Ar the risk of tiring our readers, we propose to draw attention again to the anti-foot-binding agitation, which has seemed of late to be sleeping, but is by no means dead. Shanghai has so many and such diversified interests, and one succeeds another so rapidly, that we cannot be expected to single out one subject for prolonged attention; nor does. the injury done to its victims by foot-binding come so prominently into notice in Shanghai, which is almost a European city, as it does in the interior, Our object this morning is to call attention to the manifesto that has been recently issued in the city of Suifa, Szechuan, by a literary graduate (chiijen) named Chou, and endorsed by five other prominent citizens of Suifu. This city is a very important trading centre, situated at the junction of the Min and the Yangtze, on the direct river route between Chengtu. the official, and Chungking, the commercial capital of Szechuan, the largest and richest province. in China, It was while the district examinations were going on and the city was full of students, that this manifesto was placarded on all the walls, Our Chungking correspondent, who sends us a translation of the manifesto, tells us that as far as the missionaries- know, this appeal was issued quite apart from any foreign influence whatever. It is a case of Chinese making an effort in their own fashion to serve their country. 'They appeal to the young men.coming up for examination, who are the best hope of their country, and they boldly put their names to the' manifesto. A spontaneous movement like this makes one more hopeful—if any hope still lingers—for the Chinese people, than. the most enlightened _attempt on Western methods initiated by young men educated in America or Europe. Not that we wish to depreciate. the efforts of the latter class; but a movement that originates. with. entirely Chinese literati seems have in it a special force. It is refreshing, too, to see the author of the manifesto recalling the anti-foot-binding edict of the Emperor Shun Chih' (1644-1662), the immediate predecessor of Kang Hsi,—au edict too much ignored—and. pronouncing foot-binding actually illegal.
Mr. Chou -begins without any: prery: for i, with the: statement No, crime is more: criminal.-than. disobedience to. the Emperor, no inju more painful than the breeking of the bones and. sinews. Even the most. stupid man knows this." He goes on to mention the wickedness of disobeying the Emperor Shun Chih's edict, -and disregarding the precepts of Confucius who taught that men should respect and not injure, their own bodies. "But now," he says, "they have their young daughters' feet bound tightly till they bleed, and the bones and sinews are broken.... Manchus and Mongols and Chinese Bannermen do not bind their women's feet, upper and lower classes alike.""—And yet it is difficult to persuade people at home that the tottering lilies" of story are not known in the Forbidden City, and that the Empresses of China and all the ladies of the Imperial Court have natural feet.—The provinces of Chibli, Kuangtung, aad Kuangsi, after the rebellion was suppressed, acknowledged footbinding was wrong and the half of them abandoned the practice. In Szechuan province, inthe cities of Pengchou and Pengehihsien, Hungya, and Sachang, there are some wise men who have changed, this fashion of small feet into natural feet. Let other places do the same."
Then Mr. Chou refers to the countries beyond the seas, England, France, Germany, America, etc. The women there are free from the pains of foot-binding. Only the Chinese voluntarily incur pain and injury; parents neglect teaching their daughters the five womanly virtues—we can fancy we are reading Mrs. Lynn Linton,—they teach them a bad custom, and spoil their feet. Then he points out that "distinctions of rank are not indicated by the feet. Moreover the laws of the Empire are for the punishment of the wicked by cutting in pieces, beheading, and strangling, but there is nothing of binding of the feet; the laws are too merciful for that. When in a fight or quarrel people's limbs are injured, there is an appointed punishment, But people. have their young daughters' feet broken on purpose, not heeding their cries and pain, And yet parents are said. to. love their daughters. But for what crime are these tender children punished? Their parents cannot say. It makes the daughters ery day and night, aching with pain, This is a hundred times as bad a punishment as robbers get.. Ifa man: is beaten in the yamen, he can get over it ina fortnight, But if a girl's feet are bound, she suffers from it all her life long, and her feet can never regain their natural shape."
Mr. Chou has no patience with fathers who torture their little daughters, because their ancestors did it. "I do not think much," he says, "of such ancestors." Then he goes to the practical side of the question, and shows how, if robbers come or 4 fire breaks out, the men of the family have to leave the women. behind, to commit suicide, or suffer a still. worse. fate, Whereas, if the women had natural feet, they could defend themselves, or escape, as well as thornen, Men should not despise girls with natural feet. "In times of calamity the noble and.rich are the first to suffer because. their women, brought up in ease and luxury, cannot escape. Ifany accident suddenly occurs they can but sit and await death, whilst those with unbound feet can carry heavy things or use weapons, and need not fear being left behind or killed. They can even be trained in military exercises, so as to defend themselves against attack and thus enjoy security, This is the happy course,"
It is a man's business, Mr, Chou says he hears foolish people say, to defend the women; but from ancient times to the present day even- high officials have not always succeeded in defending their wives. And the inability.of.the women to escape leads to the death of. the men who stay to defend them, and so the family perishes. "I hope people will be wise and. intelligent, and give up this stupidity."
We will conclude with giving the final paragraph of Mr. Chou's appeal we only hope his readers have not been repelled by his account of the fierceness which natural feet engender. foreign women "The present is no time of peace. Foreign women have natural feet, they; are fierce and can fight. But Chinese women have bound feet, and ara too weak even to bear the weight of their own clothes, They think it looks nice, bat in reality it does not look nice, and weakens their bodies, often causing their death. Iam a student, a man of no use in the world, but I must do people some good, and I may be of use by writing this, The people in Szechuan province are numerous and crowded together, and there are many idlers and bad characters. Many unforeseen things may arise. Am I right or. wrong?"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.