Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-05-01
CHINESE WOMEN BEAR
BRUNT OF FOOD FAMINE
ilair-Nct Industry, However, Saves
Them From Iiungcr-ls big
Enterprise In Orient.
49,. T.. y. Gliucs.

s! T.. y. Gliucs.
Written for Universal Service.
1Mr Gl!ncs is an engineer recent
IS returned from II several months
stay In the famine regions or China.
Ills account OF tho thousands OF
canine sufferers bcHirglnr TicntSin
for bread. published In newspapers all
over til" United Stat"s, played II big
part in awakening tho American
public to the tcrrihlc plight of the
folk around TientS!n have been re-
Itcv"d. mos; OF them. hu; In the more
remote districts there arc millions
siill withou, food
MEM YORK. April 2.-Onc OF tho
most terrible effects OF u famine i'm
China is the fate IL :" often visits
npon women. china is an aSricul-
tural country. ana women. b-i:ir less
valuable as farm workers than men,
are treated with less consideration.
IL any selling OF children has 10 be
| done. ii IL the girl who goes first, II
there is choice between starvation
! for II man and starvation for Il NO
man. the woman has 10 go.
| There are certain places, however.
/ which present Il remarkable cNccp-
| ton 10 this rule--whcre women are
at L premium AS compared with men.
| This Is where the making of hair
nets and lace has been introduced.
The hair net industry was started
around Chcfoo in Shantuug Province
;,s latc as 1912 by IL German from
! Als:cr. who came out to chcfoo as
a friend OF the German postmaster
| al that port. This German WAS :,
! wiG-makcr and also understood the
MAXIM: ~ hair nets. Knowing that
| large quantities of human hair were
exported annually to Europe and the
United states TO be made into hair
| nets. wigs. etc. II" decided that tho
! nets could he made ~ Il very much
f! lower cost III China than abroad
| II" had some prepared and sent I"
]
teach some Of the natives the max
INK OF nets The result %. MS 81 :
forts was such II surprise mat lac
! enlarged his activities TO include :,
few more families. From TINS has
| grown an enormous industry. To-
! day by far the majority Of hair nets
used throughout the world are made
! in China
.Mndc in CHINA"
The making of hair nets is car
ricd on in the homes OF the natives.
1t is highly probable that the net
! Your wife or your sister is wearing,
is the result OF the efforts of one az
thcs, homes and perhaps has hclpet!
10 prevent the family from winch
it Was brought from starving u
death
one Chinese-Amcricau orsaniaa
ton with which | avn familiar now
exports hair from china TO oc treat
ed n tn" United states or Europe.
imports treated hair into china. and
sells this hair locally, rescrvin:; inr
itself the best OF tho product Tor
distribution among certain homes
which work entirely Tor this organ
| ization IN the making Of hair .nei.-.
| Then they rc-cNport these nets anu
sell them In ali parts Of tho world.
The chinese women ar" much
more deNt.rous in the making of
these nets than tn" mon, with the
| cons cuii"uc" that in this particular
area the girls instead of being sold
given away. or lcft To sttrNe. are
now nt-u premium over the men.
Lace making * another Industry
that has elevated the plane Of woman
and given her economic independence
| Lace making around chcTcc Was
started about twenty years aSo by
the wife OF Christian missionary
who cndcavorcd to work out a scheme
whereby the girl babies would be-
comv of more economic Importance.
In making a study OF the SITUATION
az women in tho various European
countries, the misSionHry'S VIE saw
lI@l- TIA" &c -ik'is vi ace p'-.'," =
! ;.rgc pars e. heir ability max
| them elves useful N countries s. IN
an ov,rrcrOwdcl population. -
proceeded Immediately 10 induce Soni'
| women in the United states who un
d,rstOOd lace making 10 co ~" to
china and help her teach the nht;''f
Through friends she foua inarkc'
for ,h"ir products in the tni'"o
StnrcH and the industry for quite 4