The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-01-13
1NHUMAN TREATMENT curN.
EsE CHILDRH
BY ]. w. DamelA
Chief Petty Omcer UIN
Continued from last
CHIN

tContlnued from last 49,,
When these brutal mistrA - IA
brought in the courtroom fItro, III
they lie themselves black A.,, 'el
to save their faces as we'll al ~
reputation, for it is not on =
poorer class of mistress VIII -
this criminal type, but often -
OF good social standing. lnN
courtroom the child sits on thes VIC
of an officer while the case procee :"
she is terrified and fears should =
woman in the box get off by justA
that sometimes something ha%
blinded them. The child tells itS
version as though that were neces-
sary and its appearance not sufficient
evidence to damn anyone, but the
law of fair trial runs its course and
the child is placed on the bench right
beside the judge. Its limbs are in
spected almost briefly, for one
glimpse is enough, sentence is passed
and the child is turned over to the
safety of the Door of Hope.
Have you ever seen the perfect
impress of a hot iron on the leg OF
girl? This little girl was only nine
years old, this sight to look at would
the leg was mess, and naturally it
turn your hair gray at one glance;
was paralyzed, for the iron had play
ed its part more than once on the
same spot. On back and shoulders
of one of the slave girls, were mum.
berless bruises and ugly welts where
the child had been numerically
beaten with anything from a poker
to a broom. Tiny pin pricks scar
the body, marks made by the scalp
scratcher OF brutal mistress whose
only defense was that the child had
told lies.
There was another child in the
hospital who had come from house
of ill fame, as many of them do, hav-
ing either run away or been found
there by the police. This sad girl
used to be fastened to the wall by a
cord around her neck and this tor
ture was repeated until the child's
stomach had become permanently
listened. What this child suffered
no one will ever be able to tell; this
little youngster was no more than
seven years old. 1t sounds CHASTITY
and incredible, but the world little
knows what goes on some times be-
hind the doors of an apparently re-
spectacle house or in the confines OF
many a Chinese place OF ill fame.
Some of the children that the Door
of Hope had taken to its care never
did know what good sound sleep
meant; from early dawn until the
early hours of the following morn
ing they are kept constantly on the
move. Some mistresses take hours
over the mere doing OF their hair;
slave girl will kneel beside young
woman who was evidently preparing
herself for a party; that child will
sit on her knees for hours; all the
time in one position, except for a
sudden dive with out stretched hands
to the dressing table for something
The a7as.h wanted. The amah does
the, combing, brdshing, and plating.
Sitting like that must be strain on
the poor child's physique. Always
ON the go, many of these children
never know days peace, for they
never are allowed time to think OF
happiness. Sometimes they snatch
few hours sleep when ever the OPP
portunity occurs, generally fearful
of a sudden brutal awakening, to
sink in to a deep slumber, but some
times do and then the tragedy be-
gins. Certainly many of these child
rem are probably little wilkins at
times, and a mistresses temper is
hard to control, but there is no ex-
cuse existing or conceivable that
could ever condone the shocking
cruelty that takes place.
On the other hand many slave
girl has married her mistresses
younger son and lived happily ever
afterwards. So far as that is possi-
BILE others have been treated with
every kindness by those they have
served, while not small number
have been given the opportunity to
start in business for themselves.
Some of these children have posses
sed great beauty and where it has
not been battered out of them, have
often developed into women whose
attractiveness and womanliness won
for them rich or devoted husbands.
Many of them, as has been said,
have been anything but angelic,
either in appearance or in nature,
and have given their mistresses such
a time as to create an opportunity
for the girl to escape from the COM
parative thralldon or house work
into the high lights of immortality
Eeveryday and every hour in
China little girls are sold into the
bondage of slavery or vice from poor
decent homes in obscure villages.
Children are generally sold because
the hand of poverty has more than
gauntly threatened. One day in the