Year: 1875

The diminutive feet of the women
of China was long regarded as a ma
tional peculiarity, asserted to be of
natural growth, and has thus been a
wonder in the books of travellers,
but by our less restricted Intercourse
with China the secret has been let
out. There were certain small-tooted
ladies at Hong Kong who gained a
very fair livelihood by exhibiting
their feet to sea captains and other
curious Europeans, at dollar 4 head,
and the evidence satistie | a superficial
examination and belief. But it, ap-
pears that in the missionary schools
may be seen numbers of little girls
whose feet are in the various stages
Of torture, rs narrated by a visitor
who had an opportunity of witness
ing what he has wei described. On
an appointed day the children were
all seated in a row, and their feet,
which had undergone Il preparatory
washing, were unbound by their
mothers. The first was child three
years old. Her penancc had but inst
commenced. When the banda.e of
blue cotton was taken off it was seen
that the great toe had been left IN
touched, but the other four had been
forced down under the ball of the
foot, and closely bound in that posi-
ton. The child, therefore, walked
upon the knuckle joints OF her four
toes. The toes were red and intiamed
and the ligature caused evident pam.
In the next three child en-, of ages
advancing at small intervals, the pre-
paration was only to the same extent;
it was confined to the four toes
Gradually, however, these four toes,
according to the continual pressure,
lost their articulation and identity as
limbs, and become anal gamated with
the sole Of the foot. In the eldest Of
the four the redness and inflammation
had entirely Disappeared; the foot
was cool and painless, and appeared
as though the four toes had been cut
off by knife. The foot was some
what the shape of Il trowcl. In the
fifth girl was seen the commencement
of the second operation-a torture
under which sickly children frequent
ly die. The sole Of the foot was now
curved into the shape Of 4 bow; the
great toe and heel being brought to-
gether as near as possible. This is
done very gradually. The bandage
is never slackened; month by month
it is drawn tighter. The foot
intlames and swells but the mother
perseveres. AS the bones and ten
dons accommodate themselves to the
position constrained by the bandage,
so it is drawn tighter. At last the
ball of the natural foot fits into the
hollow of the sole, and the root of
the great toe is brought into contact
with the heel. The foot is shape
less lump. The instep is where the
ankle was, and all that is left to go
into the slipper and to tread the
ground is the ball of the great toe
and the heel.


This is the small foot of the Chi
nese woman; bit of toe and IA bit of
heel, with a mark like u cicatrice left
after Il huge cut, running up between
them. Two of the girls seen by the
narrator were yet suffering great
pain, and their feet were hot and in
famed, but in the eldest the opera
ton was complete. She had attain
ed to the position of a small-footed
woman, and her feet were quite cool,
had no corns, and were not tender to
the touch. One of the mothers solv
ed the mystery. Sometimes, it seems,
when a woman is expected to have
to do hard work. her toe and heel are
not drawn together SO rs to Lroduce
the true "small foot" To disguise
this impertection upon her marriage
day she has recourse to art. y piece
of cork, shaped like all inverted sug-
ar loaf, is strapped on to her foot,
and the small part goes into her slip
per and passes for her foot.