Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1907-12-05


like many independent missionaries,
plant their enterprises under the
shadow OF long established missions
and steal away the converts of the
latter This sort of PROSECUTING is not
uncommon on the mission field on
the part of these smaller bodies, al
though by all standards 1t Is dlshon-
orable. Givers to foreign missions
should assure themselves that the
work they support is not of this sort.
There is small excuse for these new
undertakings going to port cities,
when there are thousands of interior
cities and towns where not n single
missionary has ever gone.
Big Feet Becoming Fashionable.
The disproportion in which many
matters Chinese have been viewed in
the occident Is illustrated by the foot
binding practice. Westeners have
been led to believe that this has
meant constant agony and hardship
FOR the chinese women and girls, and
the subject has been stock argu.
ment in arousing sympathy for the
prepared to find these "lily-footed"
women such merry, lively lot. as
they toddle about on the points of
their distorted feet. In answer to
remark upon this an experienced
missionary said There Is no doubt
that the suffering incident to foot.
binding has been greatly exaggerated"
M A., ,,
one she would have small need for
missionaries.
Not that the foot.bnding is other
than bad practice 1t is needless,
stupid, hurtful and probably worse
than the tight lacing of the white
woman. Progressive Chinese and mis-
sionaries have all united to break up
the custom. The girls of mission
schools are always required to UNI
bind their feet; the chief reason why
| older Christian women do not always
do so is because the pain suffered
from unbinding would be greater than
the Inconvenience of the small feet.
Peasant women are usually big.foot-
| ed; so also Is the empress dowager
and all other Manchu women. The
| Manchus never followed the practice
of binding feet. 3tt
So substantial has boen the prog
ress made in this reform that the
Anti-foot Binding Society, vigorously
led by Mrs. A. Little, and served by
many European ladies, recently closed
out its affairs, after ten years of ac-
tive campaigning. The fight for big
feet is now so far won that its further
prosecution is left to the Chinese
themselves.
Waging War on Opium.
| Everybody knows that Chinese
smoke opium; strangers to this land
do not realize TO what an extent it has
permeated the national fabric, so that
it has debilitated the physical
strength OF China and Slapped the
moral fiber of it's countless victims
To an even greater extent than strong
drink, opium units its user for use
fitness. For years the missionaries
have hammered away at this seeming
ly hopeless subject, Rev. DR.. Fl. c.
DuBose, of Soochow, being the most
tireless and dauntless opponent OF
opium in the empire.
At last the lethargic nation has
been stirred. The Chinese them.
selves have become concerned at the
spectacle OF their public men made
inefficient by opium, and their newly
educated youth rendered powerless by
the drug. In an inspection of the
great opium smoking resorts in Shang
hal, (there are $1,000 In that city
alone) | was impressed by the fact
that 1t was the young, the prosperous
and the educated who furnished the
patronage; the old, the poor, the
wrecked were smoking in miserable
novels in obscure streets where few
cash would suffice TO satisfy theil
cravings.
Now China is treating with Eng
land to secure Il cessation of the i'm
portation of the drug into the empire
and England, moved by militant
sentiment at home against this dis
graceful situation, Is lending listen
ing ear to Chinas plea. For It's owl
people the Chinese government ha
issued an astonishing anti-opiun
edict, which is already being put int
effect. The edict declares 'it rouse
our deep indignation even to speal
of the matter. The court Is nov
ardently determined to make Chin;
powerful, and it is incumbent on us t.
urge the people on to reformation II
this respect, that they may realize tn
evil, pluck this deep-seated cancer
and follow the ways of health ant
harmony
I'VE therefore decree that within
the limit OF ten years, this harmful
foreign muck be fully and entirel
, cleansed away, and we command tn
council of state affairs to conside
, means for the strict prohibition bot
! of opium smoking and OF poppy-grow
, ing in China itself and report thei
deliberations to us for approval"
, In all this progress the missionarie
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