El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-05


try. Militant Chinese suffragets by
sheer force did compel the Marking
provisional assembly TO promise votes
for women, but as the republican con-
stitutiOn has not yet been drafted in
its final form, the fact is not accom-
pIished-
But Chinese women are being eman-
cipated- Girl babies are not having
their feet bound. Their freedom viii
become apparent a few years hence, but
even their mothers golden lilies" are
not being permitted 10 cripple their
minds. The wives Of men in the north
now 90 abroad unveiled, and in the
south brides are insisting upon being
the one wife of a husband whom they
know. It will take many. many years,
but the emancipation Of Chinese women
has begun
From time immemOrial the Chinese
PrecedentS set by sageS and customs
welded through centuries have enslaYec
! them. An unweicOmed entry into the
world, unhOly marriages, bodies used
as machines for rapid and Senseless
prOcreatiOn, dWarfed minds and life
long slavery, have made women any
thing but lovely IN China Inc men
have also paid for their own eXaltation
at the expense Of their women, for by
reducing them 20 the level OF so many
sticks of battered furniture they have
deprived their own natures OF the ben
efits which come solely from the COM
partnership OF enlightened and indepen-
! dent women
FoOtbinding Curse.
Foot binding is a curse to Chinese
women, but the way their minds and
natures have been defOrmed IS far
, more hideOus- For centuries II has
been the custom in China TO betrOth
girl in childhood, even as baby, TO a
boy about her own age whom she never
sees until the wedding. The young
man is equally unfortunate IN this re-
gard. but he is permitted to have con-
secondary
children are considered legitimate
Should a mans wife fail to bear him q
son, it is his bOunden duty 10 resort
to some other woman or women IN Or
der that his family shall not die out
Foot binding begins when a girl IS
five years old No occidental woman
can realize the pain which a Chinese girl
endures from this barbarOus custom
To see the women and girls OF emma
go stumping along on their deIormeo
pegs is a pathetic sight Ihey can
not walk much and there IS very little
of the world beyond their own novel
that they see except on rare holiday
celebrations when they are taken out
for a ride in a rude cart. Toe curse
never fastened itself on the women Of
Canton and the adjoining tip Of south
China with the same absolute control
that is to be seen in central, north and
west China The excuse Tor these
golden lily feet has been that they
appeal to the aesthetic in the Chinese
men, but this is difficult TO DeueVe-
1t is nothing more than custom mace
master by centuries Of observance, IKE
extreme ancestor worship and other
relics of the past
New Era for Young Women.
Vigorous preaching by missionaries
against the evils Of foot binding, kill
ing of girl babies forced marriages at
a tender age, lack or education ana
general degradation Is responsible Ior
the changing status Of the women OF
China The new era may not be OF
great assistance to the passing gener-
alton, but it has already brought IN
calculable joys TO the young chinese
women. who are as nice. winsome and
worthy as our own American girls,
plus a deeper appreciation OF their new
found and dearly bought opportunities
But for the missionaries, the WIEnen OF
China would not even have seen the ray
of knowledge which now shines upon
a small but steady growing percentage
schools for Girls.
The first school for girls was founded
in Ningpo by a Miss Aldersey, an Eng
lish woman, in 1874. in response to an
appeal by the Rev. David Abel, who,
at the same time. had in mind the en-
deavors of the Society for Promoting
Female Education IN the East she
started with three poor girls who were
almost scared to death at first The
suspicion of the people was so great
that Miss Aldersey'S habit of snl11lng
a bottle Of smelling salts while passing
through the malOdOrOuS streets caused
the people to thing that she was re-
procession of idols along Miss Alder
Sey's fragrant line OF march succeeded
in overcoming the black magic Of the
smelling salts. NeedIeWOrk, household
arts cleanliness and some book learn
ing was given the girls of this pioneer
school, whose student roll grew 10 40 IN
a few years. Miss Aldersey gave IS
years Of her life to this work, ana re-
tired only on account of i'll health
Small Tuition Fees Paid
Other schools started, notably by Mrs
BALDWIN IN toocnoW, the misses moOi-
stOn, in the same city, Miss Gertrude
Howe and Miss Lucy HOag in k1uklang,
Miss Porter and Miss Brown in Pel1in,
Miss Downing in Chefoo, Mrs. Bridge
man / nthe same city and the Shanghai
Girls school For a tong time 1t was
necessary to feed, clOthe and pay girls
in order TO get them into the schools,
and the membership was made up of
fOundlings and orphans. 1t was not
until 1888 that the gradual enthusiasm
Of Chinese parents warranted school
authorities in suggesting that they
support their own children While they
were in school The parents willingly
did so, and now they even pay small
fees for tuition and the girls have light
industrial work in the curriculum the
proceeds going toward the support of
the schools.
The school work itself has also ad-
vanced. From lace making and Bible
study it has developed into general pri-
mary, secondary and college courses
The Presbyterian school for girls in
Shanghai began in 1896 to give diplo-
mas TO graduates. In 1897 the Chinese
themselves began to take hold Of the
new work
Education on Modern Lines.
Several men founded an institution
in Shanghai, one remarkable feature of
the rules being that no graduate of the
school should ever become a COnCubine
In the work of organization so foreign
women of the city were invited TO help.
The school has now reached the dignity
Il n n7arn
Girls Progress" In 1902 the old en-
press dOwager herself Ordred a Lama
temple in Pekin turned into a school
for girls and gave $65.OOO for similar
activities. From that time the govern
ment has taken a hand in the education
of girls along strictly modern lines 4
Hand in hand against all this has
gone the crusade against foot binding
The first sOcity against this curse was
founded in Annoy in 1874 In PeLin
Mrs. Archibald Little did valiant work
for the cause. 1t has been offfcisIIv
abolished by the republic, but never
theless il is estimated that NOT one
Chinese woman in 5000 can read and
that fully 50.000.000 are still victims of
foot binding. So there still remains
q great deal to be done
TomOrrOw-Changing Customs.
UPTON IS ORGANIZING
SAFETY LEAGUE IN CITY