That the Report and Accounts, as presented to the meeting, be adopted and passed.
Dr. Reifsnyder, in seconding the resolu-ction, called attention to the-fact that the work performed by the Society so far had been with the expenditure-of about £50 in the course of two years. She could not hel) feeling that the title of the Society was a misnomer-to a certain extent, notwithstanding that-a good deal -of time was spent on its selection. It had she.
children—that a better name quatter' of a-million' Chinese women: and would be the Society. for the°Préyeution of Cruelty to Children, for that was what it amounted to. Pestilence, famine, and war had visited this Iand, but for 1,200 years innocent, children,. girls, had -been subjected to the most barbarous practice, unable to defend themselves from the cruel force applied by their-parents to whom they should have looked for protection. Since the' sixth century the. evil practice had gone on, but could anyone with any common sense say that small feet " were not miserably. deformed feet? How or why the practice began seemed to be a question, and it issd gone on in. spite of edicts practically all over the country except in the Manchu and Hakka districts, Famine, war, and pestilence had not brought such' untold misery and sorrow upon the people as the practice of binding the feet of the girls. But now public opinion was aroused and people were refusing to bind their daughters' feet. It was for the closing years of this century to abolish the custom. - Victor Hugo had said that the nineteenth was woman's century, and she hoped it would be recognised, as Womian's century not only for Europe and Americ: but for the it. She was glad to see so many Chinese gentlemen present, and hoped that they. would do everything in their power to abolish the evil custom. (Applause.)
The resolution was put to the meeting and carried.
Proposed by Sonora de Uriarte and seconded by'. Mrs, Edkins, it was resolved That the rules of the Tien Tau Hui as presented to the meeting, be adopted.
Lady Hannen proposed, and Mrs. Bock That Mrs. Drummond and Mrs. Little be re-elected as President and Organising Secretary, and that Mrs. Edkins be elected Treasurer, and Mrs. Bondfield Secretary; and that the ladies whose names are in your hands form the committee for the ensuing year, those' with asterisks before their names to be on the exeouti Mr. Liang -Ki-in, representing the Chinese Anti-Footbinding Society (Pu Chan Tsu Hui) said he was glad to be able to report that the membership of the society with which he was connected was steadily increasing. His countrymen know the evils of foot-binding, but the habit was so deeply rooted that it was difficult to overcome.. However, the members of his Society had agreed that their daughters' feet should not be bound, and that in the event of there being any difficulty getting husbands for them that they should married to the sons of members of the Society. With the increase in the means
the cruel practice would be almost, Phot Chinese newspapers, he sincerely ho; communication and the extension. of
entirely, done away with in the course of ten years. It was the intention of his Society to ask the Superintendents of Northern and Southern Trade to petition the Emperor that children born after the twenty-third year of Kuang Hsii should not be recognised as of high standing unless they had natural feet. (Applause.)
'The Rev. 'Dr: Edkins in. mentioning a few facts to show that the Chinese Government had always been op] to the practice of foot-binding, said that in the beautiful book on Peking by Pere Fa-brogues, of the Lazarists' Missi Mission; there was a picture of the Empress who acted ax Regent during the years 1248-50, in which her feet were shown so that it was impossible that they could ever have been bound. That was about thirty "years before Marco Polo reached Peking. Regarding the present century, -in 1804
: the Emperor was. reported, of the dynasty to have noticed that. many of the young girls: from the, banners had broad sleeves, and bound. fect, and he issued a decree threatening their: fathers and brothers.with punishment if -ench should occur again. In the year 1838 there was reference of a similar nature, and again severe punishment was threatened for binding feet, so that it was evident: the Manchu dynasty had never varied in its opposition to the practice of foot-binding.
The resolution was then put and carried.
The Rev. Y. K.. Yen moved—
'That the. thanks 6f this' meeting be pre~ sented to the Committee and Officers for their conduct of the work of the Society.
He said that he proposed the resolution with great pleasure as the work of that Society. dealt with a question which came very near his heart. When in America he heard of the foundation of the Tien Tne Hui, through the efforts of Mrs. Little, and he at once felt that Chins was going to have a Moses to deliver her girls from bondage. He hoped that Mrs. Little would not leave the country until she saw her work accomplished. (Applause.) All his life he had had an aversion to bound feet, and simply on that account, when sotarning from America cord his seated lays, h" did not marry the young lio had apparently been intended for hin, had now one daughter, and she had feet as large as any one. (Laughter.) He would rather see her remain unmarried
from the pain of bound feet. He appealed, than that she should be crying and aping to his countrymen to do all they could to support Mrs. Little and the. Society she represented.
Mr. E. F, Alford, in seconding the resolution, said—Such a resolution is often reled as a mere matter of form, but on this occasion I think that from what you have heard you will agree with me it is not empty compliment or mere' form, but resolution to be adopted unanimously, animated by admiration of work done, and intended as an incentive of work yet incomplete. No one can have read the report and. heard what has been said of the work of this Society without experiencing both pain and gladness—pain at the sad tale of millions of infant sufferers yet unrelieved of pain; gladness that at least a strong effort is now being made towards the voluntary abandonment of a cruel practice...OF the callous who criticisethis good work, who say it is not our business to interfere with or even suggest a reformation of what they call a national custom, I would ask—Have you ever seen a foot unbound after it has been bound for years? I have seen this sight, and shall not soon forget it. Ido not need to be reminded of what was once foot and become an indescribable mass of unrecognizable flesh. It is the fact that few actually see these deformities that causes many to hesitate from jointing this Society. Suppose fora moment that instead. of laming girls for life by practically killing eight out of ten toes the. custom had been to amputate one foot, can it be supposed that with such ocular demonstration of pain anyone, whether foreigner or Chinese, animated by the commonest feeling of humanity would stand aloof and say this is not my affair? We are all apt to pass by on the other side, to shut our eye to painful sights we do not see an easy undertaken the good work be deterred—itis way to prevent, but let not those who have
the necessity for their work which causes. pain; it is the goo! work which they are doing which brings gladness, and as a simple but heartfelt acknowledgment of that good work, we, who can only share in the shadow of its reality can, at least record.our opinion and tender the thanks cmveyed by the resolution I have the honour to second. (Applause)
Dr. Suroong, in supporting theresohition, recognised the foundation of that Society
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.