willows. The will
low here is not like the willow at home
but it is somewhat similar. The yarc
is full of flowers in full bloom. In every
nook there is lot of cosmos or chrys
anthemums. There are few roses in
bloom now, but they are mostly gone
And violets are blooming some, too
Think, chrysanthemums and viOlets
blooming side by side. It is not so in
Oregon.
Now, / suppose you would like tO
know something of the Chinese. For
goodness sake don't form your opinion
of the ones here by those you see at
home. / will confess / was somewhat
surprised myself Those here, or at
least the ones ! have seen so far, are as
much superior in appearance to those in
and around Salem, as white man is
to negro. They are taking up with
Western ideas in and around Marking,
and great many girls of the official
class are interested in the school here.
One of them has recently entered the
school, and has allowed her feet to be
unbound. The practice of footbinding
here is something awful. If 1 told you
the size of some of the feet have seen
you would not believe it. But think of
woman who weighs $50 pounds with
feet not over five inches long. (My feet
are IL inches long). But really, have
seen smaller feet than that. One poor
little girl in the school had parents who
class, and in order to make her grow in
to "A beautifulfooted woman they bound
her feet very tightly, and kept them
bound so closely that they began to de-
compose, and finally decayed entirely
and came off. The child is now in Miss
Lyons school, and hobbies about as
best she can on her knees, her little
stubs of legs, minus feet sticking out
as she walks. On the way from the boat
lhhhAhk w ihN hAooibh Nbihpbuhht VIC
were riding along in the carriage,
heard the cry of a beggar by the road
side, her two stumps of legs, without
any feet, sticking up in plain sight. An
other case of binding. When l was
down in the hospital day or two ago,
| saw girl lying on one of the benches
or settees, in the hospital ward. Her
neck was swollen fearfully, her face was
flushed, and she appeared to feel very
badly, indeed. On further investigation
found that she had just had her feet
but the doctor was afraid it
was too late. Decomposition had
seemed to set in already. Around the
top of the bindings was a ring of flesh
about ready to drop off, and the doctor
did not know whether it would be pos
sible to save her feet or not. Well, this
will perhaps give you a very small idea
of what the Chinese women have TO
suffer, However, this is only a small |
portion. II is "A very common thing to |
drown girl babies here, or to try to sell |
them to foreigners. The fathers do not |
want girl children, they want boys, so
they try to dispose of the girls anyway |
they can. Yet they are, as rule, lit
erary people. That is a great many |
Of them are. But these educated Chi
iese, that is, the ones educated in Chi
nese schools, do these things the same
as the ignorant coolie on the street But
he government officials are beginning
10 realize their errors. In the imperial
palace, at Pekin, the women have all
inbound their feet. Even the Empress
lowager herself has big feet. An edict
las gone forth that in a few months
he Chinese of the official class are to
,ut OF their Queuss. don't know what
fleet this viii have ON the other Chi
lese. imagine great many others
Mill have their hair cut according TO
Western fashion after this. They seem
o be ready and waiting for an Opportu-
,ity to take up with Western ideas and II
ustoms to great extent.
Say, wish you could see the roads
iere. They are largely of crushed rock,
md are as hard as floor. Although
here has been a steady downpOur Of
ain ever since came, the streets are
iov very muddy. I can 90 out and walk