The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-25
Frederic Haskin's Letter
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Changes in Chinese Customs.

nese men long ago found out that
the best way to keep a woman in
the home was to render her help
less. There would be nothing to
distract her from her home duties
and she would look up to her hus-
band as knowing so much more
about the outside world than she
knew. Thus the perfect wife was
created in China, and by the most
efficient method possible-making
pie her feet.
For 10 centuries this unwritten
style held the Chinese women in
its wise. The large feet" girl could
not get married. She was socially
pariah. Fifteen years ago. half
a dozen Christian native women
met at Amboy and formed an anti
foot-binding society. China was
awakening to the outside world and
progress, and the society easily
stirred up public opinion. Petit
tions were presented to the queen
dowager, and she finally issued an
edict to abolish the old custom.
MY sisters feet" says Mr.. Chan,
were only three inches long. She
unbound them. All of her children
have large feet. The Older women
could not benefit by the new style.
After 80 years of age, the bones
are set in the cramped condition
and cannot relax. So now, small
feet are rarely found except on the
old women of China and the wom-
en- of far inland provinces where
customs take years to penetrate.
''The new fashion made it posi-
BILE for Chinese women to become
more active in affairs. They en-
tered business, and even politics.
There were women in the first par
lament OF the republic in 1912. In
the most progressive province, Ku-
anything, woman suffrage has been
established. Nurses and telephone
girls" have always been men in
China, but recently girls in Canton
have taken over this work. And
they are even ticket agents and
conductors on steam trains.
Short Skirts Taboo.
Canton, however, is taking some
precautions against too conscien-
tious copying of western progress.
There is a municipal ordinance in
Canton that no western short skirts
or short sleeve dresses shall be
worn in the streets"
Two other changes Mr. Chan
mentioned as having been especial
ly important in helping to awaken
China from her lethargy.
One is the determined struggle
against opium which has led the
government to prohibit the poppy
being grown. If a farmer raises 4
small patch OF peoples in his gar
den the farm will be confscated by
the government And in one rep
resentative province the penalty for
smoking opium is a fine for the
first offense, Imprisonment for the
second, and the third time the Of
fender is cured-he is executed.
The main difficulty in the drug
is that Japan smuggles
opium and morphine through Shan
tung. China claims that that is
one reason why Japan wants to
hold the province, and this Snug
CLING hampers the government in
its efforts entirely to stamp out the
drug habit
The other big advance is the new
70 900 characters of the Chinese
written language Mr. Chan points
out that this written language was
like the old Egyptian hieroglyphiCs,
and that sign like two legs run
ming represents a man. Another
like a figure with arms that seems
TO be sitting down is the symbol for
a woman-she could not run. The
sign for COW looks like two horns
and a tail: and a fat back. long
trail, four legs. represents horse.
1t was so hard to master the
classics in this difficult language
that scholars sometimes spent all
their lives in the attempt. The
common people more often than
not were unable to read or write.
But in 1912 the minister of eduCa-
ton announced the new national
phonetic system of 40 letters, and
now women who have never been
TO school are able to learn to read
and write in less than two months.
Public school books. magazines and
newspapers are being printed in
he new system.
This alphabet was a body blow
20 the old Chinese tradition of rev.
erence for the ways of ones anCes-
.ors. The fiIial Chinese had al
ways accepted the tradition that
)ne must not disgrace these anCes-
ors by improving on the mode Of
life bequeathed by them. But an
,estors. like everything else, are
beginning to be regarded from a
10Th century standpoint in China.