Arizona republican., 1919-07-03
WHERE SMALL FEET KEEP
 WOMEN AWAY FROM CHURCH

Small feet, the pride of women of all races, form a problem which. although China has legally prohibited foot bind ing, is still a problem to the mission aries there. The Episcopal church has set itself to find a solution of this prob lem. In China, more men than women go to Christian churches The tiny feet of the women won't carry them long distances to church, so the missionaries are trying to carry the church to them. One foot, linear measurement, may be twelve inches, butt one foot, pedal, may be no more than four or five inches when that foot belongs to Chinese woman
 For centuries Chinese women nave bound their feet. It was only few short years ago that through the in- fuence of Christian missionaries in the celestial republic, that a law was passed prohibiting the practice Of foot binding. Future generations Of Chlna's women will be free from this curse, but the present generation still suffers from it. The binding began in infancy and continued through the years to maturity. The result was perhaps gratifying to the Oriental, but 1t had its vexations for the missionary, and still las. .tt't'r..+ss
 It may seem strange that missionar- ies have any great concern over the feet of Chinese women, but they have indeed. for unless a church can be placed conveniently in any. Chinese city ] it is impossible to get the women of that country to go to church. Their feet won't let. them, for to walk four or five miles to church on feet only four or five inches long is harder under taking than it may seem at a glance
 The Episcopal church now is trying to find a way to meet this problem Of tiny feet Manifestly, the. church can rot enlarge the feet of it's feminine Chinese converts. but it can build more churches, so that little feet will not have so far to walk, and through its nationwide campaign it is seeking to show the need of more churches in 1 China just as it proposes to enlarge it's work at home.
 In China more men come to church than women. For one thing, the feet of the men never were bound. But more men could be attracted to the church if there were more churches, for, while the missionary might per suade a non-C Christian friend to stop business and walk block. to. service, it is well nigh impossible to persuade bim to stop business and walk two miles to church.
 The churches are not all that they should be to attract and hold the con- vert natives of .Nanchang. Rev. T. L. Sinclair, a missionary of the Episcopal church, gives this description:
 "Our church is a large room in a rented building. On one side of the church room there are pillars which shut off large part of the congrega- ton. The floor is brick laid in dirt; that it is laid under dirt. The benches have no backs. They are simply pieces of plank about foot wide with four legs stuck in them. Some might think that surely better benches could be procured. Well, the benches are in keeping with the rest of the building, and the missionary hopes and saves so put new benches in a rev church. If some kind soul will give the benches and some other kind soul will give a churcf to put them in, the missionary will attend to the rest. To make mat ters worse. our church is situated or one side of the city far from number of our ChriStians-'' s.'.ses ss.s -